Chapter 24: The Flame Returns to the Temple

The flame, once settled, did not announce itself.

That was the first thing Mara noticed — that there was no blaze, no celestial column, no sound she could later describe to someone who hadn't been present. The brass housing received it the way a cup receives water, simply and without comment, and then the room was slightly warmer than it had been a moment before. That was all. That was everything.

She stood back and watched.