Six years ago, the kingdom of Carrion Spire was in grave danger.
Espel Fyrebloom remembered that night too clearly for a child her age. From the balcony of their family estate, she could see the lower wards turning into a wall of flame while the smoke climbed into the sky.
Her hands had been wrapped around the iron railing, and beside her Oden had been screaming so hard his voice kept cracking.
Their parents were down there.
Elias and Mura Fyrebloom had been some of the best Awakeners in the city. When a Demon Break took over the nearby town of Lockswan, they had been dispatched to join the vanguard that would save the city.
Of course, like every other Awakener, they had believed they could stop it if they worked hard enough. They stayed long after the others pulled back, slaughtering Demons, saving civilians and patching wounds.
But it wasn't enough.
