Heat of the Everflame

“But I had almost given up once before, and it had nearly cost me everything. Since then, I’d sworn to never be weak again. With or without my magic, I would not stop fighting—not now, not ever.”

Diem’s internal monologue in this passage captures her innately determined spirit. Diem is still reconciling with her new role as Lumnos’s Queen but she is reminding herself that she is capable and strong no matter the challenges she faces. She wants to rise to the occasion and to serve her people with courage and heart, speaking to the theme of The Implications of Power and Duty.

“I had little faith in gods or men, but I believed in the fearsome dedication of Luther Corbois with every fiber of my being. He had proven that he would give anything, even his own life, to protect me. He would stop at nothing to take me home, help me rescue my mother, and stand by me to stop this war. Together, we could do this. Everything was going to be okay.”

Diem’s slow-burn love affair with Luther Corbois intensifies the stakes of her narrative. Diem is not only fighting for the reunification of Emarion, but for her intimate relationships, too. When she reflects on all that she and Luther have shared, she realizes how fortifying her and Luther’s connection is. He has not only proven his love for Diem but has shown his investment in her beliefs and life, too. Their connection consistently helps Diem find grounding in herself.

“I forced myself to wade through that painful vault of memories, latching onto the sound of my father’s voice barking instructions at me one afternoon as our little boat wobbled. […] I fought the bittersweet grief that accompanied every thought of him as I pulled on the ropes. The wind quickly filled the sail and dragged me into a brisk pace.”

Diem’s private psychological work in this scene illustrates her desire to grow as a person. She is forcing herself “to wade through the painful vault of her memories” because she understands that confronting her past is the best way to learn from it. The metaphor of her mind as a vault implies that Diem has been locking her memories away to protect her heart. In this scene, she reflects on her and her late father’s relationship to learn from it.

“My breath caught as he pulled me into his arms. Our lips came together like a surging wave on a rocky break, two unstoppable forces undeterred by the violence closing in on all sides. It was a reckless kiss, a dangerous kiss—and I never wanted it to end.”

The figurative language Diem uses in this passage affects a passionate mood. Diem and Luther’s reunion immediately reignites their feelings for each other. Diem compares her and Luther’s kiss to “a surging wave on a rocky break,” which conjures images of natural forces interacting with each other. The diction “unstoppable,” “undeterred,” “violence,” “reckless,” and “dangerous” underscores the intensity of their emotional and sexual attraction.

“My heart splintered. I knew Luther had a complicated relationship with his scars. […] Yet he’d chosen to keep them, rather than have them healed away. I still didn’t fully understand why, but I was grateful for it. I was covered in scars of my own, on my skin and in my heart. In a Descended world that demanded perfection, it was our imperfections that had bonded us together.”

Diem and Luther’s relationship acts as a metaphor for the relationships between disparate peoples and classes. Although Diem and Luther both have their physical and emotional scars, they find connection in their common experience of suffering. The same is true of the Descended and the mortals. Diem hopes that, like her and Luther, the Emarion people’s imperfections might bond them back together. Connection, the novel suggests, can originate from unlikely sources.

“He had always believed in me. Not in a blind, oblivious way—he perhaps more than anyone, knew I could falter. He’d been the one to pick up the pieces after so many of my mistakes. […] With Luther by my side, I felt invincible. And we would need that in the days to come.”

Diem’s continued reflections on her and Luther’s relationship contribute to The Challenges of Claiming Identity and Autonomy. With Luther she understands that she can be her best and strongest self. Remembering this truth empowers her. She feels “invincible” with him because he believes in and stands by her.

“When Henri had spoken that word to me for the first time, it had sent me into a panic. It had made me pull away and question everything. I’d loved Henri, but did I love him enough? Did he truly understand me? Could I be the woman he wanted, and could he be the man I needed? Did we share the same dreams, the same goals, were we walking the same path—were we even walking the same direction?”

Because Heat of the Everflame is a romantasy novel, Diem is often consumed by musings on love and heartbreak. Her story isn’t limited to her romantic relationships, but understanding what her heart wants is an important part of how Diem grows as a person. In this moment, she is comparing and contrasting her relationship with Henri to her relationship with Luther. This emotional work fuels her romantic development and challenges her to follow her heart. The questions she asks effect an interrogative tone that enacts her desire to understand herself.

“‘There are many kinds of medicines,’ I said gently. ‘Some of them are easier to understand, like herbs and salves, but others are unexplainable. Faith. Happiness and laughter. Confidence in a positive outcome. Skin contact with loved ones. I’ve seen these things make a difference in patients that I thought were lost forever.’”

Diem’s musings on medicine and healing reinforce her thoughtful, compassionate, and philosophical nature. Diem’s point of view and character are informed by her background as a healer. She has devoted herself to nursing, tending, and saving people. Her desire to invest in others’ well-being isn’t limited to her understanding of the physical body, but extends to her understanding of the human spirit and mind.

“‘Yes, Luther, I am the Queen,’ I clipped. ‘If I want to risk my life, that’s my decision to make. I’m sick of being treated like a flower to be fenced off from any stomping feet. That’s not who I am, and it’s not the kind of Queen I want to be. I’m not planning to sit on a throne and look pretty, I’m planning to fight. I thought you of all people understood that […] I thought you believed in me.’”

This scene of dialogue conveys Diem’s work to reconcile herself to The Implications of Power and Duty as she asserts her place as the Queen of Lumnos. Diem loves and trusts Luther but she remains protective of her own thoughts, feelings, needs, and beliefs. She doesn’t want to be “treated like a flower,” because she wants everyone—including Luther—to understand her strength and capability. As Queen, Diem plans to be as bold as ever. She refuses to give up her autonomy simply because she is a woman or because she has a team of advisors.

“These were not just any children. These were the half-mortals Luther and my mother had smuggled out of Lumnos. […] Warmth surged through me, my chest squeezing tight. As I watched Luther talk with the two children and surreptitiously shove a few more coins into their pockets, the depths of my feelings for him overcame me.”

Witnessing the work Luther has done to save the half-mortal children in Umbros intensifies Diem’s love and respect for her romantic counterpart. She is so moved by Luther’s compassion and sacrifice that she has a physiological response to seeing the children. “Warmth surges through [her]” and her chest “squeezes tight.” Her body is responding to what her heart feels. The moment reiterates how important it is for Diem to have a partner who believes in equality and justice, too.

“I was not ready to be a Queen—my catastrophic Period of Challenging had proven that much. I didn’t have the right temperament or the right upbringing, and I’d been pushing away the few people willing to serve me. I was better equipped to start a war than to end one. But the Crown sat atop my head nevertheless. Ready or not, my reign had begun, and so had the war.”

Diem’s internal monologue in this passage conveys the complexities of Navigating Loyalty and Betrayal During Wartime. Diem is owning her own shortcomings and deficiencies. She is acknowledging all she still has to learn. This is important internal work because Diem is facing unprecedented personal and political circumstances. Although she is Queen, she has never led a war. This passage underscores Diem’s reflective nature in all arenas.

“I tried to wrap my head around any of the pieces belonging to me. Growing up, even if I could have afforded jewelry, wearing it would have only made me a target in the alleys of Mortal City. But now I was Queen of a realm. And not just any realm—Lumnos, where beauty and extravagance were currency. Soaking myself in rare stones and precious metals was practically in the job description.”

Donning jewels before her dinner with the Queen of Umbros reminds Diem of The Challenges of Claiming Identity and Autonomy. The jewels remind Diem how different her life is in the present than it has been in the past. She is trying to reconcile the mortal girl she once was with the Descended Queen she is becoming. These two dichotomous facets of herself complicate her self-understanding, but also create openings for further self-discovery. Her new royal position requires new things from her.

“Until now, I hadn’t allowed myself to dwell on what awaited me back in Lumnos. It was too easy to succumb to the anxiety of what horrible things might have happened in the weeks I’d been gone. My brother. My mother. Henri. Eleanor. Vance and the Guardians. Maura and the mortals.”

Diem’s impending return to Lumnos conveys her ongoing work to reconcile the competing facets of her life. Lumnos is her home because this is where the people she loves live. Until this moment, Diem has tried to quash her anxiety surrounding life in Lumnos to preserve her own heart. She begins to confront these concerns as she heads back to Lumnos because she is preparing her heart for what awaits her.

“My upbringing had made me an expert at living in denial. In order to pose as a mortal without getting caught, I’d had to genuinely believe I was one. Every sign was ignored, every inconsistency dutifully explained away. I mastered the art of looking the other way and putting all my doubts in a dark, locked room.”

Diem’s internal monologue reiterates the complications of her ongoing self-discovery. Diem has strategically “mastered the art” of burying and ignoring her memories for her own self-preservation. In this passage, however, she realizes she must face the pain she has hidden “in a dark, locked room” if she hopes to claim her true identity. The moment reiterates The Challenges of Claiming Identity and Autonomy.

“‘This.’ Yrselle tapped her finger at the blood pooling in my palm. ‘The war will be fought over this. But this war will be unlike any we’ve ever seen. Those who are most certain they will win will find themselves among the first to die. […] The war has begun, and there’s not a soul on the continent who can escape it now.’”

Yrselle’s proclamations about the impending war remind Diem why she wants to unite Emarion. The Queen of Umbros is only concerned with power. She believes the war is about fighting for invincibility and control, which reminds Diem how important it is to fight for equality instead. Yrselle’s priority is to preserve the Descended’s authority and to continue subjugating the mortals; Diem’s priority is to restore balance to Emarion. Since her goals are at odds with Yrselle’s and the other Crowns’, Diem must continue Navigating Loyalty and Betrayal During Wartime to accomplish her mission.

“You made me feel safe. You protected me in every way you could. Not just my body, but my heart, my happiness—you were always guarding them, right from the start. Even when we were fighting, I always felt seen by you. Heard by you.”

Diem uses clear, direct language in her dialogue with Luther to convey her heartfelt feelings. She wants Luther to know how important he is to her. She does not veil her words, but rather plainly states what Luther has done for her and how she feels when she is with him. This intimate moment between the romantic counterparts reiterates the empowering nature of their love affair.

“When you jump—when you stand on the ledge, look down, and embrace what you see with arms wide open—there’s nothing helpless about it at all. Instead of terrifying, it’s liberating. You’re not in freefall…you’re in flight.”

Diem’s description of her and Sorae’s flight from the Umbros palace is a metaphor for bravery and courage. Diem is literally describing the experience of leaping from a physical height without fear, but this description speaks to Diem’s belief that facing her fears is empowering. When she does things she believes are impossible, she is exercising her agency and claiming her autonomy.

“He was my rock. My cove. My sword and my shield. My guiding light and my calming dark. My Prince. My love. He was my everything. And he was dying.”

When Diem discovers that Luther is dying from godstone injuries, she suddenly understands the intensity of her love for him. His illness makes her realize the implications of his potential death. Her use of anaphora and metaphor in this passage affect a passionate mood. She compares Luther to a “cove,” “sword,” “shield,” “guiding light,” and “calming dark”—figurative language which underscores how safe and strong she feels when she and Luther are together. If he were to die, Diem fears she would lose her sense of security and stability.

“I couldn’t deny it now felt familiar. My brother was here, my friends, Luther. It would never mean to me what my family’s cottage had, but life here had become comfortable. Safe. Safer than anywhere else, at least. But a crucial element was missing: mortals.”

Diem’s return to Lumnos conveys her longing for home, stability, balance, and peace. She is glad to be back in her home realm and acknowledges how easy it would be to become complacent there. However, she also feels the mortals’ absence—a reality that reiterates her determination to unite Emarion and bring her people together. Home and belonging, and peace and stability, will only come about when there is unity and equality, which means she must put The Implications of Power and Duty above her personal comfort and preferences.

“Energy surged through my blood and awakened my nerves in a deluge of fire and ice. Soldiers shielded their eyes and looked away as my skin grew blindingly bright. It was intoxicating, the highest high, a euphoric torrent of liquid life injected directly into my veins.”

Diem has a physiological response to her magical display, reiterating the distinct nature of Diem’s character. In the preceding novels in the series, Diem was unable to channel her magic. In this scene, she is invigorated by her magical powers—which represent her truest nature. She feels an “intoxicating euphoric torrent of liquid life” flowing through her veins because she is accessing and exhibiting her authentic self to others.

“But being with Luther never felt like a sacrifice. […] Because we were the same in deeply fundamental ways that were etched in our bonds and dyed in our blood. Had I held myself back all these years because I didn’t want to give my heart away, or had I simply never found someone worthy of giving it to? And if so…what happened when I finally did?”

Diem’s internal monologue over Luther conveys her ongoing desire to understand her own heart. The questions she asks herself about Luther and their relationship take on an interrogative mood and reflective tone. Diem is doing the hard work of probing her own heart in search of truth. She is examining the past years and considering how her personal and relational history will impact her future.

“My eyes rose to the sky. Why had the Kindred chosen me? Was Luther right—had they seen something in me to make me worthy? Or was I just the reckless idiot they could count on to run into battle when every sane mind would walk away?”

Diem asks herself questions about who she is and what others expect of her because she wants to fulfill her queenly duties in an appropriate manner, wrestling with The Implications of Power and Duty. This moment of self-doubt conveys Diem’s humanity. She isn’t power-hungry or greedy, but genuinely wants to know if she is worthy and capable of assuming such a significant position of authority in Emarion.

“My heart was torn. I desperately wanted to pull Luther aside and seek his advice, but I was still so shaken by his disappearance I could barely meet his eyes without falling apart. All I could rely on were the same words he’d given me from the start. Trust your instincts, my Queen—above all else, trust yourself.”

Diem must rely on her own courage, heart, and instinct to overcome the wartime challenges she faces. She feels “torn,” “shaken,” and on the verge of “falling apart.” However, she regains her emotional strength when she recalls Luther’s words. Luther’s character consistently grounds Diem in herself. She can trust her instincts, heart, and mind, when she thinks of him and remembers his encouragement.