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The Shadow Gate (Dragon Spirits Book 2), page 1
THE SHADOW GATE
DRAGON SPIRITS: BOOK 2
L.L. MACRAE
First published in Great Britain in 2023.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
All characters and events in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
The Shadow Gate © 2023 L.L. MacRae
Cover by: Psycat Studios
Maps by: Domino44maps
www.llmacrae.com
For Pipkin,
Who brings so much joy, love, and happiness to my life.
And also lets me write all day.
ALSO BY L. L. MACRAE
DRAGON SPIRITS
NOVELS
The Iron Crown
The Shadow Gate
NOVELLAS
The Citrine Key
WORLD OF LINARIA
NOVELS
Moroda
Palom
Amarah
Isa
NOVELLAS
Rise of a Sky Pirate
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Summary of The Iron Crown
Part I
1. The Ruins
2. The Sister
3. The Escape
4. The Pirate
5. The Task
6. The Promise
7. The Bones
8. The Sword
9. The Fortress
10. The Archon Of Lightning
11. The Castaway
12. The Storm
13. The Forest
14. The Rot
15. The Challenge
16. The Shadow
17. The Outpost
Part II
18. The Taint
19. The Betrayer
20. The Darkness
21. The Report
22. The Blizzard
23. The Wolf
24. The Spirit Of Gold
25. The Hairpin
26. The Archon Of Ice
27. The Ambush
28. The Attack
29. The Palace
30. The Shell
31. The Bargain
Part III
32. The Lie
33. The Reunion
34. The Search
35. The Gathering
36. The Race
37. The Blessed
38. The Pledge
39. The Trick
40. The Summons
41. The Garden
42. The Cavern
43. The Corrupted
44. The Griffin
45. The Shadow Gate
Epilogue
Note From The Author
Preview of The World Of Linaria Book 1: Moroda
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I cannot thank Olivia enough.
She has been instrumental in the building of this book—from its foundations right through to the finish line. With our weekly calls, late-night brainstorming, and her honesty when something wasn’t working well, without her, this book would be a shadow of itself.
So much of what is good in The Shadow Gate comes from Olivia, and I am a better author—and person—because of her.
Thank you again to Eike W., my chief curse writer, who helped create so many of the mysterious and magical verses in this book.
My eternal gratitude goes out to Ian, Josephine, Laura, and Maxine, my unflappable beta readers, who gave me critique and confidence in equal measure, and have been stalwart guides during the writing process. Additional and particular thanks also goes to Iznib and Spectacle for stepping up to be last minute beta readers and taking on a mammoth reading task in not much time!
This team has helped shape the book, from cutting away the fat and adding in detail where needed, to influencing some of the better decisions and changes for both characters and plot. This book would not be what it is without them.
I would also like to thank a number of people for their unending support, assistance, and kind words. This includes all my fellow SPFBO7 Finalists, but especially, Kerstin, Tim, Clayton, Krystle, Taya, and Jen. It also includes several shining beacons in the indie fantasy community: Andrew, Craig, Dom, Esmay, Terry, Tufty, and countless others.
Their encouragement kept me going when the finish line seemed so very far away.
A final thank you goes to my incredible Egg and Tea Dragon patrons, Spectacle Cat, Lizz Turner, Becca Fowell, Lisa Woods, Kevin Hurley, Roondawg Valhalla, Andrew Burns, Zookie Cartoons, Dom McDermott, and Amy Tomlinson, whose support has directly contributed to the creation of this book.
To anyone who reads this, I am eternally grateful.
It would mean the world and more if you would be kind enough to review The Shadow Gate.
SUMMARY OF THE IRON CROWN
Fenn, a young man with no memory of anything bar his own name, awakens in a bog on the Isle of Salt. He is immediately accosted by Hassen, the Dragon Spirit of Salt Ash Forest, who takes an interest in him. Hassen flies through Fenn, giving him a brief glimpse into the life energy of the forest and—unbeknownst to Fenn—bonds with him.
Fenn soon encounters Calidra and her partner, Jisyel, two residents of the island. Taking pity on his bedraggled state, they take him back to the inn owned by Jisyel’s grandmother to rest. Calidra receives a letter from her estranged mother notifying her that her father—the Laird of a canton in Bragalia—has died, and she is being summoned for the funeral. She hasn’t been home in seven years, blaming herself for her sister’s death and ruined relationship with her mother—a response to the abuse she suffered at her mother’s hand as a child. Used to running away, Calidra must now face her past.
Needing to cross from the Isle of Salt to Bragalia for the funeral, Calidra and Jisyel decide to take Fenn with them. If nothing else, the Queen’s Inquisitors can deal with him. Jisyel, cursed by Hassen some time ago, also wants to use the travel opportunity to potentially find a way to remove it.
While resting at an inn in Bragalia, they encounter Torsten, the queen’s Master Inquisitor. He tries to arrest Fenn, claiming there are many “lost souls” he has picked up recently, and with his lack of memory, Fenn could be one of them. However, he is thwarted at the last moment when the former Porsenthian General, Varlot, steps in to defend Fenn.
Things immediately escalate when a shadow-like creature attacks the town. Torsten, Varlot, and Calidra step in to fight it off, but Jisyel and Fenn are washed into the river during the scuffle. Torsten believes the creature to be one of the Myr’s spirits—which should be impossible with the Iron Crown in power. He leaves town to investigate further, whilst Calidra and Varlot search for Jisyel and Fenn. On his way back to the capital city, Torsten stops at his hometown, Tonmouth, and visits the shrine of Miroth—the dragon spirit to whom he is bonded.
Miroth confirms the creature Torsten fought is one of the Myrish death spirits. It means the Myr are returning and Tassar is no longer safe. There is only one reason this could be happening, as he confirms with Queen Surayo on his return to the capital: one of the ancient and powerful Myrish artefacts—The Citrine Key—was not destroyed five years ago as had been promised.
Stranded with no supplies, Fenn and Jisyel turn to a nearby temple for help, and meet one of the priestesses, Selys. She has seen many people begging for aid recently, all of whom later died. As Fenn’s symptoms are similar to these people, she states he has been touched by the Myr and will likely die soon. Only a powerful spirit can undo Fenn’s curse—there is an ancient Myrish construct in the far north of Porsenthia, and this might be able to help him. In service to her own dragon spirit, Neros, Selys wishes to learn more about Fenn and the Myr, and agrees to lead them through the country.
Elsewhere, Calidra is beside herself with worry for Jisyel. Varlot convinces her to move on—she has a funeral to get to. Despite a successful career within the Porsenthian army and a charismatic charm that easily attracts people to him, Varlot is plagued by alcoholism, gambling debts, and a violent nature that bubbles just below the surface. Naturally suspicious—a survival instinct—Calidra has no choice but to work with Varlot, though she does not trust the man.
Begrudgingly, they make their way through Bragalia towards her hometown, Fellwood. On the way, they are attacked by another shadow-like creature, saved only by the arrival of an Olmese warrior on his war-griffin. Amsel, the warrior, confirms the Myr are returning and the warriors of Olmir are gathering to defend Tassar from their advance.
Amsel flies Calidra and Varlot to Fellwood, and Calidra makes it back in time for her father’s funeral. Her terror of her mother, Furyn, gives way to an explosive reunion. It is fuelled by Furyn’s refusal to support her search for Jisyel—whom Calidra dreads is drowned—as well as the revelation that Furyn had lied to her for years—Calidra’s sister, Malora, is alive and living in northern Porsenthia.
Fenn, Jisyel, and Selys make their way to Fellwood. Along the way, Fenn sees more shadow-like creatures—his curse seemingly enabling him to observe spirits and magic of Myrish origin. After they all reunite, Furyn throws everyone out of Fellwood so she can focus on defending the canton from the encroaching Myr alongside a battalion of Olmese griffin riders.
Desperate to reach the Myrish construct before his time runs out, Fenn pushes north
Pressing on through the trees, Jisyel cuts her leg on a venomous plant known as Tanglethorn and subsequently collapses. After recuperating in a nearby village for a few hours, and so close to Alnothen’s shrine, Jisyel begs to go there, as Alnothen might be powerful enough to lift the curse placed upon her by Hassen.
Although forbidden, Calidra implores Varlot to carry Jisyel through the trees to the shrine. Alnothen agrees to release Jisyel from her curse if she becomes one of her priestesses—forsaking all other things in life and devoting herself entirely to the spirit. Knowing what such a bond demands after seeing her sister beholden to a dragon spirit, Calidra begs Jisyel to refuse. Angered and further offended by Varlot’s presence, Alnothen warns them off her domain.
As the group crosses the deadlands, Fenn is accosted by visions and memories of a great battle held there several years prior: the Myr against the forces of the Iron Crown. He sees Varlot and Torsten in the battlefield, along with the death and destruction left in the wake of the Myr.
Upon reaching Tonmouth, the group rests. Miroth is the dragon spirit of a nearby lake, and Varlot confirms Torsten was born here. Having seen the Master Inquisitor behave erratically, it is suggested he might be bonded with the slowly dying spirit, and giving in to Miroth’s whims. They send messages to their loved ones and board a ship that will take them the rest of the way.
Fenn, Varlot, and Selys disembark part-way through the journey, as the Myrish construct is in a cave in the Nethal mountains. Calidra and Jisyel remain onboard as it will sail around the mountains to Foxmouth—where Malora lives. As the group says their goodbyes, two Inquisitors meet them—ready to arrest Fenn. Varlot sent word of the Myr-touched, “lost soul,” and is ready to claim his reward after betraying him. Selys fights off all three Inquisitors, then she and Fenn flee into the snowy mountains, though injured.
In Foxmouth, Malora’s husband—and former thief—Apollo plays with their young daughter, Renys. This is cut short by the arrival of Inquisitor Nadja, who arrests Apollo for high treason and drags him away. Queen Surayo had commanded Apollo to destroy the Citrine Key in exchange for a full pardon five years prior. She believes he failed in that duty, otherwise the Myr would not be back. Apollo denies any wrongdoing, but is brought to the palace for questioning. At Apollo’s request, Nadja sends a message to his wife informing her of his situation and likely imminent execution.
Torsten tortures Apollo for information using a Myrish spell made living. This creature absorbs memories, and he uses it to find out Apollo’s truth. Although Apollo fights back, the creature learns what he did—and did not do—five years previously. Before Torsten learns this, the palace is attacked by the Myr.
Apollo manages to escape in the chaos, commandeering one of the Olmese war-griffins and flying away—but not before he steals the Myrish spell and dumps it in the Lasseen Ocean when they fly over it. Toriaken, Spirit of Iron, rises from the palace to defend the city against the Myr. In the wake of the enormous dragon, the griffin is blown off course, and Apollo crashes into the nearby woodland.
On the waters outside Foxmouth, Neros rises to face a Myrish attack on a second front. Boats capsize and people are flung into the sea—Calidra and Jisyel included. Calidra passes out after losing her strength in the water, but is pulled into a small fishing boat. Malora and others are scouring the wreckage, searching for survivors, and Calidra reunites with her sister. Jisyel was rescued earlier, and the three take refuge on a small, rocky island off the coast of Foxmouth, devastated by what has happened.
In the woodland outside the capital, Apollo sees one of the Myr devouring life energy from a tree, and flees. Inquisitors are hunting him down, and he is too weak after his torture to fight back. Before they can recapture him, a griffin swoops down to attack, and Apollo blacks out.
In the Nethal Mountains, Fenn reaches the Myrish construct, Vermecio, and it removes the excess Myrish magic from his body. He still has no memories, but with the curse nullified, he is no longer at risk of death. The construct promises to restore Fenn’s memories if he restores its power. It needs a Myrish artefact to do so: the Citrine Key.
Neros reacts to the Myrish attacks—blessing Selys and sharing her power with the priestess. Overwhelmed by Neros’s power, Selys collapses. Strengthened by the removal of his curse, Fenn carries her back down the mountain. Unsure where to go, he makes his way towards the nearest town he can see. On the way, they cross paths with Inquisitors searching for Apollo—including Torsten.
Controlled by Miroth, Torsten attacks Fenn and Selys. No longer suppressed by Myrish magic, Hassen rises from Fenn and attacks. Though not a strong spirit, Hassen is more powerful than the slowly dying Miroth, and overpowers Torsten—proving Fenn’s station as a priest of a dragon spirit.
Inquisitor Nadja apologises and they take Torsten away, allowing Fenn and Selys to travel unhindered to the nearby town of Westbrook. Many people caught in the Myrish attack on the capital are recovering here, Apollo included. Eager to help, Fenn distributes food among the injured. When he touches Apollo, he has another vision of what happened with the Citrine Key and Apollo through his connection with Myrish magic. Shocked, he begs Apollo to take him to the key. However, Apollo is distraught, having heard Foxmouth was destroyed by the Myr, and fears his wife and daughter are dead.
Nadja arrives in town, looking for Apollo. Upon finding him, she states her belief that he failed in his task with the Citrine Key and is therefore responsible for the new Myrish invasion. Apollo is shocked when the Inquisitor says she doesn't want to arrest him. Nadja wants him to fix his mistake, and will accompany him to the Citrine Key, making sure it is destroyed once and for all. She has taken a leave of absence to carry out the task, against Surayo’s wishes that traitors to the crown must be executed.
