Prologue
The glow from the torches flickered against the stone walls, casting shadows that leaped and danced, stretching up to the arched ceilings.
Merlara sat cross-legged on the floor of her chamber, her governess, Lady Edara, seated across from her on a low stool, clutching an old, leather-bound book in her lap.
“Princess,” Lady Edara began, “I want to tell you a story today.”
Merlara’s eyes lit up, clasping her hands together in anticipation. Her mother never let her listen to the same stories as her four older sisters, so this was a treat.
Lady Edara smiled at the joy in the child’s eyes, and she began.
“Once upon a time, Grymoria was not a land drenched in darkness, nor was it feared by every corner of the world. It was a place of peace, harmony, and balance, a place people were proud to call home.”
Merlara leaned forward, her young heart swelling with curiosity. She’d never heard of Grymoria as anything but grim, always hidden under its eternal shroud.
“What happened?” she whispered.
Lady Edara’s expression shifted, a sadness clouding her gentle eyes as she glanced toward the door. Then, as if ensuring they were alone, she looked back at Merlara. “The peace was shattered when King Morvar took the throne.”
The princess’s eyebrows lifted. “King Morvar?”
King Morvar was a name that few people dared to speak now. He was known as a phantom, whispered about in hushed voices and secret places.
The king’s name was never spoken aloud. It clung to the walls like a curse, something cold and terrible that people avoided.
The governess nodded. “He’s a scary man. He was winning the war too, with his dragon.”
Merlara crinkled her nose. “Momma says dragons aren’t real.”
Lady Edara smiled. “Tell that to the histories we find written in the old libraries. He could also control the shadows. His army was called the Shadow Reavers because they all had the magic of darkness, and his commander was the strongest of them all.”
Merlara chuckled. “Magic?”
The governess said nothing.
A light shade of pink covered the little girl’s cheeks, and she licked her lips, eyes wide. “Did he win?”
The governess shook her head.
That confused Merlara, but she pressed on with her questions.
“Why would he do that?” Merlara’s voice was soft, pained even. “Why would he start a war?”
Lady Edara sighed, her eyes lowering to the book in her hands as though its secrets weighed heavily upon her.
“Some say,” she began cautiously, “something precious was taken from the king. A thing so dear it broke him, leaving only vengeance to take its place.”
Merlara’s brow furrowed, her young mind trying to understand. “What was taken?”
The governess shrugged, her eyes dark with some hidden worry. “No one knows, but whatever it was, it changed him. The people say his heart turned as black as the shadow he ruled.”
“H-how did he lose?”
The governess looked down at the book and pointed to a text as she read. “King Morvar and his army disappeared from one day to the next, and he wasn’t seen again.”
Merlara shivered, staring into the flickering light. “So, he’s dead?”
“I don’t think so. I think he waits, biding his time until he is ready to strike once more. Some believe he still watches us, hidden away, plotting his return,” Lady Edara whispered, her voice barely audible, as though she feared even the walls might overhear.
The door to Merlara’s chamber flew open, and in a flurry of dark silk, her mother stormed in, eyes blazing with fury. The queen’s gaze fell sharply on Lady Edara and then to the book on her lap.
“What do you think you are you doing?” she demanded, her voice trembling.
Lady Edara rose, bowing low.
But the queen’s anger did not soften. “How dare you!?”
Lady Edara lifted her chin, her jaw clenching. “She deserves to know.”
The queen lifted a hand and slapped the governess across the face.
Merlara screamed, her little hands covering her mouth as she watched her mother hurt her only friend in the world.
“Momma,” Merlara began, but the queen cut her off, her face crumpling with an unexpected grief.
The queen didn’t even look at her daughter. She grabbed the book from Lady Edara’s hands and flung it into the fire. The flames ate the book like it was nothing as the governess cried and Merlara screamed.
The queen turned to Lady Edara, tears glistening in her eyes. “You will leave, and you will never return. If my husband knew of this treachery, he would have you killed.”
The governess reached for Merlara, but the queen grabbed her arm and shoved her out of the room.
“Momma, no,” Merlara cried.
The queen shook her head. “We have no time for tears. Come, your father is waiting for us.”
Her mother’s hands were harsh on her arm as she dragged her down the hall and to her father’s office. Merlara chewed on her lip, frowning when she saw her father and a man dressed in red robes waiting for her.
Little did she know that her entire life would change from that moment on.
