The Kindred's Curse Saga, #2
Glow of the Everflame
by Penn Cole
Contents
Chapter 6
Overview
Diem nearly attacks an intruder, only to meet Eleanor, who becomes her first advisor. Eleanor outfits and orients Diem to palace routes, staff, guards, and Corbois tensions, including hints about Luther’s volatile power. At lunch, Aemonn claims an engagement while Luther watches, sharpening political and personal stakes.
Summary
Diem awakens to footsteps, arms herself, and lunges—only to find Eleanor, a Corbois cousin bringing clothes at Luther’s behest. Embarrassed, Diem learns Eleanor tended her after the armory fire and that Luther anxiously watched over her. Struggling with dresses yet recognizing their power, Diem chooses one and arms herself with Brecke’s knife.
Eleanor explains court optics and suggests that appearance and influence cut like weapons. Seeking usefulness, Eleanor offers guidance in protocol and politics; Diem formally appoints her as advisor. Eleanor styles Diem, and they begin a tour, mapping passages, identifying discreet staff, and assessing guards, easing Diem’s sense of alienation.
Over a garden lunch near Sorae, Eleanor outlines Corbois dynamics: Garath resents Remis’s Regency and suspects swirled when Ulther fell. She notes Luther’s immense, once-unruly magic and hints at strategic rifts between Remis and Luther. Diem withholds the truth about her own power while absorbing the stakes.
Aemonn arrives, bantering with Eleanor and inviting Diem away. As Diem stands, she catches Luther watching, visibly arrested by her transformed presentation. Sorae bristles at Luther, mirroring Diem’s unresolved grievance. Diem thanks Eleanor and departs on Aemonn’s arm, signaling emerging alliances and intensifying tension with Luther.
Who Appears
- DiemNewly manifested Crown; appoints Eleanor as advisor, learns palace politics, and leaves with Aemonn under Luther’s watch.
- Eleanor CorboisCheerful Corbois cousin; startles Diem, outfits her, offers guidance, becomes first advisor, shares crucial court and family intel.
- Luther CorboisPowerful Corbois scion; previously armed Diem, fussed over her after the fire, watches silently as she departs with Aemonn.
- AemonnSmooth-tongued courtier; arrives in the garden and publicly escorts Diem away, provoking visible tension with Luther.
- SoraeDiem’s bonded gryvern; suns in the garden and bristles at Luther, echoing Diem’s lingering resentment.