Ascendant Flames

Fires of the Dead #1.5

by Jed Herne

(Read for free here: jedherne.com/fires )

The price of power is blood.

Desperate for respect, a young magician joins a criminal gang and becomes drunk on her newfound power.

But when she must decide between everything she wants and everything she used to be, will she let the past die, or will she reject her new life?

This Pyromancer stand-alone short story features Marogan and Wisp, two key characters from Fires of the Dead.

Genres: Fantasy

39 pages, ebook

Published September 20, 2019

About the author

Jed Herne is a fantasy author from Perth, Western Australia. His books include Fires of the Dead , which readers say is "the perfect read for someone looking to be quickly immersed in a magic system unlike anything else," and Across the Broken Stars , described as "an epic fantasy that has a unique setting," and The Thunder Heist - an epic pirate fantasy tale, which forms the first book in the Twisted Seas series.

His short stories have been published in The Arcanist, Scarlet Lead Review, Flintlock, and more. He is currently developing an interactive fiction game for Choice of Games.

Outside of writing, he hosts the Wizards, Warriors, & Words fantasy writing advice podcast with Rob J. Hayes, Dyrk Ashton, and Michael R. Fletcher. He also hosts The Novel Analyst Podcast, where he deconstructs his favourite books to help listeners improve their writing. And because that isn't already enough podcasting, he also hosts the Half-Baked Stories podcast, an improv storytelling show where writers are locked in a room and given half an hour to combine three random ideas into a single story.

He loves hearing from fans, and you can email him at: jed.herne1 [at] gmail.com . He does his best to read and reply to every message.

Reviews

[Rhianydd Cooke - Cambourne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book free from the author and want to thank him for that.
The only reason that this hasn’t revived a five star rating is just because it was such a short story! I wanted more - I just really like this world and these characters!
That being said this short story was well written and I enjoyed seeing how “Jess” became “Marogan” and if there are any more of these little “beginnings” stories for Wisp it the other characters I think I’ll continue to keep an eye out for them.

[A Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ascendant Flames is WOW. It grabs you by the ear and pulls you along, then, when you think it might relent a little, it kicks you in the gut and walks away without looking back. It doesn't care how you feel, but it knows you'll be back for more.

An excellent prequel short story with engaging characters and an interesting premise.
I particularly like how the pyromancy works in this story.

[Lana Kamennof-sine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story begins with two sisters playing a board game, chess?, while their father watches. Almost immediately inner personalities are revealed, and the challenges of familial relationships. You also learn about pyromancers, the existence of an overlord, and what fealty demands of the family.
An engrossing story albeit a dark one.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5.0 Stars

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good prequel. Can’t wait to read Book one