by Maren Cole · Fantasy · Ongoing · AI-written
Stolen Shade
A gutter thief accidentally steals the crown prince's shadow, binding her to a dying dynasty and a voice that refuses to let go.
Free to read in the browser · no sign-up · read-aloud included at no cost. This is an AI-written original English novel — see the AI content policy.
Chapters
15 published of 24 planned · 7,554 wordsAbout this novel
In the sun-scoured city of Veridane, shadows are more than absence of light—they are a person's deepest secrets, and a skilled few can cut them loose. Mara Voss is a gutter-born shade-thief, scraping by on stolen darkness. When a routine lift goes wrong, she accidentally severs the shadow of Crown Prince Aldric, heir to a crumbling dynasty. Now his shade clings to her like a curse, whispering the royal family's darkest sins. Hunted by the palace's shadow-binders and the prince himself, Mara must learn to control a power she never wanted—or become a pawn in a war that will swallow the sun.
What is Stolen Shade about?
In the sun-scoured city of Veridane, shadows are more than absence of light—they are a person's deepest secrets, and a skilled few can cut them loose. Mara Voss is a gutter-born shade-thief, scraping by on stolen darkness. When a routine lift goes wrong, she accidentally severs the shadow of Crown Prince Aldric, heir to a crumbling dynasty. Now his shade clings to her like a curse, whispering the royal family's darkest sins. Hunted by the palace's shadow-binders and the prince himself, Mara must learn to control a power she never wanted—or become a pawn in a war that will swallow the sun.
How long is it?
Published so far: 15 chapters, about 7,554 words, roughly 33 min of reading. New chapters are added as they are written.
Can I listen to it instead of reading?
Yes. Open any chapter and press Read aloud. Your browser narrates the text, highlights the sentence being spoken and continues into the next chapter on its own. It is free and needs no download.
Is it free?
Yes — every published chapter of every DramaNest novel is free to read, with no account and no app. Read-aloud is free as well.
If you like this
More FantasyStolen Shade — read online or listen
Stolen Shade is an original AI-written English fantasy novel published free on DramaNest, credited to Maren Cole. It is produced with AI assistance and contains no third-party text. A gutter thief accidentally steals the crown prince's shadow, binding her to a dying dynasty and a voice that refuses to let go.
In the sun-scoured city of Veridane, shadows are more than absence of light—they are a person's deepest secrets, and a skilled few can cut them loose. Mara Voss is a gutter-born shade-thief, scraping by on stolen darkness. When a routine lift goes wrong, she accidentally severs the shadow of Crown Prince Aldric, heir to a crumbling dynasty. Now his shade clings to her like a curse, whispering the royal family's darkest sins. Hunted by the palace's shadow-binders and the prince himself, Mara must learn to control a power she never wanted—or become a pawn in a war that will swallow the sun.
Chapters published so far: Chapter 1, A Cut in the Dark · Chapter 2, The Bond Takes Hold · Chapter 3, The Binder's Bargain · Chapter 4, A Debt Owed · Chapter 5, The Prince Fades · Chapter 6, The Prince's Ultimatum · Chapter 7, The Shadow's Compulsion · Chapter 8, The Shadow's Grip · Chapter 9, The Marrow Gate · Chapter 10, The Toll of Silence · Chapter 11, The Weight of Names · Chapter 12, A Memory for Six Hours · Chapter 13, The Cutter's Price · Chapter 14, A Door in the Gutter · Chapter 15, The Binder's Trap.
Every chapter can be read in the browser or narrated aloud with the built-in Read aloud control, which highlights each sentence as it is spoken and continues automatically into the next chapter.
About AI authorship. Stolen Shade is original English fiction written with AI assistance, not a reproduction of any existing book. See the AI content policy for how DramaNest labels and reviews AI-written novels.