The Kindred's Curse Saga, #3
Heat of the Everflame
by Penn Cole
Contents
Chapter 30
Overview
Zalaric escorts Diem’s group through Umbros’s clandestine canals to a secret exit guarded by his contact, a Fortos smuggler called the Cardinal. En route, Diem peers into Zalaric’s mind and realizes he is coerced into a trap. As the team boards their crate-boat, an unseen, familiar adversary arrives, triggering an imminent confrontation.
Summary
Under Zalaric’s illusion, Diem, Luther, Taran, and Alixe navigate Umbros’s hidden tunnels to avoid Centenary mind scans at the canal mouths. Zalaric warns he can’t hide their passage from the Queen forever and pointedly admits he trusts no one in Umbros. Diem focuses on returning to Lumnos to reclaim her throne as her magic rebounds.
Luther, tense and guarded, urges Diem to steel herself for wartime losses, provoking a rift between them. The tunnels narrow into unfinished caverns until Zalaric reveals a concealed crawlspace. Before committing, Diem’s godhood compels her to look into Zalaric’s mind; she discerns a sorrow-laden secret and understands he’s compromised.
On the far side, a Fortos Descended smuggler—the Cardinal—awaits. She refuses names and details, offering only passage in a crate on a pontoon boat. Luther thanks Zalaric for sheltering half-mortals and asks him to answer Diem’s call in the future. Taran and Zalaric trade barbs and a reluctant, genuine farewell.
Alone with Zalaric for a moment, Diem quietly asks if the others would be safe without her. He admits it’s too late, confirming the trap. Diem summons light and shadow to her palms as the Cardinal urges haste. Before they can depart, a new voice—someone who claims to have met Diem before—greets her as “Your Majesty,” revealing an ambush and forcing an immediate showdown.
Who Appears
- DiemQueen of Lumnos; determined to return home, reads Zalaric’s mind, discovers a trap, and prepares to fight.
- Zalaric HanoverreUmbros fixer; guides them to a secret exit, conflicted and coerced into betraying them under Umbros’s pressures.
- LutherProtector and confidant; warns Diem about wartime costs, parts tensely, urges loyalty to Diem, senses danger.
- The CardinalFortos Descended smuggler; Zalaric’s contact, brusque and discreet, provides clandestine passage by crate-boat.
- TaranCompanion; offers crude comic relief, wary of the route, exchanges prickly yet sincere farewell with Zalaric.
- AlixeAlly; supports the group, maintains cover, departs toward the boat amid rising tension.
- Unseen adversaryUnidentified newcomer; addresses Diem as “Your Majesty,” implying a prior meeting and initiating the ambush.