A Light in the Flame

Sera leaves Nyktos’s office and finds Nektas eating breakfast in human form in an alcove, cradling his little daughter, Jadis. Jadis wants Sera to pick her up. Sera holds the little dragon lovingly and gets her to eat eggs off a fork, a tough task because Jadis hates cutlery. Sera wants to know about Jadis’s mother. Nektas tells her that Jadis’s mother, Halayana, his heartmate (soulmate), is dead. Sera confides to Nektas that she, too, believes in the concept of soulmates. Her own mother loved her father passionately before his early death. According to Nektas, the love between her parents makes sense because the union between heartmates is usually linked to a greater purpose: in this case, the birth of Sera.

Nyktos joins the group, and Jadis flies to him happily. Nyktos tells Sera and Nektas that he may have found a way to save Sera, which is to remove the embers from her before she is Ascended. He knows that this can be done because Kolis removed the embers from a living Ethyos. Once Sera’s embers are removed, she would be like any other godling entering a Culling, and Nektas could Ascend her. However, Ascension itself is a dangerous ritual since she would have to be drained of all but her last drop of blood and then replenished with the blood of Nyktos. To learn how Kolis removed the Embers, Sera needs to visit the Pools of Divanash, located in the Vale. Since the Vale does not allow death, Nyktos cannot go there.

After Nektas takes a sleeping Jadis to her nursery, Nyktos tells Sera that Halayana was murdered by Kolis to punish Nektas for his loyalty to Ethyos. Nektas is ancient; he was the first dragon who gave his fire to enable Ethyos to create mortals. Sera feels awed that she has met and befriended Nektas. The talk turns to Nyktos’s plan to remove the embers from Sera and Ascend her. All the trusted members of Nyktos’s court know of the plan, though the fact that Sera is the reincarnation of Sotoria is hidden. When Nyktos removes the embers from Sera, they will pass to Nyktos, and he will become the Primal of Life and the King of the Gods. Sera hopes that when Nyktos becomes the Primal of Life, he will discontinue the Rite of Ascending the Chosen. Nyktos tells Sera that he may continue with the Rite but will ensure that people choose to Ascend out of free will.

Saion brings news that the Cimmerians, a kind of lesser warrior gods, are at the gates, spoiling for a fight. It is clear that they have been sent by Hanan to claim Bele. Nyktos wants Sera to stay put, as the Cimmerians are adept at fighting. They feed off the eather of gods to grow in power and can also summon night to blind their opponents. Nyktos bids Saion to remain with Sera to guard her. However, soon after he leaves, Sera tells Saion that she has no intention of staying behind.

Sera heads to the Rise with Saion. As Saion and Sera watch from the shadows, Dorcan, an ancient, powerful Cimmerian, approaches Nyktos and asks him to hand over Bele. Nyktos refuses, and a battle breaks out, with Nyktos going sword to sword with Dorcan. Saion jumps into the fray, and Sera begins to shoot arrows at the Cimmerians, decapitating them, which is the only way to kill the warrior gods. She beheads a Cimmerian silently sneaking up on Nyktos. Meanwhile, the Cimmerians summon a thick shroud of night, and Sera feels blindfolded. When Nyktos lands next to her, she nearly spears him, thinking that he is a Cimmerian. Nyktos disarms her and flies her away to safety. Dorcan is defeated and departs.

Back in Nyktos’s office, Nyktos reprimands Sera for her recklessness. Sera replies that she will no longer do as she is told. Raised as the Chosen Maiden and trained to be the Consort and killer of the Primal of Death, she has never been the master of her own life. Her stepbrother, Tavius, verbally tormented her and even tried to touch her inappropriately on many occasions. Things have changed now. Sera will never let anyone control her to that degree. After the others leave, Nyktos tells Sera that he understands her pain. Still, he must watch out for her because she does not value her life enough. He wonders if Sera’s recklessness is linked to her traumatic past. Sera admits that after he refused to take her as a Consort three years ago, he did not give her the freedom he intended. Instead, her mother, Queen Calliphe, made her a Handmaiden and blamed her for repulsing Nyktos. Nyktos offers to kill Calliphe to avenge Sera, but Sera refuses. Sera also asks Nyktos not to hate her stepsister, Ezra, now Queen of Lasania. Ezra had no idea what Calliphe and Tavius were doing to Sera.

As Nyktos cleans Sera’s cuts, Sera is overcome with desire for him. Nyktos tells her that he will not take advantage of her by feeding her his blood since that always arouses her. To distract Sera, Nyktos tells her that he possesses the ability to shadowstep, which is to move by projecting his eather outward. Nyktos is surprised to see that Sera’s wounds have self-healed, which means that the embers of life are giving her unprecedented abilities.

Sera retires to her chambers and thinks of Nyktos. When she knew him as Ash, Nyktos and she made love on multiple occasions, often after they had fed from each other. Sera pleasures herself, picturing the memories. Soon, she feels Nyktos shadowstep into her room and watch her. A thick mass of shadows with Nyktos’s familiar citrusy scent flows over her, and its cooling touch makes her orgasm. Sera calls out for Nyktos, but he leaves without a response.

The next morning, Sera joins Nektas for breakfast as Jadis and Reaver, another young draken, chase each other and shoot flames. When Nyktos arrives, Sera recalls the previous night’s encounter and grows embarrassed, though Nyktos maintains an impassive expression.

Sera asks Nyktos if he ever plans to go to war with Kolis. Nyktos replies that no Primal, even him, would ever go to war with the false king since the potential cost would be too high. Sera senses that Nyktos is hiding his true plans from her because he fears that talk of war will spur her into taking on Kolis. Sera feels sad at Nyktos’s reserve and wonders if her life as Consort will mean just being a partner in title, uninvolved in politics or the well-being of humans. Since one of Sera’s growing abilities is projecting her thoughts and feelings, Nyktos feels her sadness. He assures her that her role in the scheme of things is not limited.

Sera finally asks Nyktos about his visit to her chambers last night. Nyktos admits that he came over, and he and Sera exchange a heated moment. Sera tells Nyktos that she does not want to be his Consort just in name but for them to share a bed and satisfy each other’s desire. Their conversation is interrupted by Attes, the Primal of Accord and War. Nyktos purposely touches Sera sensuously in front of Attes to establish that she is his Consort-to-be. Attes tells Nyktos that he senses that Sera is no mere mortal but carries an aura. He leers at Sera and calls her a pretty “accessory” (198). The word angers Sera, and she tells Attes that if he ever talks about her in a derogatory fashion, she will pull out his eyes. Attes reveals the reason behind his visit: Kolis has sent the message that he denies Nyktos the right to crown a Consort. Nyktos can only crown Sera once Kolis has summoned both of them and granted them his permission to wed. Before Attes leaves, he warns Sera against Veses, the Goddess of Rites and Prosperity, insinuating that the Primal has a soft spot for Nyktos.

Nyktos asks Sera to distract him so that he doesn’t go after Attes and attack him. Attes has not told them when Kolis will send his summons. Sera kisses Nyktos, and he calms down. Sera wonders if they should use Kolis’s summoning as a chance to slay the false king, and Nyktos flatly refuses. Sera leaves his office in anger, and Nektas accompanies her to her chambers. He asks her to go easy on Nyktos since he has a good reason for staying away from Kolis. Kolis killed every god and godling who served Ethyos so that no one could replace him as the Primal of Life. He did not even spare mortals with a distant connection to the Court of Ethyos. If Kolis knew that Nyktos loathed him, he would slaughter all of Nyktos’s friends and supporters. Nektas wonders why Sera no longer calls Nyktos “Ash.” The nickname is precious to Nyktos, as it was the name his father used for him. Nektas also calls Nyktos Ash. Sera says that Nyktos is not her Ash anymore.