Chapter 14: The Return of the flames

Anaya gasped, her hands trembling as the golden basin shimmered before her. The king's chambers had grown quiet. But inside her, memories burned.

Not hers.- no not Anaya, the maid. Zendriya's.

The cave. The roar. The heat.

She had been no older than ten when they found her. The dragon, Vezkari, eyes like liquid fire, had circled her trembling form. She remembered the way his breath had nearly melted the ground beneath her feet. She had run, slipped, screamed - and yet, he hadn't killed her.

Instead, he marked her.

The mark still burned beneath her skin.

She had fled that day, escaped with the help of a dying witch who told her to hide, to wait, to play human.

But now, the fire was back. The dreams, the pull. The prophesy whispered to her in every shadow. And worse -

He had found her again.

Vezkari has returned, and this time he didn't come to mark her.

He came to collect.

Elara had arrived, as the dream has foretold.

The sound of laughter echoed in the palace halls, lighter than Xandria's, but also - more.

There was something in it that stirred Zendriya's blood, something distant, like the call of a far- off storm.

She didn't dare to show it. Her position, her disguise, the face she wore everyday - Anaya - remained unchanged. The dragon within her still simmered under her skin, but she kept it hidden and buried.

Elara was here now, she could alnost feel the weight of destiny crackling in the air between them.

Anaya placed the tray of pastries on the table in Xandria's room, her hands trying to be stable.

The sight of Elara sitting so calmly beside Xandria sent a quiet ripple of panic into her heart.

But the fear wasn't for Elara, it wasn't for the prophesy either.

It was for Xandria.

She couldn't let her get hurt. - not again-

Anaya could not fight it, Zendriya the powerful witch was too strong for her. And Vezkari was even stronger. Now that he has marked her, he could sense her. Her feelings, her thoughts and her actions. If she makes any mistakes, she will be annihilated. Zendriya lives inside of her.

She was Zendriya and Zendriya was her. She had to fulfill her destiny.

Elara's eyes met hers briefly, and there was something at that glance that made her heart race. Elara didn't know, couldn't possibly know - yet. But Zendriya could feel the change in the air. The fire inside her pulsed in response to the other girl's presence.

Elara was already so close to Xandria. If the two of them shared a bond that was stronger than she had imagined, the king's Grand Gias would stir. Xandria would start feeling the pull to the king, and their plans will be messed up.

Xandria is not meant to fall for the king. If the bond was too strong, she will be bound to the king, and Zendriya will be forced to choose.

But her choice was already made.

She wanted both the blood of the king and the blood of Xandria. And Anaya could not fight her.

She quickly turned away, before Xandria could say anything more. She couldn't afford to hear what was in her voice, couldn't afford to see that familiar glimmer of something in her eyes. The glimmer that she had not seen on her face for so many years. Before the prophesy, before the dragons, before the twisted fate that had made her a prisoner of fire.

Later that night, Xandria stood at the edge of the balcony, staring out over the moon lit kingdom. Her fingers curled around the railings, a soft sigh escaped her lips.

Anaya stepped up behind her. She didn't speak at first, her breath caught in her throat.

This moment, it was dangerous. They were both teetering on the edge of something neither of them could control.

"I have been having strange dreams Anaya"

Xandria said. Her voice soft, uncertain.

Anaya stiffened but said nothing.

"Dreams about my sister.... But there is something in them that doesn't feel right. I see her, talking to someone, like a shadow, like a witch. It's strange. Like something is pulling me away from her."

Anaya remained silent, her heartbeat like a drum in her ears.

"You have been having dreams?" Xandria's voice had a gentle query.

Anaya's fingers gripped the edge of her own sleeves as if the fabrics will anchor her to the world she has made.

"I.. I don't dream." She said quietly. Her voice distant, hollow. "I don't remember dreams anymore."

Xandria looked over her shoulder. Her gaze soft, searching. She didn't know what Anaya felt. Couldn't. But she knew there was something about the maid - something untold. The fire in her eyes was unmistakable, a power she had seen in only one person. Maltherion.

"I see you, Anaya" Xandria whispered. "I know you. You are not like others. You've always been so quiet. But your silence.... I've always wondered what you were really hiding.

Anaya froze.

She turned slowly to face Xandria, her breath catching as her heart beats too loudly in her chest. She wanted to say something, to unravel the truth, to let Xandria know what she was, what she had to do. But she couldn't. The words were locked inside her, a fire that threatened to burn everything.

And so, she stayed quiet.

Xandria noticed her change in demeanor, "is something wrong?

Anaya's lips parted. Then just as quickly, she turned away, walking to the door.

"I'm fine." She whispered, her voice thick. " I just - " she paused. "You must rest your Highness. Tomorrow is a very busy day. The wedding is just in two days time."

The door closed before Xandria could ask more. But as she stood alone in the night, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was in the verge of something monumental.

And Anaya?

Anaya was no longer just a maid.

She was a flame. A very dangerous flame.

She stared into the night sky for a long time. She only turned around when she heard he opening of her balcony door.

"I just came to check how you are doing?" She heard Elara's voice.

"I'm fine." Xandria answered simply.

Elara walked up to her and stood beside her, staring at the sky too. Then she turned and saw the crystal necklace that she had given Xandria when she was leaving with the king.

"You are still wearing the necklace that I gave you?" Elara said, trying to hide her smirk.

"Why wouldn't I? This is a gift from my wonderful sister" Xandria said, glancing at Elara.

" I thought you will take it off since you must have alot of wonderful jewelries already."

" I'll never take it off" Xandria said, touching the pendant.

" I'll take my leave now. Have a good night."

Elara kissed her cheeks before walking out and closing the door.

Xandria had a bad feeling in her mind. She decided to go and look for Elara.

She knocked on Elara's room door but no one answered. She opened the door and stepped inside, but no one was there.

She stepped out of the room and walked through the corridor, looking for Elara.

She heard whispers at the end of the corridor. There was only a single candle in the corner of the hallway.

Drawn by the pull, she crept down the servant's hallway that led behind the west tower. The voices reached her first - whispers carried on a draft of wind that curled around her ankles like smoke.

Elara's voice.

" ... It's already reacting to her"

She heard the same voice from her dreams - Zendriya.

"It should. The crystal was forged from ember glass. Dragon- blood. It watches her emotions, tracks her fears, her dreams. The moment she unlocks the flames in her, the true power within her will begin to stir."

" And then?"

" Then the king's Grand Gias won't be enough to protect him."

Xandria's heart stopped.

She stepped back.

A creak.

Silence.

The voices halted and she heard footsteps, soft and slow. Like a predator circling it's prey.

Zendriya's voice again - quiet, low, dangerous.

"Did you feel that?"

Elara hesitated. " I felt a spike in her emotions. Someone is there."

" We are running out of time."

Xandria stepped into her room and closed the door. She stared at her self in the mirror, trying to catch her breath.

She stared at the crystal necklace. She had been wearing it all this while. She immediately took it off and kept it in her drawer.

She had a similar necklace inside her dresser. She had bought it the time she went to the market. She wanted to gift it to Elara. So that they can have matching necklaces, since Elara had given her her own.

She put on the replica and breathed loudly.

Things are really not it seemed to be anymore.