The flames danced in perfect rhythm, rising and falling with each breath Kestra took. She added another handful of sacred ember-root to the ceremonial fire pit, sending spirals of orange-red light twisting upward.

  "The Eternal Flame speaks through the dance of embers," she intoned, her voice carrying the weight of forty years as Fire Speaker for the Cinderclan. "When we breathe, it breathes. When we offer, it consumes."

  The gathered clan members hummed in response, the sound vibrating through the stone chamber. Kestra's gaze drifted to Evin, her chosen successor—a strong man with burn scars running along his arms, proof of his devotion earned in the Trial of Embers.

  "The Offering approaches," Kestra announced. "Three days hence, when the moon is swallowed by shadow, we shall honor our covenant with Those Who Dwell Beyond Death."

  "Speaker," Evin said, his voice cutting through the crackle of flames, "the one chosen by the Fire Augury is too valuable. Marek is our finest toolsmith."

  "The Augury does not consider utility, Evin. It considers worthiness." She approached the central fire. "Would you have us offer the Eternal Flame our weakest? Would you have us break faith with Those Who Never Die?"

  Several elders nodded in agreement. They knew the truth about the time before the covenant, when the bright-eyed ones had regularly raided their settlements.

  "You question because it is convenient," cut in Elder Sorva. "Just as you questioned when the embers chose your brother three seasons past."

  Evin's face darkened, but he said nothing more. His brother had gone to the Eternal Flame, and the clan had received its reward: three remarkable talismans that had transformed their lives.

  ***

  Three days later, beneath a moonless sky, a solemn procession wound through the forest. At the center walked Marek, his face and chest painted with symbols of offering and transformation.

  In the Stone Circle, Kestra performed the ancient ritual, cutting a lock of Marek's hair and taking three drops of his blood, setting them aflame in a copper dish. The smoke curled upward, then—impossibly—began to move horizontally toward the east.

  "Walk the path of smoke," Kestra said softly to Marek. "Do not look back."

  As he disappeared into the darkness, the clan began their journey home. Evin walked silently beside Kestra until halfway back.

  "I saw one of them watching," he said quietly. "Eyes that glowed like embers in the dark."

  Before Kestra could respond, a commotion erupted ahead. A woman stood there—slender, with striking features and eyes that glowed amber in the darkness. She wore fitted garments in deep reds that shimmered like cooling lava.

  "Speaker Kestra of the Cinderclan," the woman said. It was hard to see in the darkness, but it seemed like her lips didn't move while the words sounded. "I am Sera."

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  Murmurs rippled through the clan. Never in the recorded history had one of the bright-eyed ones addressed them directly.

  "We have fulfilled the covenant," Kestra managed. "The Offering walks the path."

  "The covenant changes," Sera replied. "The Eternal Flame shifts its course." She gestured, and another figure stepped forward, carrying a wooden chest. "Your offerings have been faithful. Now we seek different service."

  "What becomes of those we offer?" Evin demanded. "What became of my brother?"

  "They serve the Flame, as all must in their way." Sera's gaze returned to Kestra. "The time of single offerings ends."

  "Why now?" Kestra asked. "The covenant has stood for generations."

  "Necessity. The world changes. The Flame hungers differently." She stepped closer and gestured to the chest. "Inside are tools of greater power than any talismans we have gifted before."

  "And if we refuse?" Evin asked.

  "Then the old protections end. The forest will no longer be safe for your kind."

  "How many would you take from us?" Kestra asked finally.

  "Two with each turning of the seasons," Sera answered. "Those with skills in crafting, building, and tending. They will be treated well."

  "And they will return to us?" Evin demanded.

  "Some may, in time. When their service is complete." She gestured to her silent companion. "Varen was once of your clan, three generations past."

  "He was one of our offerings?" Kestra whispered.

  "He was. Now he serves the Flame as we all do, transformed. Some of your offerings have joined us thus. Others serve in different ways."

  "We must discuss this change," Kestra said.

  Sera nodded, the flame of the ritual lantern shedding light on her face. "Three days. Marek will be returned to you at dawn as a sign of good faith. He will tell you of what he has seen." Her lips weren't moving. But all of the humans had heard her words.

  ***

  Dawn broke with unusual brilliance. Kestra had spent three nights performing purification rituals over the mysterious chest with its flame symbol.

  "Marek has returned," Evin announced, entering the sacred chamber.

  They arrived at the settlement's center as Marek approached. He walked with measured steps, cleaned of ceremonial paint and dressed in deep red fabric. In his hands, he carried a staff topped with a stone that glowed with inner fire.

  "I have seen the city of living flame," he told them. "Great towers rise there, not built of stone but grown from living wood that burns without being consumed. Rivers of fire flow through the streets."

  Marek made a dramatic pause before continuing. "The bright-eyed ones move among these flames as if embraced by them. And humans work alongside them, crafting wonders."

  "Humans?" Evin interjected. "Our kind? Willingly?"

  "Hundreds of them. They tend burning gardens where ember-root grows. They shape metal in forges fed by living flame. They create the talismans gifted to our clan."

  He extended his staff. "This was created by human hands, guided by the wisdom of the bright-eyed. It finds water, even in the deepest drought."

  "And what of you?" Evin asked. "Why did they return you?"

  "To show good faith. To prove they offer partnership." Marek looked around. "They could take what they want—they always could have. Instead, they have honored the covenant for generations."

  "Why change it now?" Kestra asked.

  "Because the world is changing."

  "Were you able to speak with other humans there?" Kestra asked.

  "They are treated with respect and given freedom within certain areas. Some have been there for decades. A few have chosen to undergo transformation—to become like the bright-eyed themselves."

  "And those who wish to return?" Evin pressed.

  "I was allowed to come back, wasn't I?" Marek replied. "Though many elect to stay, drawn by the knowledge available to them. And I plan to join them once again as well. And I'm returning with the answer you have for the bright-eyed ones."