Spark of the Everflame

Diem wakes up in the armory with the voice in her head telling her to fight. She tries defying it, but it won’t go away. Finally, she pulls herself up and lumbers through the fog, calling out for any survivors. She finds a man pinned under a beam and manages to save him with effort. She then finds a second man and drags both men toward the entrance, breathing heavily. She doesn’t know if the men are wicked, but she tells herself that she is doing the right thing. Finally, a shadowy figure appears and calls her name. She realizes that it is Luther and is overcome by a vision of them together on the battlefield. Just as she calls his name, the roof begins to collapse. She stretches her hand toward him in slow motion.

Riddled with pain, Diem drifts in and out of consciousness. She hears Luther’s voice and feels safe, but she cannot stay awake. During one of her lucid moments, she hears voices around her that demand to know who she is. Luther stutters over his response. Diem loses consciousness once more, and when she wakes up again later, she is comfortable and warm and is surrounded by a familiar, masculine scent.