In the House of Flames

NOVA TRIED TO CONVINCE HERSELF THAT SHE WAS FINE. It was a lie.

As a member of the House of Flames, she did not do well on the water. So being on a boat for over four hours had left her shaky and irritable, as well as nauseated. And even worse, Arabella was not there to help her. No, she was visiting the House of Waves, and Nova would not see her until the dawning of the Queentide.

Her stomach gave an involuntary lurch. The Queentide. It was no longer a thing of the future, a day to dread, but distant enough to forget about it.

But now. . .the day had arrived. And Nova had to see if she was ready.

The ship rocked to the side, and Nova almost screamed. Whether it be from surprise or frustration, she did not know.

She wanted Arabella. She wanted to not be here, at the dawn of the Queentide. She wanted dry land, dammit.

Nova wrapped her warm hand around the cold metal rail, and looked down at the waves below. A fine mist flew into the air, continuously dousing Nova- and quenching her fire. With each droplet of water touching her skin, an ember in her veins fizzled out. It took more energy to light them again than what Nova possessed.

A weakness. And one that she would have to work to remedy.

She mentally added that to the staggering, impossible list of things that needed to be accomplished. Become stronger, clear her name, help her people, kill her sisters to become Queen.

So many impossible things.

"Highness," a clear voice said. Nova turned, and found a young man in a loose shirt standing behind her, a casual hand on the hilt of his sword. "We are approaching the Kingdom. Do you wish to prepare yourself?"

Nova smiled to herself. She had spent years designing each dress that she would wear during the Queentide. For six months, the dress of her arrival had been her sole focus. And now was time to don it.

"Yes," she responded, proud of the strength in her voice.

With a small nod, and the hint of a smile, the man turned, a clear indication for Nova to follow. Abandoning her post by the rail, she trailed after him.

With a small, almost sarcastic, wave of his hand, the man gestured to a door. His blue eyes tracked her movement, and the way he tilted his head told Nova the truth. He was not a mere servant; he was a warrior.

Relief overcame her nausea. Finally; a distraction.

"What is your name?" she asked him, casually leaning against the wooden door that he had previously gestured to.

The man flicked sapphire eyes into Nova's golden ones. "Adrian."

That was all. His name, released in a single exhale. Disappointment twisted in her gut.

"And why are you on this ship?" Nova purred sensually.

Dark eyebrows furrowed together as Adrian asked, "Why does that matter to you?"

A casual shrug. "If you haven't noticed, there hasn't been much entertainment on this godforsaken boat. Tell me about you."

The flirty smile. The roaming eyes. The purr to her voice. The hand pressed against his shoulder. It had proved to be enough to send several men knocking on Nova's door.

Adrian merely raised an eyebrow, and eyed the lingering hand resting on his shoulder.

"Some of us," he responded, his voice every bit flirtatious as her own, "have found ways to entertain ourselves."

Triumph surged in her veins. "If you ever find yourself bored in the Kingdom, ask for Nova. I can think of a few ways to keep you occupied."

Adrian smiled. "I look forward to it, Highness."

And then he was gone, strolling away to the other end of the ship. Nova smiled after him. For a minute, she had forgotten all about the Queentide and Arabella.

But that minute had passed. Nova pressed against the door, and it opened with a long creak.

The stateroom was cramped, and barren of decorations. But those details went unnoticed as Nova's eyes fell upon the dress in the center of the room. Her lips folded into a smile.

It was every inch as perfect as she planned it to be. Gold and red material twisted together, the dyes mixing together. The light from the small, dirty window trapped the dress in sunbeams, and refracted of it, giving the illusion of fire.

An illusion that would show with even the smallest of movements.

Nova didn't hesitate to take the dress of its stand. She stripped from her simple black dress, and stepped into the dress.

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"Highness, we are nearing the Kingdom."

The announcement from a guard was unnecessary; Nova could see the spiraling towers from here.

"Give the signal for everyone to prepare," said Nova without tearing her gaze from the approaching land. "Our arrival must be worthy of the House of Flames."

The guard gave a small bow, and turned on his heel to deliver her message. Nova smiled at the calm water below her, and at the large crowd waiting near the dock.

A crowd that was waiting for her return. After fifteen years, Nova was finally returning home.

She inhaled deeply, satisfied. Her dress didn't allow any wind to seep through; she had made sure that the seamstresses had sewn in protective fabrics that would shield her from Callisto's wind, if it came to that.

Footsteps sounded on wooden planks, alerting Nova of the guard's return. "Everyone is ready, Highness. We await your signal."

With a small nod, Nova ascended a small staircase that brought her to a raised platform. Even from this distance, everyone would know who she was.

The thought making her grin, Nova raised her arms high over her head.

And the water below her burst into flame.

A pathway lined with fire directed the direction for the boat to sail through. A wooden boat. If one wave was too strong, the boat would catch fire.

That thought made the flames rise higher. Nova gritted her teeth, and forced herself to concentrate.

The ocean was ablaze, a feat that had never been accomplished, at least not to memory. Her arrival alone would prove to all that she was the most powerful; that she would be Queen.

Of course, power didn't come without lies. A lie such as the boat that had docked before Nova's, one that had sailed faster in order to arrive sooner. A boat that had spilled flammable powder onto the surface of the ocean seconds before Nova set it on fire.

But what the Kingdom, and her own people, didn't know would not hurt them.

Because, though this display was a lie, Nova had power running through her veins, pouring out of her heart with every beat. She had been trained in weapons and poisons, leaving her with no weak spots.

She was flame personified. She had embers and coals in place of a heart, lava as blood, and a fire as a soul. She was the Queen of Sparks.

And Nova was born to be Queen.