A Court of Sin and Silence

THE SHADOW CURSE BOOK 1 A COURT OF SIN AND SILENCE THE SHADOW CURSE BOOK 1 KRYSTAL FROST The Shadow Curse Book 1 A Court of Sin and Silence By Krystal Frost Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved ISBN: 9798395130112 The Characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. To my Oma, you don’t always remember who I am, but I won’t forget that you read me fairytales, the real spooky ones by the Grimm Brothers and allowed me to watch all the horror movies I love now. CONTENTS Trigger Warning Prologue 1. Serena 2. Serena 3. Serena 4. Serena 5. Serena 6. Serena 7. Serena 8. Serena 9. Serena 10. Serena 11. Serena 12. Serena 13. Serena 14. Serena 15. Serena 16. Serena 17. Serena 18. Serena 19. Serena 20. Serena 21. Serena 22. Serena 23. Serena A Court of Cursed Ruin 24. Preview of A court of Cursed Ruin About the Author Also by Krystal Frost TRIGGER WARNING Mental health is important, please take care of yours. This story has a series of triggers, so please be mindful of them as you dig in. Feel free to reach out to me. I am also writing under Kitty Siberia, you can mostly reach me on Facebook, or just drop me a email at [email protected] if you have questions or if I missed some trigger. Thank you! *Violence *Cheating *Talk about Suicide *ED *Cheating *Multiple personalities *Magic *Captivity /Dungeon /Kidnapping *Fear *Depression *Zombies and gore *Dub Con *An asshole Fae King *Foul language *Adult sex work *Memories of childhood abuse *Bad childhood /poverty PROLOGUE SERENA That day, I understood how poor we were and that the little castle we lived in was just a small trailer in the middle of nowhere. Somehow, I lived in a world of stories, crystals, and sparkles, even though most were thrifted, broken and old. In my mind, I was a princess. My mother’s smile gave me the feeling that I was right. When I looked down at my shoes, they had a rough appearance of being well-used, but the pink patent leather still had a shine . I spent much of the evening cleaning them as well as I could. It was a beautiful spring day. My mom promised me to take me to the mall. It was my birthday, and she would treat me to a big ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. The drive in our old Toyota was nice as I listened to what she called the song of the engine. She allowed me to ride with the window down, holding my hand out to touch the air faeries. As always, I couldn’t catch any, but a few high-fived me. When we entered the mall that Sunday, I held her hand with my small one, my fingers grasping for her. Mom wore her pretty blue dress, the one with the small stars that reminded me of the night sky in summer. People walked around us, some alone, but most with their families, laughing and talking loudly to hear themselves over the speakers that played engaging pop music. The song played on the radio all the time. I started to hum it as I made big girl steps to keep up with my mom. We stopped in front of a dark office space and leaned she down to me. “Serena, see that chair there? Go sit down. Wait for Mommy. I’ll be right back, and then we can get ice cream.” That smile, and the banana scent of my mother’s lipstick, touched the corners of my mind and stayed there. The details of her face are etched in my mind, the way she smiled on that day, the light she held. I sat on the chair. After a bit, I got bored. My shoes wanted to walk. The floor was so pretty and shiny in a way I had never seen before. One step after the other, I walked away from where my mom left me to wait for her. People walked all around me. I saw a group of girls a few years older than me, laughing and staring at their phones. They all looked like princesses with their pretty hair and new clothes. Most people walked around and talked, peering at the store windows, which displayed all types of things. I walked by a few stores before stopping at the pet store window to watch a few kittens playing in a pen. Maybe I could ask Mom to get me a kitten one day. My finger slipped into my hair. Moving from one window to the next, I walked further and further away from the spot mom asked me to wait for her. The sounds of the mall, of the footsteps and the people, charmed me. Then the music sounded different. I was in front of a small ballet studio. That was the first time I saw a real ballerina other than on television. The teacher had those long, elegant arms and legs that made her look unreal. She wore Point shoes, black leggings, and a pink body-hugging outfit. Small diamonds sparkled in her ears, with a matching ring on her finger. I pressed my nose closer to the window. The girls in the class moved with elegant grace in a way that seemed impossible to duplicate. Each move made them look as if they were floating, dandelion fluff touched by the summer wind. I arched my neck, trying to copy the way they moved, the tilt of their heads, and the smiles that touched only the corners of their lips, spreading up to their eyes. The sounds of the mall disappeared. All I could hear was the music