Luna's POV
The crystal glass fell to the ground after slipping out of my moist hands. The head servant, Mistress Vera, yelled, "Luna!"
"You foolish girl! The Queen's favorite wine glass was that one."
I fell to my knees and fumbled for the jagged fragments. I could hear the pounding of my heart in my ears. The other servants paused their work and grinned cruelly at me. They enjoyed seeing me get into trouble. I tried not to cry as I whispered, "I'm sorry, Mistress Vera." "It was an accident."
"Accident?" It hurt how tightly she grabbed my arm. "You keep getting into mishaps! You broke three plates this morning after flooding the kitchen yesterday, and now this!"
My finger was cut by the shattered glass, and a drop of blood spilled onto the white marble floor. I wiped it off quickly, but Mistress Vera saw it all.
"Get up," she yelled. "Clean up this mess before giving the west wing's floors a thorough cleaning. Perhaps that will make you more cautious."
I grabbed my bucket of water and nodded. However, an odd thing occurred. The bucket's water began to move and bubble on its own. I wasn't trying to get it to rise like a little wave, but it did.
Another servant girl, Sarah, questioned, "What's wrong with your magic?" She constantly made fun of me because she was older than me. "Even your feeble water magic is behaving oddly."
I gazed at the water. My magic was acting strangely today, and it was true. Normally, I could hardly move the water. My magic was so weak that the other servants would always laugh. It felt different today, though. More powerful. More frightening.
"I don't know," I muttered. "This morning has been odd."
Sarah laughed meanly and remarked, "Perhaps you're finally getting stronger." "But I don't think so. You continue to be the kingdom's weakest water mage."
I was accustomed to the pain of her words. Since my parents passed away when I was six years old, I had spent ten years living in the Royal Palace. It was the same every day: get up before dawn, clean the floors, do the dishes, get scolded, and go to bed hungry and exhausted.
I began scrubbing the floors after I had finished cleaning the broken glass. There were dozens of rooms and long corridors in the enormous west wing. My hands were raw and red from the soap, and my knees ached from kneeling on the hard stone. However, something continued to annoy me while I worked. My bucket's water continued to behave strangely. It would occasionally bubble up on its own. At other times, despite the day being warm, it would get extremely cold. I also swear I saw crystals of ice form on the surface at one point.
I muttered to myself, "This is not possible." "I am unable to make ice. I can hardly move the water."
I continued to scrub, trying to ignore it. However, the strange sensation in my chest was intensifying. Something seemed to be building inside of me, threatening to explode like a storm cloud.
I heard voices coming from the Queen's private meeting room as I got to the end of the hallway. I couldn't help but listen even though I knew I shouldn't. The door was slightly ajar.
A deep voice I didn't recognize said, "The prophecy is clear." "When the kingdom is most in danger, the Phoenix Heart will awaken."
"Prophecy?" Queen Ember's tone was icy and irate. "I don't think fairy tales and old stories are real."
The voice went on, "But Your Majesty, all the signs are there." "Unusual weather, strange magic, and the growing power of the shadow creatures. A powerful person is waking up."
My blood froze. Shadow-beings? Although I had heard rumors of nighttime attacks by dark monsters, I dismissed them as frightful tales.
"If this Phoenix Heart individual is genuine," Queen Ember declared, "we must track them down before they endanger my authority." "What if they've arrived already?" "In the palace?"
In an attempt to improve my hearing, I pressed my ear closer to the door. But all of a sudden, my bucket's contents erupted upward like a fountain. It soared to the ceiling and slammed down, completely soaking me.
"What was that?" Queen Ember spoke sharply.
I went into a panic. I picked up my bucket and sprinted down the corridor as quickly as I could. I left a trail of water behind me as it trickled from my clothes and hair. I thought my heart might burst from the speed at which it was beating.
Heart of a Phoenix? Foretelling? Shadow-beings? What was the meaning of it all?
I hid in my small room after running all the way to the servant quarters. Three other servant girls and I shared it, but they were all still at work. I was scared, wet, and alone.
I gazed at my hands as I sat on my thin mattress. They were trembling, and without my attempting to move them, tiny drops of water danced around my fingers. This was a first. My magic was always ineffective and feeble.
"What's going on with me?" I muttered.
The water droplets that were circling my hands suddenly started to glow a gentle shade of blue. They simply grew brighter as I gasped and attempted to stop them. It was a lovely but terrifying light.
Then I heard footsteps in the corridor. The royal guards wore heavy boots.
"Search every room," a deep voice said. "Who was spying on her meeting?" "The Queen wants to know."
My heart stopped beating. They were trying to find me. I shook my hands rapidly in an attempt to dispel the glowing water. However, it refused to listen to me. I could hear the guards approaching as the light grew brighter and brighter.
The knob on the door turned. I closed my eyes and fervently hoped the magic would end. Stop it, please, please, please.
The door opened and the light disappeared.
"Empty," declared the guard. "On the floor, just a few damp garments."
I remained motionless and held my breath. After taking another look around the room, the guard walked out. His footsteps trailed off down the corridor.
I opened my eyes and examined my hands after I was certain he was gone. I could still feel the odd power tingling beneath my skin, even though they now appeared normal.
What was going on with me? Why was my magic behaving strangely? What was the significance of Queen Ember's discovery of the Phoenix Heart?
I had a lot of questions but no answers. However, it was obvious that I was in grave danger. Queen Ember would most likely have me killed if she learned of my weird magic. I had to exercise more caution. I had to conceal what was going on with me.
My blood froze when I heard a sound while I was sitting there in my soaked clothes, trying to decide what to do. A howl. Long, noisy, and frightful. It was approaching from outside the palace.
The creatures of the shadows were real. And they were on their way.