A Shadow in the Ember

Jennifer L. Armentrout

56 pages 1-hour read

Jennifer L. Armentrout

A Shadow in the Ember

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

Princess Seraphena is a 17-year-old royal in Lasania, born with a mark designating her as the Maiden. She possesses a secret, forbidden healing ability and spends much of her time training in combat with the Royal Guard. She feels isolated from her family and burdened by her duty to seduce and assassinate the Primal of Death to stop an agricultural curse called the Rot.

Key Relationships

Destined Partner of Nyktos

Daughter of Queen Calliaphe

Daughter of King Lamont

Stepdaughter of King Ernald

Stepsister of Prince Tavius

Stepsister of Princess Ezmeria

Combat Student of Sir Braylon Holland

Former Charge of Odetta

Nyktos is the Primal of Death who rules over the Shadowlands. Often going by the name Ash, he is over two centuries old and maintains a cold, distant exterior. He oversees the afterlife domains and secretly provides refuge in his city of Lethe to those fleeing other divine courts.

Key Relationships

Destined Partner of Princess Seraphena Mierel

Son of Eythos

Son of Mycella

Protected by Nektas

Employer of Aios

Commander of Ector

Prince Tavius is the heir to the throne of Lasania and Princess Seraphena's stepbrother. He exhibits cruelty and apathy toward the common people suffering from the agricultural crisis. He actively despises his stepsister and uses his political position to intimidate and physically threaten her.

Key Relationships

Stepbrother of Princess Seraphena Mierel

Brother of Princess Ezmeria

Son of King Ernald

Stepson of Queen Calliaphe

Commander of Sir Braylon Holland

Kolis is the Primal of Life who ascends the Chosen during special rites. He possesses golden hair and skin that shines too brightly to look at directly. He holds immense power over the divine domains and conducts mysterious experiments on his subjects behind closed doors.

Key Relationships

Twin Brother of Eythos

Mysteriously Interested in Princess Seraphena Mierel

Supporting Characters

Sir Braylon is a member of the Royal Guard in Lasania. He serves as Princess Seraphena's mentor in the art of combat and provides her with guidance and herbal remedies. He actively encourages her to keep her healing abilities hidden from the rest of the court and the gods.

Key Relationships

Combat Mentor to Princess Seraphena Mierel

Subordinate to Prince Tavius

Nektas is a large draken, a dragon-like shapeshifter who serves as one of Nyktos's primary protectors. He possesses gray-and-black scales in his dragon form and red eyes in his god form. He heavily distrusts outsiders who enter the Shadowlands and is vocal about his opinions on security.

Key Relationships

Protector of Nyktos

Father of Jadis

Wary Ally of Princess Seraphena Mierel

Princess Ezmeria is Princess Seraphena's stepsister in the Lasanian royal family. Unlike her brother Tavius, she is compassionate and shows genuine care for the suffering citizens of the kingdom. She provides Princess Seraphena with a rare sense of familial support and loyalty.

Key Relationships

Stepsister of Princess Seraphena Mierel

Sister of Prince Tavius

Daughter of King Ernald

Stepdaughter of Queen Calliaphe

Romantic Interest of Lady Marisol Faber

Queen Calliaphe is the Queen of Lasania and Princess Seraphena's mother. She maintains a cold and distant relationship with her daughter, often expressing harsh disappointment. She prioritizes the kingdom's political appearances and opulent traditions over the well-being of the starving population.

Key Relationships

Mother of Princess Seraphena Mierel

Widow of King Lamont

Wife of King Ernald

Stepmother of Prince Tavius

Stepmother of Princess Ezmeria

Eythos is the former Primal of Life and Nyktos's father. He made the ancient deal with Lasania's King Roderick centuries ago to stop the agricultural curse, setting the political and personal events of the story in motion long after his passing.

Key Relationships

Father of Nyktos

Partner of Mycella

Twin Brother of Kolis

King Ernald is the current King of Lasania and Princess Seraphena's stepfather. He takes a patient, sometimes overly passive approach to addressing the kingdom's spreading Rot, preferring to wait for systemic solutions rather than act aggressively to feed his people.

Key Relationships

Husband of Queen Calliaphe

Stepfather of Princess Seraphena Mierel

Father of Prince Tavius

Father of Princess Ezmeria

Odetta is Princess Seraphena's aging nursemaid. She acts as one of the few supportive figures in her early life, offering cryptic warnings about the consequences of using hidden healing abilities on humans and advising caution.

Key Relationships

Former Nursemaid of Princess Seraphena Mierel

Lady Marisol is a noble companion to Princess Ezmeria. She actively participates in providing aid and funds to the impoverished citizens of the kingdom, often putting herself in dangerous situations during public riots to help others.

Key Relationships

Romantic Interest of Princess Ezmeria

Aios is a goddess residing in the House of Haides. She assists in arranging food, clothing, and comfort for residents, and she helps explain the political structures and expectations of the Shadowlands to newcomers.

Key Relationships

Servant to Nyktos

Attendant to Princess Seraphena Mierel

Ector is a god loyal to Nyktos. He acts as a guard in the House of Haides and assists in managing external threats, maintaining strict security protocols around the palace and its ruler.

Key Relationships

Subordinate to Nyktos

Guard of Princess Seraphena Mierel

Bele is a goddess operating in the Shadowlands. She helps coordinate operations regarding the safety of refugees and regularly reports to Nyktos on dangerous political movements in other divine courts.

Key Relationships

Subordinate to Nyktos

Acquaintance of Princess Seraphena Mierel

Jadis is a young draken who resides in the House of Haides. She is the daughter of Nektas and often rests near Nyktos and his guests, showing an immediate comfort around newcomers that contrasts with her father's wariness.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Nektas

Protected by Nyktos

Cressa is a goddess responsible for carrying out targeted murders in the mortal world. She operates alongside other divine assassins to track down specific individuals at the behest of powerful forces.

Key Relationships

Accomplice of Madis

Accomplice of Taric

Enemy of Princess Seraphena Mierel

Taric is a dangerous god operating in the mortal world. He works to interrogate and eliminate targets, using his specific abilities to physically overpower and mentally invade his victims.

Key Relationships

Accomplice of Cressa

Accomplice of Madis

Enemy of Princess Seraphena Mierel

King Lamont is the deceased former King of Lasania and Princess Seraphena's father. He died shortly after his daughter's birth, leaving a complicated legacy and a grieving widow behind.

Key Relationships

Former Husband of Queen Calliaphe

Father of Princess Seraphena Mierel