Lady Shilight - Weeping Crowns

By Sheril Lee

This is the tenth book in the - Lady Shilight Series - On her way to Dovonshar to help overthrow the new tyrannical king, Lady Shilight is abducted. Trapped in a mine with a man who wishes her dead, she manages to escape, with him in full pursuit. In the distant town of Rydolke, she learns the recently defeated monarch, King Kuandel and his family, are prisoners in the local dungeon. Lady Shilight devises a plan to free them. While everyone's thoughts revolve around the king, the queen mourns the loss of her child. Unable to stop his coughing, the boy was taken from her and later pronounced dead - or was he? Is the queen's son alive, or is he a ghost child?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Nov 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781365494321

Book preview

Lady Shilight

WEEPING CROWNS

Book Ten in the

Lady Shilight Series

by

Sheril Lee

1st Edition

Copyright © 2016 Sheril Lee

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-365-49432-1

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike3.0 Unreported License. To view a copy of this license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/

or send a letter to:

Creative Commons

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http://www.lulu.com

ACKNOWLEGEMENTS

To my two editors, Dune and T.J.O., who have helped me from the start,

I thank you.

Cover by Melody Simmons

Books in the

Lady Shilight Series

by Sheril Lee

Lady Shilight – Lady Warrior

Lady Shilight – Royal Auditor

Lady Shilight – Taskmaster

Lady Shilight – Giant Slayer

Lady Shilight – A Regal Dilemma

Lady Shilight- Three Kingdoms

Lady Shilight - Lady Cobra

Lady Shilight - Adrift

Lady Shilight - Homeward Bound

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, without the written permission of the publisher, Sheril Lee, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in the context of reviews.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Abducted

Chapter 2: Who Are You?

Chapter 3: Escaping A Mine

Chapter 4: An Enemy No More

Chapter 5: Brothers

Chapter 6: Fighting Skills Honed

Chapter 7: Rescue Plans

Chapter 8: Dissenters Unite

Chapter 9: The Queen Grieves

Chapter 10: Horse Or Ghost Child

Chapter 11: Fireballs

Chapter 12: A King Rejoices

Appendix: Land Map

CHAPTER 1

The sorceress was out of control. Lady Shilight had never seen anyone this angry. Even Kilmire looked visibly scared of her.

Get back! If you force me to, I will kill you! she screeched.

Lady Shilight turned to Kilmire and shouted,

She is out of control! We must do something to distract her and stop this dangerous ranting! If we stand here and do nothing, someone is going to die. Quick, give me a hand.

She pointed to the ground. Together they reached down and grabbed a handful of rocks. They inched their way closer to the witch.

To help you understand what led up to this moment, I must take you back in time. Sent by King Kuandel on official business I traveled across the Torarks Sea. Halfway to our destination, I was kidnapped by pirates. Forced to walk the plank, I hit my head on the side of the ship and lost my memory. Luckily I survived and found a new life in the city of Bricktun. There I fell in love, married, and sadly, buried my husband. The trauma of watching my husband die in my arms triggered the return of my memory. I yearned to return to my home in Dovonshar, so I traveled by land along the edge of the sea until I arrived in the harbor city of Gladebend. It was there I learned King Kuandel had been overthrown in a battle waged against Lord Pardorg. To my displeasure Lord Pardorg was crowned king of Dovonshar.

Faced with an empty treasury, King Pardorg doubled the amount of taxes he imposed on every person in the kingdom. Flexing his newly acquired power he unmercifully clamped down on dissidents. Upset with the new king, the harbor cities of Gladebend and Harborfel banded together. I joined these soldiers on their way to Huntirrplan, a city occupied by those willing to go to war to dethrone the newly crowned king. After marching halfway to Huntirrplan the soldiers were allowed to stop and rest in the city of Grunpland.

I was warned that King Pardorg had put a price on my head, but in one unassuming moment in Grunpland, I let my guard down.

Traveling along with the soldiers was a troupe of actors with whom I had become friends. That day I borrowed an old pair of actor’s pants and walked to a nearby creek.

Alone at the time, I leaned over the edge of the creek in an attempt to wash my hair. Someone came up behind me and pushed my head under the water. At the last minute the same hand pulled my head out of the water. Coughing and gasping for air I was gagged and a sack was pulled over my head. Two men lifted me onto the back of a horse. Before I knew it, I had been abducted by unknown assailants.

What happened? Who are these men? Why have they grabbed me? Where are they taking me? Those were many of the thoughts that raced through my mind.

Their frenzied ride away from the encampment continued until the group had traveled several miles to the east. The men slowed their horses to a walk, allowing them to rest for the time being.

We must keep moving. Who knows when someone will notice she is missing and come after us, announced a man in an arrogant sounding voice.

That voice sounds familiar, thought Lady Shilight.

Let me kill her. Then they will have only a body to find, growled a young man in an angry voice.

NO! You will not kill her. Stop talking stupid, said a third man, whose voice was low and raspy.

Who are you calling stupid? shouted the angry one.

Both of you shut up, yelled the arrogant man.

Efrunt? Was that Efrunt’s voice? she wondered.

The horses began to canter. Each stride took them further and further away from Grunpland.

Back at the encampment, Bristilla was becoming more and more frustrated. The pretty young woman was an accomplished actress who had joined a traveling pageant show. Wagons carried her across the land from town to town as she, and her fellow actors, put on plays and skits to entertain the local townsfolk.

Bristilla had befriended Shilight and had told her she would join her at the creek, but the actress was terribly late. After looking through all three of the troupes’ wagons, she finally found her hair brush.

When ready, she walked to the creek with a towel draped over her arm and a small jar of lavender oil in her hand. She looked forward to putting the fragrant oil in her hair. Bristilla could envision her friend tapping her toe and wondering why she had taken so long. Shilight would probably tease her, and quite rightfully, for dragging her feet.

When Bristilla arrived at the creek she did not see Shilight. She walked up and down the edge of the creek thinking her friend had moved to another area of the creek. Suddenly she froze in her tracks. There on the ground was the cloth Shilight had brought with her to dry her hair. Where was she? Bristilla repeatedly called out her friend’s name, but there was no answer.

Filled with dread, Bristilla ran back to the campsite. When she got near the pageant