Shadowseer: Munich (Shadowseer, Book Three)

By Morgan Rice

“This novel succeeds—right from the start…. A superior fantasy…It begins, as it should, with one protagonist’s struggles and moves neatly into a wider circle….”
–Midwest Book Review (re Rise of the Dragons)

“Filled with non-stop action, this novel is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat from cover to cover….Rice is setting up for an amazing series to rival series such as Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness, with her strong female protagonist making waves in her world and building the confidence of young women in ours.”
–The Wanderer, A Literary Journal (re Rise of the Dragons)

From #1 bestselling author Morgan Rice, a USA Today bestseller and critically-acclaimed author of the fantasy series The Sorcerer’s Ring (over 3,000 five-star reviews) and the teen fantasy series The Vampire Journals (over 1,500 five-star reviews) comes a groundbreaking new series and genre, where fantasy meets mystery.

SHADOWSEER: MUNICH (Book Three) continues the story of Kaia, 17, an orphan coming of age in the Victorian Europe of the 1850s. Kaia yearns to escape her horrific orphanage, to discover who her parents were, and to understand why she can sense shadows when others cannot. When the brilliant Detective Pinsley, 45, takes Kaia under his wing and enlists her help in solving the mysterious and bizarre murders sweeping over Europe, the two of them become unlikely partners.

Are they part of a greater war of light versus dark? And is Kaia the only one who can stop it?

Dark fantasy meets mystery in SHADOWSEER, a page-turning, atmospheric thriller packed with authentic period detail, with twists and cliffhangers that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Kaia, a broken hero, will capture your heart as she struggles to claw her way up from the depths, and to solve unsolvable crimes. Fans of books such as Spellbreaker, The Dresden Files, Mortal Instruments and Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde will find much to love in SHADOWSEER, satisfying fantasy fans who appreciate mystery and suspense, and mystery lovers who want something new, a clean hybrid that will appeal to both adult and young adult readers. Get ready to be transported to another world—and to fall in love with characters you will never forget.

“Morgan Rice proves herself again to be an extremely talented storyteller….This would appeal to a wide range of audiences, including younger fans. It ended with an unexpected cliffhanger that leaves you shocked.”
–The Romance Reviews (re the paranormal series Loved)

“The beginnings of something remarkable are there.”
–San Francisco Book Review (re the young adult fantasy A Quest of Heroes)

SHADOWSEER: ROME (Book #4) and SHADOWSEER: ATHENS (Book #5) are also available.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Morgan Rice
• Release date: Sep 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781094372723

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SHADOWSEER:

MUNICH

(SHADOWSEER, BOOK THREE)

MORGAN RICE

Morgan Rice

Morgan Rice is the #1 bestselling and USA Today bestselling author of the epic fantasy series THE SORCERER’S RING, comprising seventeen books; of the #1 bestselling series THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, comprising twelve books; of the #1 bestselling series THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY, a post-apocalyptic thriller comprising three books; of the epic fantasy series KINGS AND SORCERERS, comprising six books; of the epic fantasy series OF CROWNS AND GLORY, comprising eight books; of the epic fantasy series A THRONE FOR SISTERS, comprising eight books; of the science fiction series THE INVASION CHRONICLES, comprising four books; of the fantasy series OLIVER BLUE AND THE SCHOOL FOR SEERS, comprising four books; of the fantasy series THE WAY OF STEEL, comprising four books; of the fantasy series AGE OF THE SORCERERS, comprising eight books; and of the new fantasy series SHADOWSEER, comprising five books (and counting). Morgan’s books are available in audio and print editions, and translations are available in over 25 languages.

Morgan loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.morganricebooks.com to join the email list, receive a free book, receive free giveaways, download the free app, get the latest exclusive news, connect on Facebook and Twitter, and stay in touch!

Select Acclaim for Morgan Rice

If you thought that there was no reason left for living after the end of THE SORCERER’S RING series, you were wrong. In RISE OF THE DRAGONS Morgan Rice has come up with what promises to be another brilliant series, immersing us in a fantasy of trolls and dragons, of valor, honor, courage, magic and faith in your destiny. Morgan has managed again to produce a strong set of characters that make us cheer for them on every page.…Recommended for the permanent library of all readers that love a well-written fantasy.

--Books and Movie Reviews

Roberto Mattos

An action packed fantasy sure to please fans of Morgan Rice’s previous novels, along with fans of works such as THE INHERITANCE CYCLE by Christopher Paolini…. Fans of Young Adult Fiction will devour this latest work by Rice and beg for more.

--The Wanderer, A Literary Journal (regarding Rise of the Dragons)

"A spirited fantasy that weaves elements of mystery and intrigue into its story line. A Quest of Heroes is all about the making of courage and about realizing a life purpose that leads to growth, maturity, and excellence….For those seeking meaty fantasy adventures, the protagonists, devices, and action provide a vigorous set of encounters that focus well on Thor's evolution from a dreamy child to a young adult facing impossible odds for survival….Only the beginning of what promises to be an epic young adult series."

--Midwest Book Review (D. Donovan, eBook Reviewer)

THE SORCERER’S RING has all the ingredients for an instant success: plots, counterplots, mystery, valiant knights, and blossoming relationships replete with broken hearts, deception and betrayal. It will keep you entertained for hours, and will satisfy all ages. Recommended for the permanent library of all fantasy readers.

--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos

 In this action-packed first book in the epic fantasy Sorcerer's Ring series (which is currently 14 books strong), Rice introduces readers to 14-year-old Thorgrin Thor McLeod, whose dream is to join the Silver Legion, the elite knights who serve the king…. Rice's writing is solid and the premise intriguing.

--Publishers Weekly

Books by Morgan Rice

SHADOWSEER

SHADOWDEER: LONDON (Book #1)

SHADOWSEER: PARIS (Book #2)

SHADOWSEER: MUNICH (Book #3)

SHADOWSEER: ROME (Book #4)

SHADOWSEER: ATHENS (Book #5)

AGE OF THE SORCERERS

REALM OF DRAGONS (Book #1)

THRONE OF DRAGONS (Book #2)

BORN OF DRAGONS (Book #3)

RING OF DRAGONS (Book #4)

CROWN OF DRAGONS (Book #5)

DUSK OF DRAGONS (Book #6)

SHIELD OF DRAGONS (Book #7)

DREAM OF DRAGONS (Book #8)

OLIVER BLUE AND THE SCHOOL FOR SEERS

THE MAGIC FACTORY (Book #1)

THE ORB OF KANDRA (Book #2)

THE OBSIDIANS (Book #3)

THE SCEPTOR OF FIRE (Book #4)

THE INVASION CHRONICLES

TRANSMISSION (Book #1)

ARRIVAL (Book #2)

ASCENT (Book #3)

RETURN (Book #4)

THE WAY OF STEEL

ONLY THE WORTHY (Book #1)

ONLY THE VALIANT (Book #2)

ONLY THE DESTINED (Book #3)

ONLY THE BOLD (Book #4)

A THRONE FOR SISTERS

A THRONE FOR SISTERS (Book #1)

A COURT FOR THIEVES (Book #2)

A SONG FOR ORPHANS (Book #3)

A DIRGE FOR PRINCES (Book #4)

A JEWEL FOR ROYALS (BOOK #5)

A KISS FOR QUEENS (BOOK #6)

A CROWN FOR ASSASSINS (Book #7)

A CLASP FOR HEIRS (Book #8)

OF CROWNS AND GLORY

SLAVE, WARRIOR, QUEEN (Book #1)

ROGUE, PRISONER, PRINCESS (Book #2)

KNIGHT, HEIR, PRINCE (Book #3)

REBEL, PAWN, KING (Book #4)

SOLDIER, BROTHER, SORCERER (Book #5)

HERO, TRAITOR, DAUGHTER (Book #6)

RULER, RIVAL, EXILE (Book #7)

VICTOR, VANQUISHED, SON (Book #8)

KINGS AND SORCERERS

RISE OF THE DRAGONS (Book #1)

RISE OF THE VALIANT (Book #2)

THE WEIGHT OF HONOR (Book #3)

A FORGE OF VALOR (Book #4)

A REALM OF SHADOWS (Book #5)

NIGHT OF THE BOLD (Book #6)

THE SORCERER’S RING

A QUEST OF HEROES (Book #1)

A MARCH OF KINGS (Book #2)

A FATE OF DRAGONS (Book #3)

A CRY OF HONOR (Book #4)

A VOW OF GLORY (Book #5)

A CHARGE OF VALOR (Book #6)

A RITE OF SWORDS (Book #7)

A GRANT OF ARMS (Book #8)

A SKY OF SPELLS (Book #9)

A SEA OF SHIELDS (Book #10)

A REIGN OF STEEL (Book #11)

A LAND OF FIRE (Book #12)

A RULE OF QUEENS (Book #13)

AN OATH OF BROTHERS (Book #14)

A DREAM OF MORTALS (Book #15)

A JOUST OF KNIGHTS (Book #16)

THE GIFT OF BATTLE (Book #17)

THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY

ARENA ONE: SLAVERSUNNERS (Book #1)

ARENA TWO (Book #2)

ARENA THREE (Book #3)

VAMPIRE, FALLEN

BEFORE DAWN (Book #1)

THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS

TURNED (Book #1)

LOVED (Book #2)

BETRAYED (Book #3)

DESTINED (Book #4)

DESIRED (Book #5)

BETROTHED (Book #6)

VOWED (Book #7)

FOUND (Book #8)

RESURRECTED (Book #9)

CRAVED (Book #10)

FATED (Book #11)

OBSESSED (Book #12)

Did you know that I've written multiple series? If you haven't read all my series, click the image below to download a series starter!

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Copyright © 2021 by Morgan Rice. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author.  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Jacket image Copyright Viacheslav Lopatin, used under license from istockphoto.com.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

CHAPTER ONE

In the catacombs beneath Rome, the shadows gathered.

The one in the body of a cardinal came first, red robes brushing the stonework, wrinkled features pinched. It could feel the man’s disgust at being in this place, but it didn’t care. This was the moment when they would change the world.

It stood at the heart of a broad circle, lined with tombs, each more crumbling than the last. It had carved the mausoleum slab at the heart of that space with the required symbols to tie power to this far too physical world. It had carved an archway with even more, to anchor the portal when the time came.

The one who had stolen a woman’s body in Venice came next, still wearing a carnival mask decorated with a single teardrop.

Is everything ready? she asked. There was power there, and authority. The human mind trapped within the cardinal resented the idea of a woman being more powerful than him, but the shadow within knew a stronger one of its kind when it met one.

All is as it should be, the cardinal said. He whispered the first words of the chant, and a flicker of dark light flowed along the grooves in the stone to prove it.

Excellent.

The third and fourth followed quickly: a porter who had to squeeze his hefty body through the tighter spaces, and one in the body of a visiting noblewoman, who had come to the cardinal seeking absolution in the holy city but found only the shadows.

We are gathered, the cardinal said, and gestured to the stone. Who has the honor?

I do, the porter said. The cardinal could hear the pride there, even as there was all too human fear. For all our kind.

If it were not for this cost, their kind might already have overrun the human world of form and light. To find one of their kind willing to sacrifice themselves was hard, and it was something only to be done when the chances of succeeding were beyond a doubt.

Like now.

The porter moved to the slab, lying upon it. The cardinal and the others went to their positions around it, and the cardinal took out a stiletto, holding the point above the porter’s heart.

The four of them started the chant, and now the power built. Every etched stone of the mausoleum amplified it, caught it, built it up until it was like swimming in a sea of that power. Every shadow of the mausoleum flickered and twisted, forming new shapes that had nothing to do with the objects around them.

The chanting built to a crescendo, and the cardinal looked to the one in the mask. She nodded, and the cardinal brought his stiletto down sharply, plunging it into the porter’s heart.

Most of the time, such things were an inconvenience to their kind. The host died, but the shadows within could flee. Here though, like this, there was no fleeing. The marks on the stone bound the shadow to the flesh, made it a true sacrifice. Even as he felt the stiletto plunge into flesh, the cardinal felt the unravelling of the shadow within it, power flowing out in one last surge.

That power was the final push the ritual needed.

Power flowed out along the markings the cardinal had made, making them blaze with dark energy, until they hurt the eyes of the human body the cardinal wore. He made himself watch, though. He would not miss this moment.

He watched as the air itself tore within the archway, seeming to pulse and bubble before it rent asunder. The air inside the archway gave way, less like the opening of a door and more like the simple obliteration of everything within it.

It left a pathway to somewhere else, somewhere filled with shades of darkness that would overwhelm a human mind.

That darkness shifted and changed with every breath, more complex by far than the form and light of this place. The cardinal could feel the hatred that place held for this world, the desires to own and crush it running side by side.

He stared into the darkness, and the darkness started to flow outward.

Now, it was possible to make out the shadows among the greater mass of darkness, flowing through that space like great creatures through some blackened sea. They came towards the portal, some hesitantly because of the dim glow of the catacombs, others eagerly.

They poured out from the portal, flowing from it and roosting among the shadows of the mausoleum. They clustered, seeming to take up no space, but adding a weight to the air of the room that had not been there before. These were the cardinal’s people; yet even so, his stolen body wanted to shudder at the sensation of it.

The woman in the mask seemed to have no such reaction. She stood at the heart of them, with one hand on the body of the porter, halfway between a general addressing an army and some cruel priestess speaking to a congregation after a sacrifice.

We have opened a way to this world. One of our number has given their life so that the rest of us may enter. We must make that sacrifice worth it. We must ensure that, this time, the world of humanity falls!

There was a susurration around the mausoleum, and the cardinal could almost feel the excitement of his kin as they gathered.

There is one thing that must be done first. We will not let the Shadowseers cut us off from the world as they have before.

She turned, pointing to one of the shadows there, which lurked alone. The cardinal could feel the power of it, and the malevolence. Even their own kind shrank back from it.

Go to the place the humans call ‘Munich.’ The Shadowseers are there, seeking the relic to close our portals. Find it before they do, and there will be no way for them to stop us!

CHAPTER TWO

Inspector Sebastian Pinsley stood with his hand raised to knock on the door of his daughter’s apartment in Paris. Then he did the one thing he hadn’t done in all his years of policing, in all his time in the army before:

He froze.

He stood there perfectly still, with his hand still raised, like some tall, middle-aged statue. He must have looked a spectacle to anyone in the building, this slender Englishman with his hawkish features and dark mutton chops, standing perfectly still in front of a door with his hand still raised to knock.

He willed himself to knock, reminded himself that his daughter Olivia lay just beyond that door, that he wanted to see her more than anything in the world, but that only made it worse.

Pinsley wanted to see her, but did she want to see him?

Olivia knew that he was in Paris, of course. He’d saved her from a killer only last night. She’d seen him there, and Pinsley had seen the recognition there. He’d also seen the shock. His daughter hadn’t been expecting to find her father showing up in Paris. Perhaps that also meant that he wasn’t wanted?

Ordinarily, the inspector had all the capacities he would ever need to find out the truth of a matter, yet this was something where logic and reasoning could not help him. If he had ever truly known what was going on in his daughter’s heart, then perhaps she would never have fled London in the first place.

Talking to Kaia yesterday, flushed with the success of the investigation, he’d been so certain that he should find his daughter. Now, all the old insecurities came flooding back. Did he have the right to show up like this? There were reasons why Olivia left. Would she even want to see him? Plus, he couldn’t stay in Paris. The Sûreté were searching for him and Kaia, and he had already promised that he would go to Munich.

Almost without making a conscious decision, Pinsley started to back away from the door. Sometimes in life, it was better for all concerned to make a tactical withdrawal. Better for him, better for…

The door swung open even as Pinsley backed away, revealing Olivia standing there. She was far shorter than Pinsley, but just as slender, with dark hair tied back in a braid, and features that had inherited only a trace of Pinsley’s sharpness, so that the result was striking rather than intense. She wore a simple dark dress, and a scarf that Pinsley guessed was intended to hide the marks of the rope a killer had tried to use to strangle her.

Her expression was the most complex part of her right then, filled with a mix of fear and hope, worry, anger, and… joy?

Father! she said, and flung herself forward, catching her arms around him in a hug so tight that it hurt, especially when Pinsley still had the bruises from his own fight with the killer.

Olivia! he said, and even though it was far from the done thing, he felt a tear of joy forming at the corner of his eye. Olivia, I’m so sorry, for everything.

No, you don’t have to be sorry, Olivia said. I… I just couldn’t stand being in London after Mother… I had to make a clean break, for my own sanity.

Pinsley understood that better than he cared to. His own mind had been on the brink of falling apart with grief when Catherine had been murdered.

Come inside, Olivia said.

She showed him into a small apartment that was still neatly kept, with white painted walls, and a few pieces of furniture that looked as though they’d been salvaged from other places. Olivia gestured to a chair and Pinsley took it, while she seated herself on a divan.

Why Paris? he asked.

I wanted to act, Olivia said. I wanted… I wanted the life I dreamed of, not something ordinary.

You were never ordinary, Pinsley assured her. And you are a wonderful actress.

He caught the faint look of surprise that crossed her face. I just play minor parts.

And do it brilliantly, Pinsley insisted.

I thought… I thought you wouldn’t approve, Olivia said. I haven’t dared to write, because I thought you might come and drag me back.

Pinsley tried to imagine that fear and realized that if he had found Olivia in the first months after she’d left, he might have just brought her home regardless of her wishes. He would have seen it as saving her. Now, though, he could see that things were different. She seemed happy here in a way that she hadn’t been in London after her mother’s death.

I will never try to do that, he promised.

He saw Olivia relax. That’s good to hear. Not that it matters much now. They’ll be closing the theater, and after all the scandal, I don’t know how much work I’ll get. But what now? Are you staying in Paris? Are you here for good?

A part of Pinsley wished that he could stay there with his daughter forever. It said that, having only just found her, he shouldn’t leave again. Yet with the Sûreté after him, he knew he couldn’t.

Besides, he had made a promise to Kaia.

I cannot stay, he said, shaking his head. My efforts to catch the man who attacked you on stage mean that the police here wish to arrest me. In any case, I have…

He was about to say that he had seen things beyond reason, things he could not explain, but he didn’t want his own daughter to think him mad. How could Pinsley explain the full depth of what he’d seen with Kaia?

He settled for a half truth, instead. There is a young woman who has become my ward. She is traveling to Munich, and I believe that there are matters there that must be investigated, so I have to accompany her.

You’re leaving? Olivia said. Pinsley could see the sadness and the hurt there. She seemed to want him to go as little