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In a gentle, soothing tone, I begin to speak once more. “For too long, we’ve lived in chains. But now we know the truth.”
I hold the book up, my voice rising with passion. “This is our true history. And with it, we’ll rewrite our future. We’ll reclaim our power, our heritage. We’ll show the Sunborne – show all of Luminael – what we truly are. I have already stolen Eldrion’s power from him.”
From the darkness between the bookcases, shadows creep free.
“And now I will give you some of that same power. I will unleash what is inside you all, so we can be truly free. Forever.”
The library erupts in cheers, the sound echoing off the ancient walls. As I look out at the sea of faces, I see hope blazing in their eyes. Hope, and something darker. Something powerful.
From the front of the crowd, Yarrow raises his voice. “Hail Finn!” he cries, turning and gesturing for the others to join in. His voice booms into the air, so loud it causes a flutter of dust to drift into the air. “Hail the Shadow King!”
For a moment, the other Shadowkind seem stunned. But then, slowly, they take up the chant. “Hail Finn! Hail the Shadow King!”
Triumph surges inside me. This is what I was born for, what I was always meant to be. A leader. The one who will reshape the world in his own dark image.
“Yes,” I say, my voice rising above the chanting. “Together, we will build a new kingdom. An empire of shadow and darkness, where the strong rule and the weak perish.”
The Shadowkind roar their approval, their eyes gleaming with a newfound sense of purpose and destiny.
The Age of Shadow has begun, and I will be its king.
“So,” I roar. “Who will be the first to embrace their destiny?”
TWELVE
Finn
Shadows dance on the walls, cast by the flickering torches we’ve lit. The air is thick with tension and the acrid smell of fear mixed with excitement.
Yarrow stands beside me, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of apprehension and eagerness. He was always going to be the first. He has stood by me when all others doubted me.
I would never expect him to wait.
“Yarrow.” I turn to him and place a firm hand on his arm. He has always been larger than me, and fiercer than me. But now I tower above him.
His eyes glisten with emotion.
“Are you ready to be the first? To show our people what we truly are?”
He nods, squaring his shoulders. “I am ready.”
“It will hurt, brother.”
“I am ready,” he repeats through gritted teeth.
I gesture for him to step forward. Yarrow moves to the centre of the cavern, standing tall despite the bindings on his wings. The crowd falls silent, all eyes fixed on us.
“For this to work,” I explain, “we need shadow magic. Magic that was stolen from us, just like our freedom.” I look down at my hands, concentrating. The shadows around us seem to deepen, to coalesce. “Thanks to Eldrion, I have that magic.”
I reach out, feeling the darkness respond to my call. It swirls around my fingers, cold and alive. With a deep breath, I direct it at Yarrow. The way it was directed at me when I jumped in front of Alana.
I aim to kill.
Except I know that will not happen.
Instantly, Yarrow is engulfed by shadows. They coil around his body like a cocoon. He drops to the ground, just as I did, and stares unblinking at the ceiling of the cavern.
Everyone falls silent.
