Glow of the Everflame

As the second installment in the Kindred’s Curse Saga, Glow of the Everflame is preceded by Spark of the Everflame. In the series’ inaugural title, Cole introduces the fantastical universe of Emarion—a fictional world that is defined by sparring gods, desperate mortals, light and dark magic, dragons, and an ongoing struggle for power. The kingdom is ruled by the “Descended”—those who are descendants of the realm’s gods. In the society of Lumnos in Emarion, relationships between mortals and Descended are forbidden in Lumnos and punishable by death.

Spark of the Everflame also introduces the series’ hero, Diem Bellator. Diem was born to a mortal woman named Auralie. At birth, Diem had the dark eyes and hair characteristic of other mortals, but her eyes soon turned gray and her hair turned white. During puberty, Diem also began experiencing visions. Terrified that the demi-gods, or Descended, would think Diem’s birth father was a Descended, Diem’s mother, Auralie, lied and claimed that Diem was sick and needed regular doses of flameroot powder; in reality, the substance was meant to dull Diem’s powers and appearance.

When she was young, Diem never questioned the veracity of her condition. However, when her mother suddenly disappears, Diem starts to wonder what is really going on and who she really is. Suddenly overcome with confusion, rage, and passion, Diem stops taking the flameroot, and her visions return. When she takes over her mother’s healing position at the court in an attempt to uncover the truth behind Auralie’s disappearance, Diem soon becomes embroiled in palace life. Her interactions with Prince Luther Corbois convince her that the Descended are to blame for Auralie’s unresolved fate.

At the same time, Diem joins her friend Henri’s rebel group, the Guardians of the Everflame—a mortal group designed to destroy the Descended. Diem doesn’t agree with the way the Descended treat the mortals and wants to support her childhood sweetheart Henri in his political missions. However, she soon begins to believe that becoming a Guardian was the wrong choice, for she is now required to gather intelligence and work against her new friends at the palace. Diem is particularly conflicted because she is also developing romantic feelings for Luther against her better judgment.

One night, Diem gets into an argument with her father when he scolds her for endangering herself by spending time with the Descended. Furious, Diem races outside and gives in to her long-suppressed anger. Magical light bursts from her chest and fingertips, and the Crown appears above her head. The king is dead, and the gods have chosen Diem as their new ruler. Glow of the Everflame picks up at the end of Spark of the Everflame and traces Diem’s foray into the world of the Descended. Once she enters palace life, Diem is forced to adjust to her new role as queen, braving many risks to her own life.

Glow of the Everflame is followed by Heat of the Everflame and Burn of the Everflame. In Heat of the Everflame, the rivalry between the Descended and the Guardians intensifies Diem’s world. While Diem wants to support the Guardians, she has also formed new friendships among the Descended. Embroiled in this battle, she must make difficult choices about who she loves and who to protect. In the series’ fourth and final installment, Burn of the Everflame, the author traces the events that occur in the aftermath of the war between the Guardians and the Descended.