Spark of the Everflame

Diem lives just outside of Mortal City with her mother; her father, Andrei; and her brother, Teller. On Forging Day, she walks with her fellow healer, Maura, who anticipates a busy night in the healers’ center because of the holiday. Forging Day celebrates a day that occurred millennia ago, when nine gods—known as the Kindred—sought refuge in Emarion and fell in love with mortal citizens. The Kindred made a magical pact—the Forging spell—so that they could stay on Earth with their mortal lovers. The spell divided Emarion into nine realms that are now ruled by the Kindred’s children—the Descended. As Diem and Maura head to the healers’ century, they also worry that the blood sun is a bad omen; years ago, a similar sun foreshadowed the Blood War.

After parting ways with Maura, Diem heads home and tries avoiding the raucous, drunken men in the streets. When some of these men begin harassing her, she remembers her warrior father’s training and defends herself. She then steals their blades and races down Paradise Row, where she gives a local woman the weapons and continues on her way home.

Diem stops running when she sees her mother, Auralie, talking to a Descended man in an alley. The Descended all have unique hair and eyes and are therefore easy to identify. The conversation between the two is intense and suggests that Auralie owes the man something. Worried, Diem continues eavesdropping until a mysterious woman interrupts her. The woman suggests that Diem is a Descended and that Auralie has been hiding her from the world. (Mortals and the Descended are forbidden to procreate, and the children of such unions are summarily killed.) Diem already knows that Andrei isn’t her biological father, but she still insists that the woman doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Diem was born with brown hair and eyes, but as she matured, her hair turned white, and her eyes turned gray. Auralie has assured Diem that this is merely an uncanny coincidence. However, she has made Diem take flameroot powder to protect her ever since. Now, the woman continues calling Diem the Daughter of the Forgotten. Unnerved, Diem runs home.

Auralie doesn’t come home that night. Diem’s family waits and searches for Auralie over the following days and weeks, but after six months, they give up hope of ever seeing her again.

One day six months later, Andrei confronts Diem about taking her flameroot powder. He has found a vial of it among his things and is worried that she is hiding something from him. Diem admits that she has missed a few doses. In reality, Diem has deliberately stopped taking it because it makes her “brain fuzzy and [her] emotions dull” (25). When Andrei scolds her, a voice in Diem’s head tells her to resist him, but she quiets her temper and promises Andrei that she will resume taking the powder.

Diem walks her brother, Teller, to school. Teller says he knows that Diem hasn’t been taking the powder because she has been more volatile lately. Diem knows that this is true, but she has attributed it to Auralie’s absence. The conversation shifts to Auralie as the siblings approach the Descended school. Few mortals are allowed to attend the school, but Auralie somehow managed to secure Teller a place there. Diem and Teller chat about his schooling, and Teller reveals the news he heard from his Descended classmates: that King Ulther is ill and that Auralie was treating him. Diem is shocked that the Descended would let a mortal healer into the palace.

The siblings encounter Diem’s friend Henri Albanon. Henri joins their conversation and becomes instantly upset because he hates the Descended. Teller reveals that Princess Lilian—King Ulther’s niece and Prince Luther’s sister—is in his class. Henri and Diem tease him, suggesting that he is romantically interested in her.

After parting ways with Teller, Diem worries about her brother. She hopes that he will not fall in love with Lilian, as a relationship between a Descended and a mortal would be dangerous. The progeny laws forbidding such a liaison came about after the Blood War because the Descended were afraid that relationships with mortals would weaken their powers.

Henri reveals that he is making a delivery in Fortos and invites Diem to join him. She promises to ask Maura, her boss, if she can be spared from the healing center for a while. Later, when Diem broaches the subject with Maura, Maura urges her to accompany Henri. She insists that Henri is in love with Diem and suggests that she take a contraceptive tonic with her. Diem scoffs but takes it with her anyway. Suddenly, a Descended bursts into the center.

The Descended man—Elric—begs to see Auralie, saying that an “accident” has occurred at the palace and that several “children are hurt” (44). Maura and Diem offer to help. On their journey, Diem is shocked by how the landscape changes. She is even more awed when they arrive at the palace.

Elric leads Maura and Diem past the guards and to the site of the accident. He was showing off his magic and caused a collapse that injured the children. Diem races to one girl’s side and is surprised to learn that the injured child is Princess Lilian (also called Lily). Another Descended man inserts himself into the situation, desperate to know if Lily is well. Diem realizes that he is the man she saw in the alley with Auralie on the night that her mother disappeared.

Diem tends to Lily but has trouble focusing because she remains aware of the mysterious man’s presence. He repeatedly interrupts her, insisting that he be the one to set Lily’s broken bone. The voice in Diem’s head tells her to fight against him. She insists that she doesn’t need help and sets Lily’s bone herself. Afterward, she thinks that Lily is better, but suddenly, the girl’s eyes roll back, and she faints.

Diem and the man both panic. When they lift Lily’s body, Diem is horrified to see a pool of blood beneath her. Diem curses herself for getting distracted and failing to notice this more serious wound. She holds Lily, telling her to fight. Suddenly, Lily awakens, and her wounds are gone. Confused, Diem guesses that Lily unconsciously used her own magic to save herself. Afterward, the man thanks Diem for saving Lily and suggests that Diem is half-mortal and has magical powers. Diem dismisses his remarks and goes to the restroom to wash up. Once alone, she sits on the floor and cries.

Diem laughs and cries at her miserable appearance and circumstances. She gives herself five minutes to calm down.

On her walk back to town, she studies her village and reflects on her country’s history. When she returns to the center, Maura tells Diem that Prince Luther was grateful for her healing work at the palace. Diem realizes that the Descended man she encountered was Luther. Maura asks more questions about what happened and is surprised to learn that Diem could set a Descended’s bone and heal Lily’s wounds with a touch. Diem dismisses Maura’s insinuations about magic and asks her about Auralie’s previous work at the palace. Maura reveals that Auralie negotiated a deal with Luther, agreeing to serve the Crown indefinitely in exchange for Teller’s education at the Descended school. If Auralie were to break the deal, she would be executed. That night, Diem considers everything that she has learned. Then, she gathers up her remaining flameroot vials and throws them all into the sea.

As Diem and Henri travel together to Fortos, Henri confronts Diem about her strange demeanor. Diem doesn’t want to talk about her feelings, but Henri keeps talking and reassures her that Auralie will return. Softening, Diem says that she wants to assume Auralie’s palace duties. Henri thinks that this is a good idea because she could use the position to get to know her enemies, the Descended.

Diem and Henri camp out that night. As they sit by the fire, Diem’s bad mood returns. She usually doesn’t hate the Descended, but she cannot quiet her rage against Luther. Henri interrupts Diem’s thoughts and initiates sex. Hoping to calm herself, Diem embraces Henri, but even after she climaxes, her anger remains undiminished.

Diem has a strange dream about Luther and Auralie. She wakes up and goes over to the fire to think. Suddenly, she hears footsteps in the leaves. She reaches for her daggers when she sees a wolf approaching, but she realizes that she is unarmed. The inner voice tells her to fight. She reaches out, and the wolf turns to dust. Convinced that she is having a hallucination like those she experienced before first taking the flameroot, she searches for her bag and tries to find her spare vial. She curses when she realizes that she doesn’t have any more of the flameroot powder.

Henri assures Diem that she isn’t hallucinating, as he heard the wolf too. However, if the wolf was real, Diem doesn’t understand what happened to it. As Henri pulls her close, she notices an Everflame and Tree of Life and Death tattoo on his back. The images are related to the Old Gods and the old religion—which are now forbidden. Henri reveals that he recently got the tattoo to honor the gods. Diem silently worries that he will be killed for showing his loyalty to the old tradition.

Diem and Henri arrive at Fortos. When they cross the border, Diem feels an odd shock that Henri doesn’t feel. They theorize about the border’s possible magic. Then, they reach the warehouse where Henri is making his delivery. Diem is thrilled when she sees a cage containing a giant vat of flameroot powder. When she asks the woman, Leona, if she might buy some, Leona regards her suspiciously, and Diem learns that only the king can permit the opening of the powder’s cage. Confused as to how Auralie had been obtaining flameroot for her, Diem feigns confusion and asks for another powder instead. After the transaction, Diem leaves the warehouse as quickly as possible.