Page 286 of Heat of the Everflame

The mortals looked unsure.

My mother looked stunned.

My Prince looked proud.

“So if we want out of here, we have to join your army?” the man asked.

“I won’t force you,” I said quickly. “I see the fire in your eyes. I know you want to pick up a sword and fight. All I ask is that you consider wielding it for me.”

I didn’t waste any more time begging for their answer. If I reallywanted to win them over, I’d have to prove myself through actions, not words.

I raised ropes of blistering light that wove through the iron bars and melted them down into puddles of muck, then Luther stood guard while I made the rounds to heal any lingering wounds.

The King’s neglect had left them weak and emaciated. I used Meros magic to conjure water—surprisingly easy—and Arboros magic to conjure food—surprisingly hard. When I called on the soil to sprout through the stone with fresh fruit, I ended up flooding the cages with a field of dandelions instead. It did little for sustenance but wonders for mood. The children giggled and ran through the room, grabbing fistfulls of fluffy blooms and puffing their seeds into the air.

“Thank you,” a mortal woman said as she watched them beside me. Her caramel-brown eyes were bright with unshed tears. “It’s been a long time since they’ve had a reason to laugh.”

I smiled sadly. “I’m sorry for what was done to all of you. It ends here and now.”

She tucked her short dark hair behind her ears and extended a hand. “I’m Runa.”

I clasped it with a nod. “Call me Diem.”

“You’re really going to take on the other Crowns, Diem?” she asked.

“I am.” I gave her a cautious look. “But I’ll also take on the Guardians, if I must.”

She chewed thoughtfully on her lip. “And you truly think we can all live in peace someday, after everything that’s happened?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure.” I shifted my gaze to the children. “But I think I owe it to them to try.”

My attention drifted to Luther. His daunting glare had softened as he stole glances at the children playing, the faintest trace of a smile toying at his lips.

Still no sign of anyone?I asked into his thoughts.

His happiness vanished. He shook his head, the disquiet in his features an echo of my own.

After my blast through the ground, the soldiers had to knowsomethinghad gone wrong. Why hadn’t they come? What were they doing?

And what would we face when we emerged?

“They’re goingto be waiting for us out there,” my mother said as she fell in step on my right, Luther joining on my left. The mortals followed behind us in a tightly huddled group, whispering quiet doubts I was trying not to hear.

“I know,” I said.

“We’re going to need weapons.”

“I know.”

“So where are we going?”

“To get weapons.”

She looked at me expectantly. I didn’t elaborate.

“Diem, we need a plan.”

“I have a plan. You’ll see.”

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