The Dark King reborn.
Raised believing he was a Steward, James’s true identity was discovered at age eleven: he was the Dark King’s deadliest general, Anharion, reborn. James escaped the Hall of the Stewards to serve Sinclair in his quest to return the Dark King to life. There James learned Anharion had been a warrior of the Light, enslaved to the Dark King by a magical Collar. After Will killed Simon and returned the Collar to James, James swore to follow Will.
The daughter of John Ballard and his Indian mistress, Violet was brought to London by her father. Escaping Sinclair with Will, Violet learned that she possessed the Blood of Lions, and that her father raised her so her half-brother Tom could ritually kill her, to gain his ‘true power’ by killing another Lion. Violet has sworn she will not serve the Dark King like her Lion ancestors.
Violet’s older half-brother, and a mentor and protector to Violet during her childhood. Tom serves Sinclair and took the S brand to prove his loyalty. He has a close relationship with another of Sinclair’s pseudo-court, Devon, the last unicorn.
Violet and Tom’s father, John Ballard works for Sinclair.
Cyprian was a sheltered novitiate weeks from taking his test to become a Steward when his brother Marcus, in shadow form, attacked the Hall, massacring its inhabitants. Cyprian is now the last of the Stewards, but has never drunk from the Cup.
Cyprian’s brother, Marcus was on a mission with his shieldmate Justice when he was captured by Sinclair. Kept alive in a cage until his shadow overwhelmed him, Marcus was unleashed by Sinclair on the Hall of the Stewards.
The Stewards’ greatest fighter and champion, Justice rescued Violet and Will from Simon’s ship the Sealgair and brought them both to the Hall. When Justice’s shieldmate Marcus became a shadow and attacked the Hall, Justice died fighting him.
The Elder Steward tried to train Will to follow the light, but died before the training was complete. She defeated Marcus during his attack on the Hall, then asked Cyprian to kill her before her shadow could take over.
James’s father, and adoptive father of Cyprian and Marcus. As the head of the jannisaries – the non-military side of the Stewards – Jannick was a man of great knowledge but also exacting standards. Jannick was killed by Marcus in the massacre at the Hall.
Grace was one of only two survivors of Marcus’s attack. Grace’s role as janissary to the Elder Steward gives her unique knowledge and insight into the secrets of the Hall.
Sarah was the second survivor of Marcus’s attack. A janissary whose role was to tend the plants in the Hall.
Pressured by her family to make an advantageous marriage, Katherine was engaged to Simon Creen, son of the Earl of Sinclair. Discovering Simon was killing women, Katherine fled to the Hall of the Stewards with her sister Elizabeth. Katherine died at Bowhill, after learning Will was the Dark King and drawing Ekthalion to challenge him.
Brought by her sister Katherine to the Hall of the Stewards, ten-year-old Elizabeth learned that she possessed the Blood of the Lady when she touched the Tree Stone during the attack on the Hall by the Shadow King.
The mother of Katherine and Elizabeth, who gave them up to hide them from Sinclair, she raised Will as her son knowing he was the Dark King, but tried to kill him before her death.
One of the richest men in England, with a trading empire that spans the globe. Sinclair is the head of a ‘pseudo-court’ of descendants with powers from the old world.
The son and heir of the Earl of Sinclair, Simon planned to raise the Dark King from the dead by killing all the descendants of the Lady, including Will’s mother. Simon was killed by Will at Bowhill.
The second son of the Earl of Sinclair, Phillip inherited the title of Lord Crenshaw after his brother Simon’s death.
The Dark King, and leader of the shadow armies, Sarcean swore to return to the world after his death, and ordered his followers killed in order to be reborn with him.
Light’s greatest fighter, Anharion swung the course of the war when he changed sides to fight for the Dark King. He was known as the Betrayer, but had been ensorcelled by a magic collar.
Legends say she loved the Dark King, and then killed him. When the Dark King died and swore to return, she had a child so that her line would survive to fight him on his rebirth.
The last unicorn. When humans hunted unicorns almost to extinction, Devon was captured, and his tail and horn cut off. In order to survive, Devon transformed into a boy. Thousands of years later, he is a member of Sinclair’s pseudo-court.
A champion of the old world.