Page 1 of The Rose in the Shadows

Prologue

Iris

The pink gown Iris had commissioned for the day was ridiculously extravagant, which only made her love it that much more. She had spared no expense in preparing her ensemble for the Athenian Peace celebration. She had piled her hair, pink today, elaborately onto her head and filled her bath with sparkling powder so that her dark skin was reflective under the sunlight. If she had to attend this cursed celebration, she might as well look fabulous while doing so.

It had been six years since the Great Battle that had marked the end of the Descendant War, the war that had swept the world and claimed millions. Six years since her uncle, the king of their country, Athenia, met with other world leaders and agreed to finally end the strife.

The palace had been abuzz all morning preparing for the celebration. It was one of the few events that the Royal Council welcomed the townspeople into the castle. The servants had spent the morning decorating the grounds while the kitchen hadworked to prepare a feast. Now, with only a short amount of time before the festivities officially kicked off, Iris could see the Sirens warming up their instruments and the Elementals beginning to practice their magic tricks from her window.

She fucking hated this celebration.

Iris sighed as a knock at the door sounded and her friends, Lorelai and Camilla, entered her suite slowly, knowingly. This was never an easy day for her. It was not only the anniversary that marked the end of the war, but also the anniversary of the battle that had taken her aunt’s life and, as a result, caused her own parents to flee the country. She hardly felt like celebrating that.

“We should go outside soon,” Lorelai advised her, smoothing down the skirts of her pale blue gown. “We don’t have to stay for long.”

Iris loved it when Lorelai wore blue. It made her shining red hair seem even more fiery against her light skin. She suspected Lorelai knew that Iris felt that way, though. She suspected Lorelai had worn the gown on purpose, hoping it would brighten Iris’ day. It did.

Camilla, on the other hand, dressed for no one but herself and now wore a low-cut emerald gown with long sleeves and a high slit. It would be a cold day in the Underworld before Camilla wore anything that could be deemed as conservative. She was beautiful, and by the Gods she knew it. She always had.

After flicking her long black hair over her shoulder, Camilla handed Iris the cloak hung by the door. “I certainly won’t be staying out there long. Spending my evening with villagers is less than ideal.”

Iris wanted to roll her eyes at Camilla as she buttoned the cloak over her dress. She knew the girl meant no harm, not really, not deep down, but as she went to acknowledge the comment, her eyes locked on the vase of flowers next to her bed.The water was… moving - slightly at first, then more violently as the ground under her feet trembled. The girls grasped onto walls and furniture for balance as the vase and other priceless objects began crashing to the floor.

Then, everything stilled.

“What in all of creation was that?” Camilla barked, sounding more irritated than afraid.

Lorelai opened her mouth to speak, but the sound of a splitting crack cut off her words as it echoed throughout the room. Frowning, Iris turned back towards her windows. Moments ago, the people had crowded the courtyard, getting ready for the celebration. Now, they fled.

Something was wrong.

Iris lifted the heavy skirts of her gown, which she liked a bit less now that there appeared to be an emergency to take care of. As she made her way to the door, she grasped onto Lorelai's hand.

“Stay here,” she commanded. Iris needed to focus, and she would never be able to manage that if she had to worry about Lorelai.

Iris’ suite wasn’t far from the entrance of the castle, but by the time she arrived at the steps of the palace, violence had already filled the air. Shuddering, Iris felt momentarily as if she had been transported through time–as if she was sixteen years old again on the night of the Great Battle.

Through the fleeing townspeople, she was just able to make out the image of a woman.

She was entirely undressed, pale skin catching the sunlight, but she seemed unbothered or even entirely unaware of her immodesty. As she stood tall, the bridge underneath her quaked and rumbled, threatening to crack at any minute and crumble down entirely. Suddenly, a guttural scream tore free of her throat. Her blonde hair flew wildly as she threw back herhead, unleashing a wave of magic that sent carts and carriages crashing around the townspeople.

Iris couldn’t draw her eyes away from the stranger. The woman had a kind of unassuming beauty, Iris thought. If you passed her on the road, you might risk overlooking her, but a second glance could steal your heart entirely. Yet, even with her body on full display, Iris’ attention was still drawn to her face, where dark lashes shrouded her vibrant blue eyes, and her subtle jawline stressed delicate pale lips.

“Who is she?” Clay, the Crown Prince of Athenia, shouted, as he rushed towards Iris from inside the palace. A sheen of sweat was already glistening on his brow.

Iris only shook her head up at him, unable to bring herself to speak. She had seen violence before, the Gods knew that, but to see ithereagain,in her home, shook her to her very core. Iris was brave; she’d been in so many dangerous situations that she’d lost count of them entirely. And yet in that moment, her fear met her memories, and together they held her in an iron grasp.

A man on the street ran towards the mystery woman, likely attempting to tackle her. The mortals might have deemed it brave, but Iris knew better. A human was useless in a fight against a Descendant. Descendants lived with the blood of the Gods in their bodies. It made them stronger, faster, andbetter.

The woman turned on him inhumanly, raising her palm high. Pushed by an invisible force, he flew through the air. When he landed on a carriage twenty feet back, the impact caused it to cave in completely. He fell, blood soaking the ground, and he didn’t stand again.

“By the Gods,” Iris cried. “Whatis she?”

Air Elementals could manipulate wind, Iris reasoned, but typically their abilities were restrained to brief gusts. They didn’t have this kind of power. The stranger screamed again, and ablast of magic flew out, lifting the carriage off the ground and throwing it into the town across the bridge. Blood-red wine splattered across the sky as it landed on the barrels brought in for the celebration.

“Clay, she’s going to hurt someone else!” Iris screamed, turning her attention once more toward her cousin. He needed to do something, and fast.

He grabbed her shoulders firmly, eyes shining bright and purposeful. She recognized that look. She suspected she might be the only one who would ever be able to notice the moments when Clay’s true emotions leaked through the mask of control he typically donned. And now she could see the fear that was struggling to break out of him. Like Iris, this moment brought back painful memories for him, too.

---