Princess

Katrina J. Daroff

Description

What if this is not who you were meant to be?
What if this is not who you were meant to be?
As the princess of Volentia, Cat always knew certain things about who she was and what was expected of her, but when shadow assassins start infiltrating the palace, targeting her, everything about Cat’s carefully constructed world comes crumbling down around her. The people she loves most are keeping secrets from her. The biggest of them all is who she really is.
Magic has been extinct for hundreds of years. Thomas knows this to be true. Or, he thought it was true until one night he is thrown from his horse while escaping an arranged marriage. He starts having visions of a girl and a danger lurking in the shadows. He knows she needs his help, but first he needs help finding her. Help that comes from an unlikely source. Perhaps the world is more magical than he ever believed was possible.

Sujets

• Coming of Age
• Fantasy (canción de Mariah Carey)
• Magic: el encuentro
• Soulmate (disambiguation)
• Friendship
• The Chosen One
• Princess
• Dark Fantasy
• Choice
• Prophecy
• Romance
• Magic
• Fiction
• Fantasy

Informations

• Publié par: iUniverse
• Date de parution: 07 juillet 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781663253415
• Langue: English

Extrait

Princess
LIGHT AND SHADOW BEGINNINGS
 
 
 
KATRINA J. DAROFF
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PRINCESS
LIGHT AND SHADOW BEGINNINGS
 
Copyright © 2023 Katrina J. Daroff.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
 
 
 
iUniverse
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.iuniverse.com
844-349-9409
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6632-5340-8 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6632-5341-5 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023909883
 
 
 
iUniverse rev. date: 05/31/2023
CONTENTS
Prophecy
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Acknowledgements
About the Author
 
 
 
 
I wrote these books for my best friend, Erin, but I guess you can read them too. She said it was okay.
Once Upon A Time…
 
 
 
A Note to the Reader
First of all, thank you so much for picking my book. I love this story and the characters you will find in these pages, and I hope you do too.
When I started writing the Light and Shadow series in 2014, Princess was meant to be a prequel novel. However, as I wrote the early drafts of the series, I found that the information within this story was important for why the characters make the choices they do throughout the series. You can choose to read it now, or you can check out Light and Shadow Book One: North and come back when you’re ready. This book is about becoming the person you are meant to be which is very rarely a straight path. It follows events as they happen, though, just like growing up, you may not see the significance of an event until much later.
Unlike most books, you will notice this is not divided into chapters. I find that, as a reader, I am often being interrupted midchapter and having to find my place again later. so, I divided this book by scenes so you are always near a stopping point for those interruptions that simply cannot wait.
I hope you enjoy it and come back for the rest of the Light and Shadow series.
Love, Katrina J. Daroff
 
 
PROPHECY
It did not smell like a cave. Caves were musty, reeking of cold and rock. This one smelled of cinnamon.
It was still a cave, with rough stone walls and ice-cold floors.
A tall man with long black hair stood at the entrance, peering into the darkness.
“You know, it is considered rude to lurk in doorways.” A deep voice, soft as velvet, purred in the darkness. “Come in, old friend. ”
The man stepped inside. The cave morphing into a comfortable room with furs spread across the floor and chairs arranged around a large fireplace. The walls were lined with shelves holding scrolls, clay dishes, and glowing vials. A fire burned low in the hearth and torches hung from the walls, casting long shadows. A silk curtain covered the entry a smaller room, through it, he could see a large bed, made lush with furs and pillows.
A man sat on the bed, his hair a mess of shoulder length black curls, his skin was a snowy white that made his dark eyes glow like coals. He wore a black silk shirt and long black leather breeches.
Erebos.
He looked just as he had all those centuries ago when he was shut away in this prison.
He rose and made his way into the main cavern.
“Hello Cinead, or do you prefer the name those mortals gave you, Fire ?”
The torches circling the room dimmed.
“Do not address me as a friend. We have not been since you stole my daughters.”
“Your daughters came to me willingly.” Erebos crossed the room to the shelves. His fingers dancing over the glowing vials. “As do all of my companions, but surely you cannot still be upset about that, it was over a thousand years ago.” He selected a vial that glowed so red it looked like a sunrise captured in glass. “I have hardly any of their magic left.”
“That is Sybilla’s magic?” Fire had never seen it before. It was softer than he expected. His jaw tightened, teeth grinding together. A pure, white-hot anger burning in his chest. The thought of what Erebos had done to steal his daughter’s magic roiling in his stomach, making him nauseous.
Erebos’ lips curled into a smile that did not reach his eyes. “I believe this one was Signe. They look so similar, but there is a distinct difference in the way they feel.”
“If I could kill you, I would.”
“But you can’t. Destroy darkness and you destroy the light. Which is why you and the other guardians locked me away in this dismal place. Why did you come? Not that I do not enjoy your company, it gets so lonely here.”
“A girl stumbled into the village this morning. Her heartstone had been drained of its color.”A deep blue vial seemed to throb on the shelf, catching Fire’s eye.
“And you think I had something to do with that?” His smile broadened, wicked and sinister, so pleased with himself. “Berit, was it? She was quite the magix, until I pulled her essence from her. Unfortunately, the process can leave a magix quite mad.”
Fire’s eyes flit to the shelf of glowing vials. Each casting a vibrant light. Each a different color. Some were covered with a thin layer of dust and age, while others looked fresh. None so fresh as the blue vial.
“She will recover her magic in a day or two. Her mind on the other hand…” Erebos twirled a finger in slow intentional circles. “Well, it may always be scarred.”
“You are a monster.”
“I am what I was created to be.”
“Stealing those girls’ magic will not help you regain your power, or your freedom.” Fire swept his cloak across the floor, turning back to the entrance where daylight gleamed through the trees. A perfect spring day, unlike the eternal winter inside the cave. “So long as you are trapped in here, you will never be able to harm the outside world again.” Fire stepped into the sunlight.
“Perhaps, but tonight is a Belewe moon and the Volentian queen is expecting a daughter.” Erebos leaned against the entrance to the cave, just out of the sun’s reach. “A descendant of light and shadow .”
The words gave Fire pause. His fingers brushed the stone at the mouth of the cave. The words that had once been clearly etched into the stone were gone, worn away by centuries of wind and weather. The power was still there. “You are speaking of the prophecy.”
“A girl with the power to unleash Darkness.”
“A girl with the power to destroy Darkness.”
Grinning one last sinister smile, Erebos faded into the dark. “We’ll see.” He was gone, vanished into the recesses of his prison. Fire turned away from the cave, shaking away the chill Erebos’ words left in his blood.
Even if Erebos was right about the Volentian princess, it would be years before she inherited magic.
There was time to prepare.
 
 
    1    
16 years later…
Ryder sat in the sand, trying to read.
Not succeeding.
The sand was too hot. It burned through his trousers and the sunlight against the white pages left spots dancing across his vision.
Prince Ryder simply could not concentrate under these conditions. He preferred the library for his studies; it was being cleaned and aired out for spring. The only reason Ryder came to the beach was his sister, she had been driving him crazy inside, laughing and flitting about.
He glanced down the beach at Cat. She was four years younger than him, just a month away from her sixteenth birthday. Soon there would be a ball for her debut and Cat would be a lady. Somehow that did not seem possible. He still saw her as a child.
Cat was a few meters down the beach, perched on a tall rock that hung over the cove.
Ryder’s stomach dropped. He hated it when she climbed. Certain she would get hurt one day.
“What are you doing?”
“I wanted to feel the wind.” Cat stretched her arms, letting the wind pull at her loose auburn hair.
They did not look like siblings. It never struck Ryder so much as it did in that moment. Cat’s messy hair was perfectly straight while Ryder’s hung in loose curls. They both had fair skin, but Cat’s was splashed with freckles. The only thing the two shared was their mother’s lively green eyes.
“Well, get down before you hurt yourself.” Ryder stood, placing a hand on his hip.
Another difference. Ryder was just over six feet tall. If Cat had been standing before him, he would have towered over her.
“And be careful.”
“No, I don’t think I will do either of those things.”
“Cat.”
“You stay down there if you like. I am perfectly happy where I am.”
“Fine.” Ryder threw up his hands in frustration. His book thumped into the sand, wind shuffling the pages and losing his place. As if he should be surprised that a fifteen-year-old girl, let alone his sister, might be too stubborn to listen. “But I’m not going to save you when you fall and break your neck.”
Ryder stalked away, refusing