Chapter 16: The Fire Beneath the Floor
By Joy Daud
The morning sun rose, but it brought no warmth.
Prince Kimo hadn't slept. Not after what happened. Not after the storm she'd left behind in his chest.
He hadn't stopped replaying her voice. Her glow. Her power.
She lied to him. Hid everything.
But she saved him.
Why?
His knuckles whitened as he clenched the edge of the windowsill.
Just a maid?
No.
She was something more. Something dangerous. Something he wanted… and feared.
---
In the shadows of the palace, Oki walked swiftly. Avoiding him. Avoiding the queen's spies. Avoiding herself.
She had exposed too much.
Revealed too soon.
She wasn't supposed to care. She came with a mission, not feelings. Yet the look in his eyes when she saved him… that wasn't just shock. It was need.
And she… felt it too.
She clenched her jaw.
Now wasn't the time.
The queen was still hunting.
And worse, someone had found the chamber beneath the palace.
---
The marble floor beneath the palace library had cracked slightly overnight.
Kimo noticed it during one of his restless walks.
Curious, he pressed his hand to the floor—and it opened.
A spiral staircase descended into silence, torches lighting with cold blue flame as he stepped down.
And at the bottom?
A forgotten chamber. Symbols drawn in blood. Scrolls in ancient tongues. A mirror covered in black cloth.
Kimo's heart pounded.
A single name was carved into the stone wall in frantic letters:
ELIRA.
His mother.
Before he could reach the scrolls—BOOM!
Magic exploded behind him.
The queen.
"You shouldn't be here, Kimo."
She stepped into the chamber, her wound still healing from last night's attack. Her eyes burned.
"I see now why Elira loved this place. So secretive. So dramatic."
"You tried to kill me."
"And I'll succeed next time."
She raised her hand.
But another voice echoed in the chamber.
"You won't get the chance."
Oki appeared between them, magic swirling in her palm. Her eyes flashed green again.
The queen hissed, stepping back.
"You're protecting him again? Like a little pet?"
Oki smiled coldly. "I'd rather be a pet than a snake."
---
Later, in the garden, Kimo confronted her.
"You lied to me," he said, jaw clenched.
"I never said I was weak," Oki replied.
"You didn't say you were a goddess either!"
She looked away.
He grabbed her wrist, not harshly—but not gently either. "Why are you here, Oki?"
She didn't answer.
His voice dropped. "Who sent you?"
Still, silence.
"Oki," he said again, this time softer. "Please."
She turned to him, finally meeting his gaze. "If I tell you, everything will change."
"I don't care."
"You will."
She tried to pull away—but he didn't let go.
His hand moved to her waist.
"What are you doing?" she whispered.
"I don't know," he muttered, voice rough. "But I can't stand watching you with the guards. The way they look at you."
She blinked. "Are you jealous?"
"I'm possessive," he said. "There's a difference."
And then he let her go. Walked away.
Leaving her there.
Heart pounding.
Eyes wide.
---
That night, the queen met with the foreign emissaries.
"It's time," she said. "We kill the prince. We take the throne."
And from the shadows, a cloaked figure stepped out.
Holding a pendant once worn by Queen Elira.
"I've been waiting," the stranger said. "For this kingdom to fall."
---
To be continued.....