Valaeda woke with a start, gasping as she clutched at the sheets of her bed. A terrible nightmare had plagued her dreams. Her eyes were wide with terror as she took in her surroundings. Once she realized she was in her own room, she began to calm.
She lifted a hand to brush the hair from her face, only to realize she couldn't lift her hand very far. The clinking of a metal chain sounded as she moved. Panic rose within her as she began struggling, realizing that both hands and her legs were chained to her bed. With a cry of frustration, she felt warmth build around her until flames burst over her form. Suddenly two guards burst through her doors, countering her fires and extinguishing them.
"I demand to know why I'm being restrained!" The panic made her appear feral, her eyes darting in every direction, trying to make sense of the situation. A tall and imposing figure appeared in the doorway, arms folded across his chest. Valaeda felt relief wash over her as she recognized her personal bodyguard, Sethryon, standing before her.
"Emberwalker! Help me! They've chained me and put out my flames!" Try as she might, she couldn't draw the fire back to herself. The guard just stood there, looking somewhat disappointed as his brows knitted together into a scowl.
"Do you not remember what you did?" His gruff voice resonated through the room, causing her to raise a brow, especially from the tone he used with her.
"What are you talking about? Get these chains off of me!" She rattled the chains again, squirming and writhing as she tried to pull her limbs from the restraints. Sethryon slowly walked around to the side of her bed, arms still folded across his chest as per usual.
"You destroyed the gardens and your fires spread to the main Estate. A total of nine servants were injured, two dead, not including the people you were intending to kill along with the child."
Valaeda could only blink. Who was she intending to kill, and what child were they speaking of? Her maternal instincts reared up, needing to know where Saluthial was.
"Where is he? Where is my son?" Sethryon looked confused and glanced at the magisters keeping the woman's fires blocked. "Tell me where he is, Emberwalker!" The panic was evident in her voice as it broke.
Sethryon was quiet for a while, allowing his arms to fall to his side. Valaeda felt the silent answer strike her through the heart. "No. No. No, no, no!" Each word was accentuated with a violent pull against the restraints. Blood started to seep to the surface of her wrists and the posts that anchored the chains to the floor began to loosen.
"According to a witness, Myseria returned for the boy and you wouldn't let her take him. She and her husband attacked you and the husband accidentally slit the child's throat." The man's voice was distant and cold. He had to be. "Then the witness says they saw nothing but fire all around them. Fel fire. Some servants swear it was the Matriarch herself that caused the blaze, but she was still absent when this occured."
The young woman cried and screamed, giving voice to her anguish. The memories came back as he described the event. A scraggly man with hair the color of old straw grappling for the scared child. Saluthial clinging tightly to her robes, shrieking with fear. She felt the sting of a fist coming in contact with her face and the boy being ripped from her. Even now, his scared voice rang in her ears.
It was the first and last time he had ever spoke. That one word haunted her as she relived watching the blade bite into the soft pale skin at his neck. Crimson blood gushed from the wound and it didn't take long for Saluthial to go limp. The scene replayed in her head, torturing her as she sobbed. She could remember the roar of fire coming to life and consuming Myseria and the man, leaving Salithial's body untouched.
Her sobs quieted down as she stared up at the ceiling, unfeeling and unseeing. Sethryon sighed as he resumed his pose and started to make orders.
"I want a magister in here at all times, in case of another outburst. This is the third time today and your response times are lacking. If she makes even a spark, I will have you both in chains." The magisters inclined their heads in understanding as he made his way to the exit. Sethryon glanced at the guard posted outside the door and continued with his orders. "Once the Matriarch has arrived and settled in, tell her what happened yesterday. Then report back to me, understood?" The younger guard saluted once more before going about his task.
A sigh escaped the lips of Sethryon Emberwalker. This wasn't going to be easy.
