54 Cheating

Burning the door down took a lot longer than Brightise expected, and she actually wasn't able to burn even half of it before the smoke alerted the Amazons in the castle. One of the guards noticed the smoke coming from the dungeons and informed the Queen, who came barging into the room before Brightise could even set a foot outside.

The furious look on the Queen's face as she slammed the flaming door shut with her boot made Brightise shiver.

"You cheated!" the Amazon shouted. She looked angrier about this than she had about Zelna's injury.

"You said I could find another way out," Brightise tried to explain.

"Not by using the candle this way! I gave you the candle to help you discover your special power, not burn the whole room down! I know that you can survive a fire. All Fire Demons can. This was not the point!"

Brightise lowered her eyes in shame.

"Are you like any other Fire Demon?" the Queen asked her. "Because if you are, I will treat you like one. I do not trust Fire Demons, and I do not trust you anymore. Good luck getting out of this room now!"

The Queen turned around, picked up the candle from the floor, where Brightise had set it after she had used it, and then opened her mouth and blew air out as hard as she could. Her breath acted like a strong gust of wind, which the Amazon aimed at the door, effectively putting out all the flames.

Brightise stared at her in shock. The Queen hadn't mentioned anything about her own powers, but Allisa had told Brightise that she had Thunder Powers. Was she able to control the wind?

Unaware of her thoughts, the Amazon turned towards Brightise one last time. "I gave you a gift and you abused it. You embarrassed me. I hope your sister grows into a better woman than you are."

With those hurtful words, the Queen turned away and clicked the door shut behind her. The sound of the lock turning was like an arrow in Brightise's heart.

This time, the room was enveloped in darkness.

Brightise hadn't realized how helpful that small candle had been until now that it was gone. It had been a source of warmth, a source of light, but most importantly, a source of hope. She had no hope anymore.

Brightise collapsed on the floor and folded herself into a tight ball of despair.

She hated feeling sorry for herself, but she just couldn't realistically see a way out of this situation. She was locked in a dark, windowless room with nothing but her own clothes and a power that she may or may not have. What did that matter now anyway? There was no fire available, so there was no way for her to discover or use any Fire Powers.

Brightise would die, Morral would be turned into a Fire Demon, and Clober would be raised by a foreign tribe.

That was the way all fairytales ended, right?