Queen Of Fire (Queen Of Fire #1)

Chapter One [Edited]

Her first look at the interior of the shop was not disappointing, cozy is the word that came to her mind. It looked just like any other shop of its kind but radiates warmth and it helped sooth her nerves. The white marble stone of the floor reflected the colours of the pale blue ceiling. A middle aged woman who was dressed immaculately in current trends and practically beaming like the happiest woman in Vhalka, made her way towards Veena past the other customers and said "Hello dear, I am Madame Faustina. How may I help you?".
Since the woman's aura has a warm glow which proves that she is a person with a pure heart(That power comes in handy in knowing who to trust), Veena decided not to pretend too much. She then gave the woman a genuine smile and replied "Good day Madame, I am Trisha. A new maid in service of the House of Elton, I came from my hometown to help my cousin as the Rasha festival is coming soon. I need garments for new uniforms and I was referred to you". Veena added a shy smile at the end of her explanation to make her seem more believable even though every bit of what she said was totally bogus because the real Trisha is tending to her ailing mother in her village but her cousin was sympathetic to their cause so she had no problem with Veena "borrowing" Trisha's identity. Besides, the more authentic the story is the less opportunity of the deceit being revealed.
Madame Faustina smiled in an understanding manner. "Of course my dear, I have just what you need. Give me a few moments and I will have your orders complete".
With that, she ambled away towards the stands and started picking away materials. Veena decided to use her momentary distraction as an opportunity to eavesdrop on the "conversation" (Meaning gossip) of some noble women chatting in the receiving area of the shop. She let her long mane obscure her once more making her unnoticeable as she pretended to peruse some pieces of clothing close to the edge of the room where the women sat.
The plump woman wearing a sapphire cloak that sat in the middle of the room was obviously the leader, the other women showed signs of reverence toward her. Her falsetto voice sounded more like a squeak to Veena but she reserved her judgment and listened instead.
The woman who according to her clique is called Lady Tarlok (A minor noble house) fanned herself and said "I overheard my husband, the Commander's right hand man saying that they have an efficient trap planned for those thieves who are stealing from the noble warehouses around the city. Although I didn't hear the exact plan, I can assure you that our leaders are working on ensuring our safety. Let it be known to our peers that the noble houses of Vhalka will not stand by and watch those vagabonds will humiliate us no longer".
Veena frowned and retreated to her former position. The "vagabonds" as Lady Tarlok named them, are members of the rebellion who have been targeting the warehouse of the nobles that have excess commodities. They have been taking enough to store so when the time came for Veena to rise from the shadows, they will distribute them to starving communities within Vhalka in the name of the princess. The only reason they aren't doing that now much to Veena's frustration, is because prematurely le he nobles know she is still alive (Which will undoubtedly happen when the commons start whispering about the princess back from the dead) will lead to the ultimate failure of the revolution.
She had to warn her mates about the Commander's plan,. If it were anybody else, Veena wouldn't be worried but the Commander is ruthless and brilliant. He is the head of Vhalka's army and he is the most loyal lapdog of the Houses.
Madam Faustina seemingly came out of nowhere with fabrics wrapped up in her arms, Veena brushed her thoughts away and focused on the situation at hand. She smiled and thanked the kind Madame, then went with a cheerful assistant to finalise the transaction. After she had paid, the assistant packaged everything Veena had bought then Veena collected them from her and nodded goodbye. Veena proceeded to make her way out of the store but she stopped for few seconds to give Lady Tarlok a last look but the woman was locked in intense conversation once more.
In front of the doors leading out of the store, Veena took a few seconds to compose herself and steel herself for the hardest part of the plan coming up in the next few minutes. When she was sure she had herself under control, she pasted the brightest smile she could muster on her face then walked out like her life is not about to be changed forever.