Firebird

Firebird explores the brutal relationship between power and morality, asking whether domination can ever be just and what responsibility comes with wielding influence over others. The novel exposes the fine line between protector and tyrant and the complex ethical terrain between enslaver and enslaved, and ruler and subject. Through the contrasting choices of characters like Julian, Caesar, and Malina, Cross examines how power, whether physical, political, or emotional, can corrupt, liberate, or redeem, depending on how it is used.

The emperor, Igniculus Ignis Dakkia, or Caesar, represents absolute and immoral domination. He inherits the power of Rome and immediately reshapes it into a dictatorship ruled by fear and spectacle. His reforms force all low-born dragonborn children into death or servitude, eliminating any notion of inherent worth or mercy. Caesar stages elaborate banquets that degrade his enemies, uses sex and violence as public punishments, and erases dissent through execution or propaganda. In this way, Cross presents domination as inherently dehumanizing when it lacks empathy or restraint. The emperor’s abuse of power is not an unfortunate necessity but a conscious moral failing, one that leaves his empire unstable and rotting from within.

The household of Ciprian Media Nocte Seneca, Julian’s political rival, offers another, more personal representation of domination. Ciprian views women and enslaved people as possessions to be used and discarded. His house is a place of fear, where women must wear sheer clothing and perform acts for his pleasure. Ciprian uses power to humiliate, asserting dominance through psychological and physical harm. His morality is shaped entirely by status: He believes that his desires define justice because he is a Roman male of noble blood. Cross uses Ciprian to show how domination often becomes self-justifying, with those in power convinced of their own righteousness.

In contrast, Julian, as the emperor’s nephew, offers a more nuanced portrayal of power. Julian is a dragon and enslaves people, yet his moral compass is markedly different from his uncle’s. Rather than dominating his household, Julian protects and rescues enslaved people who would otherwise be abused or killed. Kara, Ruskus, Ivo, and Stefanos all find safety in his home. However, Cross clarifies that this kind of power still creates a hierarchy; his use of power is paternalistic and flawed but grounded in care. The tension between benevolence and control is most visible in his relationship with Malina, but it is clear throughout that though Julian is kind, he still controls the fates of those in his household and therefore still holds the power. 

Malina’s power comes from a different source outside the scope of men’s legal and political power. Her power is a gift from the goddess Minerva that allows Malina to transcend the restrictions placed upon her. She enters Julian’s home as an enslaved person and, despite Julian’s gentleness, she constantly seeks autonomy. Her gift allows her to influence others’ emotions, and she uses it to protect herself and those she loves. In doing so, Malina reclaims power in a society that denies her agency. Her power and the way she uses it raises the question of whether it is ethical to manipulate others for a good cause, and whether survival is a valid excuse for domination. However, Cross does not frame Malina’s emotional influence through her gifts as villainous. It is defensive, protective, and even divine, and the gift suggests that her power is meant to counterbalance the unchecked brutality of those above her. Further differentiating Malina’s power, Minerva’s gifts carry ethical conditions: They are not to be used for conquest but for protection. This divine framing further illustrates Cross’s view that true power must be balanced with virtue, or it becomes indistinguishable from tyranny.

In Firebird, Julian’s mercy, Malina’s emotional resistance, and Minerva’s gifts all suggest that domination is only moral when it defends the vulnerable, not when it subjugates them. By contrasting these different power models, Cross questions the structures that allow domination to flourish and offers the argument that power itself is not evil, but how it is used reveals the character of its wielder.