Page 17 of Spark of the Everflame

“It was my fault,” he said in a shaky whisper, too low for anyone but me to hear. “I was showing off my magic to the children, and it hit the ceiling, and it...” His voice broke.

I grabbed his hand and gave it a light squeeze. “Accidents happen, Elric.”

He nodded, but despair was stark on his face.

“When my brother and I were little,” I said, “I stuck some carrion in his bag. I only meant to tease him with the smell, but on our way to school a wild boar caught the scent and attacked him. Put a tusk right through his thigh. We were all alone, and I thought he was going to die right in front of me, all for a foolish joke.” My gut clenched at the memory of my brother’s bleeding body in my arms as I screamed for help. “Then I was scared that, even if he did survive, he’d hate me forever. And I was convinced my parents would never forgive me either way.”

Elric’s anguish dimmed at the momentary distraction. “Did he survive?”

“He did.”

“Did he forgive you?”

I groaned. “He got to stay home from school for weeks and eat all the sweets he wanted. It was the greatest time of his life. Hethankedme.”

A smile tugged at his lips. “And your parents?”

“They weren’t happy. But they knew my heart. They knew I’d never hurt my brother on purpose.” I squeezed his hand again. “That’s what family is all about. Standing by each other’s side, even when you make the worst mistakes.”

He said nothing, but the storm broke on his expression, a tentative hope cutting through the dark clouds of guilt.

Eventually we reached an unmarked curve on the road. Elric peered into the trees nervously, then turned and studied the three of us, biting his lip as he appeared to process some unspoken dilemma. “Healers can’t say anything about what they see, right? Isn’t that the rule?”

Maura nodded. “That’s right, dearie. It’s all confidential.”

He exhaled deep. “I know a shortcut that will get us there faster. But you can’t tell anyone about this—ever.”

Without awaiting our response, he bolted off the path and into the forest. Maura, Lana, and I shared a confused look before hurrying to follow behind him.

After a few minutes of clambering over snarled roots and ducking under low-hanging branches, an enormous wall covered in a thick spread of leafy vines came into view. The wall was camouflaged so seamlessly into the surrounding vegetation that, had it been nighttime, I might have crashed right into it.

Elric felt around on the wall, mumbling quietly to himself as he searched, before yelping with success. “Here! Follow me—quickly.”

He pulled back on the foliage to reveal a hole barely large enough to pass through. He peered through the opening and glanced around before motioning for us to go on.

Elric offered out his arms to carry Maura, and I had to bite back a smile as she smacked him away with a stern scowl. Born with one severely bowed leg, Maura had never let it hold her back, and after all these years, she certainly wouldn’t start now.

One by one we crawled through, our satchels clinking as they dragged along the ground. Another interior wall of fluffy boxwood hedges blocked our view, but as I breathed in the sweet fragrance of florals and fresh herbs, I realized we’d entered a large garden.

A giant mass of granite lay tossed to the side. As if it weighed barely more than air, Elric lifted the stone block with a single hand, drawing the curtain of ropey vines and slipping it back into place.

I nearly choked. The stone had to weigh twice as much as I did. I knew Descended outmatched mortals on strength and speed, but I’d never seen a display like that.

Elric beckoned us forward. He crept along the wall, staying close to the hedges, occasionally peeking above to see if we’d been spotted. We turned a corner, and my breath caught in my throat.

From Mortal City, I’d only ever seen faint glimpses of the royal palace, a crown of spires peeking over the trees to keep watch on us from afar. I’d always imagined it to be some imposing stone fortress, a stronghold as fearsome and impenetrable as the Descended themselves.

What stood before me was something else entirely.

It seemed to be made not of stone or wood, but of light itself. Its structure rose and fell in sharp, delicate waves, the walls radiating an ethereal shimmer, like starlight given physical form. A mass of towering steeples disappeared into the sky, visible only by the faint sheen of reflected blue that made it difficult to comprehend the full sprawl of the building’s massive footprint. As clouds passed over the morning sun, the glistening facade gently wavered like a reflection off the Sacred Sea. Far from frightening or imposing—it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

“Diem!” Maura’s voice drifted from a distance.

I tore my eyes away, only to realize I’d been left abandoned in my stupor. Up ahead, Lana and Maura had followed Elric out of the garden and up marble steps to a set of giant arched doors.

“Stay close,” Maura hissed and snatched me by the arm as I jogged to join them. “They’re jumpy whenever mortals are around. Don’t go wandering off, understand?”

I could only nod, still dumbstruck by the grandeur surrounding me.

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