by Alexey Pehov
The elves consider archery unbecoming to males, so only females use this weapon. (The Black Lilies.)
There are seven Great Houses among the Highborn: the House of Strawberry (currently ruling), the House of Dew, the House of Willow, the House of Fog, the House of Butterfly, the House of Lotus, and the House of Spark. Fifty Highborn families belong to each House.
House of Scarlet (The Scarlet Order) Subject to the Viceroy. The wizard-demonologists who are affiliated with the Order struggle against the creatures of the Abyss who have broken through the reality of the world of Hara, and also against spirits and ghosts. Unlike the Walkers, the wizards don’t have a spark; their abilities are based upon ritual magic, elixirs, formulas, and symbolic ruins. The head of the Scarlets is the Magister of the Order.
Isthmuses of Lina Two rocky passes that traverse the Bogs of Shett. A natural barrier to the Steps of the Hangman and Okni, it protects the southeast of the Empire.
Je’arre A race of winged creatures who came to the lands of the Empire after a part of their race was transformed into the Burnt Souls. Previously, they lived beyond the Great Waste.
The Je’arre have lived side by side with humans over the course of many centuries. The fabrics made by this tribe are highly valued in many countries, and they have gained great wealth thanks to these products.
Krylgzan A winged predator.
Kukses Slang for a revived corpse from necromancer.
Marshes of Erlika Located beyond the Katugian Mountains, they occupy vast reaches of the northeastern part of the Empire. They are famous for the fact that one of the Damned, Cholera, perished in them together with her army during the War of the Necromancers.
Morassia A small country renowned throughout Hara for its masterful weapons-makers, jewelers, and inventors.
Mort A product of the magic of the Sdisian sorcerers. These creations are not alive, but they are not dead either. They cut off their own noses, ears, and tongues, and they carve monstrous scars into their faces. Legends abound about the cruelty, resilience, and resourcefulness of these creatures. They have not appeared in the lands of the Empire since the War of the Necromancers.
Nabator A large and powerful kingdom beyond the Boxwood Mountains. It wars with the Empire over the south, which at the dawn of time belonged to Nabator.
Nirit A race inhabiting Bragun-Zan. They are fairly tolerant of humans, but they do not recognize themselves as citizens of the Empire. The Nirit are ruled by their Queen, or Zan-Nakun (The Ash Maiden). The Nirit worship Mount Groh-ner-Tohh.
Okni A large city located between the Katugian Mountains and the Isthmuses of Lina.
Overlords A title the Damned give themselves.
Paths of Petals Portals created by the Sculptor, capable of moving people unimaginable distances in a few moments. Only a Walker can activate a portal. The Sculptor did not reveal the secret of the creation of the Petals before his death, so no one else had the ability to create a new portal.
During the Dark Revolt, the Mother of the Walkers, Sorita, managed to lull the portals to sleep, and since that time they have ceased to operate. All attempts to awaken them have been unsuccessful.
Rainbow Valley The magical school of the Walkers is located in the Rainbow Valley.
Sandon Forests to the east of the Empire, near the Boxwood Mountains. They are inhabited by the Highborn.
Sculptor The greatest mage in the history of Hara. He created many of the most prominent buildings, as well as the Paths of Petals.
Sdis Southern country, supporting necromancers.
Shot A bounty hunter of those who are declared criminals by the city magistrates.
Snow Trolls A race that lives in the Icy Lands. There are very few of them. They are allies of the northerners.
Sorita A Mother of the Walkers; she perished during the Dark Revolt.
Steps of the Hangman Created by mages three hundred years before the Sculptor. It is a man-made pass through the Katugian Mountains in the form of a narrow stairway with an enormous number of steps and fortifications. It leads to the north of the Empire from the southern provinces.
Superiors The sorcerer-necromancers of the Eighth Sphere, the most powerful mages of Sdis, who go through their training under the supervision of Leprosy. The Superiors hold all the power over their country, subject only to the Damned.
Uloron (The Country of Oaks) The first homeland of the Highborn. It consists of the forests near the Katugian Mountains, conquered by the Empire from this race and returned after the conclusion of peace in exchange for the eastern part of the Boxwood Mountains and the Eastern Lands.
War of the Necromancers Broke out after the Dark Revolt and swept through the whole of the south and part of the north of the Empire. The Army of the Damned fought against the armies of the Empire and the Walkers. Later, Sdis and Nabator allied themselves with the mage-apostates. The war lasted for fifteen years. It bled the south of the country dry and incinerated Bragun-Zan during a terrible magical battle between the Walkers and the Damned.
The outcome of the war ended with the defeat of the Sextet (one of the causes for the loss was the death of Cholera) and they departed for Sdis, and then beyond the Great Waste. For its part, the Empire lost the territories beyond the Boxwood Mountains, which were transferred to the Kingdom of Nabator.
TOR BOOKS BY ALEXEY PEHOV
Shadow Prowler
Shadow Chaser
Shadow Blizzard
Chasers of the Wind
About the Author
ALEXEY PEHOV is the award-winning author of The Chronicles of Siala and a bestseller in his native Russia. His novel Under the Sign of the Mantikor was named Book of the Year and Best Fantasy Novel in 2004 by Russia’s largest fantasy magazine, World of Fantasy.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
CHASERS OF THE WIND
Copyright © 2005 by Aleksey Pehov
English translation copyright © 2014 by Aleksey Pehov
Originally published as Искатели ветра (Iskateli vetra) by Издательство Альфа-книга (Izdatelstvo Alfa-kniga) in Moscow, Russia
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Kekai Kotaki
Map by Maxim Popovsky
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The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-0-7653-3489-3 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-1841-5 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781466818415
First Edition: June 2014
