The Shuhr appear to be without conscience, willing to destroy the individual from the mind outward. A trap will be set on Netaia when Firebird is confirmed as heir to the Angelo crown. Brennen struggles with a moral dilemma when he thinks of utterly destroying the Shuhr. The Eternal Speaker whom Brennen worships has promised that a day will come for enemies to be destroyed. Brennen fears that, if the Sentinels act too quickly and before the time designated by the Speaker, innocent lives will be lost.
Firebird faces a different struggle.
She has renounced the Holy Powers revered by Netaians and has embraced a belief in the Eternal Speaker, the Mighty Singer who sang the whorl into existence. She begins to wonder if she is supposed to save her people. Pride also blocks her path when she tries to understand the atonement promised by the Mighty Singer, atonement that will be fulfilled by the Word to Come. In Crown of Fire , Kathy Tyers orchestrates moral dilemma, emotional upheaval, science fiction, and world-changing conflict into a captivating symphony. Because each chapter begins with a musical annotation, the reader anticipates the rise and fall of action and emotion.