Amber Morant [Morant - Shadow of the Crown

Text Copyright 2019 Dragon Soul Press

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under the international and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author/publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Editing & Formatting by Dragon Soul Press

Cover Art by Atlantis Book Design

A njuu looked down at the council far below her. She was the queen's shadow and as such, she was to remain out of sight. Everyone wanted to kill the queen and that left the drow Assassin, Anjuu, as her only protector. Even now, Anjuu refused to trust anyone. Her head was wrapped with a headscarf and her face hidden behind a white mask, red whiskers painted on the cheeks. All she had were slits for her eyes, but it was enough to see.

Within the shadows of the exposed castle rafters, Anjuu chose to be at the ready. Her hand laid against her belt, her fingers twitching. Inside was a multitude of daggers and knives. With just a flick of her wrist, everyone below could be dead and there would be no one to blame.

No. She couldn't think such thoughts. If the queen caught on then she would be dead, or worse, without a job. Anjuu had been trained all her life to be a shadow. Leaving now was worse than death, as every shadow in Narishma would hunt her until she could no longer run. Then continue their hunt in the afterlife so she could never be at peace.

The queen was the only drow amongst the council, her seat at the head of the table, drumming her fingers against the arm of the chair. Sitting on either side of her were the three members of the council.

Do you really expect anything different when you let magic users control part of the government? The cait shidhe, Azrael commented. Like many of the cait shidhe, he was more cat-like than human or elven.

Yet we have a cat trying to decide how we run our own government, Persius grumbled, and scratched his head. He looked elven, but Anjuu knew better to assume after their first encounter years ago.

Like you can talk, dog. Azrael hissed.

Skin walker, thank you.

Mestre, the third in the council raised a hand. She looked elven like Persius, but Anjuu knew at any moment Mestre could change her appearance to anyone in existence without another thought. Can we get back to discussing business? My potions are simmering downstairs and Id rather not let them get ruined because of cats and dogs fighting.

The queen, Kalio, nodded. We have to focus. If that war comes to our borders, then well need to fight.

Those in the council below were oblivious to Anjuus thoughts, thankfully. Instead, they were deep in discussion about a new political war in a nearby country, thanks to a common thief and alchemist. Anjuu knew who they referenced. A team of shadows had been dispatched overseas for the mission. If the two did indeed survive, the shadow guild master would be welcoming them into their guild.

The four councilmembers continued to talk about more gibberish, which no longer interested Anjuu. The queen only required her blades, not her political advice. Her day continued as such, with talk and no threats against anyone in the castle. Not even so much as a sneeze came close to the queen. For shadows who were assigned to merchants or bankers, unlike Anjuu, there was constant action. Here, it was just too quiet.

The council broke from their meeting as the sun began to set. Each left from a different door, followed by younger shadows next to them. Most of the shadows would die within the fortnight, but they were easily replaceable. The only ones not walking with a shadow were Mestre and the queen. Mestre had already killed ten shadow children in training from her experiments and thus no one would ever be assigned to her again.

Anjuu expertly weaved across the wooden beams to the loft. Before her stood what looked like an impenetrable stone wall. To anyone else, it was a dead end, but off to the side, she could see a change in coloration that was almost too faint to detect unless you were looking for it. A small raven perched on top of a dagger. It was the mark for all shadows to traverse undetected.

She pushed the brick in until she could hear a soft click. The remaining bricks split apart to reveal a dark tunnel. Anjuu stepped in and pressed another brick in to close the wall behind her. It was pitch black inside, a secret passage untouched by light for years beyond its entrance. She blinked, adjusting her vision to see despite the lack of light. Everything began to turn a shade of green and she continued forth. It was a genetic trait she thanked the gods for gifting the drow with. The tunnel twisted and turned, always going down. Just a few turns and she would be on the same floor as the council.

Anjuu paused and pressed a loose brick on the wall. Again, a cluster of bricks moved to reveal a hallway filled with statues of men and women holding a lizard skull in their hands or hung above their heads. Past dragon guardians, who had left a large impact on Narishma society, whether for good or bad reasons, represented the balance of light and dark.

The drow had seen these statues enough over the years that the intimidation of the figures was gone, and her eyes shifted to look for her target. The queen, Kalio, was a distance behind, still judging by the clack of her feet. At eye level, Anjuu could admire the queen's regality. When not on the throne, her appearance was always accompanied by simple clothing. Today's choice was an emerald corset with a cloak that tied into a skirt at her midriff. During more formal occasions, she wore gowns that had pieces of armor, to protect herself if Anjuu failed.

She envied her queen's clothing and regality. There were days she imagined being able to stand close and feel the silk brush against her skin. The smell of Kalio devouring her very essence. As a shadow it was forbidden. She had to maintain her distance and never grow that close to her.

Anjuu closed the window and continued down the dark tunnels until she reached another false wall. There was no pause in her movements as she opened a new doorway and stepped out into a large bedroom. She blinked, adjusting herself to the soft light in the room, the green haze dissipating from her vision.

Most of the decorations consisted of items from the drow country in the East, Ombramoor. A small bonsai tree sat next to the windowsill, with a miniature sand garden that reflected the one recently built in the courtyard. Next to the desk was a small cabinet with a small piece of parchment attached inside and the ancient drow language written on the parchment, a butsudan brought over from their home country. Since joining the shadows, she had yet to own one for a few years now. The queens was the only semblance of the drow religion. Once you were a shadow, your old faith was gone, and the new one of death replaced it.

Anjuu shook her head, refocusing her thoughts back to the tasks at hand before Kalio came into the room. She stepped over to the fireplace and bent down to toss more wood in. She then reached for a small vial around her neck. A golden liquid splashed inside that glistened in the dim light. A few drops fell from the vial onto the wood, careful not to lose all of it. In seconds, a smoke rose from the droplets then burst into a roaring fire.