Here is a summary with spoilers of Spark of the Everflame
Diem lives just outside Mortal City with her mother, Auralie, her father, Andrei, and her younger brother, Teller. Their lives are simple but fulfilling, and though Diem is not a warrior like her father, she is trained well enough to defend herself. She and her mother are healers, serving the city’s people with their knowledge of herbs and medicine. As Forging Day approaches, the holiday celebrating the ancient pact between gods and mortals that created the nine realms of Emarion, Diem and her fellow healer, Maura, anticipate a busy night at the healing center. But as the sun sets, it casts an ominous blood-red glow across the sky—an event historically linked to the Blood War, a catastrophic conflict between the Descended and mortals. The sight unsettles Diem, but she shakes off her anxiety and continues home.
On the way, she is ambushed by a group of drunken men. Though outnumbered, she fights them off with the combat skills her father taught her. She disarms them, taking their weapons as trophies, and leaves them under the protection of a local woman before resuming her journey. However, as she nears home, she is shocked to see her mother engaged in a hushed, urgent conversation with a Descended man. Something about the exchange unsettles her, and before she can intervene, she is startled by a mysterious woman who emerges from the shadows. This woman, seemingly aware of Diem’s identity, claims that she is a Descended—an impossible and illegal existence. Diem vehemently denies the accusation, but the woman’s words stir long-buried memories. She recalls how her hair and eyes changed as she aged, how her mother always insisted she take flameroot powder, a mind-dulling substance. The woman calls her the “Daughter of the Forgotten” before vanishing into the night. Deeply shaken, Diem hurries home, but Auralie does not return that night. Despite months of searching, her family finds no trace of her, and hope fades.
Six months later, Diem struggles with the loss of her mother. She has stopped taking the flameroot powder, though she lies to Andrei, claiming she still does. Her mind, no longer dulled, is filled with swirling emotions and fragmented memories she cannot fully understand. Teller, sensing a change in her, expresses his concerns, but she dismisses them. One day, on the way to his school, Teller shares shocking news: Auralie had been treating the Descended King Ulther before her disappearance. The revelation stuns Diem. Why would a mortal healer be allowed into the palace? What had her mother been hiding?
Later, her friend Henri invites her to travel with him to Fortos, and Maura encourages her to go, teasing that Henri has feelings for her. But before she can leave, a frantic Descended named Elric arrives at the healing center, begging for Auralie’s help. His request leads Diem and Maura to the palace, where they find an injured child—Princess Lilian. Watching over her is the same Descended man Diem saw speaking with Auralie the night she disappeared. He insists on setting Lily’s broken bone himself, but Diem refuses, an unfamiliar voice in her head urging her to stand firm. When Lily collapses, Diem realizes she had overlooked a more serious injury. Desperate, she holds the girl close, silently begging for her to fight. Miraculously, Lily’s condition stabilizes, and Diem suspects she has witnessed magic at work. The Descended man—revealed to be Prince Luther—thanks her and cryptically suggests that she may have magic of her own. Troubled, Diem dismisses the notion, but later, Maura reveals a terrible truth: Auralie had struck a bargain with Luther to serve the Crown in exchange for Teller’s education. If she broke the agreement, she would be executed. Overcome with grief and anger, Diem takes the remaining vials of flameroot and hurls them into the sea.
Determined to uncover the truth, Diem joins Henri on his trip to Fortos. He reassures her that Auralie will return, but Diem sees this journey as an opportunity to learn more about the Descended. That night, they camp out, and as her unresolved anger toward Luther festers, she seeks a distraction. She and Henri share a passionate moment, but her fury remains. Later, she dreams of Luther and Auralie and wakes unsettled. As she paces, a wolf emerges from the darkness. She reaches for a weapon, but she has none. The voice in her head urges her to fight, and when she extends her hand, the wolf turns to dust. Convinced she is hallucinating from flameroot withdrawal, she is stunned when Henri confirms that he saw the wolf as well. As he comforts her, she notices his tattoo—a forbidden symbol of the old gods—and worries it will get him killed.
Upon arriving in Fortos, Diem experiences a strange sensation at the city’s border, a shock that Henri does not feel. At the warehouse where Henri delivers goods, she spots a massive cage filled with flameroot powder and is stunned to learn that only the king can authorize its distribution. The implications unsettle her—had Auralie obtained it through the palace? If so, why had she hidden it from her?
At an inn that night, Diem and Henri share a quiet dinner before being joined by his friend, Brecke Holdern. Brecke, who knew Auralie, gifts Diem a rare Fortosian steel blade—one capable of piercing Descended skin. The next morning, Diem awakens alone, her thoughts consumed by Auralie, Luther, Teller, and the strange events surrounding her. She listens as Henri and Brecke discuss an impending war and suddenly experiences a vision of herself standing on a battlefield, bloodied and gripping the Fortosian blade. Shaken, she dismisses it as stress-induced.
As her time in Fortos continues, Diem begins training with the Guardians of the Everflame, a rebel group resisting the Descended. She is hesitant at first but agrees to help them after witnessing a horrifying act in Paradise Row—where a Descended father attempts to kill his half-mortal son. When Diem intervenes, the violence escalates, leading to the deaths of both the mother and child. Devastated, she realizes her own wound has mysteriously healed and, in her grief and fury, commits herself to the Guardian cause.
Diem travels to Lumnos City with Henri to meet the Guardians, where she must prove herself by completing a mission—helping a sick girl while secretly gathering intelligence from her Descended father’s office. As she tends to the girl, she discovers the Guardians deliberately exposed her to nightshade, unsettling her. Henri defends the decision, insisting no harm was done, and despite her unease, Diem completes the mission. Though wary of her family ties to the Descended, the Guardians begrudgingly accept her into their ranks.
As Diem settles in, doubts creep in about whether she is truly on the right path. Her uncertainty deepens when the Guardians assign their next mission: gathering information about the king’s boat from the palace. Henri volunteers Diem, confident that her new position there will grant her access. Though still conflicted, she accepts the mission, determined to build a legacy worth remembering.
On the way to the palace, Maura briefs Diem on the strict rules for addressing the king, emphasizing the need for respect, even though he is "a helpless, dying old man." Diem, unimpressed, silently plans to subvert protocol, knowing it would enrage Maura if she knew.
At the palace, Luther greets them and insists on patting Diem down himself. When he brushes against the hidden blade in her boot, panic flares—but to her surprise, he lets it slide. As they proceed through the halls, Diem is struck by his effortless use of magic to bypass guards and open doors. When she questions him, Maura urges her to stay silent, but Luther answers her with amusement.
In the king’s chambers, Diem hesitates before bowing, barely masking her resentment. Her anger toward the frail monarch swells, but she shoves it aside and focuses on the mission. Feigning forgetfulness, she exits the room under the pretense of retrieving her bag, then races through the palace, attempting to reach the king’s boat. Luther catches up to her, shielding her from the guards but warning her not to run again. Ignoring him, she tries once more but is swiftly stopped. A guard pins her against the wall, his blade cutting her throat. Before more damage is done, Luther intervenes, using his magic to free her, and cryptically warns her not to repeat Auralie’s mistakes. Maura pleads for leniency, but Diem, refusing to back down, only agitates her further. Eventually, Luther releases her, and Diem returns home, fixated on his ominous words.
On the way back, Diem apologizes to Maura, who is wracked with guilt for betraying Auralie’s trust by letting Diem into the palace. Their conversation spirals into an argument—Maura warns that Diem’s recklessness could endanger Teller, but Diem insists she is only trying to protect him and uphold Auralie’s legacy. Maura grows frustrated with Diem’s increasing entanglement with Luther and her waning commitment to healing. Diem denies the accusation, asserting she still values her healer’s duties.
Later, when Diem reports to the Guardians, they are impressed by her boldness despite her failure to reach the boat. However, when asked to show the wound from the guard’s attack, Diem is stunned to find it completely gone. Suspicion flickers in the Guardians’ eyes, but she quickly diverts their attention by revealing a secret entryway she discovered. Pleased with the intel, they commend her.
Diem shares her experience with Henri, who praises her efforts but confronts her for keeping the Paradise Row incident from him. Hurt by her secrecy, he confesses his love again and proposes. Diem, torn, does not want to marry him but promises to consider it.
In the following weeks, Maura takes over Diem’s palace duties, leaving her frustrated with her limited role. Her thoughts drift between the Guardians, Henri, and the Descended. One day, Lily visits to thank Diem again for saving her and reveals that Luther has feelings for her. Shocked, Diem soon realizes Lily’s true motive: an excuse to spend time with Teller. When Lily invites her and Teller to dinner at the palace, Diem counters by inviting Lily to their home instead.
At dinner, Diem informs Teller about seeing Lily. His anger flares when he realizes she invited the princess, a detail she had left out. Andrei, amused by the idea of Teller’s royal suitor, nudges Diem toward accepting Henri’s proposal. Overwhelmed, she asks Andrei how he knew he wanted to be with Auralie. Andrei reminisces about falling in love with Auralie after learning she was pregnant with Diem, revealing the sacrifices he made for her. He reassures Diem that she has time to decide about Henri.
Their conversation is abruptly interrupted by an explosion. Fear grips Diem—was this the Guardians’ doing? Against Andrei’s objections, she rushes to the palace, desperate to help the injured.
As she sprints through the city, she fears the blast originated from the Benette armory, where she had stolen blueprints for the Guardians. A storm rages as she encounters Henri and the Guardians, who attempt to stop her, insisting the attack was a vital part of their plan. Though torn, she momentarily complies—until they try to take her bag. Breaking free, she continues running.
At the armory, Diem begs Luther to let her assist, desperate to atone. He hesitates but ultimately allows it. Inside, she finds wounded men but lacks supplies to heal them. She soon discovers undetonated bombs deeper in the ruins. Despite Luther’s reluctance, she insists on going in.
The burning wreckage is a nightmare of smoke and destruction. Diem stumbles upon slain guards, the realization crashing down—if the Guardians are responsible for this, she wants no part of it. Overcome with grief, she collapses, wishing she were dead.
A voice in her head urges her to rise. She resists, but it persists. Summoning her last reserves of strength, she staggers to her feet and searches for survivors. She rescues two men, dragging them to safety. As she struggles, a shadowy figure calls her name—Luther. Before she can process his presence, a vision floods her mind: the two of them, side by side on a battlefield. As she reaches for him, the roof collapses.
Diem fades in and out of consciousness, soothed by Luther’s voice. In a brief lucid moment, she hears strangers demand to know who she is—Luther does not answer. Darkness pulls her under again. When she next awakens, she is warm, cocooned in comfort, surrounded by a familiar, masculine scent. Someone holds her hand, speaking softly. Sleep claims her once more.
She finally wakes in a lavish sunlit room, disoriented but unharmed. Luther is at her side, his hand still in hers. He reassures her that the others are safe and reveals he treated her injuries. When she jokes, he laughs, easing the tension. However, when she points out her rapid healing, Luther insists she isn’t mortal. She brushes off his claim, focusing instead on her family. Luther assures her he sent them word of her safety.
Exploring the palace, she encounters Luther’s dragon. Against his warning, she fearlessly reaches out. To his shock, the creature does not attack.
Before visiting the king, Luther confesses his complicated relationship with Ulther, revealing that he may not even be named heir. In Ulther’s chambers, Diem watches over the frail king, whispering the Rite of Endings. Suddenly, he awakens, his gaze locking onto hers in horror. He calls her the "Devourer of Crowns."
A woman’s voice erupts from within him, calling Diem the "Daughter of the Forgotten" and the "faithful heir." The king convulses, then falls lifeless. A guard enters, sees Diem’s blade, and accuses her of murder. Luther arrives, demanding answers. The guard insists she is guilty. Panicked, Diem protests, but Luther seizes her with magic. Furious, she commands him to release her.
She flees down the corridor, but Luther catches her wrist, pleading for her to stop. She presses her dagger to his throat, daring him to let her go. He does not flinch. Instead, he asks for a kiss before she kills him. She obliges, their lips crashing together. When they part, Luther insists she is Descended, that he feels her power. Diem denies it.
Returning home, Diem confronts Henri and Andrei, grappling with her unraveling world. But when Andrei tries to control her fate, she explodes, declaring he cannot force her to marry Henri—because he is not her father.
Storming outside, rage consumes her. The voice in her head urges her on. Raising her hands, light bursts into the sky. Teller stares in awe.
She is wearing the Crown.
The new Queen of Lumnos.
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