THE ANCESTOR- Also known as the Keeper of Memories, the Old One. The Ancestor is always a woman, following a matriarchal line of mystical seers that stretches back for nearly a thousand years. As the spiritual leader of the painted people she is respected and revered but she does not rule as a queen. Instead she guides the council of leaders.
VALDUR- a Taishan of the mountain lions, a vision-hunter lost on a quest in the southern steppes. Attacked and left for dead by soldiers of the Pentacle, a patrol of Octagon knights found him and took him to Castlegard where he died in Kath’s arms.
ROYCE- warrior leader of the mountain lions, leader of the Council
THERA- leader of the ravens, master healer
SHAGRITH- warrior leader of the eagles
BRANT- leader of the boars
FANGGOLD- warrior leader of the wolves
ANTON- fox-faced warrior patrol leader
TORVEN- eagle-faced warrior patrol leader
BEAR- a bear-faced warrior assigned to guard Kath, he refuses to reveal his true name, adopts the name of Bear and becomes Kath’s personal guard and friend, wields a sword
BOAR- a boar-faced warrior assigned to Kath, refuses to reveal his true name, adopts the name of Boar and becomes Kath’s personal guard and friend, wields a mace
NEVEN- a wolf-faced warrior smitten with Danya
TINGOLD- a wolf-faced scout
BEARANT- a bear-faced warrior
TIGE- a hawk-faced warrior
BREVOR- a badger-faced warrior
TANGOR- a badger-faced warrior
CLEMIT- a wolf-faced warrior
VIN- an eagle-faced warrior
GRENFIR- an owl-faced warrior
TARLY- a boar-faced warrior
PREN- a bear-faced warrior
SIDHORN- an eagle-faced warrior
TANNIN- a fox-faced youth serving as a message runner
Other books by Karen L Azinger
The Assassin’s Tear- Explore the medieval kingdoms of Erdhe, raid the tomb of the first emperor of China, and unravel the enigma of Dark Space in this collection of fantasy and science fiction tales from the author of The Silk & Steel Saga. The two signature stories, Prophecy’s Twist and The Assassin’s Tear, are set in the fantasy realm of Erdhe. Prophecy’s Twist discovers the dark deceit that started the War of Wizards, forever changing the kingdoms of Erdhe. The Assassin’s Tear follows the exploits of a petty thief whose ambition leads him to unravel the dark secret of the Mordant’s Citadel. The Emperor’s Shadow is an international thriller in the style of Indiana Jones, combining the power of superstition with archaeology in a desperate attempt to end World War Three. A Man’s World is a post-apocalyptic adventure set in Australia where coal miners discover all the rules have changed. Pieces of the Truth is a time travel story where a young physicist discovers a forgotten truth. In Snakes and Ladders, Lynn Gallant sets out to shatter the glass ceiling by taking a walk to the dark side of New Orleans. In The God Planet, universal dreams spark a religious frenzy, summoning humanoid kind to the riddle of Dark Space.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KAREN L. AZINGER has always loved fantasy fiction, and always hoped that someday she could give back to the genre a little of the joy that reading has always given her. Nine years ago on a hike in the Columbia River Gorge she realized she had enough original ideas to finally write an epic fantasy. She started writing and never stopped. The Steel Queen is her first book, born from that hike in the gorge. Before writing, Karen spent over twenty years as an international business strategist, eventually becoming a vice-president for one of the world's largest natural resource companies. She's worked on developing the first gem-quality diamond mine in Canada's arctic, on coal seam gas power projects in Australia, and on petroleum projects around the world. Having lived in Australia for eight years she considers it to be her second home. She's also lived in Canada and spent a lot of time in the Canadian arctic. She lives with her husband in Portland Oregon, in a house perched on the edge of the forest. The first four books of The Silk & Steel Saga have already been written and she is hard at work on the fifth and final book. You can learn more at www.karenlazinger.com or at her Facebook page for The Steel Queen.
The Front Cover artwork was done by the Australian artist, Greg Bridges. Greg’s artwork has appeared on the book covers of many well-known fantasy authors. His cover perfectly captures the dread of The Skeleton King. To see more of his art or to contact Greg, visit his website at http://www.gregbridges.com/
The Maps and the Back Cover artwork was done by a graphic artist from Oregon, Peggy Lowe. Her illustration of the two maps helps to bring the kingdoms of Erdhe to life and the screaming candles convey the horror of the Mordant’s domain. Peggy can be contacted at her e-mail address, [email protected]
Look for The Poison Priestess, the fourth book in The Silk & Steel Saga to be published by November 2012.
The Skeleton King (The Silk & Steel Saga) Page 51