All right, I’ve got a fantasy novel ID question that’s been bugging me for exactly a billion and a half years, so I’m finally going to ask it.
Awhile back (probably not more than about ten years ago, if that helps) I was in a used bookstore, and I skimmed over a book in the sci-fi/fantasy section. In the story sample from the inside of the dust cover (I’m pretty sure that’s where that was), the story’s heroes (I presume that’s who they were) have found the cairn of some land’s dead king, and use magic to summon up his ghost so they can ask him some questions—I think they wanted to know where a treasure or a weapon or a magic artifact was or something.
The ghost appears—IIRC, it said that his crown, or at least a jewel on it, was missing from his visage—and answers their questions, but apparently doesn’t know the location of whatever they were looking for, then tells them to lay his spirit back to rest “before I rot.” (I think that was the line, odd as it was, although “rot” might have been spelled “wrought” or “wrot,” for some reason.)
I don’t remember the author’s name or the title, but I think it was a hardcover. And the cover art had pine trees in the mountains, I think. I know that helps.
Sounds like The Ruby Knight. The heroes summon the ghost of an ancient king of Thalesia to ask where his crown ( and the MacGuffin of the story, the jewel Bhelliom ) ended up; the ghost doesn’t know. He spoke archaically, and as I recall used the phrase “lest I grow wroth”. Better image of the cover image here.
FYI, if you are wanting to pick that book up, note that it’s the second in a trilogy by David Eddings. I enjoyed the series quite a bit (I think it’s better than Eddings’ Belgariad / Malloreon series).
