"White Fire" by Alexey Pekhov, summary Automatic translate

This epic fantasy novel was created in 2020. The book’s plot is distinguished by its division into three distinct narrative lines, describing the collapse of kingdoms and the awakening of ancient magic at opposite ends of the continent. The book won the "Itogi yaga" award from Mir Fantastiki magazine in the "Domestic Science Fiction" category. It is the fourth installment in the "Blue Flame" series. The series continues the events of the novels "Letos," "Blue Flame," and "Taloris." They are followed by "Weaving Darkness" and "Apple Blossom."

The coup in Pubir

The events begin in the southern port city of Pubir. Local bandits Pell and Klot serve under the Night Clan leader Borg. The elderly dictator is concerned about cultists infiltrating the city. The fanatics worship the Dark Rider Wayren. Borg sends thugs, accompanied by the assassin Charlotte, to investigate Gwent’s abandoned mansion. The building has a notorious reputation, and the dictator’s fears are confirmed. Inside, the group is ambushed. They are attacked by Shrev and Segu. Segu’s face is disfigured, and his body is possessed by a shautt demon.

Shrev takes Pell and Cloth captive. The rebel takes them to Borg’s secret hideout. The conspirator demands Borg voluntarily resign. The leader of the Night Clan refuses. He relies on magical tattoos. The designs prevent the mercenaries from harming him. This confidence proves fatal. Cloth shoots Borg with a crossbow. The bandit has no protective tattoos.

After the power shift, Charlotte forces Pell and Cloth to go to the old artisan Ne. The old woman creates magical designs on the bodies of the murderers. In Ne’s tower, the hidden truth is revealed. The artisan reveals herself to be an ancient knight of light, a thauvin named Katrin. The woman effortlessly repels Charlotte and Segu’s attack. She burns Cloth alive with an enchanted banner. Katrin then flays Charlotte. The demon, exorcised from Segu’s body, immediately takes over Charlotte’s bloody husk. Pell flees.

Some time later, Shrev interrogates the Dagevar sea captain, Guther is Takh. The route of the fugitives from Taloris is revealed. Learning of the passengers’ disembarkation in Vieno, Shrev encounters the demon. The creature now inhabits Pell’s body. Shautt demands that he find a magical bell for it. Shrev refuses to obey the creature. He kills the demon with a wooden stake. Jay prepares to set sail.

The Fennefat Wastes and Karif’s Diplomacy

A group of fugitives crosses the deadly Fennefat Desert. The group includes the former assassin Laviani, the necromancer Sharon, the circus astore Theo, and the blinded aristocrat Blanca Erbet. The travelers are saved by Sharon’s gift. She revived the body of the deceased Carif warrior Yarel. Now she forces the dead man to perform the most difficult labor. The group traverses the dunes. After battling the caravan’s undead, the travelers reach the coastal city of Zevut. The settlement is located in the Duchy of Carif.

Theo falls into a long sleep. The circus performer recovers from the use of Astore magic. Laviani goes to the market square. Soyka hopes to hire a boat to escape to Trettini. She manages to negotiate with a team of smugglers. Later, on the city streets, Laviani encounters Karifian assassins. The mercenaries were sent by Duke Azim Ash-Tali. Laviani eliminates the attackers. She suffers severe pepper powder poisoning and barely survives. Returning to her hideout, Sharon writes a daring message to the Duke. The Pointer sends Yarel to deliver the text.

Meanwhile, in the capital of Karif, Duchess Yas is suffering from disgrace. Her husband has alienated her following Sharon’s escape and the death of his advisor. Yas receives an audience with the ambassadors of the Temple of Miri. The priest Radi demands that the Duchess cease her persecution of Sharon. The Temple servants intend to punish the apostate themselves. Yas firmly refuses.

That evening, a mutilated Yarel bursts onto the palace terrace. The corpse rips open his clothes, revealing a message carved into his back. The message threatens Karif with a flood of living corpses. Yas reads the message, and Yarel’s body burns in toxic smoke. Duke Azim Ash-Tali is alarmed by the necromancer’s threats. The ruler cancels the order to capture the fugitives.

Dead Waters and the Ruins of Arkus

A smuggling vessel carrying fugitives leaves Zevut. Soon, Carifian war galleys appear on the horizon. The captain evades pursuit, steering the ship into the Dead Waters. The area has a notorious reputation for its flooded forests and toxic fumes. The ship runs aground. Sharon falls overboard and discovers thousands of remains of ancient warriors on the seabed. She uses the gift of tzamas. At her command, the dead men move the ship from the shallows and push it into the fog.

The rescued smugglers decide to dispose of the passengers. The captain attacks Blanca. The sailor takes the bag containing the Arila statue and escapes with the crew. The heroes are forced to pursue the thieves across the scorched wastelands. The land here is covered with giant black crystals. The wastelands are pockmarked with craters of boiling mud. The travelers find a sailor boiled alive. Later, they spot a surviving giant herding sheep.

The statue leads people to Arkus. A colossal white city built by humans and giants during the Age of Light. The streets are deserted. Marble towers stretch into the clouds. In one of the palaces, Sharon and Blanca overtake the smuggler Khalez. In fear, the sailor drops the statue. Sharon returns the artifact.

Meanwhile, Laviani clashes with Iskari. The dark tauvin is clad in armor. The opponent possesses superior strength and deadly magic. In a brutal duel, Laviani suffers grievous injuries. Iskari punctures her lung and breaks her ribs. At the same time, Theo battles a squad of shautts. The circus performer taps into the dark side of his talent, draining the demons’ energy and turning them to ash.

In a gigantic domed chamber, Sharon finds the wounded Laviani. The girl is determined to save the jay and stop the three advancing Iskari. She snaps the First Necromancer’s bracelet onto her wrist. The artifact bombards the girl’s mind with visions of the ancient Battle on the pale plains of Daul. The visions reveal the bitter truth about the cynicism of the gods.

Tzamas kills Khalez. She subdues the dead Iskari and forces him to fight his former comrades. Blanca uses the statue’s energy to create dimensional traps and restrain the second enemy. Sharon summons an icy white flame. The fire burns away the demons and cannibalistic malg completely. Under the cover of the flames, Theo carries the unconscious Laviani. The group leaves the crumbling city forever.

The Siege of Balk and the Invasion of Darkness

In the northern Duchy of Fichsheis, Light Cavalry Lieutenant Airisl Rito patrols the snow-covered villages. Peasants are fleeing en masse from an army of monsters advancing from the Mountain Duchy. In one village, soldiers are attacked from beneath the snow. A creature in black, horny armor unleashes magical attacks. The creature kills several cavalrymen. Airisl and his men shoot the monster with bows.

On the way back, the patrol encounters a lonely old woman, Katrin. She’s walking through a snowstorm. Eirisl takes the woman with him.

Meanwhile, the mercenary Milvio de Roveri rescues Data. The former bodyguard of the Duke of Mountain narrowly escaped death. Milvio delivers bad news: power in Scalza has been seized by a Shautt in the body of Erego’s heir. Data decides to search for his daughters. It turns out Milvio had smuggled the girls to Alagoria in advance.

On the snowy road, Daith and Milvio cross paths with Eirisl’s cavalry. Suddenly, the plain is attacked by the Vagabond. A magical gray whirlwind is born of an ancient war. The wind tears soldiers into bloody pieces. Bodies turn into ruby splashes. Milvio reveals himself to be a true tauvin. He stops the elements with words and the power of light.

The remnants of the detachment reach the city of Balk. That night, the settlement is subjected to a massive assault. Blue flames devour the buildings. Malgs hack down the garrison with axes. Shoutts possess the bodies of slain officers. Airisl engages in a hopeless battle. His horse, Tion, dies, ripping out the throat of a demon. Airisl uses magical dice. The lieutenant tries to hold on to the souls of his soldiers.

Katrin rescues Milvio and Data. The old woman destroys the shaut with a blow from her morning star. The woman admires Eirisl’s ability to control magical bones and controls the lieutenant’s mind. Katrin takes the helpless officer east, planning to make him her apprentice. Milvio and Data join forces. The warriors leave the burned-out Balk. The men intend to gather allies and fight the armies of Wayren.