The Fire Eternal
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | Chris d'Lacey |
| Products | Novels |
The Fire Eternal is a 2007 novel by British writer Chris d'Lacey, serving as the fourth book in The Last Dragon Chronicles series. Following this title, d'Lacey continued the saga with Dark Fire, Fire World, and The Fire Ascending.
Plot summary
Set against the backdrop of the Arctic, the narrative highlights environmental distress marked by melting ice and starving polar bears, while dragons emerge and Inuit spirits manifest in the skies. Gaia, the spirit of Earth, becomes increasingly agitated, endangering all living beings. The focus then shifts to Alexa, David’s daughter, who holds the crucial role in resolving the unfolding turmoil.
The tale opens with Gaia’s disturbance and Zanna’s sorrow over David’s disappearance. Zanna entrusts Alexa with an invisible dragon named G'lant, a gift from David. Still coping with her loss, Zanna manages a New Age store called the Healing Touch and resides with the Pennykettles in David’s former room. On Valentine’s Day—the anniversary of David’s passing—Lucy secretly takes a letter Zanna wrote to David and emails it to Tam Farell, encouraging him to reach out to Zanna.
Parallel chapters set in the Arctic follow Ingavar, an Ice Bear accompanied by followers Kailar and Avrel. After using icefire to consume Thoran (Dr. Bergstorm), Ingavar absorbs his spirit. Tam visits Zanna’s shop under false pretenses of neck pain; Zanna quickly discerns it is actually liver-related, revealing his test of her abilities. They plan a consultation, and Tam invites her to attend a poetry reading. Lucy sends Tam a mysterious message containing the word "Oomara," which exposes Zanna’s scars.
During the poetry event, Zanna uncovers that Tam is both a poet and a journalist investigating David's disappearance. She brands him with Oomara and erases their encounter from his memory. As he loses consciousness, Tam utters "Parents," prompting Lucy to seek out David’s relatives. At David’s old residence in Blackburn, neighbors insist no such house exists. Lucy’s phone emits a violet beam forming an image of a squirrel; following this through a portal, she vanishes. Zanna pursues her but warns Liz she may never see Alexa again. Alexa calls, saying she glimpsed David as a polar bear reflected in her toy’s eye; before the portal closes, Tam leaps inside.
Gwilanna appears in the Arctic where Ingavar transforms into David and dismisses Gwilanna as his eyes shift into a scalene shape. Lucy finds herself on Farlowe Island under Brother Bernard’s care but notices his eyes are blackened. Back at the Crescent, Alexa applies icefire to David’s dragons who then enter the portal through a fairy door. Gwilanna, trapped in raven form, communicates with Alexa.
On Farlowe Island, Lucy is compelled to craft a Darkling missing its heart—the Ix are enraged by its defective form containing an extra heart-shaped knife shard. The Ix possess Lucy; upon returning home, she attacks Liz with the heart-knife, rendering her unconscious. Gwillian witnesses this act and later sheds a fire tear which is recovered. Seeking aid from Zanna, Gwilanna prompts her transformation into a raven for return travel. Upon arrival, Zanna uses a spell that gathers flower petals onto the Ix to expel them from Lucy. Alexa emerges as Bonnington lowers his vibration frequency to banish the Ix.
Gwilanna rescues Liz and reveals she is expecting a child. That evening in the library gardens, Alexa runs toward and embraces a man who is revealed to be David.
Humans and Hybrids
Elizabeth Pennykettle (Liz) – The landlady and originator of the enigmatic clay dragons. She is expecting Joseph Henry, Arthur’s son. As a hybrid descendant of Guinevere—who was closely connected to Gawain, the last dragon alive—Liz carries a significant legacy. Guinevere captured Gawain’s fire tear, which created the Arctic; since it was never returned, Gawain turned to stone.
Lucy Pennykettle – At 16 years old, Liz’s daughter firmly believes that David is still alive and will rescue the Arctic. Her teenage emotions and grief often leave her easily upset. She owns a dragon named Gwendolen and is also descended from Guinevere as a hybrid.
David Rain – Former tenant of Liz and partner to Zanna. Once a university student, he vanished at the North Pole at the conclusion of Fire Star. The Fire Eternal reveals him as a Fain—a being from another dimension—who acquired Gawain’s fire tear, merged with the polar bear Ingavar, and possesses shapeshifting abilities. His origins are enigmatic; he appears to have been brought into existence at age 20 when Arthur used Gawain’s claw to write him into being. The Fain originally planned his birth, but it was disrupted by Gwilanna.
Suzanna Martindale (Zanna) – A goth sibyl descended from Gwendolen, partner to David, and mother to Alexa. She is well-versed in dragons and mythical lore and shares a home with Liz, Lucy, and Arthur. Zanna owns The Healing Touch shop and has a dragon named Gretel.
Alexa (Lexie) Rain – The five-year-old daughter of David and Zanna. Gifted with remarkable insight and special abilities—likely due to her sibyl lineage combined with David’s nature—she uniquely sees G’lant and senses David’s presence in the Arctic. Her true identity unfolds in The Fire Eternal.
Gwilanna – An ancient sibyl hybrid (half human, half Fain) who seeks the fire tear to revive dragons. She offers more assistance to David, the Pennykettles, and Martindales than before, displaying greater humanity. She vanishes mysteriously among the Scottish islands. Her ancestry includes a sibyl mother and a father who was part Ix (a malevolent Fain), man, and darkling.
Arthur – Once a monk now married to Liz, Arthur has special abilities such as perceiving through Bonnington’s eyes via "commingling." Although nearly blind due to an alien invasion, his intellect remains sharp. He teaches physics at Scrubbley University.
Tam Farrell – A journalist for The National Endeavor investigating David Rain's existence. After being captured and invaded by the Ix (a hostile Fain faction), he escapes captivity. He gains Teller powers and commits himself to safeguarding the Pennykettles and Martindales; his eye color changes from blue to brown.
Dragons and Creatures
Gawain – The final natural dragon, last seen plunging into the Arctic Ocean. His eye was taken by the sea goddess Sedna. The Arctic ice itself is formed from his fire tear. He was the last dragon before humanity appeared.
Gwendolen – Lucy’s dragon, adept with modern devices, especially computers. She uses her tail like a USB connector and can implant memories—for example, restoring Tam Farrell’s recollections.
G’reth – David’s wishing dragon with capabilities for space-time travel and interacting with a Fain. Created by Lucy in Icefire, he was her first crafted dragon.
Gretel – Zanna’s potions dragon previously owned by the formidable Gwilanna. Gretel claims to be the most potent of the Pennykettle dragons and brews potions from flowers.
Gadzooks – David’s writing dragon who inspired his works but has been inactive for five years following David’s disappearance.
Gruffen – A protective dragon that inflates three times its size when danger approaches. It is stationed at the Healing Touch center rather than Wayward Crescent.
Gollygosh (Golly) Golightly – David’s natural healing dragon capable of mending living beings as well as repairing machines. Created during Lucy’s captivity in Fire Star, he was David’s inaugural dragon.
Gwillan – A puffer dragon living with Liz who collects mail for the household. At the series’ conclusion, he sheds his fire tear; David vows to assist him.
Groyne – A mysterious dragon formerly owned by Dr. Bergstrom, gifted by an Inuk shaman and now allied with David. He can manifest as a narwhal tusk talisman, teleport, shapeshift, and become invisible.
Grace – Sophie’s listening dragon; briefly lost her ears after David pretended to cast a potion spell in Icefire.
Ganzfeld – A listening dragon created by Liz that rests atop their refrigerator; referenced in The Fire Ascending.
Bonnington – The Pennykettles’ cat who developed tongue cancer after exposure to dragon fire. After a Fain became trapped within him, he gained shape-shifting powers into various feline forms. Often commingles with Arthur to share vision; transformed into a tiger in The Fire Eternal almost harming Liz.
G’lant – Zanna’s Valentine dragon given by David as a farewell present with an enigmatic purpose; invisible except to Alexa.
Gauge – A time-telling dragon whose paw movements mimic clock hands.
Ghislaine – A dragon intended for Gwilanna’s mother before her passing.
Darkling – An obsidian-colored anti-dragon possessing a heart of dark fire instead of icefire or white fire. Its appearance resembles a gargoyle rather than a conventional dragon.
Avrel – A polar bear descended from Lorel, one of the original nine ice rulers. Assists Ingavar (with whom David has commingled) in searching for Gawain’s eye; now part of Tam Farrell.
Kailar – Another polar bear descendant of Ragnar aiding Ingavar on the same quest; also merged with Tam Farrell.
Sedna – Sea goddess who retrieved Gawain’s eye for David in exchange for her father’s severed fingers. According to myth, she kissed four “good” fingers while severing four “evil” ones herself; Avrel later returned these fingers to the sea accordingly.
Raven Man – Sedna’s husband who betrayed her father and was subsequently killed by Avrel.