Burning Bright

Chapter Three

 " Dari!"

  Dari pulled off her still damp cloak, laying her twin blades on her huge four-poster king-sized bed. She must have gotten back later than she thought, considering her mother was already calling her down. She'd have to change quickly.

  " Coming Mother!"

  She threw the black tank top and pants she'd been wearing into her closet, nearly hitting the jumbo picture of the her family that hung near it.  After tossing her boots under the desk, she grabbed on a red flowing shirt and a pair of coal black flannel pants. She grabbed a mirror from the vanity sitting near the desk, looking at herself. Her flame-red hair was still soggy, her face grimy and tired looking.

  " Dari, I'm coming up!"

  Dari's eyes widened as she heard footsteps on the stairs.Quickly, she grabbed a cloth, wiping the dirt and dust off her face. She brushed out her hair, heating the air around her so it dried faster. That was how fire elementalists could control fire. They could heat the air around them, summoning fire to appear from it. Within a few seconds, her hair had dried, and her face was clear of any sign of a fight.

  As she was tossing the boots, now coated in silt from the river, into the closet, the door opened gently, revealing Aldrea Lavat's tired looking face. As Dari's mother, she had the same petite,  yet toned figure, and hazel eyes laced in red flecks. Her hair was colored a creamy brown the same color as the chocolate Dari adored, pinned up in a simple bun with two jeweled black sticks plunged through it.

  " Dari, dear, breakfast is going to start soon. Are you dressed?" she asked, stepping into the huge bedroom. Her dress, a burnt orange color, floated around her ankles.

  Dari nodded, turning toward her mother and giving her a slight smile. " Yeah, Mother, I am." She yawned loudly. " Sorry, just lagging a bit this morning. I promise I'll be down to see the family in a minute."

  Aldrea smiled, her eyes twinkling in delight. " Alright dear. Just don't be too long. You know your father likes you to be on time to meals."

  Dari simply nodded again. " I promise, ok Mom?" She only called her that when they were by themselves, or with the family. It was a sign of respect to call your parents " Mother" and " Father" in public, and showed that they had taught their children well in etiquette.

  Her mother laughed, starting to close the door. " Of course, Dari, of course. Be down quickly." She closed the door softly, leaving it open a tad.

  Dari sighed as her mother left. She'd have to be down within the minute unless she wanted Father to be angry. Taking one last look at herself in the mirror, she propped open the door, taking the stairs two at a time so she could get to breakfast as fast as possible. Her father was not one to be kept waiting.

  As she came down the stairs, she entered the main hall, an elaborately decorated space painted in gold pictures and portraits of various family members covered by a glass ceiling. Pretty soon, my face will be up there, she thought to herself, smiling. It was almost indefinite that she would be the next clan leader. The eldest child of the royal family, the Lavat's, was nominated to be clan leader, no matter the gender. The public had the option to veto the eldest and elect one of the siblings to take control, but it rarely happened. Dari was almost positive the public would choose her. They had all agreed that she was the most powerful Lavat child, and the most capable for what was being asked.

  She stepped away from the pictures, starting to walk down the hall toward the dining room. Her head whirled in thought like she had in that whirlpool. She always stressed when it came to thinking about her future leadership. She wanted it, of course, she wasn't going to deny that. But it still scared her, having to lead a whole empire. Not only that, but she would be in charge of all the smaller Fire Clan colonies all over Pangear. She'd never had a responsibility this big, and with her sixteenth birthday looming upon her, leadership would come sooner than she thought.