Page 188 of Burn of the Everflame

“That anger?” I said, pointing at her. “Keep it. If you won’t mourn, use that instead. This calm, quiet person you’re pretending to be is not what your children need, Auralie. They need the woman who made them who they are.”

Though she didn’t say more, her frown shifted to something fiercer—something more like the determined Auralie Bellator I’d always known.

“The note about godstone Diem mentioned,” I said, “you wrote her name beside it. What did she have to do with it?”

“The Everflame is the Sacred Tree of Life and Death. The story made me wonder, if the Old Gods gave godstone for an offering of death, what might come from an offering of life?”

“What kind of offering?”

“A baby born on the Everflame’s soil.”

I considered it for a moment. I’d always assumed the peculiarities around Diem and her magic had come from her Omnos bloodline. What if her mortal blood was just as unique?

“You think Diem is immune to the godstone toxin because she was born on Coeurîle?” I asked.

“I think the gods have been fighting over my daughter since the day she was born. The Kindred gave her those damned Crowns. Whatever blessing the Old Gods gave her, I pray it’s enough to help her survive them.”

44

LUTHER

It didn’t take long for Vance to prove Diem right.

On the sixth day, a messenger hawk arrived with news that he’d been spotted marching for Lumnos with a large contingent of troops. Unlike before, they didn’t hide their movements behind an illusion. They wanted us to see them coming. Diem’s mocking had worked—Vance was so desperate to show he wasn’t afraid of her, he was putting his entire army at risk to prove it.

The prospect of an end to the war lifted everyone’s spirits. Taran kept up morale with a steady stream of ale and music, and my advisors had been working hard to encourage their respective factions to give unity a second chance. When we announced that we expected the enemy’s arrival within a day, our army actually cheered.

Knowing the precise moment they would arrive was an incredible advantage, and we set to work exploiting it. Alixe had already called in reinforcements from Fortos, and she positioned us in an area of the northern forests known as Mort-Feu Pass, hoping to cut Vance off before his army reached the towns. We filled a clearing there with hidden obstacles and put archers in the trees across the field to surprise them with a rear attack.

Diem had been in a pensive silence all week, but today she was shouting orders and pacing the front lines, checking and double-checking every preparation. She sent the gryverns away—Sorae to protect the towns, Tybold to protect the arena. She asked twice if we had time to call in more fighters from other realms. She seemed worried there was something she’d missed. Something big enough to turn certain triumph into disaster.

“We’re ready,” I assured her, reaching for her hand. Though she let me take it, I might as well have been holding her empty scabbard. Her body was here, but her mind was elsewhere.

“Diem,” I rumbled, adding a touch of the dominant gruff I usually reserved for our more intimate moments.

Her head snapped toward me, her focus finally returning in full.

“We’re going to win,” I said again.

Her nails clicked against the godstone sword I’d forced her to carry. “Do you feel it?”

I knew what she meant. The presence of powerful magic in the air had been steadily growing stronger all day.

I nodded. “With any luck, he’ll bring your sword. We’ll steal it back, and you can end this.”

Her expression darkened. She swept her gaze across Mort-Feu Pass. “Does his aura feel different to you?”

“Weaker than I expected, considering they’re so close. Maybe shielding them has drained his magic.”

“It’s more than that. It feels . . .” Her heel bounced. “I don’t know. Different.” She glanced up at the sky. “Maybe I should call in the other gryverns.”

“We could call back Sorae. Lumnos City would be happy to lose her, considering how loudly she whined when we left her behind.” I teasingly nudged her side. “I think I can still hear her from here.”

Diem didn’t smile. “Sorae stays where she is. I can’t risk leaving the towns unprotected.”

I lowered my voice, mindful of the hundreds of troops surrounding us. “Is that what’s worrying you? You think they’re going to find a way to get past us?”

She swallowed. “I don’t know.”