The Stone Flame is the second book in the The Metalwood Saga.
Set five years prior to the "present" day in 2311 A.D., the novel expands the scope of the series by plunging into a brutal, full-scale war on the surface of Earth between the human Remnant and the Eldrim (elves) of Sylrantheas. The story alternates between the perspectives of the elves—particularly a young, non-magical archer named Arra—and the underkids who accidentally find themselves trapped on the surface amidst the carnage.
Synopsis
Chaos in the Under
In the Under of New San Francisco (Newfris), Phoenix (Megan), Beam, and Dill are ambushed by Waller Crew, led by a boy named Blend seeking revenge against Dill. During the fight, Phoenix loses control of her forcefinding magic; fueled by fear and anger, she accidentally creates a firebubble with the flames on the inside, burning Blend to ash. This inadvertently sparks a war with the fearsome Tenderloin Crew, who allied with Waller Crew.
Fleeing for their lives with Phoenix's ten-year-old son, Rylan, the group is cornered in the whiproom of the Den. To escape, Phoenix destroys the floor, plunging them into the forbidden "huntroom"—a secret chamber filled with magical gates. The Supreme Leader of the Planners, Lorelei, locks the room down, but the group manages to escape through a gate opened by Zel, a mysterious human warrior who had accidentally gated into the Under.
The War on the Surface
Phoenix, Beam, and Rylan arrive in the Remnant city of Gulthurub, where they are taken prisoner by Zel and his leader, a terrifying white-haired woman named Segena. Rylan is locked in a jail cell to force Phoenix and Beam to fight for the Remnant. The humans believe the elves are inherently evil, blaming them for the near-extinction of humanity during the Sundering three hundred years prior.
Meanwhile, in the nearby redwood forest, the peaceful elven village of Sylrantheas is thrown into panic when an untalented (non-magical) archer named Arra, her friend Imra, and her crush Fenian discover a new, highly organized Remnant outpost called Presenub located near the ruins of the Golden Gate Bridge. Simultaneously, Arra's mother, Melenora, and her grandmother, the esteemed mistweaver Mentor Myriani, mysteriously vanish. Believing the Remnant have kidnapped them, the elven Council—led by Arra's father, Silanar—authorizes a preemptive strike on Gulthurub.
The initial battle is a disaster for the elves. Although the elves possess superior archery and bladedancing magic, Zel commands his troops to use ancient Gatling guns, slaughtering dozens of elves and forcing them to retreat.
The True God of the Remnant
As the war escalates, Segena's true intentions are revealed. She intends to tunnel into the supervolcano on the island of Stromboli to find a lost underwater city, but her immediate goal is to form a massive soulcircle of fourteen mages to create an exploratory gate.
During a violent confrontation at Presenub, Arra finally discovers the truth about her missing family members: her grandmother, Myriani, is actually Segena. Having lived a triple life for centuries, Segena drops her illusions entirely to reveal her true, terrifying form: she is Magona, the mythical "god" of the Remnant. Furthermore, Magona is a mythical Prime Mage, capable of wielding all seven magical Aspects simultaneously without the need for primewood.
Realizing his entire life is a lie and that he is a half-elf, Zel heroically attempts to save Arra by stabbing Magona in the back. Because Magona is a Prime Mage, she instantly heals herself and brutally murders Zel, her own son, with an axe.
The Eruption of Stromboli
The Remnant bring massive, weaponized vehicles called Destroyers from Lusvunub, deploying a tree-shredding machine to pave a path toward Sylrantheas. In desperation, the elves deploy their leafrunner mages in an offensive capacity, violently flinging humans into the air to their deaths. However, the Destroyers begin mowing down the elven mages.
Magona gates herself and fourteen mind-controlled elves (including Beam) to Stromboli, forcing them to power her massive exploratory gate. The magical disturbance triggers the supervolcano, initiating an apocalyptic eruption that threatens to destroy Earth's atmosphere. Magona sadistically plans to gate the blast directly into Sylrantheas.
With the Destroyers crossing the Golden Gate Bridge to wipe out the elven village, Phoenix makes the ultimate sacrifice. Channeling every emotion in her soul into her forcefinding magic, she obliterates the Golden Gate Bridge, sending the Destroyers plunging into the bay. She then turns her magic on the erupting supervolcano. By pouring pure joy into her magic, she creates a massive green "lifebubble". The magic reverses the eruption, forcing the volcano to collapse into a dormant crater and saving the planet.
However, the sheer magnitude of the magic causes Phoenix to suffer "soulburn". A massive, ghostly ash tree sprouts from her dying body, and Phoenix turns into brilliant ash, disappearing into the sky.
Aftermath
Enraged by Phoenix's death, the surviving humans and elves temporarily unite to attack Magona. Arra successfully shoots Magona through the heart with an arrow; wounded and out of energy, Magona flees through a gate, warning them that they only have five years to prepare for her return.
In the wake of the devastation, the elves abandon their peaceful ways and vow to build a defensive wall around Sylrantheas. Devastated by the loss of her partner, Beam abandons Rylan and wanders off into Gulthurub to start a new life alone. Honoring Phoenix's dying wish to keep her son away from the dangers of magic, Dill cruelly kicks a heartbroken Rylan out of Shock Crew, leaving the ten-year-old alone in the squalor of the Under, where he meets a young girl named Con.
Meanwhile, Orym and Dill begin secretly plotting their rebellion against Lorelei and the Planners.
Key Characters
- Arra: An untalented (Mundane) elven teenager who struggles with feelings of inadequacy in a family of powerful mages. She is a highly skilled archer and plays a crucial role in fighting Magona.
- Phoenix (Megan): A powerful forcefinder from the sky city who sacrifices her own life to stop the eruption of Stromboli and save the world from destruction.
- Magona (Segena / Myriani): The primary antagonist. An impossibly powerful elven Prime Mage who masqueraded as both a respected elven Mentor (Myriani) and the god of the human Remnant (Magona/Segena) to orchestrate a war for her own mysterious ends.
- Zel: The Warlord of Gulthurub. He discovers he is a half-elf (the son of Segena and Relzeb). He falls in love with Arra and is murdered by his mother while trying to protect her.
- Beam: Phoenix's partner and a fallfoiler mage. She survives the war but abandons Rylan out of grief.
- Jalnab: Zel's polite, spectacle-wearing aide. He secretly harbors ancient technology, including a computer and books, and aids Beam and Phoenix.
- Rylan: Phoenix's ten-year-old son. He is left orphaned and abandoned in the Under at the end of the novel.
Magic and Lore Introduced
- Prime Mages: Mythical beings capable of harnessing all seven magical Aspects simultaneously without the need for primewood or Investment. Magona is revealed to be one.
- Lifebubbles: A rare, green forcefield fueled by pure joy. They possess miraculous healing properties, capable of resurrecting people from the brink of death.
- Soulburn: A fatal magical condition caused by overextending one's magical energy. It results in the mage's body being consumed by magic, turning them into a ghostly Prime Tree before dissolving into ash.
- Gatesending: A forbidden darkprime magic that allows instant teleportation. Creating massive exploratory gates requires a soulcircle of multiple mages holding hands.
- The Primal Way: The mysterious seventh magical Way, located at the center of the soul. Gatesending is a Primal power.