Shalador's Lady

and a Prince
    Black Widow—a witch who heals the mind; weaves the tangled webs of dreams and visions; is trained in illusions and poisons
    Queen—a witch who rules the Blood; is considered to be the land’s heart and the Blood’s moral center; as such, she is the focal point of their society

PLACES IN THE REALMS

TERREILLE
    Dena Nehele
TAMANARA MOUNTAINS
GRAYHAVEN—BOTH A FAMILY ESTATE AND A TOWN
EYOTA—VILLAGE IN THE EASTERN SHALADOR RESERVE

    Ebon Askavi (aka the Black Mountain, the Keep)

    Hayll

    Zuulaman

KAELEER (THE SHADOW REALM)
    Askavi
EBON ASKAVI (AKA THE BLACK MOUNTAIN, THE KEEP)
EBON RIH—VALLEY THAT IS THE KEEP’S TERRITORY
RIADA—BLOOD VILLAGE IN EBON RIH

    Dea al Mon

    Dharo
WEAVERS FIELD—BLOOD VILLAGE
BHAK—BLOOD VILLAGE
WOOLSKIN—LANDEN VILLAGE

    Dhemlan
AMDARH—CAPITAL CITY
HALAWAY—VILLAGE NEAR SADIABLO HALL
SADIABLO HALL (THE HALL)

    Nharkhava
TAJRANA—CAPITAL CITY

    Scelt
MAGHRE—VILLAGE

HELL (THE DARK REALM, THE REALM OF THE DEAD)
    Ebon Askavi (aka the Black Mountain, the Keep)
SADIABLO HALL

CASSIDY’S COURT
    SHIRA—BLACK WIDOW/HEALER
VAE—WITCH; SCELTIE
REYHANA—SHALADOR QUEEN

    Warlord Princes
ARCHERR
BURNE
HAELE
JARED BLAED (GRAY)
RANON—TALON’S SECOND-IN-COMMAND
SHADDO
SPERE
TALON—MASTER OF THE GUARD
THERAN—FIRST ESCORT

    Princes
POWELL—STEWARD OF THE COURT

    Warlords
BARDRIC
CAYLE
RADLEY

KERMILLA’S COURT
    Warlords 1
ASTON
BARDOC
FLYNTON—MASTER OF THE GUARD
GALLARD—STEWARD
JHORMA—CONSORT
KENJIM
LASKA
LIEKH
RIDLEY
TRAE

As tales of the new Queen’s heart and courage spread through the Territory of Dena Nehele, the Black Widows felt something tremble through the land. But when they spun their tangled webs of dreams and visions, what they saw gave them little comfort.
    Many saw honey pear trees, heavy with ripe fruit, growing out of rotting bodies that had been left on the killing fields. A few saw a new beginning that was draped in the colors of sunset. Nothing they saw offered clarity—only the certainty that something was coming that would change Dena Nehele forever.
    In Ebon Askavi, the Sanctuary of Witch, another Black Widow studied the dreams and visions in her tangled web—and saw more than the other Black Widows ever could.
    Tears fell from her sapphire eyes, but even she could not have said if those tears were born of sorrow or of joy.

CHAPTER 1
    TERREILLE
    R anon stepped out on the terrace behind the Grayhaven mansion, closed his dark eyes, and raised the wood flute to his lips. Then he hesitated while a lifetime of caution warred with the hope he felt because of Lady Cassidy, the Queen who now ruled the Territory of Dena Nehele.
    Because there was hope, and fledgling trust, Ranon took a breath and began to play a greeting to the sun—a song that had not been heard outside of the Shalador reserves for many, many years. Even there, it had not been played openly.
    His grandfather had taught him this song and every other song the Tradition Keepers had held on to since the Shalador people fled the ruins of their own Territory generations ago and settled in the southern part of Dena Nehele. The people had thrived there and put down roots, respecting the traditions of Dena Nehele but never forgetting their own—and hoping, always hoping, that someday they would have a Territory of their own again.
    It had been good land once, and a good place to live when it had been ruled by the Gray-Jeweled Queens. Then Lia died, and Dena Nehele’s decline began. Queens who were backed by Dorothea SaDiablo, Hayll’s High Priestess, gained control within a couple of generations. Dorothea hated the people of Dena Nehele for holding out against her for so long, but she hated the Shalador people even more because of Jared, the Red-Jeweled Shalador Warlord who had been husband and Consort to Lia Grayhaven, the last Gray Lady to rule Dena Nehele.
    Because Dorothea hated Jared’s people, her pet Queens ground away a little more of what was uniquely Shalador with each generation. The boundaries of the reserves where the Shaladorans had settled were whittled away until now they struggled to grow enough crops to feed themselves. The Shalador traditions were forbidden. The dances, the music, the stories—all were taught in secret and at great risk.
    His paternal grandfather was a Tradition Keeper of music. A strong, quiet man, Yairen had been—and still was—a respected leader in Eyota, the village where Ranon had grown up. He was also a gifted musician