Shadeslinger Novels & Stories

"We're being hunted." Shadows detach from the walls-not cultists, nor crows. *Shades* of the First Wolves' prey, their antlers splintered, pelts riddled with phantom arrows. The citadel isn't a sanctuary. It's a snare, baited with Lila's crows and our desperation. Eden's scar flares as the shades charge. He raises a hand, and the nearest shade implodes, reduced to hoarfrost. But more come, endless, their anguish a weapon. Kael lunges, ripping through a stag's throat, but the ice re-forms instantly.

And he remembered the woman who had helped him flee—the one who whispered in Old Shadowborne as the alarms blared: “I have a little girl here. Just a little younger than you. One day… I’ll do the same for her.” His heart thundered as he opened the drawer. File after file. Most redacted. Most stamped “Deceased.” But one wasn’t. Subject 21-B Status: Escaped | Presumed Dead Lineage: Dragon-enhanced | Shadowborne fusion | Mother: High-tier shadow sorceress (missing) Power Level: Suppressed due to magical trauma | Potential: Extreme | Instability: High Notable Traits: Heterochromia (blue/green), irregular freckles, reactive shadow aura.

An image of a woman with unnervingly dark, knowing eyes and a cruel, painted smile appeared on the screen. She swiped to the next file. "Whisper-in-Shadow. A Fae assassin who can literally parasitize a target's shadow, becoming one with it. The entry says not even a Prime Alpha's senses can detect him until the moment of the killing blow." The corresponding image was a swirling vortex of darkness, vaguely humanoid, a shape that seemed to hurt the eyes to look at.

I couldn’t comprehend the amount of information I had that day. I could see the entrance getting closer, as a shadow stepped out from the doors as my vision blurred, and I fell. I had nothing left in me; the darkness cascaded down around me as I was dragged into the abyss.

Lyra sat on the floor with us, her violet crystal glowing brighter as it neared the pages. “The Shadow-Fang use Void-Steel,” Lyra explained, her fingers tracing the drawings of the dark blades I had seen in my vision. “It’s forged in blood and cooled in the dark of the moon. Normal shields won't stop it. It cuts through any wolf’s and poisons the soul.” “Then how do we stop it?” Kael asked, his jaw tight. “If Alaeric goes out there with normal steel, he’s a dead man.”

For the final time, I vocalize the bitter, agonizing truths that have taken root in my mind. "Nobody loves you, Raegan. Nobody is out there searching for you. There is no one coming to save you from this hell," I whisper, my jaw shaking uncontrollably as the words leave my mouth. I wrap my fingers tightly around the cold, rusted iron, raising my hand until the jagged tip of the nail is pressed firmly against the sensitive skin of my throat.

Amelia replied, stretching her legs on the couch. She lay on the couch and rested her head on my lap with a throw pillows clutched to her chest. A few minutes after she dozed off, Ellan's call came in just when I was expecting it. "Is Alpha Axel worth it?" I asked. "Yeah, he was the one I looked up to. His profile is still intact and he's an obedient servant to the Lycan King's throne," Ellan replied. "Hope he doesn't have any bad records?" I asked.

The Priests. They despised us—especially Priest Achille. He had always looked at Elora and me with disdain, as if we were something filthy that had crawled out from beneath a rock. He believed we were Shades, a term used for shifters who were part demons. Shades were hunted in our pack, dragged out into the woods and killed before they could become a threat. No one knew for sure if someone was a Shade until they shifted for the first time. That's when the demon blood, if it existed, would reveal itself in the form of glowing red eyes and shadows for fur.

Face was covered in blood from wiping away the stains of hair that fell in my face and the sweat because it felt like a damn workout. In my eyes you are a pussy when you think you only need a fucking gun to protect yourself, thinking you are the men and no person in their right man would think to challenge , would fear you just at the mere sight of a gun but not me apparently. I’m not anyone, I’m Aaliyah, assassin of the Italian mafia known as Shadow of death.

My eyes locked on the needle as it slowed, slowed… and clicked to a stop on a simple, hooded cloak. S-Tier Artifact: Shroud of Unseeing Description: Renders the wearer completely undetectable by visual, auditory, and low-level psychic means for durations scaling with user stamina. A perfect infiltration tool. A predator’s tool. My smile turned sharp. “I can work with this.” The System’s voice, bland and final, echoed. “Rewards delivered. Player extraction in 3… 2… 1…” The white void vanished. I didn’t even get a chance to open my virtual inventory.