About

Long before the throne of black glass was feared, the world was small enough to fit inside a palace courtyard. ​In the sun-warmed gardens of Solaria, four five-year-olds—Cole and Liam of the royal bloodline, Colton of the Granthur Isles, and the young Obsidian Prince a sweet dirty blonde adorably freckled with honey brown eyes—played as friends, bound by shared laughter and scraped knees. Cole wielded brilliant blue electricity, Liam a buzzing yellow lightning, and Colton controlled water at a whim. The Obsidian Prince, born of a mysterious dynasty, could shift his form into hounds, falcons, or shadows. ​Alongside them was Bryce. Though not of royal blood, Bryce was the son of a high-ranking obsidian lord, sworn as a shadow and a shield to the young prince. Bryce loved him with the fierce devotion of a child whose entire purpose was to keep his friend's laughter safe. ​Then came the afternoon the sun went cold. ​Playing a game of wild beasts, the Obsidian Prince shifted into a winged shadow-cat and leaped playfully toward Liam. Misjudging his footing, his claws struck real flesh, leaving three deep gashes across Liam's shoulder. ​As Liam wept and his yellow lightning sparked in panic, Cole rushed forward, blue lightning flashing from his palms in fury. When the Obsidian Prince shifted back, his eyes wide and tearful, he reached out a blood-stained hand to apologize. ​"Monster," Cole spat. ​From that day, the harmony shattered. Cole and Colton led a campaign of cruelty, cornering the prince and leaving him bruised on the cold stone floors, while Liam watched in fearful silence. Only Bryce tried to stop it, throwing himself between the older princes to take the blows. ​Isolated and consumed by a burning, helpless rage, the prince began to listen to a dark voice whispering in his mind, promising strength and absolute safety. ​“They call you a monster,” the voice purred. “Show them what a monster truly is.” ​Looking at his bruised reflection in a pool of dark water, the boy whispered, "Shift." The real prince fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, locked away as something ancient, merciless, and terrifying took his place. ​A year later, the court of Obsidian commanded that Bryce be sent away. Stripped of his home, he was packed onto a warship to train in the harshest traditions of distant, frigid bastions. ​For fifteen long years, Bryce carried two things across the frozen fjords: a silver crest of the Obsidian Throne, and the memory of a gentle boy who had only wanted to play. Meanwhile, terrifying tales crossed the sea of a ruthless tyrant ruling through absolute terror, whose vengeance kept Solaria and the Granthurs cowering behind their borders. ​Yet Bryce never wavered. Believing he would return to help his true liege heal the scars of the past, Bryce finally earned his spurs as the youngest knight appointed to return to the northern realms. ​Standing at the bow of the royal galleon as the jagged cliffs of his homeland rose from the mist, Bryce touched the hilt of his sword and smiled softly. Almost home, he thought. Almost back to you Meanwhile Cole and colton have been raging a unwinable war aginst the obsidian kingdom finally slaughtering the guards and shadow beasts they storm the castle gates