A Shadow in the Ember

Nyktos is the Primal of Death and Sera’s love interest. He introduces himself to Sera as “Ash,” a nickname derived from one of his titles, “the Asher.” He is described as having attractive yet inhuman features, wavy reddish-brown hair, silver eyes, and the sharp teeth characteristic of Primals and normal gods. Ash has a tattoo on his back made of blood drops, each of which represents a life that was lost because of his actions. In his true form, he is “the color of midnight streaked with the silver of eather” (581) and has shadowy wings. He is over 200, which is relatively younger than other Primals. In terms of personality, Ash is described as intelligent and grounded, his cold attitude belying compassion.

After his father Eythos’s death, Ash took up the mantle of Primal of Death and became part of the ancient deal that would make Sera his Consort. However, he refuses to take her due to her initial reluctance (as he senses emotions) and only does so when she is whipped by Tavius. This is due in part to his issue with attachment. Kolis, the current Primal of Life, traumatized Ash by killing his parents Eythos and Mycella, and forcing him to feed on unwitting victims. As a result, he views love as “an unnecessary and dangerous risk” (372) and keeps others at a distance. While he has the admiration and respect of his subjects, his life is just as lonely as Sera’s. Unlike her, Ash is sexually inexperienced, making their mutual attraction his first “risk.” While distant, he defies the image of a detached deity by turning the city of Lethe into a refuge for those mistreated by the other Primals, particularly Kolis. Those who follow him, including the draken, do so of their own free will. Ash becomes involved in Sera’s story because he wants to stop the murder of mortals by three gods, who are later revealed to be working for Kolis.

Sir Braylon Holland is a member of the Royal Guard of Lasania and Sera’s mentor in the art of combat. However, this role is an act to remain close to her. He is one of the Arae, the Spirits of Fate, and a friend of Eythos, the former Primal of Life responsible for the ancient deal to stop the Rot. Thus, Sir Holland uses his influence to ensure Eythos’s plan against Kolis is carried out. He guides Sera through the first half of the novel, and returns at the end to answer her questions and tie up loose threads.

Sir Holland is described as having dark brown skin and appearing far younger than he should. This is because of his true nature as one of the Arae, but he tells a doubtful Sera that it’s because he drinks “a fifth of whisky each night” (61). He is the only one who believes Sera will become the Consort of the Primal of Death after Ash’s initial rejection, as he is aware of all possible futures. Sir Holland gives her tea to alleviate symptoms of the Culling, an undesirable turn, making him one of her few connections. When Tavius tries to hurt Sera, one of his first acts is to send Sir Holland to certain death. The Arae reappears once Ash requests his presence, revealing Sera is the latest reincarnation of Sotoria, that the Rot will overwhelm the world if she dies, and that love is the key to saving her life.

Nektas is a supporting character, the father of Jadis, one of the two young draken in the novel. As a draken, he is one of Ash’s primary protectors. In dragon form, he is massive, with gray-and-black scales and red eyes; in god form, he retains his red eyes and has long black hair streaked with red. Nektas is the only character besides Sera to call Nyktos “Ash.” Ash’s parents Eythos and Mycella were his friends, thus he continues protecting Ash after their deaths, describing him as “one of my own” (452). He is initially wary of Sera due to her disruption of Ash’s life, explicitly saying Ash should have let her die from Hunter’s poison. However, Nektas eventually warms up to her because she brings Ash peace. This changes when she reveals her original mission to kill Ash, but at the end of the novel, he voices continued loyalty.

Prince Tavius is Sera’s stepbrother and the antagonist of the first half of the novel. While he is described as a handsome prince with brown hair and blue eyes, he represents the cruelty of the nobility. He is spoiled, uncaring, and prone to drinking and taking mistresses. Tavius’s hatred for Sera plays into the trope of wicked stepsiblings, stemming from his assumption that she will reclaim the throne as the “true” heir (as she is the daughter of the previous King of Lasania). This hatred pushes Ash to finally claim Sera as his Consort for her protection. When Tavius’s father, the current King of Lasania, dies, he takes the throne, and his first act is an attempt to destroy Sera’s life. He sends Sir Holland to hostile territory to have him killed, though this fails due to him being an Arae. He then forces Sera into the Great Hall to be whipped, causing Ash to intervene. The Primal claims Tavius’s soul as punishment for his actions, and Sera kills him with a shadowstone dagger and the whip he used on her. Upon death, Tavius is imprisoned in the Abyss, one of the realms of the dead, to be tormented for eternity.

Kolis is the true antagonist of the Flesh and Fire series, with A Shadow in the Ember being his introduction. Once the Primal of Death, Kolis is defined by his history of betrayal and cruelty. He fell in love with a mortal woman, Sotoria, who eventually died. His twin, Eythos, the Primal of Life, refused to revive her as she was at peace. This refusal led Kolis to usurp him as the Primal of Life. While absent from much of the novel, his influence is felt throughout the story. The murders that Sera and Ash investigate were perpetrated by three gods working for him, as was the siege on Lethe. These events are part of Kolis’s pursuit of the ember of life, which he calls “graeca.” Because he is not the true Primal of Life, he cannot Ascend the Chosen, instead bringing them to his realm and experimenting on them to create undead Revenants.

Kolis’s insecurity as the false Primal of Life leads him to obscure his true nature: Neither he nor the Primal of Death has an accurate depiction in mortal artwork. Kolis makes a single appearance in the novel, during the Rite of Ascension for one of his Chosen. He is described as having golden hair and skin, but Sera cannot make out his features because his face is “too bright and too painful to look upon for any length of time” (231). However, he deliberately looks at her during the ceremony, which hints at their connection, her past life as Sotoria.

Princess Ezmeria (Ezra) is Sera’s stepsister. Following her brother Tavius’s death, she becomes heir to the throne of Lasania. Unlike him, she aligns herself with Sera and becomes one of her few connections, “The real kind that went beyond shared parents and even blood” (237). Ezra has brown hair and eyes, and “her jaw had a stubborn hardness that Tavius lacked” (103). While the nobility are portrayed as indifferent or complicit in the face of the Rot, she and her love interest, Lady Marisol, actively help those struggling. Before the novel’s midpoint, Sera refuses to use her healing power on humans, but when Marisol is killed in a riot, Ezra appeals to Sera’s compassion to revive Marisol.