Queen Of Fire (Queen Of Fire #1)

Chapter Two [Edited]

For a moment, they just stared at each other their gazes smoldering. Veena was acutely aware of his eyes raking over her, she would have literally given anything to be able to discern his thoughts. He stood there calm and detached in his immaculate High Officer uniform embroidered with the Elton insignia. Veena straightened her stance and asked in a clear sharp voice "Sir Elton, please why am I being held here?".
He raised an eyebrow at her question and answered indifferently "Don't pretend to misunderstand the reason you are here".
Veena was slightly taken aback, Have they found out who she is?
No, they couldn't possibly have. She bit back her panic and begrudgingly whispered "Please do tell me why I am here exactly".
He scowled "You used fire in full view of everyone at the Vhalka market ".
He said every word in a tone that is meant to portray the direness of her situation, but Veena couldn't help but notice the accusation was about using her power in public not the power in particular. He continued "The Supreme and Heads of the ruling houses are curious as to how your powers has gone unnoticed all this while".
Ah! The Supreme, Torren's father. Veena's top enemy, He was the one that lead the assassination of her parents and He was raised in power slightly above the rest of the Heads. While they make decisions, they still have to run it by him rather than inflict his ire.
Technically, he is an unofficial king. Feared by both the nobles and commons because of his power of neutralisation, Jamie Elton is one of the handful of mages that can literally obliterate the power of other mages. The only catch is that whoever that is under his influence has to be in his presence for it to work though he has been known to exercise exceptional control by tampering with mages from a far distance.
Having lost his wife during childbirth a few years before Veena was born, Jamie was said to have become more ruthless and brutal. After the take over, He had moved in to the Tarwen Castle.
The Tarwen Castle built on a hill that overlooks all of Vhalka and surrounded by a barren area that enables the defense mages to notice any attack before hand and the big towering gate that has been infused with different spells, charms and magic to make it impenetrable, is the safest place to be in Vhalka (No that it helped her parents anyway).
But the real reason the Eltons moved in is because of the opulence of the castle. After the points of defense, There is a courtyard that is the most wonderful of sights in the North. Built by some Earth Mages, the lush area is decorated beautifully and is obviously used to show the wealth of Vhalka. According to Sir Jerry, the Queen and her ladies-in-waiting had favoured that area.
After the courtyard, the magnificent stone castle lay in all its spectacular brilliance. White and Green Elton banners spread across the grounds instead of the red Tarwen colours. With its large double doors that have a deep red royal colour giving the entrance an eerie beauty, it has open halls with 20 foot ceilings and numerous wings for servants, guards, guests and the Throne Room.
But the most important is the Royal wing, It housed Veena and her family before the coup. From the glimpses of memories Sir Jerry let her see, it was once a paradise decorated to the tastes of the King and Queen. All in all, there are many redeeming qualities that make Tarwen Castle the best in the North.
Back to the matter at hand, Veena gave Torren the planned answer "I didn't even know that I could do what I did". She sighed at his look of disbelief and continued "Truly, all my life was spent being normal. To think that I was once envious of the mages."
She gave a derisive laugh. "When I saw those icicles coming towards me, I was terrified. I felt the strong grip of fear capture my heart and it was unlike anything I have ever felt before. I just reached something deep within me I didn't know I possessed and it triggered whatever happened which I still cannot totally piece together". Conveying such emotions in her voice wasn't a problem because the situation she's in is not safe and her identity being revealed will prove quite challenging.

Veena sat on the bed in a tired manner and looked at him earnestly as if awaiting an explanation from him. He put aside his questions for a moment and answered "What you did was simply defying the rules that govern our land. It is common knowledge that the Commons cannot wield magic in the normal sense, but you displayed not only magic but a rare form of it thought to be lost. To put it in words, you saved yourself by using fire to melt those icicles into water and using such a strong burst of magic probably knocked you out".
He continued with a matter of fact tone "What we would like to know is how you came about this power?"
"I swear I have never thought myself to be special in anyway, a simple life has been all I've lived and I never wanted above my station. The only plan I had was to work in the castle to get money for my ailing aunt and maybe make a friend or two". Veena kept rambling on in an attempt to further discomfit him, "I had heard I would be safe here from the Shadows and the Aggros". The Aggros are a band of rogue criminals working together to kidnap young Common girls and sell them off to buyers. The rebellion foils their plans once in a while but can't fully eradicate them because their high profile clients will want to know exactly what happened, the little spats they have can be explained as inter group rivalry but the disappearance of all Aggros will warrant unwanted attention.
Torren materialized a chair out of thin air and put it in front of her. So that's his magic. His power is a rare but powerful one that even Veena has never come across despite the numerous mages Sir Jerry had made her encounter in other to mimic their power. Conjurer mages have only appeared a handful of times in Vhalka for the past centuries, and that made Torren a formidable foe.
You would think with the notoriety of his family, his abilities will be well known across the kingdom but the truth is Jamie Elton wields his secrets like a sword. He never allowed Torren's full abilities be known to the public except a few whispers here and there of his exceptional gift. Veena had foolishly believed it to be propaganda until now. But now Veena has come in contact with him, his power is sure to be added to her cache. If only she had enough time to master it.
The chair made a scraping sound against the floor as he sat on it opposite her and angled his frame towards her direction. Their eyes locked, his grey eyed stare suspicious and oddly curious.
In a deadpan tone he implied "The burst of magic you used is not something a novice should be able to summon, especially not an untrained one.". With his slight emphasis on untrained, he obviously still doesn't believe her farce, Veena let a look of exasperation appear on her face and with every ounce of conviction she could muster "I swear my Lord, I really had no inkling of this strange power. I know my word doesn't bear much merit so I am willing to subject my mind to the probing of a Truth Mage."
His grin was quick and sharp "Trisha whoever said anything about you having a choice. Believe me whatever it is you're hiding, whatever scheme you're concocting, We shall find out and the might of our Kingdom will come crashing down on you."
Despite herself, Veena felt a sliver of fear race down her arms but she kept her face blank and infused her voice with a little steel. "That's fine since I have nothing to hide. Do whatever you want and satisfy yourself but my words shall prove true".
A little gleam shone in his eyes as he saw a little bit of her fire, Veena inwardly smirked knowing she's captured his interest. He cleared his face of all emotions and coldly declared "In an hour's time, a servant will be here to bring you to the Truth Mage and the result of the investigation will decide your future here. Take your time before she's here but don't do anything stupid like try to run, even if you manage to escape, which I highly doubt, the Houses have eyes and ears everywhere and you won't get far before you're apprehended"
Veena simmered inwardly as he underestimated her but she swallowed her pride and nodded her understanding. Satisfied his point got through, Torren stood. As he got up, light from the arching window shone over his rugged features and Veena's breath caught. He was wreathed in light and he looked like a noble character from a folk tale brought to life, Veena shook her head to clear it of such delusions. No matter what the light may hide, it can never erase the fact that the male before her is the embodiment of her life's misery.
Torren slowly took in the room before he left and wryly obscured a scowl. "This room isn't a good representation of this Academy but then again, this isn't a normal situation and you aren't a guest". With that, he turned to leave.
Before this enigmatic stranger/for could leave the room and take answers she desperately need with him, Veena softly called out "When I was six on my aunt's farm, I was out near the barn feeding the chickens when a GigaEagle flew near them and perched on a nearby stub. It then flew overhead, towering over the poor cowering animals. I couldn't do much because my stubby little arms could only go so far, I watched as it swooped in and clutched one in it's talon. I never forgot the look on that face of the chicken as they flew away, pure unadulterated fear. The feeling of hopelessness knowing your life as you know it will never be the same and you are caught in the grip of a predator, that's how I feel now. I never wanted any of this but it's happened anyway, I will do whatever it takes to prove myself. I refuse to be a helpless prey."
The fierceness of her gaze must have gotten to him because his face softened and he just nodded. The story she had just told him was in fact true, except it wasn't in a farm it happened. It was a few miles from their hideout and Veena had just been on a routine patrol to Sir Jerry's consternation when she it had happened except she had used her magic to ensnare the GigaEagle, It was the first time she controlled an animal but not the last. GigaEagles are ferocious huge beasts that are a bigger form of normal eagles and more brutal.
No one really knows how they came about but a few rumors here and there mostly attribute it to a Mage performing experiments on them by imbuing them with nature magic thus resulting in this mutation, their spread was far and quick and every land was plagued by them. The particular one Veena caught was the first of Veena's pack of pets, She named it Nyma.
Torrens nimble hands run through his wild locks and with his hair slicked back, Veena felt a flush bloom in her cheeks. Curse that hereditary trait!. He smirked knowing the reaction she has to his attractiveness. Never one to hold her tongue, Veena quipped "I see you enjoy flustering young innocent young maidens with little to no experience with males".
Instead of being angry, a boisterous laughter bubbled out of him, "A maiden you may be but you look like a fiery siren some to life that drives men mad with wanton desire and invade their fitful dreams with scenes that will make the sturdiest of pirates blush."
With that brazen admission, Torren Elton left her room just as briskly as he had come in and her mouth was still agape when the door banged shut with an echo that couldn't penetrate through the haze of shock he left behind.