The night when the prince almost set the city ablaze, Lyra Vale was quite literally lost in a fight with a broken espresso machine.
It was a little after midnight, the time when Moonbrew Caf was all but deserted except for a few ghosts and night owls. The street outside was quiet and bathed in the silver moonlight with lanterns gently flickering in the cold, moist winter air.
The city of Virellion was never truly asleep it was just breathing out. And in that exhale between turmoil and sunrise, Lyra was at her job. She hit the machine with her hand.
"Don't push your luck," she whispered. The espresso machine responded with another hiss.
Jax, who was behind Lyra, was lazily leaning on the counter and biting a sugar cube as though it was the last thing left in the world. "You know," he said "most people threaten other people. You are threatening a piece of equipment."
"It was the one that started it," Lyra said.
Mira, the cafe owner, barely glanced at them from the far end of the bar where she had a ledger to balance. "If you break that machine again, you'll have to pay for the repairs," she warned.
"I didn't break it the first time, " Lyra insisted.
"But you stabbed it."
"I just tapped it."
"With a butter knife."
Lyra shot the machine a look that said 'this has gone on long enough'. A weak stream of steam sputtered from its vents. The smell of coffee beans permeated the wooden car, rich, cozy, and familiar. It was the only thing in her life that didn't seem like a lottery.
Moonbrew Cafe was a thin, deep room filled with mismatched tables and soft golden lamps. Bookshelves leaning against the exposed brick walls. Hanging lavender from the ceiling, and the floorboards were singing the sound of their old age.
It was safe. Or as safe as anything in a realm of magic and secrets could be.
Lyra dried her hands on her apron and went down to check the bottom of the machine. Her black hair came over her shoulder, it was tied back loosely but already escaping. There was a coffee ground smudge on her cheek. She hadn't realized it.
"Please, " she murmured to the machine. "I simply can't take Mira's disappointment tonight if I survive it."
The front door was opened. The bell above the door gave a single ring. Lyra stayed still.
At this time of the day, no one normally entered except the desperate, the drunk or the dangerous.
The chilly air sneaked in initially, curling around the floorboards. Soon after, a pair of boots crossed the threshold.
Heavy. Measured. Deliberate.
Jax stood up straight at once. Mira's pen froze.
Lyra got up slowly. The ref pointed out that the guy who came in was dressed in black. Not the velvet black of stylish aristocrats, but a black that seemed to devour the light.
The man had on a long coat that reached to his calves. From the look of it, the garment had local fire. His hair, black as the sky at night, covered the sharp cheekbones. His jaw was clenched. His eyes,
His eyes were the problem. Not in shape or color, but in their intensity. They appeared as if they were smoking a little, as if there were embers burning behind them. He didn't look around. He looked straight at her.
Lyra raised her head without thinking. "Kitchens closed, " she said. Jax made a strangled sound.
The man blinked slowly. "I am not here for food."
"Great, " Lyra answered, "Because I'm not a chef."
A silence between them. Mira rose gracefully and without hurry from her stool. "Is there something we can get you, mister?" The man's eyes shifted briefly to Mira, then he looked back at Lyra.
"Coffee, " he said. His voice was deep, measured. That type that doesn't have to scream to rule the space.
Lyra almost gave in to the temptation of rolling her eyes. "You're lucky, " she told him. "That's basically our entire brand." She went over the counter and took a cup, feeling more of his presence than she would have liked. The air was heavier. Charged.
"What kind?"
"Strong."
"That leaves pretty much everything." His lips pressed together, the change being so slight that it almost escaped notice. "Black," he said.
"Well done," she said with no hint of joy. "You've picked the right one."
Jax choked up again. Lyra gave him a look. He silently asked if she's crazy. She ignored him.
While making the drink, she sensed the slight tingling at the back of her neck. The same sensation she experienced when a storm was coming or when a procession of nobles accompanied by guards with shining armor would pass through the marketplace.
Magic.
The man wore it as if it were a weapon. No, he was the weapon. She placed the cup on the counter. "There."
He grabbed it. Their fingers touched briefly. The world stopped. Not metaphorically. Literally silent.
The gentle humming of the lanterns stopped. The crackling of the fire died away. Even the street outside seemed to go quiet.
Heat blossomed under her skin. The man took a sharp breath through his mouth.
Lyra gave a sudden backward movement of her hand. The noise came back all at once, lanterns buzzing, fire crackling, Jax coughing his guts out.
The man looked her squarely in the eyes. "What have you done?" he said.
"Me?" she retorted. "You're the one who's glowing!"
His eyes were like burning flames.
Mira, by a slight gesture, got closer to the counter.
The man glared at his hand. The weak red light that had been flickering under his skin was going out. Going away. His breaths became calmer.
"What," he said quietly, "are you?"
Lyra had a hot feeling in her chest. "Rude."
"I was the one who asked you a question."
"I didn't agree to be questioned."
He looked at her. There was something in the way he looked at her that was like a predator... Not evil. Not crazy. Just very analytical. "You're human," he said in a low voice.
"Yes, " was all she said in a flat tone. "Not long ago."
"But that shouldn't be possible."
"Oh, am I mistaken? Is it your comfort that I have disturbed by living?"
Jax let out a strangled sound which could have been either a laugh or a cry for help.
The man stood up. His presence changed like a switchblade being pulled without any sound or movement. "You will answer me."
Lyra's body went stiff. "Or what?"
The air in the room became very hot. The lights of the lantern appeared to be attracted to him.
Mira's voice sliced through the air like a knife. "That will be enough."
The man turned his eyes to Mira. Something silent passed between them.
Then... The door was thrown open once more. This time, it was not polite. Three shadowy figures in dark cloaks stormed in. Their faces were covered by masks. Pale flames of symbols could be seen on their sleeves, silver sigils emitting unstable light.
Lyra felt as if her stomach had just fallen out.
"Council enforcers," Mira whispered.
The disguised figures raised their arms. Magic accumulated. The first discharge struck the distant wall, breaking the wall and throwing the books in the air. The cafe turned into a riot.
Jax yelled and jumped behind the counter. Lyra hardly managed to see the man in black move.
He pulled a sword from under his coat. It was gorgeous. Black metal, decorated with bright lines that pulsed like veins.
He moved forward. The enforcers threw another set of magic. Fire met shadow. The sound of the air being broken intensified to a thunder, like sound.
Lyra staggered backward as heat ripped through the room. Tables were going to pieces. Glasses were flying. Mira took a hold of Jax and quickly moved towards the kitchen.
The guy seemed like he was made for war. Extremely efficient. Very ruthless. He cut the first attacker in two with a streak of flame. The second one tried to escape, but shadow came out of the blade and pulled them back.
The third one was aiming directly at Lyra. She just reacted. She snatched a metal tray and threw it at the attacker. It hit his wrist. The spell changed direction, hitting a hole in the ceiling rather than her chest.
"You fool!" the man said to her.
The third enforcer was coming at her in a running pace. Lyra quickly got down from the swing and grabbed a chair that had fallen. She hit their knees with it. They collapsed.
The man's blade went through the shoulder of the attacker and pinned him to the ground.
Again silence.
This time it had the odor of smoke. The red coats were lying there either knocked out or dead. The cafe was half destroyed.
He was the only one standing in the middle of the rubble, his chest was slowly coming up. The red glow that was beneath his skin had returned. More intense. Dangerous. His sword was shaking.
Lyra looked on in shock as the light cracks started to spread from his arms like spider webs. "What is going on?" she asked.
He didn't say anything. His jaw tightened. The glow got more and more powerful. The lanterns exploded. The flames were licking the walls. Mira cursed and shouted for water. The man held one knee to the ground. The air near him bent.
Lyra experienced it once more, that pulled under her skin. That unusual resistance. She ran toward him without any thought.
"Lyra!" Mira shouted.
Lyra didn't pay any attention to her. The man was no longer ember red through his eyes, they were fire. Now he was beyond the point of control. She didn't understand how she came to know that. She just did.
After that, she hugged him. "You have to stop," she said, ridiculously.
His eyes fixed on hers. "That's not..." his voice broke. "It's not something I can command."
The fire exploded in all directions. Lyra held his face. That was probably the dumbest thing she had done. Her hands were on his scalding face.
Nothing happened for one beat of the heart. Then... The fire went back into the body. It was like a breath being taken back
The sword, which was vibrating, stopped shaking. The fire that was slowly creeping up the walls went out. There came a great silence in the cafe. Lyra rested her knees on the ground.
The man kept looking at her. His eyes were black again.
Human.
"What," he murmured, "are you?"
She hesitated. "I told you," she whispered without strength. "Human."
Footsteps were getting louder outside. Voices. Royal guards. The man's face changed once again to the same cold calculating expression. Suddenly he was on his feet.
The heavy footsteps of boots upstairs were getting louder. The door opened again, this time it was a group of soldiers in full body armor armed with the heraldry of the royal house.
They were dumbfounded by the scene at first. Then they bowed on one knee. "Your Highness."
Lyra was confused. 'Your.. what?! Highness?!' She looked at the man.
He did not look at her.
"Secure the area," he said in a very calm voice. "No witnesses are allowed to leave."
Lyra was startled. "What?"
His glance was once again directed to her. Even colder this time. More remote. "You will come with us," he said.
"Absolutely not."
"You meddled in a matter of the royal family."
"You almost set fire to my place of work!"
He moved a step closer. Besides the turmoil, up close, she could see through his controlled facade and how young he really was. There were traces of weariness hiding behind his self-control.
"You neutralized my magic," he whispered. "That shouldn't be possible."
"Maybe you're just unstable."
A glimpse of someone dangerous showed on his face briefly. "Watch it."
"Or what?" she replied quickly.
For a moment, the atmosphere got tense again. That look on his face had changed. Not anger. Not a threat. But recognition. "You had a feeling, didn't you?" he whispered.
Lyra was holding back for a moment. She really had. The pull. Silence. Heat. "I don't understand what you're saying, " she lied.
He looked at her as if he were engraving her image in his memory. Then he faced his men.
"Don't hurt her, " he ordered. "Let her come for us."
"I don't!" Lyra yelled.
He turned to her again. His eyebrow raised. "You can go on foot, " he said. "Or I can take you."
Jax lifted his head over the counter. "Oh, what a love scene!"
Lyra snatched a broken spoon and hurled it at him. It flew past him.
Apparently, the prince, because that must be what he was lent a hand. "Lyra Vale, " he uttered calmly.
Her chest skipped a beat. "How do you know my name?"
"I know everything that goes on in my city."
She was about to say something but thought better of it. Mira was behind her and gave her an encouraging look.
"Go." Not fear. Calculation.
Lyra took a deep breath. "If this ends with me being locked up in the dungeon, " she warned, "I will come back and haunt you."
"Understood."
Instead, she walked past him. The guards stepped aside. The cold night air felt like a sudden blow to her face. When she came out into the street, she glanced back one time.
The Moonbrew Cafe was like a battle, scarred yet still standing. The prince was right behind her. And in her heart somewhere...
It had been changed already.
High above the city, a man on the balcony of the royal palace was looking at the smoke rising into the sky. Lord Malrec smiled very gently. "So," he said almost inaudibly to the dark, "the curse reacts."
A servant in the background bowed very low. "May we go back inside, my lord?"
Malrec's eyes were sparkling. "Yes." He went back inside the palace. "Tell the council to get ready."
Underneath, the city was in a deep sleep. It had no idea that the prince had just met the one person who was capable of dissolving it all. Also, the girl who smelt of coffee and smoke had just unknowingly walked into a war.
By dawn Virellion would be a whisper.
By night it would be on fire.
And neither of them would be aware
That was just the beginning...