Kell Maresh

	"They didn't really want to know. They thought they did, but knowing only made them miserable."
	This article contains plot details and potential spoilers for the Shades of Magic series, particularly for The Fragile Threads of Power. If you have not begun reading the books or are not too far into the story, please do refrain from reading.

A Life Erased/Restored

Kell Maresh
General Information
Full name	K.L. (unknown)Kastion Laros (birth name)
Alias	Black-eyed prince Blessed prince (Aven Vares) Flower boy (by Astrid Dane) Magic boy (by Lila Bard) Kamerov Loste Silver knight (as Kamerov) Kay
London	Red
Gender	Male
Birthday	July 10, 1798
Age	28 31 (physically)
Magic
Professional status
Affiliation	House of Maresh
OccupationTitles	Prince of Arnes Ambassador (former) Smuggler (former)
Residence	Grey Barron Soner Rast (former)
Personal status
Status	Alive
Father	Unnamed man (biological) Maxim Maresh † (adoptive)
Mother	Unnamed woman (biological) Emira Maresh † (adoptive)
Sibling(s)	Rhy Maresh (adoptive brother)
Other relatives	Nadiya Loreni (sister-in-law) Alucard Emery (brother-in-law) Ren Maresh (niece)
Romances	Lila Bard
Physical description
Hair Color	Auburn
Eye Color	Blue (left) Black (right)
Height	6' (183 cm)

“	But the thing about people, Kell had discovered, is that they didn't really want to know. They thought they did, but knowing only made them miserable.	”
—Kell, A Darker Shade of MagicIV: White Throne, I

Master Kell Maresh is an Antari from Red London and the adopted Prince of Arnes.

As one of the last few with the gift to "travel" to parallel universes, Kell was charged with delivering messages between the other reigning monarchs of London until his brother, Rhy, ascended the Arnesian throne and allowed him to travel the world with Lila Bard onboard the Grey Barron.

Physical description

Kell has fair skin, auburn hair, and a perpetual scowl. Ever since the final fight against Osaron, there is a single streak of silver in his hair. Kell is also tall and lanky and has mismatched eyes: one blue on the left and one glossy black on the right. This marks him for what he is: an Antari.

Furthermore, Kell has a small scar below his elbow's crook which remained when a Memory rune was applied there. Because Kell bound his life to Rhy's with a soul seal, he has a scar in the shape of concentric circles on his chest, right above his heart; Rhy bears the same mark. Before the black stone's magic was dispelled, the mark was black.

Even without the Antari mark, Kell's appearance is uncommon for an Arnesian as they usually have dark skin and hair and a sturdy body, though Arnesians from the northern edge of the country can have red hair. Fair skin is usually a trait of Veskans, and a tall, lanky physique is a trait of Faroans.

Kell inherited his red hair from his Arnesian mother and his fair skin from his part-Veskan father.

Personality

“	Kell only has two faces. [..] The one he wears for the world at large, and the one he wears for those he loves.	”
—Rhy Maresh, A Gathering of ShadowsX: Catastrophe, V

Kell is a very stubborn person with a perpetual frown and a strong will that is displayed, for example, when he fights against the black stone and later against Osaron, both of which wanted to take over his body in exchange for power.

He is a private person and keeps to himself most of the time. Thus, he greatly dislikes socializing and life at court, feeling lost and out of place. Kell is also very cautious, and has deep values on what is right and wrong.

To Rhy, Kell is known to be caring and overprotective. To Lila, he is protective but can be very harsh as he often disagrees with her usually reckless ideas and actions. However, in the eyes of others who only know him as the Antari, he is seen as a fearsome and dangerous man.

Kell often slouches while walking and bites his lips.

By his own admission, Kell was more arrogant when he was younger.

Biography

Early life

Because he is an Antari, his parents brought him to the Ferase Stras to sell when he was five years old.

Kastion did not know why his parents had taken him there. Maris Patrol asked him to demonstrate his magic to her with the element set he carried; he complied and showed her that he could command all five elements. Then, Maris cut her palm and his thumb. She pressed his thumb against her wound and instructed him to say As Hasari. As soon as he did, Maris' wound healed.

Maris told Kastion to play with her dog Baro while she spoke with his parents. Eagerly, Kastion went to play with him and tried to "heal" him with the new spell he learned. When his mother's limiter was removed and she called to her magic, Kastion wanted to hug her but Maris held him back and informed him that this woman was not his mother anymore.

Because his parents were refused a proper anoshe, Mrs. Laros simply handed Kastion a dagger and asked for forgiveness before she and her husband departed, leaving behind their confused and furious son with Maris and Tieren Serense. Maris then sealed Kastion's memories, and Tieren brought the boy to his new home.

He met his adopted parents, Maxim and Emira Maresh, the King and Queen of Arnes, as well as his adopted brother Rhy in the Rose Hall of Soner Rast for the first time. Upon adoption, he received the name "Kell Maresh."

Kell grew up feeling more like a possession or pawn than part of the Maresh family. Sometimes, he would stand in the palace's orchard with his eyes closed and imagine being elsewhere. However, while Kell does not think of Maxim and Emira as his parents, he considers Rhy his brother.

When Kell was twelve years old, he noticed an odd scar below the crook of his elbow. He researched it in the palace's library and learned that it was a remnant of a Memory rune which was used to seal his memories.

The Shadows

In 1812, Rhy was kidnapped by the rebel group the Shadows. When nobody else was able to find him, Kell used an Antari spell and a wooden horse Rhy had carved to track his brother. He found him inside a ship, lying on the ground and not breathing. Kell slit his palm to heal him, but when the spell did not work immediately, he cut his wrists, believing that more blood might make it work. Rhy was horrified by the scene when he finally woke up.

The brothers returned to the palace, and the guards eventually found all members of the Shadows. Although Rhy pardoned them, Kell could never forgive those rebels for what they did to Rhy and murdered them in secret.

Secrets and smuggling

A few years later, Kell started to smuggle items between the three accessible Londons. He also made a deal with Fauna to get the room above her tavern where he would store his illegal goods; in exchange, Kell gave Fauna a token from White London. Sometime later, Kell played a game of Sanct against Aldus Fletcher and won after cheating. Kell took his prizes— among them, a coat with multiple sides—but let Fletcher have a rook from White London.

In 1817, Kell found out about Rhy's affair with Alucard Emery when he caught them in Rhy's room. After Alucard broke up with Rhy at the Summer Feast party, Kell discovered Alucard trying to get to Rhy. Kell told him to either stay away forever, or properly make his intentions known to the king and queen in the morning if he truly cared about Rhy; Kell then left Alucard in the orchard. A month later, Kell waited at the door to the Rose Hall when Alucard was brought to Maxim and Emira to be pardoned for his crime of piracy. He told him he was not welcome in Red London anymore.

Sometime later, Kell told Rhy about his illegal inter-London trades and that he feels like a possession rather than a true family member while they were drinking on one of the palace's balconies. For his words, Rhy gave him another black eye.

Grey London business

In October 1819, Kell travels to Grey London to deliver a note from Emira to George III. He reads it out loud to the blind king and spontaneously extends it so that he does not find out how short the note it is. When Kell is about to leave, the king asks him to exchange his lin with a fresh coin. Kell reluctantly complies and then heads to the Prince Regent to bring him a letter.

Because Prince George is annoyed by Kell's tardiness, he lets him wait and slowly finishes his own letter. When he finishes it, he does not hand it to Kell; instead, he invites him on a walk. While they stroll through the gardens, the Prince Regent tries to make Kell join him for dinner. Kell refuses and reminds him of what happened to Black London; this makes George finally surrender the letter to Kell, and Kell leaves for the Stone's Throw.

At the tavern, an Enthusiast approaches Kell while he is waiting for his newest client, a Collector who wants to purchase an element set. After confirming that Kell is the smuggler, the Enthusiast introduces himself as Ned Tuttle and asks him for a bit of earth. Kell him that he will—if Ned manages to move an element in the set. Although Ned fails, Kell tells him to come back in a month; if he shows up and brings him "something that matters," he will give him the dirt. Ned leaves afterward, and Kell's client arrives. Kell hands over the element set in exchange for a music box before he returns to Red London.

Back home, Kell walks through the Night Market on his way to the palace. He joins his family, who are discussing Rhy's upcoming birthday, in the courtyard for tea. Maxim and Emira ask him about his trip and express concern for him because he looks pale; Kell tells them that the trip was fine and that he is well. Not long afterward, Kell and Rhy excuse themselves, and while they head to their rooms, Rhy confronts him, asking whether he brought anything from Grey London. Kell denies that he did, and although Rhy knows that he is lying, he does not inquire further, only warns him about the dangers of his actions before he goes to bed.

After Kell arrives in his own room, he immediately travels to the Ruby Fields where he listens to his new music box and falls asleep.

The black stone

The next day, Kell tries to teach Rhy magic. When Rhy tries to contain a flame and accidentally smears the binding circle, the fire springs free, and Kell has to use blood magic to dispel it. The brothers then agree to go drinking to soothe their nerves, but their plans are thwarted by Maxim who needs Kell to deliver a letter to White London.

Kell travels to White London where Holland Vosijk leads him to Astrid Dane. She is delighted to see him and beckons him forward, and Kell reluctantly walks to her. Astrid then grabs his arm and shoots lightning through his body, wanting him to fight back. He tries to be steadfast and not engage; only when his leg buckles under him, Astrid lets go and expresses her wish to keep him.

A moment later, Athos, Astrid's twin brother, enters the throne room with Holland who fetched him. He joins Astrid on the dais and invites Kell to drink with them. To Kell's horror, Athos makes Holland cut himself and fill a goblet with his blood. Athos then shares the blood with Astrid while Kell drinks alcohol. He drinks too much because Astrid keeps refilling his glass, and when he finally leaves the White Castle, Kell is rather drunk.

Kell decides to walk off his handover and eventually ends up at the Scorched Bone. There, a woman in a blue cloak approaches him and requests him to bring a letter to her only living relative, Olivar, who lives in Red London and is on his deathbed. Before Kell can give her an definite answer, the woman presses the letter and a parcel with the payment into his hands and swiftly vanishes. Nevertheless, Kell heads to the address on the envelope as soon as he has sobered up enough. When he arrives, he notices that two men are waiting for him there.

Kell opens the envelope and when he sees that the letter inside is empty, he realizes that he has been set-up and runs to the Ruby Fields where he unfolds the cloth parcel and finds a black stone, a relic from Black London, within. Because the cloth was marked with a tracing spell, the cutthroats find Kell although he hid his room from general sight. He flees through the window and fights them in an alley. One of the cutthroats manages to slash Kell across his chest with his blade, a stolen sword from the royal guard enchanted to dampen magic. Kell freezes him with the black stone's power and kills the other cutthroat.

He travels to Grey London and collides with a woman who helps him clean up his face but steals the black stone from him. After Kell notices the theft, he uses the handkerchief she gave him to teleport himself to her. He demands the stone back and promptly collapses from exhaustion.

When Kell wakes up, he is bound to a bed. The thief introduces herself as Lila Bard and interrogates him. Kell admits that he comes from another London where magic exists and frees himself with magic to prove it. He then tells her that he needs the stone back because it is "bad magic." Intrigued, Lila tries out the stone's abilities by conjuring first a sword and then another Kell which she orders to divest. Kell urges her to dispel the second Kell, and when she tries, the false Kell becomes self-aware and attacks her. The right Kell destroys it with blood magic and binds Lila to the wall by manipulating the wood. After retrieving the items she took from him, he leaves.

Confrontration

Kell does not return to Red London; instead, he is standing on a bridge and pondering over what happened when he smells Holland's magic and hears Lila's scream. Immediately, Kell rushes to Lila's aid and urges her to run, but Holland does not let go of her until Kell says he can try taking the black stone from him if he does. Lila hurries away, and Kell and Holland fight. Despite his efforts, Holland easily overpowers Kell and takes the talisman. He immobilizes Kell with the stone's power and then enchants Kell to bleed from his pores. Kell pleads with Holland and tells him that he can use the stone to break his seal and free himself. Holland informs him that the iron seal does not bind him to Athos, a mark that is burned into his body does; not even the black stone could sever that bond.

Just when Holland stands over Kell and asks if he is afraid of dying, Lila reappears and knocks him out with an iron bar. Lila secures the black stone and binds Holland to the ground. She then drags Kell to the Stone's Throw, and Kell holds onto his consciousness until Barron and Lila lay him on a bed. While he sleeps, Lila holds vigil, in case Holland finds them.

Kell wakes up a few hours later. On Lila's request and insistence, he explains everything to her: He and Holland are the only Antari, blood magicians, in existence. Hundreds of years ago, anyone could move freely between the four Londons—Grey, Red, White, and Black London—but since Black London's fall and the seal of the interdimensional doors, only Antari can travel between the worlds. The black stone survived the purge of Black London artifacts and needs to be sent back home before anyone abuses its power and causes great destruction.

Although it is uncertain whether Lila, with the help of the black stone, can follow Kell through the worlds, she persists; she is not afraid of dying and refuses to hand over the stone. Reluctantly, Kell allows her to accompany him, and they leave the Stone's Throw after Lila leaves all her money and her silver pocket watch for Barron.

They head to Whitbury because its Red London counterpart is close to the Ruby Fields, and Kell opens a portal to Red London through which they step. When Kell arrives in Red London, Lila is nowhere to be found. He uses the handkerchief she gave him right before they left to track her down and finds her at the Night Market, trying to steal something from an enchanted tent. He apologizes to the vendor for her behavior, gives him some money, and guides Lila away from the marketplace.

On the way to the Ruby Fields, Kell scolds her for not keeping her fingers to herself for five minutes, though he is also glad that Lila made it in one piece through the portal. Lila then asks him why he seems to be hiding from the guards, and Kell admits that he belongs to the royal family. However, she has no sympathy for his situation and snaps at him; even if the king and queen might not love him like a son, he was at least taken care off and never had to fear for his survival. Kell agrees and feels horrible for his smuggling business; despite everything, he still loves his family after all.

A bit later, Kell and Lila finally arrive at the tavern, only to find it burned down. When Kell senses Holland approaching, he conceals himself and Lila with the black stone's power. Holland taunts them, detailing how he killed Fauna and Barron and saying that it is their fault that they died. When Kell and Lila still do not reveal themselves, Holland tries to locate them by raining ashes on them, but the stone's power made them incorporeal as well as invisible and the ashes simply pass through them. Acknowledging defeat, Holland leaves.

After briefly consoling Lila, Kell leads her to Fletcher's pawnshop. Fletcher is not there when they arrive, and Kell and Lila search the shop for the white rook but cannot find it. When Fletcher eventually returns, Lila tries to attack him, but he stops and brings her to his knees by manipulating her bones. Kell tells Fletcher that he needs the rook back, but Fletcher is unwilling to sell it to him. After he states that he might sell it to Lila if she sleeps with him, he reveals that he contacted the royal guard that is looking for Kell.

A moment later, Ellis and four of his men arrive, and Lila quickly conceals herself from sight with the black stone. Kell explains that he is fine; he was simply delayed while running his errand and then went to Fletcher's pawnshop to look for Rhy's birthday gift. Before he is escorted out, Kell secretly tells Lila that he will be back soon. They leave the shop and, as soon as Kell is inside the carriage, a guard sedates him.

The Black Night

Kell later wakes up in Rhy's room, with Rhy and two royal guards watching him. Rhy inquires about the black stone, and Kell notices the strange necklace he is wearing: It is the same one he saw on Astrid days before. Astrid then reveals that she is controlling Rhy and wants to conquer Red London by destroying the seals and permanently open the doors between Red and White London. She demands to know where the stone is; when Kell tells her that he does not know, she attacks him.

Lila arrives not long afterward and shoots Rhy in the leg. Astrid does not let go and threatens to kill Rhy if Kell and Lila do not hand over the black stone. They refuse, and Astrid throws the necklace via which she is possessing Rhy to Lila before making Rhy stab himself. Lila jumps aside, and an enchanted royal guard takes the necklace. Kell rushes to Rhy's aid and removes the knife but before he can heal him, Astrid—now in the guard's body—attacks him.

Kell and Lila eventually manage to dispose of the guards, but the necklace falls from the balcony and ends up in the hands of a party guest. While Kell repeats the Antari healing spell—As Hasari—, Rhy apologizes to him, and Lila reminds them that they need to leave. They escape to Kell's room where he opens a portal to the London Sanctuary. Kell places Rhy on a cot and, refusing to let his brother die, creates a soul seal between himself and Rhy with the black stone's power. The seal intertwines their lives; as long as Kell is alive, Rhy will be too.

Tieren Serense then finds them. After Kell explains the situation to his mentor, Tieren says he will keep Rhy safe at the sanctuary and tend to him as well as lead Kell and Lila to the tunnels. On the way, Kell argues with Lila whether she should come or not; he ultimately relents.

After leaving the sanctuary, Kell and Lila head back into the city to get closer to the palace. While they are stepping through the door to White London, Holland appears and pulls Kell back to Red London; Lila manages to pass through the portal on her own. Kell and Holland fight, and Kell eventually succeeds in chaining Holland by manipulating metal and piercing a metal pole through his back, close to his heart.

When Kell searches Holland and finds a White London token, he realizes that Holland predicted his plan and allowed it to happen. Unable to leave him behind, Kell takes the dying Holland with him to White London and carries him to the White Castle. There, Kell and Lila split up; Kell goes to find Athos while Lila heads to the throne room where Astrid is.

Kell places Holland on a stone bench before he runs into Athos. They fight; at first, Athos has the upper hand, but then Kell taunts him into creating a gigantic snake with the black stone. When he sees it, Kell remarks that Athos finally created something strong enough to defeat him; after all, he seemingly cannot do it himself. Wanting to prove him wrong, Athos tries to dispel the snake—in vain. Instead of vanishing, the snake becomes sentient and refuses to be dispelled; it wraps itself around Athos and snaps his neck.

Kell secures Athos' half of the black stone and combines the pieces using a blood command, As Hasari. Holding the restored stone dazes Kell. Right afterward, Lila finds him and begs him to give her the stone. Despite his state, Kell realizes that she is not Lila but Astrid in disguise and stabs her in the stomach. He turns Astrid into stone and then shatters her body before the real Lila arrives and the black stone's magic plunges him into darkness.

In Kell's mind, the magic within the stone—Vitari—takes Kell's form and speaks to him in the ancient language of magic. The magic wants Kell to surrender because Kell, as an Antari, will be its perfect vessel. However, thinking of Rhy and faintly hearing Lila's voice, Kell pushes back and remembers that he can simply dispel Vitari—he only needs to say As Anasae physically out loud. When Kell manages it, the black stone loses its power and everything it created vanishes and all its hosts die; only the soul seal between Kell and Rhy remains as it was also tethered to Kell directly.

After Kell recovers enough, he sends the black stone to Black London alongside Holland, who is still alive. Kell and Lila then recall that, without the stone, Lila might not be able to come with him to Red London. Lila insists to try anyway, and Kell opens a door. To their amazement, both of them pass through in one piece. Their joy does not last long though because the royal guard soon finds and arrests them.

Kell and Lila are brought to the king and queen, and Kell explains what happened and assures them that the twins are now dead—he defeated them with Lila's help.

Emira and Maxim are curious about Lila, wanting to know who she is and where she comes from; Lila lies that she arrived per ship a few days ago and decided to help Kell save his home. She also calls them out for treating her and Kell like criminals, but her words fall on deaf ears. The queen and king then inquire about Rhy, and Kell informs them that he is well. As soon as he and Lila are released, Kell will get him.

Three days later, Kell visits his ailing brother in his room. On Rhy's insistence, Kell tells him that their lives are now bound which horrifies Rhy because he does not know how his brother could bear this weight. Rhy then apologizes for accepting the necklace from Holland and nearly destroying everything. The brothers are interrupted by Lila, and Rhy takes a liking to her. Kell quickly ushers her out and leaves as well. He brings Lila to the Isle, and after he gifts her an element set, they part ways.

Restlessness

In the months after the Black Night, Kell becomes increasingly restless and begins to train intensively in the Basin to calm his nerves. However, the calm only last for a short while, and Kell keeps increasing his training sessions. Kell also started visiting Calla's shop every week to inquire whether Lila has returned.

In February 1820, Kell is training in the Basin again when Rhy arrives and convinces him to head out into the city. They first head to Splendor, a leisure palace Kell instantly abhors. He quickly realizes though that this was Rhy's intention and tells Rhy that he will stay at Splendor and be miserable rather than indulge whatever plan he has. Rhy then mingles in the crowd while Kell stays seated in one place. After he overhears a group talking about the upcoming Essen Tasch and that Alucard Emery will participate in it, Kell feels that Rhy is in pain.

Worried, Kell searches for his brother and finds him making out with a waitress. Angry and annoyed, Kell drags Rhy out, and they head to their actual destination for the night: the Blessed Waters. There, Rhy bets that a man, Kamerov Loste, will reach the nines in the Essen Tasch and then orders a horribly strong drink for Kell and himself.

At the tavern, Kell spots Kisimyr Vasrin, and when Rhy leaves their booth to get more drinks, someone from her entourage—Asana—comes over to deliver a message from Kisimyr: a kiss. Kell makes out with Asana, though his mind is on Lila, until he feels that Rhy is in pain yet again. This time, he seems to be in serious trouble. Kell hurries outside and sees Rhy fighting a few men who they had earlier overheard insulting the prince for his lack of magic.

Kell stops the men and a few others who join them in the alley. He loses himself in the fight though and nearly kills everyone; Rhy manages to get through to him in the last minute, and Kell calms down and lets the men go. Afterward, Kell and Rhy return home. At the palace, their new guards—Staff, Hastra, Vis, and Tolners—are waiting for them. They blame Kell for endangering the prince although the night out was not his idea. Because the guards also refuse to help, Kell drags a drunk Rhy to his room all alone. After he makes sure that his brother is in his bed and asleep, Kell retires to his own room and thinks of Lila again, dreaming of having adventures with her again.

Changes

The next morning, Kell wakes up from a nightmare he has been having since the Black Night. Staff then escorts him to the sunroom where Maxim, Emira, and Rhy have lunch and discuss the Essen Tasch and go over guest preparations with Lisane and Parlo. Kell eventually rises to oversee the arena construction but Maxim stops him; he wants him to deliver a letter to Grey London. Although Maxim stations Staff and Hastra in the Naresh Kas where Kell would return to Red London, Kell is glad for the delivery as it allows him to be on his own for a while.

Kell travels to Grey London and learns that George III has died. The new king, George IV, leads Kell to St. George's Chapel so that he can pay his respects to his father. Afterward, George finishes his letter and hands it to Kell, saying that he wants their kingdoms to become closer and that he will give him a gift—if Kell brings him something from Red London the next time. Kell refuses and then leaves Windsor Castle.

He does not immediately return to Red London though but heads to Westminster first where he wanders around until he arrives at the Stone's Throw, now called the Five Points. Kell meets Ned in front of the tavern, and Ned tells him he is its new owner and invites him inside for a drink. When Ned shows him that he is able to slightly move water, Kell is shocked. Ned then goes upstairs to fetch a gift he got Kell, and Kell seizes this opportunity to leave, but not before he places a Red London lin on the counter.

The Essen Tasch

As agreed, Kell meets Staff and Hastra in the Naresh Kas upon returning to Red London. His guards then escort him to Maxim, and Kell hands him George VI's letter and informs him about George III's passing. Afterward, Kell retreats to his room where Rhy already awaits him.

Rhy gifts him a silver helmet and admits that he arranged for him to enter the Essen Tasch. Kell is appalled—as an Antari, he is prohibited from participating—and refuses to accept his brother's proposal; he only relents after Rhy insists that Kell needs to do this to ease his—their—restlessness. Rhy then calls Kell's guards inside, and tells them that Kell has to enter the tournament for an undercover mission to investigate a potential threat. For that reason, one of his guards will have to pose as his second, his attendant. Hastra happily volunteers.

When the envoys from Faro and Vesk arrive, Kell watches the ships sail up the Isle. He then joins Rhy, Maxim, and Emira in the Rose Hall to greet their guests. Cora and Col Taskon enter first, followed by Sol-in-Ar.

Later, when it is time to mingle, Cora immediately approaches Kell and tells him that they will dance at the tournament balls. Albeit horrified, Kell accepts. As soon as she leaves, Sol-in-Ar comes to speak to Kell and Rhy. Because Sol-in-Ar cannot help inspecting Antari mark, Kell leaves the palace the instant Sol-in-Ar is gone.

Kell, accompanied by Hastra, strolls through the Night Market and visits Calla who informs him that Lila has just paid her debt. Having missed her by mere minutes, Kell and Hastra return to Soner Rast.

To prepare for the tournament, Kell now trains with Hastra in the Basin. During one of their sparring sessions, Hastra tells Kell that he can balance the elements.

Relationships

Romances

• Lila Bard

“	He would see her again. He knew he would. Magic bent the world. Bent it into shape. There were fixed points. Most of the time those points were places. But sometimes, rarely, they were people. For someone who never stood still, Lila felt like a pin in Kell's world. One he was sure to snag on.	”
—Kell, A Darker Shade of MagicXIV: The Final Door, IV

Upon their first meeting, the two seemed to be intrigued, as well as slightly annoyed by each other. But along their adventure, they grew closer, and while the exact status of their relationship is complicated; both have shown romantic feelings for one another.

During the travel from Grey London to Red London Lila kissed Kell "for luck". This became a sort of charm between them, Kell kissing her again saying the same thing until they finally shared one or two real kisses.

Although Kell never planned on picking up a Grey Londoner and taking her with him to his own London, he agreed after a few good points made by her. On this dangerous journey, Lila was what kept him going, she gave him strength and confidence with her "Of course we can do it" attitude. When Kell cares about someone he gets very overprotective. This annoyed Lila so extremely that he took to learning how to respect her while also protecting her. He discovered soon though that Lila needs no protection.

Family

• Rhy Maresh
• Maxim and Emira Maresh

“	One glance at this Kell told Rhy all he needed to know—that he was summer, this boy was winter. Where Rhy was loud and bright, Kell was silent, a shadow.	”
—Brothers

When Kell was adopted by the royal family as a child he knew it was only because of his Antari powers. This was a weighing knowledge at such an age, but Rhy made it livable. Rhy never ceased making Kell feel like his brother as if they had always been brothers.

Rhy has a bad habit of disappearing in the night to find trouble, to feel more human, every time, afterward, Kell would follow just to piece together Rhy again. There was also an episode in the past where Rhy was kidnapped by a cult, no one could find him, except Kell. Kell used a dangerous spell he had never tried before, found Rhy and used up all his energy on healing Rhy.

After Alucard broke Rhy's heart Kell became enraged, he banished Alucard from London and threatened him several times. When it was known that Alucard was competing in the Elemental Games he joined in hopes of fighting him to the death. His wish did not come true though and threatened Alucard again when seeing him leaving Rhy's dorms.

Others

• Alucard Emery
• Tieren Serense

Tieren Serense is the Aven Essen of the London Sanctuary. He taught Kell magic since he was a little boy and is very patience with everybody.

Skills and abilities

• Magic: As an Antari, Kell is one of the most powerful magicians to exist. However, ever since a small part of his magic was sucked into the Inheritor while trying to imprison Osaron, Kell has problems using his magic. Tes Ranek manages to mend his magic seven years later.

Possessions

• Current
• Former

• Antari binding rings: A ring which can be separated into three and which allows Antari to share one another's magic. Kell obtains it on the Ferase Stras.
• Kamerov's helmet: A silver helmet Rhy commissioned for Kell to enable him to compete in the Essen Tasch.
• Magical coat: A jacket with numerous sides. Kell won it in a game of Sanct against Aldus Fletcher.
• Silver dagger: A dagger monogrammed with the initials "K.L." It is the only thing Kell possesses from the time before losing his memories and coming to the palace.
• Travelling coins: Kell keeps coins from every London on a chain around his throat.

Black stone: A powerful stone from Black London. It is given to him by an unknown woman who was sent by the Dane twins. After foiling the twins' plan and dispelling the magic inside the stone, Kell sends it to Black London alongside Holland.

Map to Everywhere: Kell gets the map from Lila's room in the Stone's Throw after Barron's death.

Ruby Fields items: A variety of objects Kell collected over the years as a smuggler. Among them , i.a., a poetry book by William Blake and various music boxes from Grey London, a White London glass ball filled with black sand that shows someone's dreams, maps of all three remaining Londons, as well as various lockets and instruments. The items are destroyed when Holland burns down the Ruby Fields.

Appearances

• A Life Erased
• Brothers
• The Consequence of Triumph
• A Royal Affair
• A Darker Shade of Magic (first appearance)
• A Treatise on the Erasure of English Magic (mentioned only)
• A Gathering of Shadows
• A Conjuring of Light
• The Fragile Threads of Power

Gallery

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On the US hardback of A Darker Shade of Magic.

On the US paperback of A Darker Shade of Magic.

Cutout design for the A Conjuring of Light tour.

Kell as Kamerov Loste.

Kell by Lesya.

Kell and Lila, seven years later.

Titles and styles

• Since 1803: Master Kell Maresh

Trivia

• General
• Etymology

• Kell does not know what he wants from life or sex.
• Kell is more of a cat person than a dog person. He hates this fact because Alucard Emery, his arch-nemesis, is also a cat person.
• He is not much of a drinker or smoker. If he indulges in drinking or smoking cigars, it is usually to take "control over what he put[s] in his body."
• Kell has a favorite chair: It is a battered chair which he stole from one of the palace's studies.
• He fears death.
• Kell hates limes.

Out of Universe

• Although Kell's birthday is July 10, he tells Rhy in A Gathering of Shadows, which is set in February 1820, that his birthday is in a month.
• One of the things that ties Kell and Lila's fates together are the poems of William Blake: Kell stored a book of Blake's poems in the Ruby Fields, and Lila's mother read his poems to her.
• Kell's mantra is "rooted in the desire to be seen as more than a possession OR a prince OR an avatar for magic."
• Kell's favorite tea would be English Breakfast which is also one of V. E. Schwab's favorite teas.
  • Kell's Starbucks order would be green tea. He would also be a "pissy hipster barista."
• Kell would only wear a Christmas sweater to make Rhy smile.
• If Kell had to live through lockdown, he would read a book.
• In Vengeful, at a costume party, someone is dressed as Kell and is making out with someone dressed as Lila.

The name "Kell" derives from the initials engraved on his dagger—"K.L." It is unknown for what the initials are actually standing but the pronunciation of them—Kay-Ell—eventually turned into "Kell."

• Furthermore, the name "Kell" is the Danish variant of "Kjeld" and "Kjell." The latter is the "East Nordic younger form of Kætill" which is Old Norse and means "(sacrificial) cauldron" or "helmet."

• "Kell" is also the name of a human blood group system, one of the most important blood groups in transfusion and obstetric medicine, after the ABO and Rh systems. The Kell protein is an essential component of red blood cell membrane. The system was discovered in 1946 and named for Mrs. Kelleher, a patient in whom anti-Kell antibodies had resulted in hemolytic disease of her newborn child.

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