Bone-weary war veteran Nobody just wants to return home to his wife. He’s really not interested in a gaggle of teenaged girls who are angling for a husband. Sixteen-year-old Justice isn’t looking for a marriage partner either. She just wants to release her sisters from Father’s imprisonment in his tallest tower. The easiest way would be to find suitors for them. However, that is not so easy, for Justice’s elder sisters are strange. What with All-Gifted’s madness, Protectress’s hair writhing with snakes, Death-Bringer’s grief (not to mention her strange name), Shining’s too-overt sexuality, Maiden’s tart tongue, Shadow’s crippling shyness, no sensible man would want her sisters as wives. Which leaves Justice, the seventh daughter, the one who possesses a quiet authority. It’s been a long time since Nobody last saw his wife. But things keep happening to prevent him from going home. The latest obstacle is when he blunders into a mystery about King Silver-Tongued’s twelve daughters, who mysteriously disappear each night only to reappear at dawn with their slippers in shreds. Nobody is really not interested in any of this. But he needs the King’s favor to give him money so that he can buy passage on a ship to get home. But will King Silver-tongued actually help? A strange attraction to one of the King’s daughters keeps him lingering in Sikelia, despite the fact that he is old enough to be her father... Justice has noticed the admiration in Lord Nobody’s eyes. Recently, he even proclaimed his undying love for her. But what does he really want? And doesn’t he have a wife already? "MAIDEN TOMB is an impressively well written and thoroughly entertaining read from cover to cover. Certain to be of immense interest to dedicated fans of fairytale inspired historical and romantic fantasy, MAIDEN TOMB is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended pick for community library Fantasy Fiction collections" ~ The Midwest Book Review. "MAIDEN TOMB is a shadowy, spellbinding tale where sisterhood and secrets collide in a world that makes freedom feel like a distant dream."—Leah P. "MAIDEN TOMB is not a retelling per se. Instead it combines elements of Greek Mythology with the tale of THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES into a unique collage that will appeal to readers who enjoy Madeline Miller's CIRCE, and Naomi Novak's SPINNING SILVER."—Catherine H. "MAIDEN TOMB features a wide cast of characters, each playing an intricate role. Worry not about keeping the twelve sisters separate, for author Cynthia Sally Haggard has sharply characterized each, from the brittle eldest sister to the sunny youngest."—Katharine M. "For fans of Fantasy and Greek Mythology, MAIDEN TOMB delivers a captivating tale of sisterly love, mad kings and undercover suitors."—Marley V. "In a world steeped in myth and mystery, twelve princesses are locked in a tower. Their peaceful captivity is shattered when the sisters begin dying under mysterious circumstances." —Stephanie R. "MAIDEN TOMB is the first installment of THE TWELVE CURSED MAIDENS series. Readers in high school and above will be captivated by the writing style and quick pace." —Tiffany E. O N E ~ Sea Creatures The Tower of the Castle Sikelia Late Summer 840 CE Justice speaks I am unknown, but not unknowable. I have my hopes, but I am silent. I sit and bide my time, one among twelve, spinning an even thread, or weaving, or embroidering Intrigue's robes, watching and listening as life ebbs around me, like waves crashing on a dull grey shore. No one notices the shore that they stand on, they are mesmerized by those waves. But the shore provides the stability, the foundation. I am the forgettable sister. The constant, grey presence that melts into the grey wall behind me. With sisters like All-Gifted, Protectress, and Death-Bringer, who could remember me? My sisters are like sea creatures, each one a different color.  All-Gifted, the eldest, is as brown as mud. Everyone thinks her mad because she mutters over that brown cauldron of hers.  Protectress is the color of dried blood.  Death-Bringer, the light green of bleached winter leaves.  Shining, of course, is as shining as her name, a magnet for the male gaze.  Maiden, the tart green of an unripe apple. Intrigue, the fierce orange of fire, Father's seeming favorite. Shadow is unseen. And I, Justice, am grey. The others are too young to count. We sit here, locked in the top of a high tower, awaiting Father's pleasure. It has been ten long years. Father rules the country of Sikelia as King Silver-Tongued, the first of that name. Many wonder why he has locked us up. But no one seems to know. Our stolen years are something no one speaks about. But it is a constant burden for the elder daughters.  All-Gifted has now thirty years,  Protectress is twenty-seven,  Death-Bringer, twenty-five,  Shining, twenty-three,  Maiden, twenty-one,  Shadow, nineteen,  and I, Justice am sixteen.  Even Intrigue is beginning to feel her years at the age of fifteen, for it is t