In a tumultuous world ruled by witches and warlocks who wear their power as jewels, one Queen’s chance at redemption is the last hope for a desperate people in this novel set in the world of the Black Jewels... Theran Grayhaven is the last of his line, desperate to restore the land of Dena Nehele. But first he needs to find a Queen who knows Protocol, remembers the Blood’s code of honor, and lives by the Old Ways.   Languishing in the Shadow Realm, Lady Cassidy is a Queen without a court, a castoff. But when she is chosen to rule Dena Nehele, she must convince bitter men to serve once again.   Theran’s cousin Gray is a Warlord Prince who was damaged in mind and body by the vicious Queens who once ruled Dena Nehele. Yet something about Cassidy makes him want to serve—and makes him believe he can be made whole once again.   And only Cassidy can prove to Gray—and to herself—that wounds can heal and even the whisper of a promise can be fulfilled... Praise for The Shadow Queen “A strong romantic fantasy.”—Alternative Worlds   “Anne Bishop does not disappoint. I have not read a book of hers that did not immediately captivate me and draw me immediately back into her world...[She] weaves her spell so well...Her characters seem so real and engaging.”—SF Revu “Surges with spellcraft and engaging romance.”— Publishers Weekly   “Black Jewel fans won’t want to miss this installment which offers a different look on the realms of the Blood.”—Dear Author  “Superb.”—Specusphere  “In this stand-alone novel set in the evocative Black Jewels world, Bishop tackles surviving various horrors head-on...It’s a difficult subject, but one that Bishop writes about sensitively, with compassion and without blinking or pulling punches.”— RT Book Reviews New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop is a winner of the William L. Crawford Memorial Fantasy Award, presented by the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts, for The Black Jewels Trilogy. She is also the author of the Ephemera series, the Tir Alainn trilogy, and the Novels of the Others—including Etched in Bone ,  Marked in Flesh , Vision in Silver , Murder of Crows , and Written in Red . She lives in upstate New York. Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Acknowledgements   CHAPTER 1 - TERREILLE CHAPTER 2 - KAELEER CHAPTER 3 - Ebon ASKAVI CHAPTER 4 - Ebon ASKAVI CHAPTER 5 - KAELEER CHAPTER 6 - KAELEER CHAPTER 7 - KAELEER CHAPTER 8 - TERREILLE CHAPTER 9 - KAELEER CHAPTER 10 CHAPTER 11 - TERREILLE CHAPTER 12 - TERREILLE CHAPTER 13 - TERREILLE CHAPTER 14 - TERREILLE CHAPTER 15 - TERREILLE CHAPTER 16 - TERREILLE CHAPTER 17 - KAELEER CHAPTER 18 - TERREILLE CHAPTER 19 - Ebon ASKAVI TERREILLE CHAPTER 21 - KAELEER CHAPTER 22 - TERREILLE CHAPTER 23 - KAELEER CHAPTER 24 - TERREILLE CHAPTER 25 - KAELEER CHAPTER 26 - KAELEER CHAPTER 27 - TERREILLE CHAPTER 28 - TERREILLE CHAPTER 29 - KAELEER CHAPTER 30 - TERREILLE ALSO BY ANNE BISHOP The Ephemera Series Sebastian Belladonna   The Black Jewels Series Daughter of the Blood Heir to the Shadows Queen of the Darkness The Invisible Ring Dreams Made Flesh Tangled Webs   The Tir Alainn Trilogy Pillars of the World Shadows and Light The House of Gaian ROC Published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700,Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell,Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi - 110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa   Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England   First published by Roc, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.   First Printing, March 2009   Copyright © Anne Bishop, 2009 All rights reserved REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA   eISBN : 978-1-101-01980-1       Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.   PUBLISHER’S NOTE This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fi