Rain of Shadows and Endings

Published in 2023, Melissa K. Roehrich’s Rain of Shadows and Endings is the first novel in the Legacy Series. Set in a world where the gods-descended Legacy rule over the magically bound Fae, the story follows Tessalyn “Tessa” Ausra, a rebellious Fae who is unexpectedly chosen as the personal power Source for Theon St. Orcas, the cruel and powerful heir to the dark Arius Kingdom. Forced into a magical bond that she desperately resists, Tessa is thrust into a life of servitude and political intrigue, and she must fight for her identity in a world designed to erase it. The standalone novel is set in the same universe as Roehrich’s popular Lady of Darkness series.

An author of dark romantic fantasy, Roehrich uses the genre’s conventions to explore complex psychological themes such as The Illusion of Choice in a Power-Hungry World, Trauma as a Barrier to Trust, and Rebellion as an Act of Self-Preservation. Rain of Shadows and Endings is followed by Storm of Secrets and Sorrow, Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance, and Dawn of Chaos and Fury.

This guide refers to the First Edition, which was published in 2023.

Content Warning: The source material and guide contain depictions of racism, graphic violence, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual violence, sexual harassment, sexual content, mental illness, suicidal ideation and self-harm, illness, death, and cursing.

Plot Summary

An origin myth explains that the first two gods, Achaz and Arius (the god of beginnings and the god of endings, respectively), emerged and created a host of lesser gods and many different realms. Complex power dynamics and alliances arose amongst these realms, and the gods began mating with mortals to create demigods, whose progeny—known as the Legacy—were eventually confined to a single world to ensure balance. Additionally, to guarantee that no one Legacy bloodline gained power over the others, the Legacy were given the Fae, who are obligated to magically bond with Legacy heirs, watching over them and providing them with power. (Fae are chosen and bonded to individual Legacy during a ceremony every five years.)

At the Opening Selection Ceremony, a Fae named Tessalyn “Tessa” Ausra hides in an alcove to eat a stolen piece of chocolate, but she is discovered and taunted by an arrogant Legacy (a gods-descended noble) who grows intrigued when Tessa admits that she has no desire to endure the dubious honor of being forcibly bonded to a Legacy heir as their “Source” of magic.

Tessa returns to the grand hall and reunites with her best friend, Dex. They and their friends are certain they won’t be selected. However, Tessa is soon shocked to realize that the Legacy who accosted her is the heir to the mysterious Arius Kingdom; she will later learn that his name is Theon St. Orcas.

The ceremony begins, and Tessa is horrified when Theon chooses her to be his Source. Theon’s advisor, Luka Mors, escorts her to Theon, who soon takes her to a private suite and forcibly injects a magic tonic to begin the bonding process. Against her will, he uses his “entrancing” power to calm her and declares that she is his to command.

After the feast, Tessa tries to escape from Theon, but Luka finds her and returns her to the Legacy. A Priestess then performs the first bonding ritual, affixing the first of four Marks to Tessa’s skin. The process causes Tessa excruciating pain as Theon’s magic floods her system. Once in place, the bond also causes her physical pain whenever she resists being close to him.

Theon and Luka transport an unconscious Tessa to the Arius Kingdom. During the drive, Tessa wakes intermittently in extreme pain, and Luka proves far more kindly than Theon in helping her to deal with the aftereffects of the first Mark. Tessa resists the pull of the bond and rejects Theon’s touch.

They arrive at Arius House and are met by Theon’s cruel father, Lord Valter, and his mother, Cressida. Valter forces Tessa to kneel and makes dehumanizing comments about her, then punishes Theon for his lack of control over her. Valter’s bonded Source, a Fae named Eviana, taunts Theon, telling him that Tessa will eventually crave him.

Tessa spends five days in Theon’s suite, growing increasingly restless. She shuns his bed and insists on sleeping in her small, windowless room, fighting the bond’s pull. Theon’s younger brother, Axel, arrives and is amused by her rebellious nature. At a formal family dinner, Tessa drops her fork after hearing Valter discuss potential Matches (arranged marriages between Legacies) for Theon. To prevent Valter from inflicting a worse punishment on her, Theon forces her to kneel at his feet under the table, which causes her to have a panic attack.

The next day, Tessa escapes by climbing down the trellis, but Theon and Luka track her down with hounds and Theon captures her with his shadow magic. Later, Theon forces Tessa to submit to a Priestess and undergo a test to determine which of the four elements she will be aligned with when her latent powers eventually emerge. In the torturous test, Tessa experiences an illusion in which the Achaz Heir, Dagian Jove, attacks her and claims to have killed her friends. The tests are inconclusive for her element, but the Priestess tells Theon that Tessa will be the most powerful Fae of her generation; she also says that Tessa’s lineage papers have been faked. Fearing his father’s reaction, Theon has a forger create a falsified report of the assessment.

That evening, Theon has a dinner meeting with a potential Match, Felicity Davers, and forces Tessa to attend. Tessa bribes a hostess to have a bottle of liquor sent to their hotel. Later, she sneaks out and during her escape meets a mortal named Tristyn Blackheart. She borrows Tristyn’s phone to call Dex. A furious Theon soon retrieves her. On the drive back to Arius House, Theon uses his magic to painfully burn the alcohol from her system. The act causes Tessa’s own dormant magic to erupt, and she inadvertently blasts Theon and Axel with a wave of power as her eyes flash violet.

Back at Arius House, two Legacy, Metias and Pavil, attack Tessa in the gardens while Valter is keeping Theon distracted in a meeting. As Metias and Pavil are about to capture her, the ground splits open, and shimmering, translucent beings with golden swords emerge. Tessa flees to the stables, where Theon’s animals seem to protect her. Theon, Luka, and Axel find her traumatized. Luka realizes Metias and Pavil used their gifts to amplify her greatest fears, and that Theon is connected to those fears. To help her cope, Theon uses his shadow magic to bring her to orgasm without physical touch. Afterward, Tessa has a vivid dream of a woman named Akira, who resembles her and tells her, “You will break, Tessalyn. Make sure you get back up and take what is yours” (255).

The group travels to the Acropolis, where the Legacy of all six kingdoms will meet for additional events between the Legacy heirs and their newly bonded Fae. On the way, Tessa learns about the Guardian Bond between Theon and Luka. She also learns that Luka can change into a dragon and that Legacy drink Fae blood to replenish their power. At their townhouse, they are greeted by Penelope, the personal Fae servant of Theon and Axel. Theon reveals his father’s plan to take over Devram and arranges for Tessa to learn combat training with Luka. When Tessa is forced to meet with an abusive former teacher, she grows distressed and flees to the river, where she is attacked by two vampyres. Theon and Luka—in his dragon form—save her, killing the attackers. Afterward, they give her and themselves Tracking Marks. Theon also takes blood from her to replenish his magic.

At a social event, Tessa again encounters Tristyn Blackheart, who reveals that he is a Legacy, not a mortal. As the two dance together, he recites a more complete, ominous version of a prophetic decree known to the Legacy. Later, a heated argument between Theon and Tessa escalates, and they have sex for the first time.

The next day, Theon, Tessa, Luka, and Axel attend a private dinner in response to an invitation from Dagian Jove, the Achaz heir. Theon learns that Dagian wants him to arrange an introduction to Tristyn. Theon refuses. Revealing his awareness that Luka is a dragon and a Sargon Legacy—a fact that Arius House has kept a close secret for decades—Dagian pressures Theon to reconsider.

When Theon and the others return to the townhouse, a furious Valter is waiting for them. He says that Luka was spotted in his dragon form, revealing his true lineage. As punishment, Valter has Eviana torture Penelope. Unable to watch, Axel kills Penelope as an act of mercy, putting her out of her misery. Blaming Tessa rather than Valter for the entire scene, Theon locks her in the wine cellar overnight. Trapped, Tessa experiences a severe emotional breakdown that causes her power to erupt, shattering all the wine bottles. Theon and Luka find her the next morning, catatonic and emotionally detached, her eyes now permanently ringed with violet.

At the Emerging Ceremony (where the bonded Fae’s latent magic is revealed), Axel impulsively claims Katya, one of Tessa’s friends, who surprises everyone by manifesting fire magic. A mysterious, hooded figure known only as the Keeper of the Decree appears to perform Tessa’s ritual. Her power erupts in a storm of light, lightning, wind, and rain, revealing that she is not Fae. Amidst the chaos, Axel helps Tessa escape, but the Achaz Lord, Rordan Jove, takes Tessa away.

Theon is forced to make an undisclosed bargain with Valter to secure his father’s help in recovering Tessa from Rordan’s manor. Dex is also present; he is now serving the Achaz Kingdom. Rordan reveals that Tessa has Achaz blood; he then forces Valter to agree to let her be housed at the Pantheon.

The narrative reveals a final vision that Tessa experienced during her assessment, which showed a future in which Theon kills her to “save their world” (636). She wakes at the Arius country manor and reflects on Rordan’s assertion that she was “forgotten here for a purpose” (639). Resolving to trust no one and to uncover everyone’s secrets, she decides to “be the fucking storm” (640).

In a castle amidst a forest, Temural, the “god of the wild and untamed,” meets with his sister Saylah, the “goddess of night and shadows” (644). They are the “hidden children” of Arius and Serafina, two of the original gods. Temural asks for Saylah’s help to send a Huntress named Auryon into Devram to train his daughter. He reveals that his lover, Akira, sent their daughter to the realm of Devram. Saylah realizes that Temural had also sent a Guardian named Xan there; Xan was meant to direct his son to protect Temural’s daughter, but now, Temural admits that this part of his plan went awry. Temural says he enlisted Serafina’s help to send Auryon to the dream realm to help his daughter fight off an attack by the Achaz Heir. He asks again for Saylah’s aid, but she tells him, “You need the High Queen of the World Walkers” (646).