Flame & Fury Pitch
The Sun God is dead, killed by his brother, the Chimera King – or the Usurper King, as some whisper. Under the new king’s rule, the land of Khazm is being corrupted; animals are twisted into multi-headed monstrosities, the river is black and produces only disease, and unprotected villages are routinely demolished by the thunderdogs called Ru in their hunt for the one thing that could stop the Chimera King’s rule: the Firebird.
Noor is a Firebird afraid of fire. She has been afraid since she failed to pass one of the immortal spirit’s 12 trials and accidentally killed her mentor in the resulting blaze. When her mentor’s vengeful spirit betrays her by calling for the intercession of one of the three Tempers – avengers of wrongful deaths and lapdogs of the Chimera King – Cassandra of the Unending Temper comes to deliver justice. But instead of striking Noor down, Cassandra finds herself sapped of strength and a cryptic message begins glowing on her sword – and it all seems to have something to do with Noor’s dead mentor.
Determined to see Noor punished, Cassandra decides to bring Noor to the capital to stand trial. The two become unwitting travel companions, uneasy allies against the perils of the road, power-hungry minor deities, hunting packs of Ru, Noor’s dangerous fire fevers, and even Cassandra’s own sister Tempers. And, as they grow closer and learn more about Noor’s elusive mentor and Cassandra’s missing mother, the girls are forced to ask: what is the difference between justice and vengeance, and who is really pulling the strings of their fate?
FLAME & FURY is an 86k Sapphic fantasy reworking the myth of Horus’ quest to reunite the pieces of his father Osiris’ body and bring peace to Egypt by ousting the murderous god Set. It is the first in a planned duology as Noor and Cassandra challenge the Chimera King – and maybe an even more twisted deity still lurking in the shadows of the underworld. It’s got the enemies-to-allies-to-lovers of WE HUNT THE FLAME, the crossover appeal of EMBER IN THE ASHES, and the two girls resisting a forbidden romance of CRIER’S WAR.
Marianne Khalil is Coptic illustrator and animator in New York. She writes queer SFF that draws heavily on her experience as the gay daughter of Egyptian immigrants, and makes incredible art of her characters.
Cassandra
Revelations
Noor
Temper & Firebird
Firebird’s Flame
Retribution
Worship
Temper
