When Shadows Rise (Book 1) - Haley Sulich - Wattpad

Wattpad Original

When Shadows Rise (Book 1)

Reads 205,385
Votes 13,918
Parts 42
Time 7h 40m

Wattys winner

Reads 205,385
Votes 13,918
Parts 42
Time 7h 40m

Wattys winner

A magic-addicted spy trapped in the queen's service must track a princess-turned-assassin in order to earn her freedom, but things get complicated when she falls for the princess she's supposed to capture. 

*****

Weak. Cursed. That's how seventeen-year-old Kayden Branimir, the realm's deadliest assassin, views herself. Some believe she could save the world with her rare healing magic, but she gave up on her powers long ago after failing to save her best friend. Her life changes when she receives a letter from her supposedly dead twin brother, Alaric, begging to be rescued from rival territory Leodia. For the first time since her friend's accident, Kayden is determined to be the hero, but she must learn to embrace her magic--and herself--along the way. 

Strange. Unnatural. Those are the words whispered about eighteen-year-old Zara Tait, a Leodian spy addicted to soul-stealing magic. Forced into the queen's service, Zara wants to escape and return home, but she has nothing to offer the queen in exchange for her freedom. When Kayden arrives in Leodia, Zara sees the quiet girl with unique magic as the bargaining chip she needs. But the more she learns of Kayden, the more her feelings grow. Now, Zara must choose between her freedom and the dangerous assassin she hadn't meant to fall for.


[2020 Watty Award Winner]

Content warning:  This story contains mature themes of violence, addiction, abuse, self-harm, and mental illness.

Cover by Faera LaneAll Rights Reserved

Table of contents

42 parts

Sign up to add When Shadows Rise (Book 1) to your library and receive updates

or

Content Guidelines

You may also like

Zara || A Nigerian Lesbian by thechristinewrites

☆ Featured ☆ NA ✔︎ AmbassadorsNG ✔︎ Wattpad ✔︎ It's challenging to be yourself in a society where being a lesbian is an offense with a fourteen-year prison sentence. Zara has a secret, and she knows if it comes out - all hell will break loose. To keep her parents from bothering her about getting married, she comes out to them as a lesbian, and all does not go well. Yasmin lost her girlfriend to the vicious hands of Nigerians who hate gays, and she has made it her mission to fight for LGBTQ rights. The attraction between these two burned like fire, but a lot was against them. Yasmin had her demons to fight and senators to blackmail into passing the LGBTQ bill. Zara had some figuring out to do about her self-confidence. Falling in love once was a mistake, but would it be fate a second time? . ||𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙽𝚃 52,652|| ✥﹤┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈﹥✥ Cover - @TheMinimalisticGirl ✥﹤┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈﹥✥ If you are reading this story on any other platform other than Wattpad, you are likely to be at risk of a malware attack. If you wish to read this story in its original, safe form, please go to https://my.w.tt/fDp1c6AQ37

Shadow Weaver (Back on Wattpad 2020!) by Claire-Merle

"Mooooorrrrrrrreeeeeeee, this book is like air, i need it!" @noromance101 "These chapters are written BEAUTIFULLY! You are, without a doubt, my favorite writer on this site. " @nagykt "Reading this feeds my soul." @Yrthraethra Sixteen-year-old Mirra can see people's memories. She is a Shadow Weaver, one of the outlawed, glitter-eyed race feared in her land and forced into brutal slavery as children. She and her brother Kel have escaped their fate by hiding near the frozen mountains. But when bounty hunters snatch Kel, Mirra injured and unable to track long distances will lose him unless she gives herself up to his captors. As as a Shadow Weaver who's survived childhood and whose golden-flecked irises have faded, concealing her talent, Mirra's own value is priceless on the black-market. Taken to a lawless town in the northern territories, Mirra convinces her captors to sell her to a mysterious young man destined for the same province as the officer who has bought her brother. The young man is the Kingdom's missing Prince, feared dead after his escort was attacked on an expedition. He has been in hiding, waiting for a Shadow Weaver whose skill he can use to discover who ordered his assassination. But before he will risk breaking his father's law and taking Mirra to the royal court, he must test her talent and her ability to hide it. If Mirra fails, her hopes of seeing her brother again will be cut by the noose around her neck. HIGHEST RANKING #1 in Fantasy on Wattpad. #1 Amazon Sword & Sorcery This book was taken down in DEC 2017 due to publishing restrictions. It is now possible to put it back up on wattpad. From March onwards 2 chapters will be posted per week until the completed book is available.

Winter's Dance (#1 Ruthen Quartet) by firedance_icesong

(Completed) Two assassins were set to kill a girl. No questions asked. Just kill her and claim their prize. That was their mission. Except one of them was not supposed to visit Volney, the land of the dead and the other fall in love with a girl and totally forget about his mission to kill. For an heir who had dedicated her entire life for her kingdom, fate was not kind. Her sister should have returned home after her visit to her aunt's place. Her kingdom must have been safe, both terrestrial and by sea. But does anything ever goes planned? As a general, she must now decide. Kingdom or family? Suffice to say, slavery was the safest option for a bride. Hated by the king's daughter, she wonders what she had ever done in her life to deserve her hate. With her friend of fifteen years gone to join the rebellion, and without realising what it would cost her, she makes new friends. But would they keep her alive? Or would they sell her for their life? Friendships will be tested. Foes will become allies. Hunted will become the Hunter. And lover will become the betrayer. Not edited! Cover made by @Shadowsleek

A Masquerade of Spiders by EinatSegal

WATTYS 2018 SHORTLIST "Every person is a book, Yael. You just need to find the right way to read them." In a land where a deadly curse forces all to wear masks, Yael steals the mask and identity of a noblewoman to infiltrate the nobility and find her abducted sister, but gets sucked into a twisted game of spies. Eighteen-year-old Yael was a talented mask-maker apprentice-but not anymore. Now, she's a spy, an imposter and a murderess. In the land of Vynam, all must wear masquerade masks to ward off the curse of the spectres, ghost-like beings that kill with a single touch. After the Somaer family, the richest nobles in Vynam, abduct her sister and her parents are put to death, Yael steals the mask and identity of a noblewoman to infiltrate the nobility, find her sister and avenge her parents. Her only chance of success-and survival-is if she can outplay the shrewdest spymasters in Vynam. When her search for her sister unearths dangerous knowledge, she alone holds the power to destroy the precarious peace of the noble houses, and shake all of Vynam to its very core. But the cost might be her sister's life.

Scars of Gold by makexbelieve

When Kacia discovers the forbidden magic running through her veins, she is given a choice - pretend her powers belong to her worst enemy, and use them to help him cement his claim to the throne - or forfeit her life. Can she play along for long enough to plot Ash's downfall, or is their fake truce about to turn into something a lot more complicated? ✨ Throughout fifteen years of Lathrian rule, Kacia has dreamt only of her family and her freedom. After she braves a storm-tossed mountainside in search of reunion with a mother she hasn't seen for a decade, she discovers that she has the power to mimic the magic of others - an ability that sees her sentenced to death by the Lathrian Kingdom which controls her people. That is, until the Lathrian king demands she uses her powers to legitimise his stepson's claim to the throne. If she agrees, she can keep her life - for now. Kacia becomes caught between the volatile brothers she didn't know existed and a prince who is more sympathetic than he seems. The choice she makes, between violent rebellion or slow moving negotiations, might alter the fates of her people - but only if she can decide before the bargain that prolonged her life runs out. Family and freedom may be the things Kacia wanted most, but to gain one she might have to sacrifice the other.

Lily (GL) by MaryflorPantonial

Lilian fleur Queen, Is a half British and half Filipino. Her mom was a former member of an organization of assassins who fell in love with her Dad who she thought was an ordinary guy. But turned out to be an interpole. The org got furious about what her mom did thinking she is the mole on the org on those time and put an order to kill her parents including her. But by discovering how talented Lilian is. Both side the government and the assassins change the plan They started being obsessed on getting the kid instead. But her parents are too smooth to always slipped away from them, for over six years. But then came a young visitor the top of the class assassin who's trained under the government managed to find them but the info leaked to the org of assassins on the other side. And there the situation got shitty.

SILVER EYES (GXG) by Ava_night_Writer

[2024 WATTYS WINNER] Grace had no idea what she would find on the other side of the wall when the gates opened. Even less so that they wouldn't let her brother cross. Why? A blue-eyed and fierce commander, named Heather, holds the answer. She closed the gates to him. Now, as Grace is drawn to Heather in ways she never expected, she must uncover the truth behind the separation, before her heart leads her astray and the chance to reunite with her brother slips away forever. · · · In a world divided by a wall, once a year, the gates open for a chance to switch sides. Technological side or nature side? That's the question. Grace and her brother, Michael, tired of the nature side, are determined to make the crossing. But at the last moment, a fierce commander named Heather tears them apart. Why? Grace will stop at nothing to get answers. What she didn't expect, though, was to feel drawn to Heather in ways that would turn her life upside down. Now, not only does she have to find her brother and find a way to sneak him over, but she must also navigate her complicated feelings for the woman responsible for their separation. 𝔽𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖𝕕: ⚡Romance reading list - @project_Athena ⚡ ★彡[ᴀᴡᴀʀᴅꜱ:]彡★ ⚡2024 GemStone Book Awards - First Place - Sci-fi Category ⚡ ⚡Zelicaon Awards - Second Place - LGBTQ+ Category ⚡ ⚡Adorn Award Book - Second Place - Romance Category⚡ ⚡The Crown Awards - Third Place - Adventure Category⚡ ⚡Qualified Queerverse activity #FreeTheWriting⚡

To Kill a Fae - A Fantasy Romance by jawaters

Sabine has spent the past decade hiding from the Wild Hunt. But when a charismatic stranger recruits her to retrieve an invaluable artifact, she'll have to finally reveal her identity... and her dark secrets. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The darkness holds more than just secrets... Marked for death, Sabine escaped from her home more than ten years ago. But the Wild Hunt will never give up. It should have been easy to stay hidden. All Sabine had to do was keep her head down, avoid telling anyone about her past, and above all else -- not let her glamour drop. Even the best-laid plans eventually fall apart. When a charismatic stranger arrives in the city, Sabine finds herself unwittingly drawn to the power she can sense hidden within him. Keeping her distance is nearly impossible, especially after a life debt is called due and she's tasked into helping steal a rare artifact. Sabine is the only one who can break the magical barriers protecting the item, but that means revealing the truth about her identity and exposing her darkest secrets. Unfortunately, the Fae aren't the only ones hunting her. And the most dangerous monsters aren't always confined to the dark.

Captive and Crowned: The Torvan Trilogy Book I (Sample Chapters) by ElizabethNewsom

The half-dragon King of Torva needs a queen, but the human bride he has captured may prove to be more trouble than she's worth. Evelyn is on a mission to find her mom, who left her family soon after Evelyn was born. But things go terribly wrong when crashing a high school graduation party leads to her being mistaken for her sister, kidnapped, taken to another world, and married to the king of the realm. As she plots her escape with the assistance of a handsome and mysterious duke, she becomes a pawn in a bigger game, a game of betrayal, murder, and revenge. Someone wants her dead, and the only way to avoid assassination is to escape Torva. But the King isn't willing to let her leave easily - and neither are the assassins. NOTE: This is a rewrite of Captured and Crowned. Order here: https://www.amazon.com/Captive-Crowned-Elizabeth-Newsom/dp/1949856151/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=captive+and+crowned&qid=1562855772&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Rude Ruby by myinkspeaks

Bad Guys Part 1 ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ In a world where danger lurks at every corner, a deadly assassin goes into hiding after killing the patriarch of a powerful crime family-only to discover that the man she's falling for is the grandson of her greatest enemy. *** Ruby, a top assassin for the Continent Syndicate, is betrayed and left for dead after taking out the crime boss who slaughtered her family. Now hunted with a price on her head, she's forced to live a dangerous double life, dodging enemies while trying to carve out a normal existence. But things spiral out of control when she falls for a man-only to uncover he's the grandson of the very man she killed. Disclaimer: This novel is written in Taglish. With mature and explicit content. Read at your own risk. Started: 2019 Ended: @myinkspeaks

You may also like

Slide 1 of 10

Zara || A Nigerian Lesbian cover

Shadow Weaver (Back on Wattpad 2020!) cover

Winter's Dance (#1 Ruthen Quartet) cover

A Masquerade of Spiders cover

Scars of Gold cover

Lily (GL) cover

SILVER EYES (GXG) cover

To Kill a Fae - A Fantasy Romance cover

Captive and Crowned: The Torvan Trilogy Book I (Sample Chapters) cover

Rude Ruby cover

Zara || A Nigerian Lesbian

☆ Featured ☆ NA ✔︎ AmbassadorsNG ✔︎ Wattpad ✔︎ It's challenging to be yourself in a society where being a lesbian is an offense with a fourteen-year prison sentence. Zara has a secret, and she knows if it comes out - all hell will break loose. To keep her parents from bothering her about getting married, she comes out to them as a lesbian, and all does not go well. Yasmin lost her girlfriend to the vicious hands of Nigerians who hate gays, and she has made it her mission to fight for LGBTQ rights. The attraction between these two burned like fire, but a lot was against them. Yasmin had her demons to fight and senators to blackmail into passing the LGBTQ bill. Zara had some figuring out to do about her self-confidence. Falling in love once was a mistake, but would it be fate a second time? . ||𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙽𝚃 52,652|| ✥﹤┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈﹥✥ Cover - @TheMinimalisticGirl ✥﹤┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈﹥✥ If you are reading this story on any other platform other than Wattpad, you are likely to be at risk of a malware attack. If you wish to read this story in its original, safe form, please go to https://my.w.tt/fDp1c6AQ37