Shadow King's Ruthless Bargain

Bree Matthews, reeling from trauma and betrayal, makes a desperate pact with Erebus—the Shadow King, secretly the Order's greatest enemy. She bargains for training and protection, but Erebus manipulates the terms, binding her with an unbreakable, unregulated demon oath. She becomes his "investment," her power bloodmarked and her fate entwined with his. The price: a future demand, unknown and terrifying, and the surrender of Excalibur, the symbol of her lineage. Bree's choice severs her from her friends and the Legendborn Order, setting her on a path to become a weapon for the Shadow King, even as she fears what she's lost—and what she's becoming.

Training in Demon's Lair

Erebus whisks Bree across the world, hiding her in his lair and subjecting her to brutal, relentless training. He strips away her titles and illusions, forcing her to confront her own fractured sense of self. Bree meets the cambion twins, Zoe and Elijah, who test her defenses and hunger for her power. Erebus's lessons are harsh: Bree must learn to seal her magic, to hide from predators, and to survive among demons who see her as prey. Every mistake is punished, every vulnerability exploited. Bree's only way forward is to master her root, to become untouchable, unstoppable, and impervious—no longer a girl, but a weapon.

Cambion Twins' Test

Erebus sets Bree against Zoe and Elijah in a deadly game of hide-and-seek, forcing her to seal her power or be devoured. The twins, hungry for her root, nearly succeed, but Bree's inherited bloodmark—Erebus's ancient claim—burns them away. The lesson is clear: Bree's power is both a lure and a curse, and her bloodmark is a warning to all demons. She learns the true cost of bargains, the dangers of being prey, and the necessity of control. The twins' rivalry and Erebus's manipulation reveal the complex, predatory hierarchy of demonkind, and Bree's place within it.

Bloodmark's Deadly Price

Erebus exploits Bree's incomplete bargain, binding her with a bloodmark that enforces his claim and threatens her loved ones. When Bree's emotions spiral, her power leaks uncontrollably, endangering herself and others. Erebus, frustrated by her lack of control, alters the bloodmark to monitor her root at any distance. In a cruel twist, he erases Bree's memories of her friends and family—not with mesmer, but by severing her soul. Bree is left with only emotional echoes of those she's lost: longing, guilt, regret. Her power grows, but her sense of self and connection to her past is shattered.

Legendborn Fractured and Hunted

While Bree is lost, the Legendborn Order reels. Nick, wracked with guilt and rage, invokes an ancient curia to force the Regents' hand, outmaneuvering them into granting him a quest to hunt the Morgaines. The Order's Merlins are being murdered, the Table is fractured, and the Regents' cruelty is exposed. William, Lark, and the others struggle to protect their own, even as the Regents pursue their own secret, ruthless agenda. The cost of power, loyalty, and survival grows ever steeper, and the war against the Shadowborn—and within the Order—intensifies.

Morgaines and the Missing Crown

Nick's quest leads him to Ava, leader of the Morgaines, who manipulates him into helping her recover the Shadow King's lost crown. The Morgaines' history of magical experimentation and possession is revealed, as is the true nature of the crown: a living weapon, forged by the King, that can only be wielded by his true heir. Nick bargains for a shard of the crown to protect Bree from Arthur's possession, embedding it in his own chest at great personal risk. The lines between ally and enemy blur, and the cost of every bargain grows.

Warlocks and Rootcrafter Girls

A wave of kidnappings targets Rootcrafter girls, whose power is harvested and trafficked by warlocks and demons. Bree, haunted by the memory of a girl she failed to save, learns that the Order—led by the Regents—has turned to studying and exploiting Rootcrafter magic, seeking to replicate Bree's unique power. The missing girls' plight becomes a rallying point, exposing the Order's willingness to sacrifice innocents for supremacy. Bree's guilt and determination to save them drive her to risk everything, even as her own soul remains fractured.

Penumbra's Deadly Auction

Bree, Zoe, Mariah, and Nick infiltrate Mikael's Penumbra estate, where the King's crown and the Rootcrafter girls' power are to be auctioned to the highest bidder. Disguised and forced to play roles—fiancées, sisters, curators—they navigate a world of wealthy, amoral Collectors, warlocks, and Nightshades. Mikael's communions force confessions as tribute, feeding his hunger for human pain. The group's plans unravel as the auction's stakes are revealed: not just artifacts, but living girls, sold as power sources. The cost of rescue is higher than any of them imagined.

Mikael's Communion of Secrets

Mikael's communions are public rituals of forced confession, where guests' darkest secrets are extracted and consumed as food. Nick volunteers to take Bree's place, enduring ten questions that expose his guilt, grief, and love for Bree and Sel. The audience, hungry for pain, is complicit in the spectacle. Mikael's magic is invasive, his power sharpened by centuries among humans. The communions reveal the true nature of the Collectors' society: a cult of greed, cruelty, and complicity, where suffering is entertainment and power is built on the backs of the vulnerable.

Nick's Sacrificial Confession

Nick's communion becomes a public act of self-sacrifice. He confesses his failures, his love for Bree, his grief for Sel, and his relief and heartache at their happiness. He takes on Bree's pain as his own, shielding her from Mikael's magic and the audience's gaze. The ordeal leaves him raw, but it also exposes the depth of his loyalty and the cost of his choices. The communion is both a crucible and a reckoning, forcing Nick—and Bree—to confront the truth of their bond and the price of survival.

Bree's Soul Fractured

After the rescue, Valec examines Bree's soul and discovers the truth: Erebus has severed a piece of her soul, taking her memories and her connections to those she loves. The cut is precise, a surgeon's theft, not a glutton's feast. Valec reveals that only Bree and Erebus together can restore what was lost, but warns that the King may have destroyed the fragment. Bree's soul, scarred but resilient, has healed over the break, driven by her relentless will to help others. The cost of her choices is written in her very being.

Selwyn's Demonic Ascension

Selwyn, lost to demonia, escapes his mother's care and becomes a force of chaos and hunger. His connection to Bree's root is revealed as a bloodmark, inherited and now active. Sel's power is terrifying, his desires insatiable, and his loyalty uncertain. He is both threat and ally, a wild card whose actions could tip the balance of the war. His transformation is both a tragedy and a new beginning, as he claims his place in the unfolding conflict.

The Crown's True Heir

In a climactic confrontation, Sel seizes the King's crown, surviving the Morgaine enchantment and revealing himself as the Shadow King's true heir. The crown transforms him, not into a corpse, but into a new kind of ruler—a prince of both demon and human worlds. The implications are staggering: the cycle of power, inheritance, and violence is not broken, but reborn. Sel's ascension is both a victory and a warning, as the lines between friend and foe, human and demon, blur beyond recognition.

Reunion and Ruthless Mercy

Bree confronts Erebus, demanding the return of her soul fragment in exchange for the crown. With Nick's help, she traps the King, faces the ghosts of his victims, and asserts her own power. She chooses to reclaim her soul, even at the cost of Alice's life, becoming ruthless in her mercy. The restoration is both a healing and a scar, as Bree's memories, emotions, and connections flood back. She is whole, but changed—her soul marked by loss, love, and the will to survive.

The Cost of Power

The aftermath reveals the true cost of power. The Order, desperate to control what it cannot understand, experiments on Rootcrafters and seeks to replicate Bree's abilities. The rescued girls are reunited with their families, but the trauma lingers. Bree's soul, though restored, bears the scars of her choices. The war is not over; the cycle of violence, exploitation, and resistance continues. Bree, Nick, Sel, and their allies must reckon with what they have become—and what they are willing to do to survive.

Restoring the Missing Girls

With the help of Valec, Mariah, and their allies, Bree and Nick rescue the missing Rootcrafter girls from the Order's clutches. The reunion with their families is bittersweet, a moment of hope amid the darkness. Bree's own reunion with her father and friends is a healing, as her memories and connections return. The power of community, love, and chosen family is affirmed, even as the threats remain. The cost of rescue is high, but the value of every life is made clear.

The Soul's Scar and Choice

Valec reveals that Bree's soul, though restored, is forever changed. The scar tissue is a testament to her resilience, her refusal to give up, and her ability to heal even in the face of loss. Bree chooses a new path—not just to fight, but to lead, to love, and to live. The practice of loving, of choosing hope, becomes her antidote to grief. The cycle of violence is not broken, but Bree's will to rise, to become more than a weapon, is unshakable.

Becoming Ruthless, Becoming Whole

In the end, Bree is no longer the girl who ran from the Order, nor the weapon forged by the Shadow King. She is ruthless, but her mercy is her own. She is whole, but her soul is marked by every choice, every loss, every act of love. The war is not over, but Bree, Nick, Sel, and their allies are ready to face it—together, as themselves. The Legendborn cycle continues, but the future is unwritten, and the power to shape it lies in their hands.

Characters

Bree Matthews

Bree is the heart of the story—a Black teenage girl who has lost her mother, been betrayed by the Order, and forced to bargain with a demon for survival. Her journey is one of trauma, resilience, and transformation. Bree's power is unique: she is both Legendborn and Rootcrafter, her root Bloodcrafted by her ancestor Vera and marked by the Shadow King. Her soul is fractured by Erebus's manipulation, leaving her without memories of her loved ones and only emotional echoes. Bree's psychological arc is one of reclaiming agency, forging her own identity, and learning to be ruthless without losing her mercy. Her relationships—with Nick, Sel, Alice, and her found family—are the anchors that help her heal and rise, even as she is forced to make impossible choices.

Erebus / The Shadow King / Arawn

Erebus is the story's central antagonist and Bree's reluctant mentor. He is the Shadow King, the Order's greatest enemy, and a master of manipulation, bargains, and psychological warfare. He binds Bree with a bloodmark, exploits her trauma, and severs her soul to control her. Yet he also trains her, pushing her to become untouchable and ruthless. Erebus's relationship with Bree is complex: he is both predator and teacher, fascinated by her resilience and power. His own motivations are rooted in revenge against Arthur and the Order, and his ultimate goal is to reclaim his crown and restore his Court. Erebus's psychological depth lies in his ancient loneliness, his need for control, and his inability to understand or value true human connection.

Nick Davis

Nick is Bree's primary ally, love interest, and the Scion of Lancelot. Raised to believe he was the Scion of Arthur, Nick's identity is upended when Bree pulls Excalibur. He is haunted by guilt, trauma, and the violence of his upbringing, but his loyalty to Bree and Sel is unwavering. Nick's psychological journey is one of self-sacrifice, strategic brilliance, and the struggle to balance love and duty. He bargains with Ava for a shard of the crown to protect Bree, embedding it in his own chest at great risk. Nick's relationship with Bree is marked by longing, restraint, and a deep, mutual recognition. He is willing to die for her, but ultimately chooses to live—and to help her reclaim her soul.

Selwyn Kane

Sel is Bree's former protector, Nick's bonded Kingsmage, and the story's wild card. After consuming Bree's root to save her, Sel descends into demonia, becoming a force of hunger and chaos. His power is terrifying, his desires insatiable, and his loyalty uncertain. Sel's psychological arc is one of loss, transformation, and the search for identity beyond the Order's definitions. His relationship with Bree is charged with guilt, affection, and a dangerous intimacy. When he claims the King's crown and survives, Sel is revealed as the Shadow King's true heir—a prince of both demon and human worlds, and a new kind of ruler.

Zoe and Elijah

Zoe and Elijah are balanced cambion twins, wards of Erebus, and Bree's reluctant allies. Zoe is fierce, impulsive, and protective; Elijah is strategic, ambitious, and desperate for approval. Their relationship with Bree is fraught with rivalry, suspicion, and eventual solidarity. The twins' psychological depth lies in their struggle for identity, belonging, and autonomy within the demon hierarchy. Their hunger for power and recognition mirrors Bree's own journey, and their choices force her to confront the costs of survival and loyalty.

Mariah

Mariah is a Rootcrafter and Medium who helps rescue the missing girls and supports Bree through her soul's fracture and restoration. She is grounded, compassionate, and brave, offering both practical help and emotional wisdom. Mariah's relationship with Bree is one of chosen family, and her own journey is about learning to act, not just plan. She is a bridge between the living and the dead, and her presence affirms the power of community and ancestral connection.

Valec

Valec is a centuries-old cambion, power broker, and Mariah's family. He is both a survivor and a protector, using his unique abilities to read souls and bargains. Valec's relationship with Bree is marked by tough love, disappointment, and eventual reconciliation. He helps diagnose Bree's fractured soul and reveals the truth about Erebus's theft. Valec's psychological arc is about making amends, accepting his own limitations, and choosing new paths.

William

William is the Scion of Gawain, a healer, and one of Bree's closest friends. He is compassionate, principled, and quietly courageous, often putting others' needs before his own. William's psychological journey is about learning to value himself, to heal his own wounds, and to stand up to the Order's corruption. His relationship with Bree is one of deep trust and mutual support.

Ava

Ava is the cunning, ambitious leader of the Morgaines, manipulating Nick and others to recover the crown. Her history is one of magical experimentation, possession, and survival. Ava's relationship with Nick is transactional, marked by bargains and betrayals. She is both a rival and a mirror to Bree, embodying the costs of power and the dangers of unchecked ambition.

Alice

Alice is Bree's best friend, left in a magical coma after the events at Volition. Her fate is a constant source of guilt and motivation for Bree. Alice's presence in the story is both literal and symbolic: she represents the cost of Bree's choices, the pain of loss, and the hope of restoration. Her struggle in purgatory is a parallel to Bree's own fractured soul.

Plot Devices

Demon Bargains and Bloodmarks

The story's central engine is the demon bargain: an unregulated, unbalanced pact that binds Bree to Erebus. The bloodmark is both a literal and symbolic device, enforcing Erebus's claim, threatening her loved ones, and serving as a conduit for power, surveillance, and manipulation. The bargain's loopholes, debts, and prices drive the plot, forcing Bree to confront the costs of agency

Last updated: May 26, 2025