Page 52 of Iris of the Crowned Flame

“Don’t worry. I can wait. She’ll see she needs me in the next few days. I just need a room while I wait for her to calm down. Will one of you get one prepared?” Mina seemed entirely unfazed by my outburst. I wasn’t sure if I should be grateful or even more annoyed. She scanned the others in the room, then pointed to Emberly. “You seem least necessary for the Princess’s sense of safety. Get that room set up.”

Mina turned back to me, dismissing Emberly, but Emberly stayed in her seat, waiting for me to show it’s ok to leave. “And this is my turn to invite you to sit back down, Princess. You may be about to take the throne for this kingdom, but we all know that I outrank that. If you want to throw your authorityaround and demand respect, then you should show it when it’s owed as well.”

She waved her finger at the seat behind me. “Spencer, is it? Help the Princess sit down.”

We both did as we were told. He placed a hand on my arm, offering grounding comfort. I turned to Emberly and nodded. She returned the head gesture and stood, but didn’t leave the room yet.

“What is it you think you’re here to do?” I asked, slowing my speech to keep my anger checked.

“I’m here to bring to life a new Goddess, of course. Are you not aware that this is the next step?”

I said nothing. I hadn’t even considered that possibility. My mind raced. Why was she coming to me? What did it mean to bring a Goddess to life?

“Tsk, we need to help you work on your poker face.” My face twisted at the unfamiliarity of the term poker.

“Oh, that’s right, you all don’t know the game. You need to learn to keep your emotions off your face.” She sighed. “So much to teach you and such extraordinarily little time to do it. I wish you would have figured out this gift of yours sooner. Would have helped me do my job more easily. Ah well, some time is better than nothing. At least you timed it to give us the winter to prepare.”

With that, she stood up and turned to the door. The guards shifted to stop her from leaving the room. Mina sighed. “Will you please decide, Princess? I’m exhausted and would like to bathe.”

“Emberly, can you help coordinate a guest space for Mina? I will send Eliza over in a while for measurements for gowns.” Emberly nodded and exited the room.

“Mina, I will also have you join me in my office for tea this afternoon. We will discuss what you intend to do. Please use this time to freshen up and rest.” With that, I stood, and the others stood with me. We departed, leaving Mina in the room with the guards. Once the door closed, I glanced between Spencer and Zoya, then we simultaneously broke into a sprint.

We found Juniper in her office with Emberly already there. She had tasked a courtier with setting up Mina’s room so she could also alert Juniper to the situation. By the time we arrived, Juniper had already confirmed she was the Goddess she claimed to be, using her connection to the air to sense her connection to magic. She was busy writing a letter to the Priestesses at the Temple to see if they could provide insight into what Mina may be here to do.

“Do you think it’s really her?” I asked.

Emberly nodded. “I do. Her appearance fits the descriptions we have of her in our lore, and she spoke oddly enough to not be from this time or any of this country we know of.”

Juniper’s eyes lit up, “This confirms it. You two really are the fulfillment of the Prophecy. We can get so many questions answered, and she is going to help you make the changes we need.”

She paused, studying my face. “You’re not excited. What’s wrong?”

I shook my head, sinking into a chair. “It doesn’t feel right. Something is wrong. What does it even mean? What does it mean to bring life to a new goddess? What does it mean to reshape the world? What will she make me destroy?”

The door opened, and a guard announced, “His Majesty has arrived.”

Juniper motioned to allow him in. As soon as the door latched, Father spoke, “Who was this visitor?”

“Mina, the Goddess herself.” Emberly replied.

I could feel Father’s emotions tense up. “What is she here for? Does this have to do with the God of Death?”

“She didn’t say.” My words sounded hollow.

“Lyla set up a meeting with her at tea, in the Queen’s office.” Spencer added.

Father sat down next to me, reached for my hands. I felt Spencer’s hand rest on my shoulder. “Lyla, what’s wrong?”

“She’s here for the Prophecy. I caused that volcano, Father. I killed so many people because I can’t control this magic. And now she’s here to make me reshape the world. I don’t want tokill anyone. Even if they want me dead, I don’t want to destroy them. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know”- Tears fell, cutting me off, my breathing struggling to keep up. Through the tears, I saw all the dust and soil and furniture shifting.

‘Lyla, you’re stronger than you know. You can do this. Take deep breaths for me, please.’ Spencer’s voice in my head did help to calm me. I didn’t stop crying completely, but my emotions did calm enough for my magic to settle. I freed a hand from Father’s, reaching for Spencer’s and offered him a small smile of gratitude.

Juniper shifted, going to her second room, and a handful of her courtiers come out to tidy up the mess I created. After they left, Father spoke again.

“When you were born, my sweet girl, I had a dream during those long restless nights in your infancy. This dream kept coming back, over and over. In it, the faces of Gods appeared, and they told me you are special, that you will change this kingdom in ways we couldn’t even imagine. Each of them shared their plans, but alas, time and sleep have erased those from my mind. But, my dear, you were born to do great things. And you will do them, in your own time.”

I felt my tears ease with his story. He’d never mentioned this before; I could have dismissed it as a lie, but his sincerity convinced me otherwise.

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