[Queen of Orcs 01] - King's Property

by Morgan Howell

  “So do I,” replied Sevren, “but Dar had a strange way with them.”

  “She had a strange way with a certain guardsman, too,” said Valamar. “But since she’s gone, we should head back.”

  Sevren sighed as he scanned the deserted countryside. “Aye, we might as well. She’ll na be found.”

  “For her sake,” said Valamar, “I hope she’s not.”

  END OF BOOK ONE

  The story continues in Book Two, Clan Daughter.

  A Glossary of Orcish Terms

  Adjectives: In Orcish, adjectives follow the noun they modify. Nouns and verbs often become adjectives by the addition of an “i” at the end. Example: snoof (to reek) becomes snoofi(stinky).

  ala preposition—For.

  armor: Warfare was unknown to the orcs before they encountered humans, and their armor is based on human designs. It is strictly functional, being devoid of ornamentation, and more massive than its human counterpart. Orcs call armor loukap, which translates as “hard clothes.” The basic item consists of a long, sleeveless tunic made from heavy cloth reinforced with leather and covered with overlapping steel plates. The plates are small and rounded at the lower end to permit ease of movement. The effect is that of fish scales. This tunic is worn most of the time in the orc regiments. Its protection is supplemented by additional armor strapped to the arms and legs. These pieces tend to be worn only while marching or in combat. A rounded helmet completes an orc’s armor. Simple in design, it encloses much of the head. There are small holes opposite the ears, and the area about the face is open to permit good vision and communication. Some helmets have nose guards.

  Orcs regard their armor as a tool necessary for distasteful work. They take no pride in its appearance, allowing it to rust.

  Articles: Orcs do not use articles. The equivalents of “a” and “the” do not exist. When a sense of specificity is required—the girl as opposed to a girl—the noun is followed by la. The expression for the Divine Mother always includes la—Muth la, Muthz la, and Muthi la.

  asa interrogative pronoun—Who.

  atham interrogative pronoun—What

  avok noun—Dog.

  bah noun—Eye.

  bathing As opposed to humans, orcs bathe frequently. If given the opportunity, they will do so daily. This fondness for cleanliness is probably related to their keen sense of smell.

  blath noun—Cloak.

  Blath Urkmuthi proper noun—Orcish name for Urkheit Mountains. (cloak [of] mothers)

  cape, as a sign of leadership. See “Military ranks and units—orc leaders.”

  d verb root and noun—To touch, touch.

  dargu noun—Weasel.

  Dark Path proper noun—The human term for the afterlife. Also known as the “Sunless Way,” it was conceived as a plane of existence that paralleled the living world. Spirits of the dead would travel the path on a westward journey to the goddess Karm, leaving their memories behind in the process.

  death song The human term for the thathyatai, a song sung by orc males prior to going to war. Though mournful, it is not principally about death. Its purpose is to cleanse the spirit and beseech Muth la’s comfort. The origins of the song are lost, though it undoubtedly dates from the beginning of the human invasions.

  deception Orcs do not have words for any form of deception, such as “trickery,” “lying,” “betrayal,” etc. Sometimes, lying is called “speaking words without meaning,” but the understanding of this expression comes closer to “speaking nonsense” than to “lying.”

  di adjective—Two, second.

  falf noun—Water.

  falfi adjective—Wet.

  fas verb root—May.

  Fath noun—Spirit or soul.

  flis verb root and noun—To leap or jump, a leap.

  Flis Muthi proper noun—Orcish name for the bridge over the Turgen River. (leap [of] mother)

  funeral practices Orcs send the bodies of their dead to Muth la in the same state in which they entered the world—naked. Corpses are cremated or left upon the ground (Te far Muthz la—On Muth la’s breast). In the latter case, the body is placed within Muth la’s Embrace (see separate entry), preferably under a tree.

  fwil verb root—To please.

  fwili adjective—Pleasing.

  g verb root—To stop.

  gat verb root—To bring.

  gatash adjective—Worthy.

  gav verb root—To seem, to have the appearance of.

  gaz adjective—Fierce.

  geem verb root—To wait.

  git verb root and noun—To find, a discovery.

  grun verb root and noun—To fight, a fight or battle.

  grut adjective—Good, pleasing.

  gusha adjective—Silly.

  ha noun—Sky.

  hafalf noun—Rain. (sky water)

  hai adverb—Yes.

  high murdant See “Military ranks and units.”

  high tolum See “Military ranks and units.”

  hiss verb root and noun—To laugh, laughter.

  human noun—Human word for washavoki.

  kala demonstrative pronoun—This or that.

  kalaz demonstrative pronoun—These or those.

  kam adverb—Why.

  Karm proper noun—Goddess worshipped by humans. Called the “Goddess of the Balance,” Karm was supposed to weigh one’s deeds after death.

  kaz verb root and noun—To hate, enmity.

  ke relative pronoun—Who.

  ki adjective—Little.

  kram verb root and noun—To fear, fright.

  kusk noun—Filth.

  l verb root—To live.

  luth verb root and noun—To protect, protection.

  man noun (human word)—There is no specific term in Orcish for human males, although they are sometimes called “hairy-faced washavokis.”

  Military ranks and units: Orcs did not develop a highly organized military, and all the following terms are of human origin. In the orc regiments, all the officers are human.

  general—The highest-ranking officer. The general for the orc regiments was called the “Queen’s Man” because the orcs believed he derived his authority from their queen.

  high murdant—The highest-ranking noncommissioned officer. A high murdant reports directly to a general.

  high tolum—Usually commands a regiment.

  human ranks: Ranks in ancient armies were less specific than in contemporary ones, and the modern equivalents are only approximate.

  murdant—A noncommissioned officer, the equivalent of a sergeant.

  orc leaders: Orcs had no officers or murdants, but did recognize leaders among their own kind. Such leaders lacked the authority of human officers and led by their example and through the use of persuasion. They wore capes as a sign of wisdom. These capes were bestowed by the consensus of their comrades and could be taken away in the same manner. The authority of Wise Sons derived from the Clan Mothers who appointed them to act in their absence. They guided the orc males in nonmilitary matters. Outside the orc regiments, they had no more authority than ordinary orc males.

  sustolum—The lowest-ranking officer, the equivalent of a lieutenant.

  tolum—The equivalent of a captain. Usually commands a shieldron (see below).

  Military units: An orc regiment was composed of orc fighters commanded by human officers. Human soldiers served support roles, and women served both the orcs and men. A shieldron was the basic orc fighting unit. It consisted of thirty-six orcs. The term was also applied to a shieldron of orcs and the humans that commanded and supported them. An orc regiment had six shieldrons of orc fighters, accompanied by a human contingent of officers, support troops, and serving women.

  min noun—A male orc, regardless of age. Usually translated as “son.”

  minvashi noun—Husband. (blessed son)

  moon noun—Human word for bahthithi, which translates as “silver eye.” The eye referred to is Muth la’s.

  mother noun—The human translation for
the Orcish word muth, although the two terms are not completely equivalent.

  murdant See “Military ranks and units.”

  muth noun—Often translated as “mother,” it is the word for any orc female, regardless of age or whether she has borne children. Orcs occasionally use this word to describe human females. Mothers wield the real authority within orc society because Muth la’s guidance always comes through them.

  muth verb root—To give birth, to nurture.

  Muth la proper noun—Orcish word for the Divine Mother who created the world and all living things. Muth la sends guidance to mothers through visions.

  Muth la’s Embrace proper noun—Human translation for Zum Muthz la. This sacred circle symbolizes the Divine Mother’s presence. It may be temporary or permanent. Orcs always sleep and eat within its confines. Walls, upright sticks, stones, or even a line drawn in the dirt can mark the circle. Orc dwellings always incorporate Muth la’s Embrace, and tend to be circular for this reason. The Embrace is hallowed ground; the dead are placed within it and worship takes place there. It is said that mothers are most likely to receive visions within Muth la’s Embrace.

  Muth Mauk proper noun—Orc queen. (great mother)

  muthuri noun—A mother in the reproductive sense. (giving mother)

  muthvashi noun—Wife. (blessed mother)

  names Orcish names consist of two parts—a given name followed by the individual’s clan. Thus Kovok-mah is a member of the Mah clan. Children belong to their mother’s clan, and a son’s clan does not change when he marries. In the intimate form of address, only the given name is used.

  nayimgat noun—A healing herb with large, fuzzy leaves that is also a sedative.

  Negation: Thwa (not) follows the verb negated. Example: He doesn’t bathe.—Fu splufukak thwa.—He bathes not.

  nervler adjective—Sad.

  Nouns: Orcish nouns are often formed by the descriptive combination of other words. Example: “Rain, hafalf, combines “sky,” ha, with “water,” falf. Verb roots often function as nouns. Example: Ma urav ur.—I give gift. Single-consonant verb roots, such as s—to see, have an “ai” added to the root to form a noun. Examples: nai—being, sai—seeing, and tai—killing.

  nuf noun—Night.

  Nuf Bahi proper noun—Night of the full moon. (Night [of] Eye)

  orc noun—Human word for zimmuthi.

  orcish adjective—Human word for urkzimmuthi. Orcish, as the term for the Orcish language, noun—Human word for pahmuthi.

  orcs noun—Human word for urkzimmuthi.

  pah verb root and noun—To speak, speech.

  pahmuthi noun—Orcish language. (speech [of] mother)

  Personal pronouns: Orcs always distinguish between masculine and feminine among their own kind. Humans, animals, and things are genderless, the equivalent of “it.” There is no distinction between objective and nominative cases.

  Plurals are indicated by placing the prefix urk, which translates as “many,” before a noun. The human word for “orc” derives from the shortening of the orcs’ name for themselves, urkzimmuthi.

  Possession is indicated by the addition of a “z” at the end of a noun.

  Queen’s Man See “Military ranks and units.”

  regiment See “Military ranks and units.”

  s verb root and noun—To see, (noun form—sai) sight, vision.

  saf noun—Food.

  shash verb root and noun—To thank, thanks. Shashav translates as “thank you.”

  shieldron See “Military ranks and units.”

  simi adjective—Blue.

  sleep Orcs sleep sitting upright in a cross-legged position, with only a mat as a cushion. Only babies and the extremely ill rest lying down.

  smell Orcs have an especially keen sense of smell, and their language contains many terms for scents that humans cannot distinguish. They are also capable of smelling some of the emotional and physical states of others. They can detect anger, fear, love, pain, and some forms of sickness. This ability has affected their culture in fundamental ways and may partly explain why orcs do not easily grasp deception.

  snaf adverb—Also.

  snoof verb root and noun—To stink, stench.

  splufuk verb root and noun—To bathe, bath.

  sun noun—Human word for bahriti, which translates as “golden eye.” The eye referred to is Muth la’s.

  sustolum See “Military ranks and units.”

  sut verb root—To come.

  suth verb root and noun—To learn, wisdom or learning.

  suthi adjective—Wise.

  t verb root—To kill.

  ta preposition—With.

  tahwee noun—Bird.

  tash adjective—Cruel.

  tava interjection—Hello, greetings.

  tep conjunction—And.

  tham interrogative pronoun—Which.

  thay verb root and noun—To die, corpse.

  thayati adjective—Dead.

  theef verb root and noun—To name or call, name.

  there adjective and noun—Human word for fa.

  these (those) demonstrative pronoun—Human words for kalaz.

  thrim verb root—To have sexual intercourse.

  thus verb root—Heal.

  thwa adverb—No, not.

  tolum See “Military ranks and units.”

  tul adjective—Real, having a verifiable existence. This word approaches the meaning of the human expression “true,” although the orcs have no term for its opposite.

  turpa adjective—Proper, correct, appropriate.

  ur verb root and noun—To give, gift.

  urk Prefix that makes nouns plural. Often translated as “many.”

  urkzimmuthi noun—The orc race, also the plural of orc. (children [of] mother)

  urkzimmuthi adjective—Orcish.

  uthahi adjective—Pretty.

  v verb root—To have.

  va preposition—Like.

  vash verb root and noun—1. To bless, blessing. 2. To marry, marriage.

  vata interjection—Good-bye.

  velazul noun—Lover. Unlike the human term, it is used only in the chaste sense. (give love)

  Verbs and verb roots: Orcish verbs consist of two or three parts. A verb root plus an ending that inflects person and number are used to convey the present tense. Other tenses are conveyed by adding a prefix to the present tense.

  Some Orcish verb roots consist of a single consonant. Examples: n (to be), l (to live), t (to kill), and s (to see).

  Tenses:

  Past tense is indicated by adding the prefix da to the present-tense form.

  Past perfect tense is indicated by adding the prefix dava to the present-tense form.

  Future tense is indicated by adding the prefix lo to the present-tense form.

  Example: sut + ak = [He] comes. da + sut + ak = [He] came.

  verl verb root and noun—To forgive, forgiveness.

  wash noun—Tooth.

  washavoki noun and adjective—Human, either male or female. The word translates as “teeth of dog” and refers to the whiteness of human teeth.

  washuthahi noun—A black, pea-shaped seed that is mildly narcotic and stains the teeth black when chewed. (teeth-pretty)

  weapons Orcs did not make weapons before the human invasions, and their arms are adapted from human designs. Swords, axes, and maces are primarily used for combat, but orcs also carry daggers and sometimes hatchets. All their weapons are strictly utilitarian in design. They reflect the orcs’ strength, being larger and more massive than those humans carry. Spears and pikes are not unknown to orcs, but are rarely used. Although orcs use bows and arrows for hunting, they do not employ them in combat.

  wife noun—Human word for muthvashi.

  wind noun—Human word for foof Muthz la, which translates as “Muth la’s breath.”

  woman noun—An orc female is called a muth, but the term is not commonly applied to human females. There is no specific term for them in Orcish, although “woe ma
n,” a corrupted pronunciation of “woman,” is occasionally employed.

  yat verb root—To go.

  yes adverb—Hai.

  zar adverb—Very.

  zet verb root—To sit.

  zim noun—Child.

  zimmuthi noun—An orc.

  zul verb root and noun—To love, love.

  zus verb root and noun—To sleep, sleep.

  THE QUEEN OF THE ORCS TRILOGY

  By Morgan Howell

  King’s Property

  Clan Daughter

  Royal Destiny

  Read on for an excerpt from

  Clan Daughter

  the second book in the

  QUEEN OF THE ORCS trilogy

  On sale August 28, 2007

  One

  Three nights of hard travel had cooled Dar’s rage. Considered dispassionately, her prospects looked grim. One woman and five orcs, she thought, deep in enemy territory. I promised to get them home, and I don’t know the way. Nevertheless, Dar didn’t regret convincing the orcs to desert. The human king had betrayed them all. The orc regiments had been slaughtered and the women who served them had perished also. Not even Twea had been spared. Whenever Dar recalled the look on the slain girl’s face, her grief returned.

  It was late afternoon and Dar was awake, though the orcs still dozed. Sitting upright within a small circle, they resembled idols and seemed as placid. Dar envied the ease with which they slept, while she—despite her exhaustion—napped only fitfully. Dar studied their faces, which no longer seemed bestial or alien. Kovok-mah had saved her life and sheltered her when she was an outcast. Duth-tok, Lama-tok, and Varz-hak were virtual strangers. Kovok-mah’s cousin, Zna-yat, had tried to kill her twice.

  Gazing at the massive orcs, Dar was still amazed that she was their leader. Yet she had chosen the escape route. It had been her decision to travel at night, “when washavokis cannot see.” All female orcs, who were always called “mother,” had authority among the urkzimmuthi. As long as Dar’s companions regarded her as a mother, she possessed it also. That was why she led, even if she stumbled in the dark.