Page 317 of Heat of the Everflame

I waded deeper, and my senses dulled. The chilly air, the faint rustling of the Councilors’ robes—it faded away in the depthless abyss.

The sensation of life buzzed against my skin—creatures and people and plants, their existence inextricably interwoven. And,just as in Fortos, there were fraying gaps where the Forging spell was unwinding bit by bit.

I was caught between conflicting urges. One to heal, to mend the tears and make it whole. And one to destroy, to set it alight and watch it allburn. I couldn’t tell where either instinct came from—or what the consequences of either choice might be.

But my attention was pulled by something else. Something that stood out among all the life forms the magic pulsed through. Not a foreign Descended like Luther, but somethingother. Something that did not belong.

I set my focus on the being, and an image took shape, bleary like a window in heavy rain. Darkness everywhere, but at the center, a dazzling light almost too bright to look at. As the vision sharpened, the shadows shifted into trees—twisted, blackened ones like I’d seen while flying with Sorae—lit by the golden dance of nearby bonfires.

The light at the center dimmed, then took the form of a man, his back turned to me.

He stiffened, his shoulders rolling. His head turned slightly, revealing the hint of a cold smile. Slowly, he turned, and I sucked in a gasp.

I’d only ever seen him from afar in my visions, but now, it was as if he was right before me, standing in my presence and staring directly into my eyes.

My dark grey eyes—just likehis.

There was something unsettlingly familiar about him. Something deeply innate, a recognition that burned within my blood. Something not unlike my connection to Luther—that preternatural sense I’d had from the moment we met that our fates were aligned in an inevitable way.

But while Luther’s aura sang to me and filled me with calm, this man’s presence made me want to cower andkneel.

My instincts howled to run as far as I could get, warning of a danger I didn’t understand.

He can’t see you here, I reminded myself.He can’t touch you. He can’t hurt you. It’s just a vision.

But as the man stepped closer, my certainty swayed at the way his silvery gaze stayed on mine.

My hand rose toward him, hesitating just beyond his jaw. There was something about his face...

In a flash of movement, a rough hand gripped tight around my wrist. A real hand—asolidhand. I cried out and tried to yank away, but he held me firm.

“Well if it isn’t the Daughter of the Forgotten.” His voice was satin set ablaze, the smoothest nectar and the deadliest poison. “So many years I waited for you, my sweet liberation.” He chuckled, low and dark. “I will give you the world to show you my thanks.”

“Who are you?” I whispered, heart thundering.

“Come find me, and I’ll tell you.” His mouth hooked up in a frosty smile that sent tremors rattling down my spine. “Better hurry. Our destiny awaits.”

He dropped my hand and placed his palm on my collarbone, his fingers curling at the base of my throat. I held still, paralyzed by fear, as a painful heat seared my skin beneath his hand.

“Come find me,” he said again, this time more order than request. His grip tightened suddenly, harshly, lifting me off my feet and choking off my air. “And if you spy on me like this again, I’ll kill you.”

He growled and shoved me backward. My vision blurred as I flailed for something solid, feeling like I was falling through infinite sky. I lost my grip on the Forging magic and the world slammed back into place around me as my head cracked against something hard.

“Your Majesty,” Hepta cried out. She rushed to my side and helped me up from where I’d fallen out of my chair. “Are you alright?”

I coughed against the lingering sensation of his crushing grip on my throat. The Councilors stared, mouths ajar, their fear-filled eyes focused on my neck.

“What is it?” I asked.

Hepta rolled her wrist, and glassy ice formed over the stone table. I gazed down at my reflection to see a small ten-pointed star glowing at the base of my throat.

I quickly covered it with my hands. “I—I saw him. He’s in the forest—the Forgotten Lands. He... he wants me to find him.”

“Why?” one Councilor asked, eying me with distrust. “Does he think you will help him?”

I stormed for the door. “I need to go.”

“Your Majesty, wait!” Hepta shuffled after me as quickly as her elderly body could move. “You just arrived. We should discuss this as a Council.”

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