Exile's Gamble_The Chronicles of Shadow_Book II

by Lee Dunning

  Wood Elves

  Foxfire: Wood Elf with a mysterious past. Bard and reluctant member of the Elven High Council.

  Kela: Curt and easily offended, sometimes referred to as the She-Badger. She serves on the High Council.

  Shadow Elves

  Umbral: Half First Born son of the First. Powerful psion and mediocre magic user. Banished to the Abyss for attempting to kill his father.

  Lord W'rath: Older and wiser Umbral K'hul. Recent escapee from the Abyss, he now makes his way among the elves of First Home under an assumed name. Member of the High Council.

  Lady Raven: Young elf who escaped the society of the Exiles to live on the surface of Alassea. She received citizenship to First Home for her heroic efforts during the battle at Second Home. She now serves on the High Council.

  Ryld: Young male born on First Home.

  Caeldan: Ryld's twin brother.

  Seismis: Youngest Shadow Elf male on First Home. Jumpy and in constant agitation.

  Seer: Young Shadow Elf female born on First Home. Possesses one psionic ability, which allows her to remote view current events.

  T'ara: Young female Shadow Elf born on First Home. More than a little mad, she hates Raven and W'rath because she considers them tainted.

  Humans

  Chalice Ungren Renoir: Priest of the Duality, serving as advisor to Lord Kiat Icewind.

  Queen Cherish: Wife to the former king of Teresland. She now works to arrange a marriage for herself to King Luccan of Renlin.

  Chalice Tarako Renoir: Ungren Renoir's wife, priestess of the Duality, and native of the Dragon Isles.

  King Harry of Scoffula: Loud, crude sovereign of the coastal country of Scoffula. Uncle to Queen Cherish.

  High Master Favre: Male head of the Church of the Duality.

  High Matron DuBoi: Female head of the Church of the Duality.

  Lord Darson: Petty noble angry at the elves for insisting humans of all classes take part in harvesting the fall crops.

  Croaking Wisdom: Ancient woman who serves as the leader of a group of nomads known as the Clan of Thorn and Spine.

  Beings, Places and Other Things of Consequence

  Ruaz'Daem: Demon lord of the Abyss killed by Umbral.

  Lady Slavia: Extraordinarily powerful succubus whose army fell to the might of Umbral's psionics.

  Teresland: Human country currently occupied by the elves of First Home.

  Tassilia: City-State of mercenary mages.

  Scoffula: Small coastal kingdom ruled by King Harry.

  Renlin: Country north and west of Teresland. Ruled by King Luccan.

  Uhtheim: City-State located in the Badlands, bordering the Glass Desert.

  House of Memories: Ancestral home to the Stormchaser family. Now the residence of First Home's Shadow Elf population.

  House of Laughing Waters: Place of healing located on First Home.

  Allasea: The elven name for the world.

  Shadow's Edge: Name of Umbral's personal weapon.

  Acknowledgements

  Once again, I owe a debt of gratitude to a multitude of selfless individuals. I'd like to thank S.J. Smith for taking on the odius task of editing my scribbles. We bonded over our love of commas and both weep over the stylistic trend to dash them from our pages. The members of the Paradise Valley Creative Writers deserve all sorts of kudos. They've put up with pages upon pages of awkward sentences and a cast of way too many characters. To Sam of the Matador Coffee Roasting Company, thank you for putting up with the PVCW for the last two years, and thank you for introducing me to so many delicious concoctions. My beta readers deserve much grovelling and appreciation. I gave them a short deadline along with a rasher of questions to wade through. So thank you Perez, Billie Fox and Gale.

  About the Author

  Lee Dunning has written stories in one form or another since grade school. Lured into the realm of fantasy by her mother who read "The Last Unicorn" to her, Lee has never escaped the pull of magical worlds and mystic creatures. Her sixth grade teacher, Dixie Gaisford, introduced her to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, and from this came Lee's obsession with elves. Introduction to Dungeons and Dragons in high school ended any hope that Lee would escape and live a normal, boring life spent in the pursuit of a six-digit pay check and an early grave. Today she lives in the hellish desert with four siamese and one horrified orange tabby. The Pacific Northwest is calling and she hopes to relocate there soon.

  For more information, book reviews and a smattering of art, please visit Lee at: leedunning.com

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  Available for Kindle, and in print edition at Amazon