Chapter 13: The Beginning of the Flame
By Joy Daud
The palace no longer felt safe.
Not for Oki.
Not with the way the queen watched her — always from the corners, always with a smile too sweet and a silence too sharp.
Not after the cursed vines wrapped around her wrists the night before while she cleaned the royal courtyard — alive, hissing, biting until she whispered an ancient word she didn't remember learning. The vines burned to ash. And yet, no one saw.
Except her.
The queen stood at her balcony, expression unreadable, lips parted slightly.
"You are... interesting," the queen whispered to the wind.
---
That morning, Oki moved through the halls like a ghost. Her eyes dull, her back aching from where the vines had coiled.
Kimo noticed.
He always did.
But this time, instead of asking what was wrong, he stood in front of her, blocking her path.
"What happened?" he asked coldly.
"Nothing."
"Don't lie."
She stepped around him. "You wouldn't believe me."
Kimo's hand caught her wrist gently—but firmly.
"You've been hiding something," he said, staring at her intently. "When the wind screamed, you didn't flinch. When the ground cracked, you stood tall. And your eyes—"
"They're just eyes," she interrupted quickly.
Kimo frowned. "They glow green."
Oki looked away. "Only when I'm tired."
"Are you even human?" he asked, quieter now.
She froze.
The question hung in the air like mist.
Then she turned to face him with a quiet, sad smile. "Does it matter?"
Kimo's jaw clenched. "It does."
"Then I'll say this: I was born, I breathe, and I bleed. Just like you."
It wasn't a denial. But it wasn't the truth either.
---
Later, as the moon rose and the queen hosted a private gathering in her velvet-draped chambers, she summoned Oki to pour wine.
When Oki arrived, she found the room empty.
Just her.
And the queen.
"You don't belong here," the queen said softly, circling her like a predator. "You pretend to be a servant, but you're something else. I can smell it. Taste it in the air when you pass."
Oki stood still. "I only serve the palace."
The queen chuckled darkly. "Oh, little flame. Your spirit is too bright. But everything burns… eventually."
A blast of energy hit Oki in the chest — invisible to the eye, but violent beneath the skin. She stumbled back, clutching her ribs.
But she didn't fall.
She smiled.
"My mission in this palace," Oki whispered through clenched teeth, "has just begun."
The queen's smile faltered.
Just slightly.
---
That night, in the privacy of his chamber, Kimo stared at the frozen mirror.
He touched its icy frame, and an old memory flickered — his mother, brushing his hair, singing a lullaby.
Then the reflection shattered into darkness.
A voice whispered behind him: "She's not who you think."
He spun.
No one.
But the shadows danced differently.
To be continued....