Chapter 38
Searing heat took me in its arms, so tenderly welcoming me home. The hottest day in sunbaked Parnese was nothing compared to its intensity. Esfirenda stole the breath from my lungs, parched my mouth, sent my dreams up in a conflagration of lost hopes.
My entire life had been destined for this moment—to die consumed by flames, in a cleansing inferno that would save not only those I loved, but kingdoms. Entire worlds. Was the immense fireball proof of a divine power, or just the natural result of combining the magics of two realms? I didn’t know, and ultimately it didn’t matter.
The cataclysm raged.
I welcomed the fire, even as it blazed against my skin, bit fiercely into my bones. The red curls around my face turned to flickering flames.
Galtus Celcio was screaming, his hair
