Page 236 of Glow of the Everflame

“Calm yourself Sophos, it was one Forging Day out of hundreds. I had somewhere important to be that afternoon.” Her gaze slid to me as she smiled, and a shiver rolled down my spine. “I’m here now. Wouldn’t missthisceremony for the world.”

I awkwardly shifted my weight. With mischief in her eyes and a knowing smirk on her lips, she clearly didn’t share my desire to hide whatever connection she and I had, but the others seemed unphased by her odd behavior—and she was far from the only Crown staring me down.

The sound of shuffling drew my attention to an elderly man leaning heavily on a gnarled wooden walking stick as he struggled through a slow ascent up the Temple stairs. The ring of jagged, sparkling ice shards above him marked him as the final Crown, the King of Montios. Though the others cast a bored glance in his direction, none made any movement to help him.

I frowned and stepped back from my archway. The chattering instantly fell silent as I moved to the man’s side and offered him my arm. He swatted me away, grunting as he dragged his frail, bony form up a step and paused for breath.

“May I assist you?” I asked.

He ignored me and leaned forward to attempt another step, but his momentum failed him, and his balance wobbled precariously in the wrong direction. I threw out an arm to steady him, and he slapped it with surprising strength.

He reared his walking stick back and I flinched in anticipation of a swing, but the moment his lavender eyes raised to mine, they bulged wide and his arms went slack. Beneath his bushy white eyebrows and the scraggly beard that extended nearly to his knees, his excitement as he gawked at me was unmistakable.

He raised a hand, his skin ice cold and spotted with age, and pressed a palm against my temple. His thumb tugged at the skin on my cheekbone as he peered into my eyes, his own still round with awe.

His attention shifted to my hair. His knobby fingers trailed down my loose white tresses, then to my skin. He snatched my bare forearm and pulled it into a spot of direct sun, twisting my arm back and forth and frowning at whatever it was he saw.

His gaze rose back to my eyes, lingering for a moment before settling just above my head as his frown deepened.

“Is something wrong?” I asked him.

“He doesn’t speak,” the Sophos Crown interjected. “At least not to anyone outside his realm. And he lives on the side of a mountain, so I doubt he needs your assistance with a single flight of stairs.”

I ignored them and remained at the man’s side. He seemed so frail, a strong wind might carry him away. I had a sneaking suspicion that he normally relied on his magic to ease his mobility, but his pride would not permit him to let any weakness show in front of the other Crowns.

“As the newest Crown, it would be a great honor if you would permit me to escort you, Your Majesty,” I said, adding a deep bow for effect. I’d worked with stubborn patients like him, and I knew exactly how to play to their egos.

He sighed and sniffed an acceptance as he finally took my hand. I bit back a smile and steeled my arms to mask the heavy weight he leaned into me.

We slowly made our way to the top, the two of us shuffling silently until he stood under the Montios archway, marked with a snow-capped mountain carved into the glossy stone floor. I offered him a small smile before I let go and turned away.

“Good luck, Daughter of the Forgotten.”

It was barely more than a whisper. When I spun back to see the Montios King staring into the center of the Temple, my presence seemingly forgotten, I started to wonder if I’d imagined it.

“Why did you call me that?” I breathed. “Where did you hear—”

“Get back to your portal Lumnos, I don’t have all day,” the Fortos King sniped.

My eyes darted around to the other Crowns. They were barely paying attention, their expressions impatient and uninterested.

All except for the Queen of Umbros and her intense, knowing gaze.

“We’re all present Lumnos, we’re simply waiting on you,” the Sophos Crown added.

The Montios King shooed me off with a mute dismissal. Reluctantly, I returned to my archway.

The Kindred’s Temple served as a symbolic map of Emarion. Each of the nine arches pointed toward its respective realm. In addition to being etched on the godstone floor, the realm emblems were also carved deep into the tall obelisks, where they glowed as if lit from within.

In the center of the open-air rotunda, representing the island of Coeurîle, a low pedestal held a large, rough-hewn stone. It was glassy on its smoother faces, the smoky color so dark it appeared black, though a faint glow seemed to emanate from within.

Even from a distance, I felt the magic radiating from it. It reminded me of how I felt whenever Luther walked into a room, his immense power both calling others to its force while warning of its threat, pushing and pulling all at once. It had made him terrifying and irresistible, and as I gazed into the inky depths of this stone, I felt that same dangerous attraction.

The Sophos Crown began to speak.

“Millenia ago, when the Blessed Kindred arrived on this continent, they brought with them a piece of their home world we now call theheartstone. They shed their blood on this heartstone to Forge a mighty spell that created our nine realms.” They gestured to the central pedestal. “This is our most precious secret, the truth that each of us guards with our lives. For if the heartstone is destroyed, so too shall our realms crumble and fall.”

Eight gazes sharpened on me in challenge as the gravity of the words hit me. This was the secret to the downfall of the Descended and their reign. The flameroot may weaken, the godstone may kill, but only the heartstone could put an end to their rule forever.

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