Anne Bishop - Shaladors Lady

Table of Contents

ALSO BY ANNE BISHOP

The Ephemera Series

Sebastian

Belladonna

The Black Jewels Series

Daughter of the Blood

Heir to the Shadows

Queen of the Darkness

The Invisible Ring

Dreams Made Flesh

Tangled Webs

The Shadow Queen

The Tir Alainn Trilogy

Pil ars of the World

Shadows and Light

The House of Gaian

ROC

Published by New American Library, a division of

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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:

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First published by Roc, an imprint of New American Library,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

First Printing, March 2010

Copyright Anne Bishop, 2010

All rights reserved

REGISTERED TRADEMARKMARCA REGISTRADA

Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Data:

Bishop, Anne.

Shaladors lady: a black jewels novel/Anne Bishop.

p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-101-18588-9

1. WitchesFiction. I. Title.

PS3552.I7594S54 2010

813.54dc22 2009036065

Set in Bembo

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

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FOR

NADINE, MERRI LEE, AND ANNEMARIE

AND FOR

NEELA

My thanks to Blair Boone for continuing to be my first reader, to Debra Dixon for being second reader, to Doranna Durgin for maintaining the Web site, to Rick Kohler for making the map pretty, to Pat Feidner just because, and to all the friends and readers who make this journey with me. And a special hello to Nikki and Sloan, the humanitarian vampire princesses I met on an Alaskan cruise.

Dena Nehele

JEWELS

WHITE

YELLOW

TIGER EYE

ROSE

SUMMER-SKY

PURPLE DUSK

OPAL

GREEN

SAPPHIRE

RED

GRAY

EBON-GRAY

BLACK

*Opal is the dividing line between lighter and darker Jewels because it can be either.

When making the Offering to the Darkness, a person can descend a maximum of three ranks from his/her Birthright Jewel.

Example: Birthright White could descend to Rose.

AUTHORS NOTE

The Sc in the names Scelt and Sceltie is pronounced Sh.

BLOOD HIERARCHY/CASTES

MALES:

landennon-Blood of any race

Blood malea general term for all males of the Blood; also refers to any Blood male who doesnt wear Jewels

Warlorda Jeweled male equal in status to a witch

Princea Jeweled male equal in status to a Priestess or a Healer Warlord Princea dangerous, extremely aggressive Jeweled male; in status, slightly lower than a Queen FEMALES:

landennon-Blood of any race

Blood femalea general term for all females of the Blood; mostly refers to any Blood female who doesnt wear Jewels

witcha Blood female who wears Jewels but isnt one of the other hierarchical levels; also refers to any Jeweled female

Healera witch who heals physical wounds and illnesses; equal in status to a Priestess and a Prince Priestessa witch who cares for altars, Sanctuaries, and Dark Altars; witnesses handfasts and marriages; performs offerings; equal in status to a Healer and a Prince

Black Widowa witch who heals the mind; weaves the tangled webs of dreams and visions; is trained in illusions and poisons

Queena witch who rules the Blood; is considered to be the lands heart and the Bloods moral center; as such, she is the focal point of their society

PLACES IN THE REALMS

TERREILLE

Dena Nehele

TAMANARA MOUNTAINS

GRAYHAVENBOTH A FAMILY ESTATE AND A TOWN

EYOTAVILLAGE 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 RIHVALLEY THAT IS THE KEEPS TERRITORY

RIADABLOOD VILLAGE IN EBON RIH

Dea al Mon

Dharo

WEAVERS FIELDBLOOD VILLAGE

BHAKBLOOD VILLAGE

WOOLSKINLANDEN VILLAGE

Dhemlan

AMDARHCAPITAL CITY

HALAWAYVILLAGE NEAR SADIABLO HALL

SADIABLO HALL (THE HALL)

Nharkhava

TAJRANACAPITAL CITY

Scelt

MAGHREVILLAGE

HELL (THE DARK REALM, THE REALM OF THE DEAD)

Ebon Askavi (aka the Black Mountain, the Keep)

SADIABLO HALL

CASSIDYS COURT

SHIRABLACK WIDOW/HEALER

VAEWITCH; SCELTIE

REYHANASHALADOR QUEEN

Warlord Princes

ARCHERR

BURNE

HAELE

JARED BLAED (GRAY)

RANONTALONS SECOND-IN-COMMAND

SHADDO

SPERE

TALONMASTER OF THE GUARD

THERANFIRST ESCORT

Princes

POWELLSTEWARD OF THE COURT

Warlords

BARDRIC

CAYLE

RADLEY

KERMILLAS COURT

Warl

ASTON

BARDOC

FLYNTONMASTER OF THE GUARD

GALLARDSTEWARD

JHORMACONSORT

KENJIM

LASKA

LIEKH

RIDLEY

TRAE

As tales of the new Queens 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.