Shadowborn Queen - G. Bailey Page 0,48

kingdoms, they became known as the Zorya Sisters..." She stops, turning the page and pausing in whatever she’s reading.

"I've heard the thrones are cursed, and that's why all the royal fae are crackers," I whisper to her. Keeper Maddox and every keeper I've met talk like fae are these holy creatures, and to speak badly about them is as forbidden as murder.

"Rumours, all rumours, Corvina," she sighs, snapping the book shut. "Aren't you excited to see a fae student? They’re meant to be very alluring and beautiful."

Alluring and beautiful is exactly how I would describe Pitch.

But often those things just hide a person's true nature like a cloud of smoke.

When I finally focus on Sage, her all too knowing eyes are watching me closely. "I know you're scared. It's okay to admit it to me, Corvina."

"Since I became a shadowborn, I've been scared, Sage, but I've learnt that running from it only gives the fear more power. It's better to face the darkness than run from it, because one thing is for damn sure..." I pause as I see something coming down the road. "In our world, the darkness never lets you go."

Chapter 24

Appendix i - LOCATIONS

(as mentioned in the book)

Zoyra Kingdom

THRONE OF LUNA

Capital City: LUNA

Ruler: Queen Narah

DEADLANDS

Inhabits: Cimmerians, Draugers, Deserters, Bandits

THE BLACK HARBOUR

THE WISHING WELL

SKULL CAVE

aka Howling Hollow Cave, Statue of Aeon

THE GORGON LAKE

FAERIE POOLS

DEVIL’S DROP

SHADOWBORN ACADEMY

SHADOWBORN PRISON

DRACONIA

Capital City: Emeria

Ruler: King Cyrus, Naraah’s brother

Queen Valessia

Prince Drusus (triplet)

Prince Draco (triplet)

Prince Drakon (triplet)

Princess Kaida

ZORYA INN

Helios Kingdom

THRONE OF HELIOS

Capital City: VASILI

Ruler: King Ulric

Princess Evangelina

LAKE LUMEN

HELIOS ACADEMY

AURORA BAY

PEGASUS TAVERN

FAERIE POOLS

KYLLAROS

Ruler: Chiron

Prince Elias

Appendix ii - PRISON LAYOUT

GROUND FLOOR

Entrance/Security

Armories

Processing Room

Visiting Centre

Wardens’ Staffroom

Education

Therapist

Library

FIRST FLOOR

Girl’s Wing > showers, leisure area

Boy’s Wing > showers, leisure area

Mess Hall

SECOND FLOOR

Solitary Confinement

Training Room

Green Room

THIRD FLOOR

Blood Trials Arena

Infirmary

Morgue

Laboratory

THE TOWER

(located on the third floor, upper left)

Governor’s chamber

Izora’s new cell/room

Staff quarters

Appendix iii - CHARACTERS

INMATES

Izora Dawn, arena trainer

Axel, trainer, chef

Memphis, arena trainer

Coen, arena pack alpha

Tyler, arena pack beta

Sharon, Blood Trials committee member

Abigail

Kenneth, Abigail’s brother, deceased

STAFF

Zavier Gold, Governor of Shadowborn Prison

Shadow Warden (Derek) Luke, Izora’s Guard

Lieutenant Warden (Nathaniel) Kyle, Blood Trials Enforcer, Luke’s uncle

Gage Michaels, Therapist, also teaches at Shadowborn Academy

Scott Mune, Education Teacher, also teaches at Shadowborn Academy

OTHERS

High Warden (Athena) Greene, Izora’s mother

High Warden (Ezekiel) Greene, Izora’s step-father

Willow Greene, Izora’s step-sister

Emma Greene, Ezekiel’s former wife, Izora’s deceased nanny

Corvina Charles, Izora’s friend, Shadowborn Academy student

GODS & GODDESSES

Selena, Goddess of the Moon, Persephone

Danica, Goddess of the Sun, Aphrodite

OTHER GODS

(not featured in this book yet)

Hades, God of Darkness

Ares, God of War

Aeon, God of Life

Eris, Goddess of Chaos and Discord

Appendix iv - WARDEN RANKS

Grand Wardens - royal advisors, supreme judges, head of the High Table, the most powerful of all the wardens

High Wardens - member of the High Table that govern certain fractions of the forest and human world (like mayors)

Shadow Wardens - law enforcers, highly trained and skilled, powerful

Junior Wardens - still powerful, will advance up to a Shadow Warden

Keepers - protectors of Shadowborns and magic users, never really advance.

Appendix v - THE BOOK OF ZORYA

(how the Enchanted Forest came to be)

In the beginning…

Aphrodite and Persephone decided to create a magical forest for all manners of creatures. They appeared in their natural form, unearthly beautiful and fae-like, and brought with them their favourite stars - the Morning Star and the Evening Star. They each placed them in the sky, and one became the sun and the other the moon.

Aphrodite became known as Danica, Goddess of the Sun, and she created the Throne of Helios where she would reign over her part of the forest.

Persephone became Selena, Goddess of the Moon, and she created the Throne of Luna, again where she would rule her half of the forest. To their kingdoms, they became known as the Zorya Sisters.

As the Almighty Goddess of the Moon, Selena, walked through the forest at twilight, admiring her many creations, she came across a shard of glass gleaming on the forest floor. She used this to create the Fountain of Mene which allowed her to see whatever her heart most desired, and to guide her down whichever path she sought in darkness. Selena often used it to see her husband Hades and their children.

The Dark God, Hades, used this fountain to send her a cloak of darkness on their anniversary, which Selena wove it into a blanket of stars that became known as the night sky. Now the moon had stars, and Selena told her people to use them as guides and sources of light within the darkness, for neither of them should be feared since they cannot exist without the other; just like how Selena’s kingdom cannot exist without Danica’s.

Many decades later, a strange presence crept into the forest. Eris, Persphone’s half-sister, had grown envious of this Selena and Danica and she planned to spoil their New World.

First, she unleashed monsters into the forest.

Darkness.

The creatures of dark spread like wildfire, breeding chaos everywhere and anywhere they could. Danica tried to chase them back whence they came, but Selena pitied and grew to love them. Some even became her loyal servants. While she became occupied with her new settlers, Eris sent Danica the golden Apple of Discord, a feigned gift from Ares, which poisoned her.

Hearing of her sister’s illness, Selena rushed to her side. Nothing could be done to save Danica. Eris watched from the shadows as Danica’s light faded and her sun waned. But then Selena ripped out her own heart and pressed it into Danica’s chest. This allowed Danica to live, but Selena faded and died in Danica’s arms, before she joined the stars in the sky, and because of her sacrifice, she became one with the Evening Star and the Moon.

When Hades learned of what happened, his anger shook the realms. He used the fountain as a portal and managed to kill Eris, but without his wife to bring out the good in him, Hades’ grief drove him to insanity. He partnered up with Ambrose, the God of Life, and they waged war on the kingdoms. Hades killed Eris, but now that Danica had her powers and her sisters, she was able to severely injure him so much that he had to retreat back to the underworld and was stripped of his ability to return.

Peace settled among the forest for a time, and Danica gave the Throne of Luna to Ares, who was quick to succumb to the allure of darkness and he became the first Dark Fae—Queen Narah’s four-times great-grandfather.