Ursula's Quest: Book Two of The Witchcraft Wars
Locked in his dank, underground cell King Erich is feverish and dying. Running out of time and running out of hope he sends his daughter, the beautiful Princess Ursula, on a seemingly impossible quest. She must find the lost and ruined Temple of Life and secure the key that may mean the difference between freedom and slavery for the Kingdoms of Kaynos.
Meanwhile his son, the young druid Slade, continues his own quest to find his beloved father and stop the evil witch Shallendara in her plans for conquest. Betrayed by those they thought were friends and hunted from all directions Slade's quest seems as impossible as Ursula's. With more questions than answers Slade and his companions seek out the great Dragon Clans to the north for assistance.
Yet Shallendara's quest for ultimate power will not be stopped so easily. Already her forces are gathering and war, once hoped to be avoided, is now imminent. Her allies the Oz'ke'lati and their psychic warriors seem almost unstoppable and the Kingdoms fate hangs in the balance.
Excerpt
“Ursula, you are, forgive me for saying this, but in many ways you are still very young and very idealistic. Yes, the monastery has a code of honor but we are far more flexible in our approach than the knighthood. Even if we were not there are times when one's code must be broken in order to achieve what must be done.” Ming paused briefly, then added “Besides it seems a little strange to me that you of all monks should speak of a code of honor.”
“What do you mean?” Ursula blushed furiously; she could actually feel the blood rushing to her face. Ming could only be referring to the fact of her pregnancy, a topic that she had hoped to avoid, at least until their mission had been completed.
“Ursula,” Ming stopped and reached out a hand to Ursula's arm, “You are with child are you not? I doubt that the men will yet be aware of it but I certainly recognize the signs, all too well.”
“Yes,” Ursula said eventually and hung her head allowing her long white, blonde hair to fall over her face, unable to look at her friend and superior in the monastery. She was certain that Ming would now reproach her for breaking her vows.
“Ursula, Ursula, did you truly think you were the only one?” Ming pulled the young princess close to her in a comforting hug, “You are not the first, and neither will you be the last monk to find the vow of chastity too difficult to bear. Some of us make the mistake but once and continue in the monastery, others leave for good and lead happy, normal lives as scholars or teachers. After all even a partly trained monk is considered by many to be a valuable asset. There is life outside the monastery and as for you. You are the Princess of the Blood, heir to the throne, and you have far more prospects than the many others who have found themselves in the same situation.”
“But my child and I will be outcasts, pariahs under Saxenburg law, I conceived without benefit of a temple wedding,” Ursula said softly, finally speaking aloud her fears for the first time.
Ming did not speak for a long time, her face set as though remembering an old pain.
“But Ursula,” she finally said, “remember your position. Should we win this coming battle you will be Saxenburg's Queen, it will be you who decides what the law should or should not be. Besides, in your case, I'm sure that a temple wedding can be easily arranged.”
“Not as easily as you might think, my beloved is far away from me and I have no way of knowing when or even if he will return,” said Ursula slowly, although Ming’s words had sparked a tiny seed of hope within her.
“Wulfstan,” Ming spoke so softly it was as though she was breathing out the word, “Captain of the Royal Guard, he is the baby's father?”
Ursula nodded miserably, the full weight of her shame had now been revealed to another. For a long time Ming said nothing, merely stared at Ursula, her face an inscrutable mask.
“Well there are worse choices you could have made for King Consort,” Ming said eventually.
“Do you truly think...” Ursula could scarcely finish the thought.
“I truly believe most things are possible if we put in sufficient effort. Why should you not be happy? However, before anything can be possible though we must first succeed in our task. Your dream must be important and we must find out why and how to use that information.”