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Shadow Born Legacy Chapter 26: The Rise of the Hollow Lords
The world was too quiet.Too still.Asha knelt next to Ethan, blood pooled beneath the wound, his breathing shallow, his pulse weak beneath her fingers. His body was cold, and his veins still ran dark from whatever had attempted to claim him.The crevices through which the hand had come were closed and sealed as if they had never existed.But Asha knew the truth.And then something had gone reaching for Ethan.And next time it wouldn’t miss.Kastiel stood a few feet away, arms crossed, watching the aftermath with disturbing glee.“Well,” he said, tilting his head. "That was dramatic."Asha shot him a glare. "Not. Now."Kastiel smirked but didn’t press.She looked back at Ethan, tightening her fingers around his wrist.“Ethan,” she said, whispering, voice urgent. "Wake up."Nothing.Then.The wind shifted.And the world changed.A Rift in TimeThe battlefield, the blood, the bodies, the ruins.Vanished.Asha’s breath caught.She was no longer standing in the wreckage.She was somewhere
Shadow Born Legacy Chapter 27: The Hollow War
The Hollow Lords had come to collect on their debt.The instant Kael opposed them, the atmosphere splintered and glassed, spurting waves of bent energy coursing through the devastated foundation of Shadowborne Estate.The sky above ripped open, showing something huge, something monstrous, a hole where the stars used to be, where the light used to be only endless, watching darkness.From the depths of that void, whispers crept across the field of battle, wrapping around Kael’s flesh like invisible shackles.Selene and Dain stood with their weapons raised at his side, but Kael understood this was more than any of what they had encountered.The Hollow Lords were no more warriors than their soldiers, the Khargari.They were something older.Ah, something that exists that should not.And they were no longer tied to mortal rules.Kael gripped his sword tighter."Stay close," he murmured.Selene’s breathing was uneven, but she nodded. "Not going anywhere."Dain snorted through his nose. “Wel
Shadow Born Legacy Chapter 28: The Assassin’s War
Blood and fire smelled in the battlefield.The air was cloying with the reek of iron.Kael was amidst the wreckage of the Shadowborne Estate, his sword wet with the blood of those who had come to take him back.The Hollow Lords looked on from the shattered throne room balcony, their masks inscrutable.And beneath them, mercenary factions had amassed; gladiators for hire from every corner of the continent.Some had once been loyal to the shadowborne. Others had come to seize authority for themselves.Kael wiped blood away from his eye, his voice unwavering. “Is this all you have?”.A silver-armed Hollow Lord walked forward, her voice a whisper over broken glass.“You misunderstand, Kael.This is not a battle.This is your execution.”.The mercenaries charged, and Kael danced disappearing into the smoke of the estate fire.A blade hissed by his ear; he spun, writhing into a counterblow that buried his sword into the abdomen of the first cutthroat.Selene's steps were quicksilver, dagger
Shadow Born Legacy Chapter 29: A Blade Worth More Than Gold
The Shadowborne Estate had burned to the ground.Its ruins yet smoldered on the mountain, the flames consuming centuries of blood and secrets. The assassin order was dead, its legacy torn to shreds and left on the wind in little more than its name ash.Kael should have felt free.Instead, as he stomped through the muddy streets of Duskfall, a city in which shadows bought and sold lives, he felt the awful sensation of nothing at all.Hunted.It had been three weeks since he, Selene, and Dain disappeared into the underworld, fleeing the Hollow Lords and the mercenaries who’d battled for the throne, the throne he’d turned down.Now there was no throne to sit upon.Only contracts. Only gold. Only the lawless realm of killers and thieves and Kael was back in it, like any other discarded blade-for-hire.He pulled his hood down when they stepped into the Bloodcoin Bazaar, an open market where assassins, smugglers and mercenaries didn’t barter with gold but favors, information and blood.Sele
Shadow Born Legacy Chapter 34: A Contract Written in Blood
A Deal with the DevilThe Bloodcoin Bazaan never shut up.Not until now.Kael was facing the Bounty Master, the one who issued the contract, who put the bounty on a head, the one who wrote the rules for every hired blade in the underworld.Selene and Dain stood tense behind Kael, hands hovering above their weapons. They weren’t the only ones, and mercenaries lined the rooftops, assassins loitered in the shadows, all awaiting the outcome of it all.The offer was simple.Kill the Hollow Lords.In return, Kael’s bounty would be erased. His past sins are forgotten. His name was rubbed off the death record books.It was the only way to survive.And yet Kael didn’t answer the phone immediately.He looked at the masked man before him, the scarlet robes, the polished gold sigils woven into the cloth. A man like the Bounty Master would never give without getting.Selene leaned forward. “Kael… please tell me we’re not actually doing this.”Kael’s jaw tightened. “What choice do we have? ”Dain e
Shadow Born Legacy Chapter 35: No Shadows Between Us
The temple was silent.Not the peaceful kind.The kind that stood heavy in the air like before a storm, thick with the press of unspoken words and unsheathed steel.Kael and Calia stood a sword’s length from one another, eyes locked, bodies coiled like snakes about to strike.Once, she was his closest ally.They once fought side by side.Now only one would walk away.Selene and Dain stood at the edge of the ruined temple, unseen tension thrumming in their veins.Selene shifted uneasily. “You really think we’re not running in? ”Dain's hand was upon the hilt of his sword. "Not yet."Selene exhaled sharply. “I hate assassin politics.”Kael tuned them out.Because Calia was in motion already.First BloodWithout hesitation she lunged, her blade cutting toward Kael’s throat.He darted to the left, the strike narrowly missing him.But Calia never overextended.Her second blade glinted. Kael barely parried in time, the impact jolting his arm.She pressed forward. Faster. Sharper.In his lif
Shadow Born Legacy Chapter 36: The Hollow Reckoning
A bolt fired from the crossbow lanced Kael’s shoulder, pain pouring through his flesh.Something warm and sticky dribbled down his arm, going from there to the ruined stone beneath him.The Hollow Lord remained still but a few feet from him, his sword lowered at his side, his mask catching the flickering light from the torch.Kael was flanked by Selene and Dain, weapons drawn, panting from their battle with the Hollow Wraiths.The atmosphere was charged with tension.Kael exhaled, his posture shifting. The pain was nothing.He’d survived worse.And if this fucker thought he was going to die here, he was in for a very bloody disappointment.The voice of the Hollow Lord was deep and silky."You are wounded."Ignoring the bolt still stuck in him, Kael rolled his shoulder. “You sound disappointed.”A chuckle. "Not at all. This is simply… necessary."Selene tightened her grip on her daggers. “Do you always talk this much, or is that a Hollow Lord thing? ”The masked silhouette tilted his h
Shadow Born Legacy Chapter 37: The Assassin’s Gambit
A City That Breathes DeathDuskfall was built for murderers.Before Kael, the city unfurled as a writhing vein of stone and shadow, gutters criss-crossing in and out like arteries through a cadaver.It stank of iron and damp rot, of blood shed in silence, of secrets bought with gold.Kael had spent her childhood in cities like this.But this time he wasn’t there to vanish.He was here to hunt.Dain cracked his knuckles and peered down the could-be streets. “Remind me why we’re not just burning this place down?”Theroy section, adjusting her dagger belt with a smirk. “Because we’re out of oil.”Kael didn’t react. He thought of one thing and one thing only.Ronan.His brother.A man who was meant to be dead.Now the Hollow Lords’ greatest weapon.And if Kael wanted to end this war, he had to find him first.Selene glanced at him. “You’ve been quiet.”Kael let out a breath, eyes like blades of silver glass very sharp. “We need to move.”For the longer they waited, the closer the Hollow L
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Chapter 63: The Fires of Raven’s Hollow
The darkness of the night sky was painted with orange and black streaks. Fire from the burning armory writhed in the wind, with thick clouds of smoke billowing into the sky. The blaze was not just a diversion.It was a message.And Veyna would hear it loud and clear.Kael stood at the forest's edge, observing as Blackreach was aflame. The pilfered satchel of gold and weapons lay at his feet. Saren and Cassian flanked him, both panting from the close escape.Cassian swiped the sweat from his forehead. "You know she's going to come after us for this."Kael did not remove his gaze from the fortress. "That's the point."Saren snorted. "Boy, I hope you know what you're doing, because you just kicked the hornet's nest. And Veyna isn't the forgiving type."Kael turned at last, his eyes cold. "She wasn't supposed to be."The wind screamed through the trees. The far-off shouting echoed from the fortress as soldiers rushed to stem the chaos. Veyna's army would heal.But not before Kael took his
Chapter 62: A Silent Hunt
The evening air was heavy with the smell of blood and smoke. Kael's own breath was rasping gasps as he rode into the forest darkness, the wound a steady, burning pain that reminded him all too vividly that he still lived. Cassian and Lord Saren rode ahead of him, their shadows mere blurs in the moonlight.The trees stretched tall around them, their twisted limbs casting eerie shadows. Every rustle of the leaves, every crack of a branch, sent Kael’s instincts into overdrive.They weren’t safe.Veyna wouldn’t let them escape so easily.Cassian slowed his horse, glancing back at Kael. "We need to stop. You’re bleeding too much."Kael clenched his jaw. "We keep moving. They’ll send more."Lord Saren spun around in his saddle. "You've made yourself the enemy of the most deadly woman in the kingdom, boy. That wound will kill you before she even gets the chance if you don't stop and clean it."Kael knew they were correct, but each second they lingered was another second Veyna's army closed i
Chapter 61 The Choice
The halls of the prison were quiet.Not the kind of quiet that followed peace, but the kind that preceded violence.Selene was still on the hard stone floor, not moving, breathing slowly and carefully, listening.Footsteps.Two guards, by the sound of their weight. Their path never varied. They went to the cell in the distance, had a brief whispered conversation, then walked by hers.Same routine. Same error.They didn't expect her to still be awake.The moment they were out of sight, she moved.Slowly, she slipped her hand into the gap between the bricks by the floor—a tiny, almost imperceptible slit she had discovered two nights before. Her fingers stroked parchment.A note.She drew it out, hands steady, and unfolded the little piece of paper.There were only four words written."Be ready. Three days."No signature. No indication of who had slipped it in.But she knew.Kael.Selene crumpled the paper, stuffing it into her sleeve.Three days.Then it would all burn.Kael's BargainK
Chapter 60: A Throne of Chains
The iron shackles dug into Kael's wrists.They marched him through the destroyed city like a trophy.Emberhold, the battlefield it had once been, was now a conquered city under the flag of House Vaelor.Smoke drifted up into the air, the smell of ash and blood hanging in the air.His people his soldiers were brought to their knees behind him, their swords taken from them, their heads bowed.Selene knelt between Calia and Dain, her face in shadow, her golden eyes blazing with something treacherous.Kael felt her glare burning his back.Her anger was heavier than his chains.But she didn't know.None of them did.This wasn't the end.This was the beginning.Veyna believed she had won. That she had shattered him.But Kael was not broken.He was waiting.Lord Cassian Drayke stood by Veyna's side as they approached the great hall of Emberhold's keep.Cassian was looking at him once more. Quiet. Pensive.Kael still didn't know where Cassian's allegiances lay.A man without a cause is more d
The Queen’s Bargain
The air was heavy with the smell of blood and smoke.Kael remained still, his sword at his feet, the dull ring of steel on stone still echoing in his mind. Veyna's dagger was still pressed to the young rebel's throat, her silver eyes laughing."You made the right decision," she whispered, her voice as smooth as silk.Kael's fists were clenched at his sides. He breathed steadily, but below, a storm consumed him. He had seen the smirks on her soldiers' mouths. He had felt the weight of each watching gaze. They believed they'd crushed him.They were mistaken."Let him go," Kael stated, his tone cutting.Veyna cocked her head to one side, pretending to be interested. "And what promise do I have that you will not begin butchering my men the second I do?"Kael drew a slow breath. "Your word."Veyna's laughter was light. "Your word? A traitor's word? I apologize if I am not consoled."Selene, hidden in the midst of the commotion, shifted. Kael saw the movement out of the corner of his eye, h
Chapter 58: Dawn of Reckoning
It was a cold night.Kael sat by the fire alone, honing his blade in slow, careful strokes. The ring of steel on stone rang out in the stillness.The rebels who had managed to escape from the fall of Emberhold were resting or attending to their injuries.Dain sat closer by, arms folded, gazing into the fire, as Calia murmured orders to the injured.Selene hadn't said much since their flight. But Kael sensed her regarding him. Waiting.ThenFootsteps came.One of their scouts, a young woman named Ryn, emerged at the edge of the camp, her face white. "Kael. A rider arrived."Kael's hand on his sword tightened. "Where from?"Ryn hesitated. "Emberhold."The camp came alive. Selene stood at once, her golden eyes blazing. "House Vaelor?"Ryn swallowed. "They delivered a message for you."Kael rose. The whole camp felt the gravity of the words as Ryn handed Kael a sealed document, the red wax stamping an all-too-familiar sigil.The sigil of House Vaelor.Kael ripped it open.Kael,I have you
Chapter 57: The Betrayer’s Gambit
Smoke filled the air. Emberhold burned.The seemingly impenetrable fortress was now reduced to rubble, its great walls battered by the uprising's attack. Screams and the ring of steel echoed off the streets. The firelit shadows stretched and danced, transmuting warriors into phantasms of battle.Kael navigated through the carnage like a storm. His sword was smeared with blood, his breathing hot and steady. He wasn't fighting to stay alive.He was fighting to win.Across the courtyard, Selene vaulted over a broken cart, her twin daggers flashing like fangs. She landed on an enemy officer, her blade sinking into his throat before he could even scream."Status?" Kael barked as she joined him, her face smeared with soot and sweat."Dain and Calia are securing the lower barracks." Selene wiped her blade clean on a fallen soldier’s cloak. "We’ve taken the outer walls, but"A faraway blast interrupted her.From the eastern tower, a black flag unfurled.Not Emberhold's colors.Not rebellion co
Chapter 56: The Blade That Devours
Pain.Not the kind that seared.Not the kind that poured like blood.This pain was profound. Chilling. Eternal.Like something had plunged into his soul and attempted to rip him asunder.Kael's hands clasped the hilt of the Blade of Oblivion.And the world splintered.Kael was not in the ruins.Not in the forest.He was nowhere.A chasm stretched in all directions, infinite and black.And before himA figure sat on a throne of cracked obsidian.Not human.Not divine.Something between.The voice thundered like a storm."You are not worthy."Kael gasped. "Then kill me."The figure laughed."You cannot be killed, Shadowborne.""That is your curse."Kael's heart rate decreased.Because secretly, he already knew that.And that was why the architects feared him.The throne room shook.The figure stood up, stepping down towards Kael.It was tall. Cloaked. Unseen.And in its handA sword exactly like the one Kael now clutched."You have taken a sword not for mortals."The being lifted its sw
Chapter 55: A World Unraveling
The night had been too silent.The Purgeborn had vanished, and its absence didn't feel natural.Kael cleaned his sword, his heart still racing.For the first time in his life, he had battled something that wasn't supposed to be battled.And emerged victorious.But that victory tasted bitter.Because now he had more questions than answers.Behind him, Selene still gazed at Calia.Dain rubbed his temples, grumbling, "I think I hate magic now."Kael's silver eyes landed on Calia."Start talking."Calia breathed.Then, finally, she said something."You believe the Blackthorn Company is your arch-nemesis," she told him.Her voice was barely above a whisper."But it's not."Selene rolled her eyes. "Then who is?"Calia's hands clenched into fists."The ones who created the Blackthorn Company."Dain's face grew harder. "You mean Sarai?"Calia shook her head."No."She raised her eyes.Her golden eyes flared."I mean the ones who created us all."The words sat suspended in the air like a curse.