The Skeleton King (The Silk & Steel Saga) (51 page)

THE
PAINTED PEOPLE

An ancient people, forgotten by most of Erdhe, the Painted
Warriors are the descendents of escaped slaves and runaway soldiers. Living in
the shadow of the Dark Citadel, the Painted People have forged a fiercely
independent warrior culture that spans a thousand years. Outnumbered and poorly
equipped, they strike back at the Pentacle in lightning raids across the
steppes, reaping steel and armor from their enemies. They make their home in a
secret labyrinth of caves hidden in the Ghost Hills. Deeply spiritual, they
invoke the power of nature by tattooing their faces with the images of beasts
and birds, a spiritual melding of man and animal. Divided into dens marked by
their tattoos, they are guided by the Ancestor, a shaman of mystical memories,
and led by a Council of Leaders made up of representatives from all the dens. A
secret and forgotten people, few in the southern kingdoms have ever heard of
them.

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.