Heat of the Everflame

Luther Corbois is one of the novel’s primary characters. He is Diem’s romantic counterpart and recurs in all of the Kindred’s Curse Saga titles. Luther is a Descended and was raised in the Lumnos palace. Before Diem’s identity was revealed and she took the Crown, Luther expected to assume the throne after Ulther’s death.

At the start of Heat of the Everflame, he is instead acting as Diem’s High General, or righthand advisor. Luther relishes this role because he is in love with Diem and because he believes in her mission to unite the mortals and Descended. However, the role also complicates Luther’s ability to think with a clear head. He often risks his life to protect Diem even when she has others to safeguard her. At other times, Luther pulls away from Diem because he is afraid of jeopardizing their relationship or revealing his heart to her.

Luther is loyal, empathetic, strong, and courageous. He is also thoughtful and caring. Diem loves him because Luther has made countless sacrifices to support her cause and to invest in her life. Luther doesn’t simply love Diem because she is Queen; rather, he sees and understands her heart.

Luther is also a dynamic character. In the first half of the novel, Luther is still trying to balance his and Diem’s political and romantic relationships. He often retreats into himself, keeps secrets from Diem, or hides his true feelings. As time passes, he learns to open up to Diem. Doing so is a way for him to demonstrate his trust to Diem.

Auralie is a secondary character. She is Teller and Diem’s mother and Andrei’s widow. In Heat of the Everflame, Auralie makes an appearance after eight months of being away from her home and family. Her disappearance and unresolved whereabouts are central conflicts in the Kindred’s Curse Saga’s first two titles. In this novel, Auralie is back in Diem’s life—but she is not the woman Diem remembers. She has not only been leading the Guardians of the Everflame for years, but had a relationship with a Descended and worked as a spy for the Descended when she first started her healing practice.

These revelations unnerve Diem. She has always seen her mother as a caring, loyal, and empathetic person. She cannot reconcile this historical understanding of Auralie with the revelations about her betrayals and violence. Auralie is thus a complex character defined by dichotomies. Even though she isn’t who Diem believed her to be, Auralie does still love her daughter.

The characters spend time together throughout the novel, gradually making amends and reaching new levels of understanding. Diem does everything in her power to rescue Auralie from Fortos despite her complicated feelings for Auralie. This display of trust, faith, and loyalty eventually inspires Auralie to make similar sacrifices on her daughter’s behalf—chief among them is extending grace to Luther and telling Diem the truth about her biological father, Ophiucae.

Zalaric is a secondary character. Diem first meets him when she, Luther, and their companions travel to Umbros. Zalaric is an old acquaintance of Luther’s. Diem initially expects him to be a close friend, but quickly realizes that his and Luther’s relationship is more complicated. Zalaric is of House Hanoverre, but because he was illegitimate, his House cast him out. He was forced to live in hiding for many years in Mortal City.

In the narrative present, Zalaric is devoted to saving half-mortal children from the Descended, much like Luther. However, he is reluctant to fully trust Luther and Diem. Eventually, Diem endears herself to Zalaric when they spend a day touring Umbros City together. Zalaric proves himself to be a kindred spirit. He is not only intimate with suffering, much like Diem, but has a complicated past and a fraught relationship with Lumnos in the present. Diem and Luther come to rely upon him throughout the novel.

Teller is a minor character. He is Diem’s brother and Auralie’s son. While Teller plays a more significant role in the Kindred’s Curse Saga’s earlier novels, he is more peripheral to Diem’s story in Heat of the Everflame. This is primarily because Diem doesn’t spend much time in Lumnos throughout the novel, and is thus forced to be apart from her brother. When they later reunite, Diem discovers how much Teller is going through.

An empathetic, sensitive character, Teller is upset that Diem abandoned him and frustrated by discoveries he’s made about their mother’s whereabouts and involvement with the Guardians. Diem tries to explain these dynamics to him and to protect him as best she can. However, these instincts also come to irritate Teller. He has his own mind, his own emotions, and his own desires, and often feels that Diem’s life is overshadowing his. The siblings must have a series of difficult conversations throughout the novel to better understand one another. This intimate relationship contributes to The Challenges of Claiming Identity and Autonomy that Diem faces throughout Heat of the Everflame.

Yrselle is another of the novel’s secondary characters. She is the Queen of Umbros. Diem tries to work with her at the start of the novel to secure safe passage from Umbros back to Lumnos. However, she quickly discovers that Yrselle cannot be trusted. She can read minds and has a wealth of mysterious magical powers, but she is reluctant to give Diem what she wants. During Diem’s time with Yrselle, she figures out how to combat Yrselle with her own magical powers. Yrselle’s character creates conflict for Diem as she tries to unite Emarion and return home.