by Jon Sprunk
Jirom felt a stirring in his blood, pulsing to the rhythm of an old, familiar battle hymn.
HERE ENDS THE THIRD PART OF THE BOOK OF THE BLACK EARTH.
GLOSSARY
aburami: a term for people who do not possess a gift for using magic.
assurana: a two-handed sword with a curved, single-edged blade; true
assurana swords are made from an alloy of red gold and zoahadin.
beysid: a term meaning “wise one.”
dominion: one of the five aspects of Akeshian sorcery, each corresponding to a primordial element of the cosmos; they are Girru, Imuvar, Kishargal, Mordab, and Shinar.
Girru: the dominion of fire, which represents aggression and industry.
hekallum: the district in many Akeshian cities where the military garrison and support components are housed.
hekatatum: the warrior caste.
Imuvar: the dominion of air, embodying the principles of harmony and serenity.
kafir: a hallucinogenic herb that is typically smoked but sometimes eaten.
khalata: the caste of freed slaves; they may own property, but they cannot marry into a higher caste.
Kishargal: the dominion of earth, which is tied to stability and strength.
kunukatum: the scribe caste.
Mordab: the dominion of water, signifying flexibility and adaptability.
qa: the location where a person’s spiritual energy originates, thought to be in the lower stomach.
Shinar: the dominion of the void, the power that binds the elements together.
zoana: the Akeshian name for magic, a spiritual energy that allows its user to affect change in the physical world.
zoanii (or Ascendents): a term for persons who possess the ability to manipulate magical power and who make up the highest caste of Akeshian society; as a caste, zoanii are divided into ten ranks.
zoahadin: a metal rarely found in meteorites that is antithetical to sorcery; the word means “star metal.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author photo by Jenny Sprunk
Jon lives in central Pennsylvania with his wife, Jenny, and their son, Logan. His first book, Shadow’s Son, was a finalist for the Compton Crook Award, as well as a nominee for the David Gemmell Award in the categories for Best Debut Novel and Best Fantasy Novel. For more on Jon’s life and works, visit www.jonsprunk.com.
