In 2010, Anne Bishop came out with another Black Jewels novel, Shalador's Lady. It takes place just after the events of The Shadow Queen. Synopsis: For years the Shalador people suffered the cruelties of the corrupt Queens who ruled them, punishing those who dared show defiance and forcing many more into hiding. And even though the refugees have found sanctuary in Dena Nehele, they have never been able to call it home. Now that Dena Nehele has been cleansed of tainted Blood, the Rose-Jeweled Queen, Lady Cassidy, knows that restoring the land will require all her heart and courage as she summons the untested power within her, a power capable to consuming her if she cannot control it. And even if Lady Cassidy survives her trial by fire, other dangers await. For the Black Widows see within their tangled webs visions of something coming that will change the land--and Lady Cassidy--forever.
Every Black Widow has spun a web and
looked into it. It's showed them Dena Nehele; some saw death, some
saw a new beginning, and Witch saw something that made her cry, but
anyone who saw her couldn't tell if her tears were from joy or
sorrow. In Terreille, Cassidy's court, despite Theran's protests,
prepares to got to Eyota, one of three provinces for the Shaladorans
in Dena Nehele. The Shaladoran Queens invited her there to see their
lands. Cassidy gives her power to the land, something that is very
common in Kaeleer, but with power starving lands like those in
Terreille, and the draining nearly kills her. Gray and Ranon break
her contact with the land. She wakes a few days later to Karla, the
Queen of Glacia in Kaeleer and Lucivar. They heard about this from
Vae who has disappeared. Surreal and Rainier are also there. Karla
informs Cassidy that her power woke up more than the land. Gray is
angry with Cassidy for letting herself get hurt. Cassidy tells him to
go talk to someone. He leaves for the Keep and asks to see Saetan.
Gray spends his time using his power to reduce logs of wood to mulch
for the Keeps gardens. Gray learns from Saetan that the reason
Cassidy pushes herself is because her "scars" were formed
before she left Dharo in Kaeleer. The Warlord Prince in Gray, the man
known as Jared Blaed, demands to know who gave Cassidy her scars but
Saetan tells him to let it go because Cassidy made a mistake. As Gray
is about to leave with Vae, Saetan tells Gray that he may address him
as "Uncle Saetan."
The one who put the scars on Cassidy is revealed to be Lady Kermilla and she overstays her welcome to the point where Ranon takes Cassidy back to Eyota and the whole court, minus Theran, goes with her. Months of living there report in increased living via refugees fleeing Grayhaven Town to get away from Kermilla's treachery, a loan from Warlord Prince Daemon Sadi, the Shaladorans being allowed to play their music and teach their hisotry, six Scelties, and a group of landen converting a few old buildings outside of town. Every Province south of the Heartsblood River is doing well while everything to the north suffers. Kermilla, in jealousy sends one of her First Cirlce, Laska, to "take" a Sceltie. Laska tries to steal Khollie, Ranon's Sceltie brother and Khollie's brother Darkmist kills him. Khollie briefly retreats into himself only to come back later that night in Ranon and Shira's bed. Cassidy informs Jaenelle who lets Daemon, Lucivar, Saetan, Sabrina, Morghann and Khardeen, Aaron, and Karla about what's been going on. They want to enter Dena Nehele and drag Kermilla back kicking and screaming if necessary but Saetan informs them that he'd kill them all to prevent them from becoming like Dorothea and Heketah. Sabrina plans to
take herself and a Province Queen that
rules over Kermilla to collect the tithes. Lord Ladvarian, Prince Jaal and Lord Kaelas
pay Kermilla and Theran a visit and threaten Kermilla that should she
ever touch (read: harm/hunt) another Sceltie/kindred, Kaelas will do
something that's never explained, just that it makes Kermilla sick.
Ladvarian tells her "You are not a friend" and departs.
During the autumn harvest, Gray danced the Fire Dance and embraces
Jared Blaed. Gray is now a full Warlord Prince with only one Jewel,
though. Gray goes back to Grayhaven and
takes all the flowers when Kermilla threatens him. He goes to Saetan
and learns how to be a First Escort, effectively replacing Theran in the court.The court decides to withhold this information from Cassidy until the time is right. Kermilla--after leaving Dena Nehele and finding out Sabrina and Darlene have gotten rid of all her things to pay off her outrageous debt--forces their hand and Cassidy cuts Theran loose and replaces him with Gray. The Provinces that don't want to be under Kermilla flock to Cassidy one by one, including one ruled by the ferocious Warlord Ferall. Theran realizes he's losing but won't let Kermilla go. After a few weeks, the Warlord Princes from the four remaining Provinces tell Theran to get rid of her or they'll kill her. He sends her back to Kaeleer via the Keep where Saetan removes her looks and forces her to look plain and ordinary, something that Kermilla hates. Witch sends him another Queen and hopes this one will suit his wants and needs better. Theran, hopeful, opens the door and sees a Sceltie named Rhann, the auntie of Vae. Theran and Vae arrive for the reception of Cassidy and Gray's wedding and reveal that once the other Warlord Princes got wind that another Queen from Kaeleer had arrived, they descended on the place ready to kill her and instead blindly followed Rhann as she barked and ordered them about like they were good little sheep.
All in all, a great finish for Anne Bishop in her New York Times bestselling series. Fast paced, great action and character depth and loads of spell-binding magic that draws the reader in and refuses to let go. A must read for every fantasy lover and world-builder.
