No Return

by Zachary Jernigan

  The Ocean—Variously known as the Sea, Jeru, or Deathshallow, the ocean is shallow and laps upon the shores of many islands. It harbors a startling variety of marine life, much of which is quite dangerous to man. Due to this danger, it has not been navigated by man for many thousands of years. Orrus Dabil Alachum—A god, whose worshippers form a very small minority in rural areas of Dareth Hlum and Casta, especially in the badlands region of the latter. Myth tells that he is the son of Adrash. Orrust people believe that it is not Adrash moving the spheres of the Needle, but Orrus— and that by destroying Jeroun, he will give birth to a new paradise.

  Osseterat—Hybrid apes of near-human intelligence that are rumored to live in Hasde Fall.

  Outbound Mage—A mage trained specifically to achieve orbit and travel in the void. Stol alone openly uses this type of mage, though rumors suggest that Knos Min also possesses outbound mages. Though a few outbound mages have been human, the overwhelming majority of them are eldermen, who exhibit a greater potential for magic and greater stamina. Each mage wears a vacuum suit—composed of leather made from elder skin—on which he or she paints sigils. The mage also wears a dustglass (bonedust-reinforced glass) helmet. The suit and helmet protect the mage from vacuum for a brief period of time should his or her spells fail. The purpose of the outbound mages is to monitor Adrash, though much knowledge of Jeroun has been gained by the activities of the corps as well.

  Osa—A large, circular island in Uris Bay. It is covered by an artifact of high elder magic, an immense glass-like dome upon which a variety of life clings. Wyrms and other large creatures, most not seen on the mainland, live near the dome walls. With intense magnification, abandoned cities can be seen on the slopes of Mount Pouen, the island’s largest peak. No openings appear to exist in the dome.

  Pusta—An exclave of Stol. The capitol is Ravos, located on the northern coast. Differing from Stol in many respects, the culture of Pusta inherits much from its multiethnic fisheries, which are the most technologically advanced in Knoori and extend along the entire coastline.

  Quarterstock—The extremely rare offspring of a hybrid. The majority of hybrids are sterile, and the vast majority of their offspring never come to term. Even if they do, a very small percentage live. Of those that live, an even smaller percentage are unaffected by mental or physical retardation. No comprehensive study of a healthy individual—human or animal in origin— has yet been conducted.

  Sigil—A particular type of spell that is painted on a surface using alchemical ink. It is usually “activated” by the recitation—verbally or, if the mage is sufficiently powerful, mentally—of a specific set of words.

  Sorcerer—A mage.

  Spell—An alchemical solution that—when activated by thought, incantation, or physical action—produces a magical effect. Hundreds of thousands of such spells, each varying according to the particular mixture of elder components, are produced and cast every day for a variety of tasks. The easiest spells to produce and cast affect inorganic materials: moving the elements, creating a current, etc. The most difficult spells to produce and cast affect living substances: changing one’s structure, extending one’s life, creating constructs, etc. The efficacy of a spell decreases the farther away the mage is, a fact which makes influencing an object over long distances—as in the sending of a message—difficult.

  The Steps of Stol—An earthwork monument created by high elder magic. It begins in the fertile southern plains of Stol, extending some eighty miles to the coast and more than four hundred along it. Ascending to a height of twelve thousand feet in seventeen evenly spaced, gently sloping rises, the Steps stop abruptly at the ocean. Most of Stol’s elder corpse reserves are buried within it.

  Stol—One of Knoori’s nations, a kingdom having Adrashism as its official state religion. The capitol of Tansot, located on the eastern shore of Lake Ten, is its largest city. Moderate Adrashism is the general rule and all Anadrashi sects are allowed to live peaceably within the kingdom’s borders, though they suffer persecution in the central valleys. After Knos Min, Stol is the most magically advanced nation of Knoori, possessing roughly forty percent of the continent’s elder corpse reserves. The only state with a known outbound mage program, the strength of the military relies much upon magical developments from the Academy of Applied Magics. Stoli people vary widely in appearance, but are generally light skinned. Geographically, Stol is generally hilly in the north, descending into fertile valleys in the central region, and rising to great heights on the Steps of Stol in the south.

  Tamer—A mage who specializes in taming and controlling large, exotic, and hybrid animals. Their lore is far more esoteric and difficult to master than the many readily available spells used to help control draft animals, entertainment animals, and pets. In rare cases, the tamer achieves a type of telepathic bond with his or her animal. In Casta and Stol, the most daring and specialized type of tamer exists: the hybrid wyrm tamer.

  Tan-Ten—The island at the center of Lake Ten. Oasena is its only city. The people of Tan-Ten have never shown interest in power or political maneuvering, but have on many occasions successfully defended their island from invaders.

  Thaumaturgical Engine—A construct used to create kinetic force. Unlike constructs that mimic biological creatures, an engine is rarely imbued with more than the most basic intelligence needed to follow simple directions. Due to the expense of creating and maintaining engines, those produced are most often used in barges or other large transport vehicles.

  Toma—One of Knoori’s nations, a kingdom having Anadrashism as its official state religion. The capitol of Demn, located on the southern coast, is its largest city. Possibly the most religiously militant of all the people of Knoori, Tomen nonetheless value the personal, non-dogmatic expression of Anadrashism more than any other. The people vary considerably in build, but are generally dusky skinned and rust-haired. Toma is the most arid nation of Knoori and, but for the Wie Desert in the southwest, the hilliest.

  The Tournament of Danoor—The decennial tournament between Knoori’s White Suit and Black Suit orders, which occurs on the last day of every decade. A fighter is chosen from every town numbering more than 2000 souls. He or she then travels to Danoor and is allowed to fight in the tournament. In the end, one Black and one White remain. Accordingly, along the way fighters will inevitably have to fight brothers and sisters of their own faith. The New Year celebration starts after the tournament champion’s speech, wherein he or she typically extols listeners to convert to the winning faith. Usually, secular fighting tournaments begin the next day.

  Ustert—A goddess whose worshippers form a relatively large minority in Casta and Knos Min. A loosely organized sororal community of mages and apothecaries (often referred to as witches, though this term is widely used even in Adrashi and Anadrashi contexts), Usterti profess a variety of beliefs, bound only by the understanding that the goddess governs all existence. Due to this ambiguity, a great deal of mystery surrounds the community.

  The Void—Near-Jeroun orbit and outer space.

  White Suits—A martial order of Adrashi prevalent in all nations of Knoori except Toma. Marked by their white elder-cloth suits, their primary goal as an institution is to fight Black Suits and win converts to the Adrashi faith. By doing so, White Suits believe they encourage Adrash to redeem Jeroun sooner. Orders are relatively uncommon and secretive outside southern Nos Ulom, Dareth Hlum, and Knos Min.

  Wyrm—A dragon of immense size. Highly intelligent and extremely temperamental, they do not come into contact with men often. This is due mostly to the fact that most food is taken from the open ocean. Only a small minority of dragons hunt large prey on the continent. Hybrid wyrms are not common, but do exist in Stol and Casta.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  This list used to be much longer, but I realized at three pages that including everyone I feel grateful for just isn’t practical, especially since I’ve forgotten some of their names. So, if you’re not specifically listed but you did indeed t
alk with me about my writing—on the internet, during a van ride from Sedona to Phoenix, at a convention, etc.—please know that I appreciate your interest and advice.

  As to the people I can’t possibly not name...

  Thank you, Amy Martin. I wouldn’t have completed this book without your support. I know that sounds trite, but it’s true and it’s important you know how much it means to me. Because of you, I’ve achieved a dream that for years I was scared of even admitting.

  Thank you, Winter Martin, for being the muse for the little ghost I never intended to write.

  Thank you, Mom. I love you—more. I hope you realize that any courage I’ve displayed in life (and this includes writing a book, I think) is due to your example.

  Thank you, Dad. I’m more like you every year, but still not enough.

  Thank you, Josh Jernigan, Amy Jernigan, and—of course—Benjamin Calvin Jernigan. If everyone proves a quarter as enthusiastic about my book as you guys are, I’ll sell a billion copies.

  Thank you, Ashly Jernigan, for taking chances. You may not know this, but when you moved to New York by yourself it inspired me to start taking some of my own chances.

  Thank you, Brennan Jernigan. No Return is, at least in part, a story about a man learning to do the right thing. You, more than anyone else, are responsible for this emphasis on morality.

  Thank you, Elizabeth Hand. I wish you could be my first reader every time.

  Thank you, David Anthony Durham. I appreciate your advice, your advocacy, and especially your friendship. There are scenes in this book I didn’t want to write, but I wrote them because you put the worm of doubt in my mind. The work is better for it, I think.

  Thank you, James Patrick Kelly, for pushing me when I needed some pushing. I revise things now, which should make you happy.

  Thank you, J. M. McDermott. Not only did you recommend this novel to Night Shade, you’ve continued to be one of my most vocal advocates.

  Thank you, Benjamin Turner, Keith Potempa, Allister Timms, Adam Mills, and Scott Wolven. I’m indebted to you all for reading large portions of No Return and offering comments.

  Thank you, Whiskey Swim Club: Paul Kirsch, C. Liddle (Caspian Gray), Asher Ellis, and Ben Burgis. I don’t really like any of you under normal circumstances—and I certainly don’t respect you—but there’s nobody in the world I like being drunk in a pool with more.

  Thank you, Justin Tribble, Brett Wilson, Angela Still, Will Ludwigsen, Tarver Nova, Catherynne Valente, Ian Withrow, Michael Kimball, Jenn Brissett, Taylor Preston, Nancy Holder, Robert Stutts, Evan Dicken, Dina Milum, Ashley Bernard, Marty Halpern, Richard Cambridge, Desiree Ducharme, Angi Zollinger Christiansen, assorted cousins and aunts and uncles, and the cast and crew of the Stonecoast MFA program. Your counsel and encouragement have been invaluable.

  Thank you, Ross E. Lockhart, for reading my manuscript, convincing everyone at Night Shade that it should be bought, and helping me turn it into a better book.

  Thank you, Jason Williams, Jeremy Lassen, Amy Popovich, Dave Palumbo, Tomra Palmer, Liz Upson, and all the other folks at Night Shade Books.

  Thank you, Robbie Trevino. I hope the story I wrote is pretty good, but even if it isn’t you created something awesome out of it.

  Lastly and most importantly:

  Thank you, reader, from the bottom of my heart. I’m delighted and humbled that you’ve bought, borrowed, or stolen this book. Know that I wrote it as a means of communication between the two of us. I hope you’ll reach out and begin a conversation by email or—even better—in person at a convention.