Flare
First appearance: Retribution, chapter 7
Last appearance: Retribution, chapter 16
Appears in: RetributionLatest status
Alive — hopeful, awaiting the earth guild interview arranged by Riley
Flare is a fire mage serving under Vaerwald’s fire guild, distinguished from her harsher guildmates by a conscience she is willing to act on. Uneasy with the guild’s brutal training methods and darker practices, she risks her own position to reach out to Riley for help, offering information in exchange for a path to a different guild. Her arc is a brief but pointed one: a minor figure whose quiet dissent and desire for a better path stand out against her guild’s culture.
Book 2.5: Retribution
Flare first meets Riley after the fire guild Prefect’s defeat, stepping forward as spokesperson for the mages and clarifying that not all of them condone the Prefect’s conduct. She later approaches Riley in desperation, revealing that the fire guild’s training is brutal and that the guild purchases slaves and tortures people; she asks Riley to help her transfer to the earth guild and offers information in exchange. Riley arranges an interview with Vivian of the earth guild, and in return Flare investigates the fire guild’s use of undead, including its ties to a Prefect named Vindictus. She reports back to Riley’s group that the fire guild’s practices are largely dishonorable, though she maintains that a few of its members, including herself, are not, and shows gratitude for Riley’s help in securing her a path out.
Status: Alive — subordinate under the Prefect’s authority → Alive — hopeful, awaiting the earth guild interview arranged by Riley
Riley: Moves from a wary post-duel acquaintance to a negotiated ally, trading intelligence on the fire guild for Riley’s help securing an earth guild interview.
Key quote: “I didn’t join this guild to purchase slaves and torture other people. I want out.”
Appears in
- Retribution — 3 chapters