Chapter 1 THE BRIDE IN CHAINS

The silk of my wedding dress felt like a shroud. It was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. Instead, it was the day I learned that love is a lie and family is a blade in the dark.

"Aria Valencrest," the high priest's voice boomed through the cathedral. "You are accused of poisoning the Great Tree and conspiring with the forbidden cults of the Abyss. Do you deny these sins?"

I looked at the man standing at the altar. Kael Draven. My fiancé. The man I had loved since we were children. He stood tall in his silver armor, his blue eyes cold and unmoving. He didn't look at me with love. He looked at me with disgust.

"Kael, please," I whispered, my voice trembling. "You know me. I’ve spent my life healing the sick. Why would I destroy the kingdom?"

Kael stepped forward. He didn't take my hand. He drew his sword. The tip of the sacred blade touched my throat.

"The evidence is clear, Aria," he said, his voice like ice. "The poison was found in your chambers. Your own sister saw you chanting the dark rites. Your kindness was just a mask."

"My sister?" I turned my head, looking at Seraphina.

She was kneeling nearby, her hands clasped in prayer. Her golden hair caught the light, making her look like a perfect angel. Tears streamed down her face, but when our eyes met for a split second, the grief vanished. In its place was a sharp, wicked triumph.

She had done this.

"Aria, how could you?" Seraphina sobbed, her voice loud enough for the entire court to hear. "I tried to stop you! I begged you not to touch the dark magic, but you were so jealous of my growing power. You wanted to kill us all!"

The crowd gasped. The nobles who once bowed to me now spat on the floor.

"Traitor!" they screamed. "Witch! Kill the fallen princess!"

The high priest raised his staff. "Aria Valencrest, by the laws of Luminaire, you are stripped of your royal name. Your divine healing magic is hereby sealed. You are sentenced to the Abyss of No Return."

My heart stopped. The Abyss was a hole in the earth where light died. No one ever came back.

"Kael, wait!" I cried as the guards grabbed my arms. "Seraphina is lying! Check her room! Check her hands!"

Kael didn't listen. He sheathed his sword and turned his back on me. "I never truly knew you, Aria. Take her away. She is no longer my bride."

The guards dragged me from the cathedral. I fought. I screamed until my throat was raw. I looked back one last time and saw Seraphina moving toward Kael. She placed a hand on his arm, comforting him. He didn't pull away.

That was the moment my heart broke. And in its place, something cold began to grow.

They dragged me to the edge of the world. The Great Rift stayed hidden behind the palace, a swirling vortex of purple and black smoke. It smelled like rot and ancient death.

The guards didn't hesitate. They unceremoniously shoved me over the edge.

I fell.

The wind ripped my wedding veil away. The light of the sun grew smaller and smaller until it was just a tiny pinprick of gold in the sky. Then, there was only black.

I hit the bottom with a bone-shattering thud. I should have died. Any human would have died. But I lay there in the mud and bones, my body broken, my lungs gasping for air that tasted like ash.

It hurts, I thought. It hurts so much.

"Do you want to live?"

The voice didn't come from a person. It came from the shadows themselves. It sounded like a thousand snakes crawling over dry leaves.

"Who... who is there?" I coughed, spitting out blood.

"A forgotten god," the voice whispered. "A hunger that never ends. You are empty, little princess. Your light is gone. They took it from you. They are laughing in the sun while you bleed in the dark."

Images flashed in my mind: Kael kissing Seraphina’s hand. Seraphina is wearing my crown. The kingdom is cheering for my death.

A hot, searing rage flared in my chest. It was stronger than the pain.

"I want them to pay," I wheezed. "I want to see them crawl."

"Then let us make a deal," the shadow hissed. "I will give you a new life. I will give you power that the sun cannot touch. But you will never be a healer again. To survive, you must devour. You must consume the very magic that betrayed you."

"I don't care," I snarled, clutching the dirt. "Give it to me."

The shadows lunged.

Black tendrils wrapped around my limbs, sinking into my skin like needles. I screamed as the darkness flooded my veins, burning away the last of my warmth. My silver-gold hair turned black at the tips. My soul felt like it was being torn apart and stitched back together with thorns.

I am coming back, I promised myself through the agony. I will wear a different face. I will walk among you as a ghost. And I will burn Luminaire to the ground.

Suddenly, the darkness around me began to tremble. A massive, hooded figure emerged from the gloom, its eyes glowing with a terrifying violet light. It reached out a skeletal hand toward my face.

"Go then," the entity whispered. "The palace has a new maid. But remember, little princess... the more you eat, the less human you become."

I closed my eyes. When I opened them, I wasn't in the Abyss anymore.

I was standing at the back gates of the Royal Palace, dressed in the rough gray wool of a servant. My face was different, thinner, paler, and unrecognizable.

The heavy iron gates creaked open. A head maid stood there, looking at me with a frown.

"You’re the new girl from the village?" she barked. "Move it! The King is hosting a feast to celebrate Princess Seraphina’s engagement to Sir Kael. We need more hands in the ballroom."

I bowed my head, hiding the violet spark in my eyes.

"Yes, Mistress," I said softly.

I walked into the palace, my heart beating with a steady, murderous rhythm. I passed the Great Hall, and there he was. Kael. He was laughing at something Seraphina said.

Then, he stopped. He turned his head, his sharp eyes scanning the corridor. He looked right at me.

His brow furrowed. He walked toward me, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

"You," he called out. "Stop right there."