Shadowborn (Trascendents Series, #1)

Prologue

Author's Note:

Just so there is no confusion, allow me to give a bit of explanation to the unit of measurement of time used in this novel. As you (hopefully) read in the story's description, a curse fell on the land of Oraia due to an evil sorcerer's actions, and once that sorcerer was in a position of power, they started counting the years that passed based on the day of the fall of the curse. For example, they referred to the first year after the fall of the curse as 1 P.F., or 1st year Post Fall. This way of tracking time was then adopted by the rest of the kingdoms and you will probably be seeing a lot of it throughout the course of this book, so I thought I'd explain that now as to avoid confusion.

Also, there is a photo of an execution block attached to this chapter for anyone wondering what it looks like.

Now that we have that out of the way, please continue reading. I hope you enjoy. :)

Prologue

KAEN HIGHBROOKE – RAVENDELL, 1067 P.F.

Screams pierced the silence of dawn like a blade, and Kaen Highbrooke felt the sting of that blade as if it had been plunged straight through his heart. The first sudden cry had roused him from his dreams and for a moment he lay motionless upon his mattress, disoriented still from slumber and confused, for no one in Oraia would dare disturb the peace in such a way. He had to wonder if he'd merely dreamt it. But then a second scream followed not a moment later, louder and more insistent this time, and Kaen threw back his blankets and scrambled out of bed, for he knew his mind was not so great as to have imagined this one. As he hurried to dress, a third scream sounded, and Kaen quickly pulled on his boots when he recognized in it the high pitch of youth. Oraian children were taught from a very young age that it was better to be seen and not heard, and that they should never raise their voices; this could only mean that something was terribly wrong.

In mere minutes, he stood fully dressed at a window that looked out onto the cobblestone streets of this part of Ravendell, onto the town square where the execution block stood like a threat. Kaen finished tying off his belt and peered through the curtains, and he saw that something was indeed terribly wrong: two powerful-looking men, armed to the teeth in iron, were dragging a man from his home to the bloodstained block of stone in the center of the square. He didn't look capable of inflicting much damage as his hands remained unshackled, and he appeared so thin and fragile that a light tap on the shoulder would have been enough to bruise him. The poor soul had probably stolen a loaf of bread from the bakery: a crime unreasonably punishable by death in Ravendell, due to the ever-present fear of starvation instilled by a time of famine a few years back.

There was no telling how old the man truly was for lack of food had hollowed out his cheekbones and pulled his features taut. His hair was a dull silver color that could have been an indication to his age, but it was also not uncommon for a magic wielder to be born with such a trait. All that could truly be recognized about the man was the pure grief in his expression that made even the flaming color of his eyes seem dull and sad. As he was dragged, knees scraping against the cobblestones of the road, he was silent as the dead man he would soon surely be, making no move to defy the men flanking him on either side. Standing frozen just inside the door of the man's home, a woman and a young boy--presumably the man's wife and son--stood just as silent, not daring so much as to cross the threshold of their home and step outside. A young girl--no doubt the man's daughter--however, was rushing out the door after him. Another scream loosed from her small form, and Kaen recognized that the screams that had woken him had been hers. Even as a third armored man was given the order to keep her quiet and away from her father, she continued to scream while she thrashed against the man's grip around her. Her reaction was distinctly different from that of her mother and brother – unlike the reactions of any Oraian who had ever had a loved one condemned to the execution block, for that matter – and Kaen knew that reaction had far more meaning than most would ever know, and he also knew it would cost her if he did not do something about it.