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PART 1

Chapter One

1 / Terreille

Dorothea SaDiablo, the High Priestess of the Territory called Hayll, slowly cliht a, Hayll’s capital, was far enough south that the days were still warm The heavy black cloak that shrouded Dorothea’s body made her sweat Under the deep hood, her hair was damp and her neck itched No matter In a few minutes, she could shed the cloak

When she reached the platform, she saw the lumpy canvas that stretched across the front, closest to the waiting crowd, and autoh her mouth Foolish She’d used every spell she knew to keep as beneath that canvas a secret until the proper ti herself to breathe naturally, she walked across the platfor a few feet behind the canvas

Watching her, ariness and resentment, were the Queens of all the Territories in the Realm of Terreille She had deest Province Queens and any Warlord Princes who served her She knew that many of the Queens, especially those fro a trap of soht But if she presented the bait in the right way, they would throw theht

Dorothea raised her ar Craft to enhance her voice so that everyone would hear her, she began the next ame of power

"My Sisters and Brothers, I called you here to warn you about a terrible discovery Ithat threatens every one of the Blood in the entire Realm of Terreille

"In the past, I’ve done sos I have been responsible for the destruction of Queens and some of the best males in the Realm I have bred fear into the Blood in order to be the controlling power in Terreille Me A High Priestess who knows better than anyone that a Priestess can’t be a substitute for a Queen, noshe is in her Craft

"I will shoulder the sorrow and burden of those acts for the rest of my life But I tell you this now: I HAVE BEEN USED! A feeeks ago, while using led web of dreah a mental shroud that had surrounded h Priestess of Hayll I foughtand finally sahat

"Thereis someone ants to doate all the Blood in this Realm But it isn’t me I’ve been the instru ants to crush us and consume us, who plays with us the sa blow That monster has a name--a name that has been feared for thousands upon thousands of years, and with good reason Our destroyer is the Prince of the Darkness, the High Lord of Hell"

Uneasy murmurs rose from the crowd

"You doubt me?" Dorothea shouted She tore off the cloak and tossed it aside Her wispy, white hair, which had been thick and black a feeeks ago, fell around her shoulders Her sagging, deeply lined face twisted, and tears filled her gold eyes as the ed to shocked exclaht to free myself from his insidious spellsLook at me This is the price I paid, so that you would be aware of the danger"

Dorothea pressed a hand against her chest, gasping for breath

Her Steward stepped forward and gently grasped her arm to support her "You must stop, Priestess This is too asped, still using Craft to enhance her voice "Iwhile I can I may not have another chance Once he realizes I know about hirew silent

Lowering her hand, Dorothea stood as straight as she could, ignoring the ache in her spine "I was not the High Lord’s only instru you who have had thein your courts May the Darkness forgive ile Territories, and because of them, Queens have died Sometimes whole courts were torn apart I, like Prythian, Askavi’s High Priestess, thought ere sending them into service in other courts by our own choice, in the hope that they could be controlled But eretheh Lord’s sons !They are that bestial creature’s seeds, and they have grown up to be his tools of destruction The control Prythian and I thought we had over the but an illusion, a blind to conceal their true purpose

"Both of theo Most of us hoped they had died Not so I’ve learned fro in the Kaeleer Territory called Little Terreille that both Yaslana and Sadi are in the Shadow Realuise of being the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan The viper’s children have returned to the nest

"There’s h Lord has an unhealthy influence over most of the Territory Queens in Kaeleer, as well as absolute control over a young woest witch in all the Realth behind him, he will overwhelm us--unless we strike first We have no choice, h Lord and everyone in his service, the cruelty I have done as his instruame in comparison"