SOLVED. fantasy book about a girl who had to flee from executions [s]

[Amelia]

I read this book about 15-17 years ago. The cover reminds me of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon. It was a big tradeback paperback. If I remember correctly, it had a barefoot little girl in front of some big black gates with a grey stone wall enclosing the city/fortress etc.

What I remember most about this book is that this little girl, maybe a teenager, had to flee the city because there was a rebellion going where all of the nobility or upper class were rounded up and sent to a guillotine. It had some vivid scenes of the beheading. The main character had to run away to save her life and had very little time to gather any provisions.

That's about all I can remember. I'm thinking she found a refuge somewhere and once she was strong enough returned to the original setting. I'm not sure about that part, but it seems right.

Thanks for any help with this. It's been driving me crazy for a while.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Was this a fantasy type book? Or do you think it was historical?

Sorry, I can think of a few of both types, so if you can remember it would help a lot

[Amelia]

This was definitely fantasy. I was going to add that it was fairly long. I'd say about 800 pages or so.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Hum, ok, that long rules out one that I'd been thinking of. It was Ciara's Song: A Chronicle of the Witch World, but that's no where near 800 pages.

[Amelia]

That one was close, but not it. I don't know the exact length. I was pretty young when I read it, so I could be remembering the length wrong. The thing that really sticks out in my mind is the whole beheading aspect.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

In Ciara's Song Ciara is hiding in a cave and she actually sees her mother killed. Her people (what they call the Old Race) have been "horned" (declared outlaws) in their land, but Ciara doesn't look like a member of the Old Race, as she's only partially Old Race, so she is taken in and hidden by a friend of her family. Ciara is pretty traumatized by seeing her family killed, as I'm sure you can imagine. I'm not sure if the family is beheaded or not, but a big deal IS made out of the Horning and the deaths of so many of the Old Race. (This is actually part of a longer running--around 30 books--series, and the Horning leads to war and the eventual destruction of those who participated in the Horning.)

[Amelia]

I think the executions I remember were done somewhere in a big town square in the middle of a fairly large city. I don't think she had been in hiding before the execution. It seems more like she kind of just is in the wrong place and sees them going on. (Maybe it was the right place, I think if she'd been home, she would have been taken too.)

Wow, I'm amazed at how much more I'm remembering. It's really been such a long time since I've read it.

[Brian]

I'm pretty sure I remember reading this too, and from what I remember, I think it's Illusion by Paula Volsky.

[Jackie "the Librarian"]

I second Illusion:

[Amelia]

From what I can see, this looks like it's the right book. I'll have to reread it to make sure, but I'll go ahead and mark it solved.

Thanks, this has been driving me crazy for a long time.

[Lisa]

Thanks, Amelia. If you find it's not the book feel free to return and reactivate this thread.