Xaden Shadowborne's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Xaden Shadowborne wanted the throne of Nightshade Grove, but tonight his own hands might cost him the crown. The council of Dark Hollow Castle had gathered to weigh his claim. No shadow-wielder had ever ruled the Grove. If he could stand before these lords and hold his power still, they would name him king. If the shadows slipped, they would name him a monster. He stood at the tall doors and pressed his palms flat against the cold stone wall. Black tendrils curled from his fingers. He forced them back. They came again, faster, hungry, reaching for the torchlight. His pet serpent coiled at his boots, its scales catching the moonlight through the window. Even the snake watched him with worry. "You're shaking the whole wall," a voice said behind him. Alex Morgan stepped from the corridor, hands in their jacket pockets, calm as ever. Alex was the one person in the castle who knew what his shadows did. They had covered for him a dozen times, turning slips into accidents, spills, tricks of the candle. Xaden trusted no one else this close to his skin. "I can't hold them," Xaden said. "Not for a whole council." Alex looked at the doors, then at the shadows leaking from his sleeves. "Then don't hold them alone. Stop hiding them." "They'll call me a monster." "They'll call you a monster if the shadows surprise them." Alex crouched and let the serpent slide across their palm. "So don't let them be surprised. Show them on purpose. Make it look like a gift, not a curse." Xaden stared. Every plan before this had been about keeping the power buried. Alex was telling him to open the doors and lead with it. The council bell rang. He had no time for a better plan. Xaden pushed the doors open and walked in. The lords sat around a long table, faces hard. He did not wait for them to speak. He raised one hand and let the shadows rise on purpose. They spread across the ceiling. Some lords stood. One reached for a blade. Then Xaden shaped the darkness. He pulled the torchlight low and let his shadows form a black crown above the empty throne. He held it there, steady, because he was giving it, not fighting it. The room went silent. "No king before me could do this," Xaden said. "I will not hide it. I will use it for the Grove." The lord with the blade lowered his hand. One by one, the council knelt. Xaden let the crown of shadow dissolve. His hands were steady now. He had a throne. But as the lords rose, he saw fear still on their faces, and he knew a kneeling council was not a loyal one. They had bent to his power. Soon they would test whether he could be broken by it.