Spring breaks over Brytewood, but peace does not. The mountain passes thaw just long enough for Caleb and his family to answer a summons no one ever expected: a plea for aid from the reclusive monks of Ashfire Monastery, guardians of a single blazing wonder—the Flame Coral tree.
Far to the east, at the base of a once-dormant volcano now vomiting fire and smoke, Ashfire Monastery has stood for a thousand years as a living shield around its sacred tree. Through countless eruptions the Flame Coral has endured, its burning boughs the last witness to an age when guardian trees yet shaped the fate of men. Now, for the first time in its history, the monastery is failing. Something has awakened beneath the mountain—something that does not only burn, but corrupts.
Caleb bears with him the impossible rumor that the guardian trees can be restored, and the monks stake their final hope on that fragile whisper of grace. His long-promised wedding to Lady Lydia of Blackwood is postponed, and Lydia refuses to be left behind—riding east to keep him from what she deems reckless sacrifice, unaware of how deeply Malphas’s poison has already laced itself through her heart.
Months earlier, in the desert city of Mesaqat, Caleb and Eli unwittingly freed Malphas from the Other beyond the Veil, an ancient horror that now moves behind the eruptions, bending molten stone and choking ash to its will. He has tasted freedom, and now reaches for the Flame Coral—the one tree whose living fire might yet defy his darkness.
Spring breaks over Brytewood, but peace does not. The mountain passes thaw just long enough for Caleb and his family to answer a summons no one ever expected: a plea for aid from the reclusive monks of Ashfire Monastery, guardians of a single blazing wonder—the Flame Coral tree.
Far to the east, at the base of a once-dormant volcano now vomiting fire and smoke, Ashfire Monastery has stood for a thousand years as a living shield around its sacred tree. Through countless eruptions the Flame Coral has endured, its burning boughs the last witness to an age when guardian trees yet shaped the fate of men. Now, for the first time in its history, the monastery is failing. Something has awakened beneath the mountain—something that does not only burn, but corrupts.
Caleb bears with him the impossible rumor that the guardian trees can be restored, and the monks stake their final hope on that fragile whisper of grace. His long-promised wedding to Lady Lydia of Blackwood is postponed, and Lydia refuses to be left behind—riding east to keep him from what she deems reckless sacrifice, unaware of how deeply Malphas’s poison has already laced itself through her heart.
Months earlier, in the desert city of Mesaqat, Caleb and Eli unwittingly freed Malphas from the Other beyond the Veil, an ancient horror that now moves behind the eruptions, bending molten stone and choking ash to its will. He has tasted freedom, and now reaches for the Flame Coral—the one tree whose living fire might yet defy his darkness.
Note for Parents: Contains mature themes including war, moral compromise, and character death. See 'A Note to Parents' for full content guidance. Ages 13+ See https://www.reyburnpress.com/content-guide for Content and age guide.
