Valora stepped through the opening with an expression of awe, her beautiful gaze taking in the room all at once. “Where are we?”
“In the restricted areas,” I said, closing the passage behind us. “Have you never wondered why Necros keeps these areas off-limits?”
“He once told me it was old and decrepit and requiring renovation.” She ran her fingers along the dusty spines. “But all I see here is a room in need of a good cleaning.”
“Oh, I’m sure he plans to renovate someday.” Not that he would ever get the chance, as I intended to kill him first. “But for now, the memory of the Shadow Kingdom remains in these walls.”
“Why have I never heard about this?” She took an old text from one of the walls, her fingers running over the swirling black ink. She hissed. “Black magic.”
I caught the book as it fell from her fingers, protecting the precious spine.
“No. This is shadow magic.” I pressed my palm to the text, allowing the words to rise and settle, the energy pulsing in waves through my being before shuffling into a format she could read. “Here.”
Valora studied it but didn’t touch it.
I smiled. “Afraid, little bird?”
“H-how did you do that?”
“Mmm.” I tucked the item under my arm and studied her. “You read about me today in your old book, but it didn’t say much because the words are transcribed by Necros’s people. It’s exactly why you won’t find anything in that text about the Shadow Kingdom. They only write what pleases the king. And as far as they all know, I’m Lux’s second child.”
She gaped at me. “You saw me in the garden?” Of course she fixated on that and not the very important detail I just dangled before her.
“Yes, and I put your book back before anyone else could find it. Not that they would truly care about you reading it. Now this one?” I held up the item again. “This one they would mind quite a bit. Actually, everything in this library is forbidden. And why? Because these contain the true history of the Underworld, before Necros staked his claim. Because Caluçon never existed.”
Valora took the historical text again, her fingers dancing over the engraved lettering. “The Shadow Dynasty,” she read out loud.
“Mmm, how appropriate that was the one you selected first. Perhaps give it a read, little bird. You might just learn something.” Primarily about my family’s legacy. My name was toward the back, the last son born in the Shadow Kingdom. But my identity was kept a secret; not even Necros knew of my existence. Mainly because of the prophecy.
One might say Necros brought it upon himself.
Others would claim it to be destiny.
Regardless, I was here now, ready for my revenge. And the perfect weapon stood eager beside me, her focus falling to the rows and rows of texts. “All of these contain kingdom history?”
“No. Some are about the heavens. Others are artifacts from Earth—both fiction and nonfiction.” I steered her toward my mother’s favorite shelf, a pang hitting me square in the chest. “These are romance novels, for example. Mostly from human writers.” I pointed to one across the room. “And those over there are fighting manuals, which you might find particularly useful.”
“How do you know all of this?” she asked, finally looking at me again. “Who are you really, Adrik?”
My lips curled. “As I said, your texts said very little about me. Lux might be my mother, but not by blood. She adopted me when my kingdom fell.” I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I’m the last of my kind, Valora. A Shadow.” I purposely left out my true title. Shadow King.
Her lips parted. “I don’t know what that means. Or what it is.”
“Similar to a vampire, but far more powerful,” I promised her.
“Then how…?”
“Did Necros manage to destroy us all?” I finished for her. “He harnessed a power that didn’t belong to him. One born inside a child from Graystall. A little girl.”
Her eyebrows rose. “What?”
“Your people are the harbingers of justice, but how, exactly, do they deliver it?” I studied her, saw the confusion written all over her features. She truly had no idea. “Because Graystall possesses the power of the galaxies within their familial bloodline. Your bloodline. They are quite literally the children of the stars. It’s what makes your kind so indestructible. But that kind of power comes at a price.”
“I’ve never heard any of this before,” she interjected.
“Well, perhaps you’ll remember the miracle who was born with unspeakable abilities. So unspeakable that her parents called upon Lucifer himself to help temper the chaotic energy. But bargaining with the Devil always comes at a price, and in this case, it was the manner in which he assisted. He called upon Necros, who absorbed the gift from the stars, providing him with a seat of power unlike any other. And he used his newfound abilities to take down the Shadow Kingdom.?
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