by Headlee, Kim
Seat of Argyll, the. Caledonaiche: Cathair h’Argaillanaich. Clan Argyll’s administrative headquarters at Arbroch, Caledon. Origin: Scottish Gaelic cathair (“chair” and “city”), plus my invented term, h’Argaillanaich (“of Clan Argyll”).
seax (Saxon). War-knife, usually measuring 15-18 inches from point to end of hilt.
Senaudon (Caledonaiche, “Place of Charmed Protection”). Angusel’s birthplace and Alayna’s home fortress located in present-day Stirling, Scotland. Origin: inspired by Scottish Gaelic seun (“a charm for protection” and “to defend by charms”).
sennight. Measure of time: one week (contraction of “seven nights,” analogous to “fortnight” being a contraction of “fourteen nights”).
Sight, the. Otherwise known as Extrasensory Perception. This version manifests in prophetic visions and dreams.
signifer (Latin, “standard-bearer”). The soldier charged with carrying the unit’s banner—and guarding it in battle.
Soluis Firth, the. Solway Firth, the body of water that divides southwestern Scotland from northwestern England.
South Cove. Site of Saxon beachhead on the Isle of Maun, near Caer Rushen but not near enough to be detected by that fortress’s lookouts. On my list of Arthur’s twelve battles, this is the site of number 6, though it’s more of a cleanup operation.
Stonn. Angusel’s horse (gray stallion).
suilean (SHOO-layan; Caledonaiche, “eyes”). Used as part of the sign-countersign codes in the Manx Cohort. This response is usually given as a challenge to an approaching visitor. Origin: Scottish Gaelic sùilean (“eyes”).
suil a mhàin (shool ah wane; Caledonaiche, “only one eye”). Used as part of the sign-countersign codes in the Manx Cohort. This response indicates the courier carries an encoded message only to be read by the unit’s commander, implying great urgency. Origin: Scottish Gaelic.
Talarf (Brytonic, “Silver Hair”). Urien’s horse (chestnut stallion).
Tanroc. Brytoni-controlled fortress on the western coast of the Isle of Maun and site of the 3rd of Arthur’s twelve battles on my list (technically, Cai leads this one in Arthur’s stead). No present-day equivalent.
Tarsuinn (“The Crossing People”), Clan. Caledonaiche: Tarsuinnaich Chaledon. Member of the Caledonach Confederacy, so-named because they run a large ferry business from several points across the Firth of Forth. Banner: gold falcon in flight, on azure. Cloak pattern: saffron crossed with blue and red. Gemstone: golden beryl. Name origin: Scottish Gaelic tarsainn (“across”).
trews. Loose-fitting trousers made of leather, wool or linen, worn by Brytoni men and by Caledonaich of both sexes.
tribune. Latin: tribunus. In Arthur’s army, this is a high-ranking military officer (usually a prefect) of noble birth. Badge: bronze brooch, with appropriately colored enamel ring and the clan’s gemstone.
turma (pl. turmae; Latin, “squad(s)”). Roman cavalry unit consisting of 10-30 horsemen, commanded by a decurion. In Arthur’s army, the typical size averages 20.
uisge (OOS-ghee; Northern Brytonic, “water”). A strong alcoholic beverage distilled from barley. I chose to employ a dialectic shortening of Scottish Gaelic uisge-beatha (“water of life;” i.e., whiskey) because humans during that era rarely drank unboiled water lest they run the risk of getting sick.
valerian. Medicinal herb.
Vectis (Latin). Isle of Wight, English Channel.
vespers. Sixth Christian canonical hour, occurring at sunset. Origin: Latin vespera (“evening”).
warding-mark. Caledonaiche: seunail. A tattoo believed by Caledonaich to be a physical manifestation of divine protection. Origin: Scottish Gaelic seun (“a charm for protection”), aileadh (“mark”).
Way, the. A Biblical term for Christianity.
Wintaceaster (Saxon, “Market Castle”). Winchester, Hampshire, Wessex, England.
Wintaceaster Palace. Residence of King Cissa of the West Saxons.
woad. An herb that yields a blue dye.
Woden. Eingel/Saxon deity; ruler and father of the gods. In their worldview, Woden’s Hall houses the souls of dead warriors. “Woden’s Day” survives in modern usage as “Wednesday.” Also known as Wodan, Wotan, Odin.
Acknowledgments
AS ALWAYS, I must first thank my family for putting up with this lifelong obsession of mine. My husband, Chris, is supportive of me and my work in his eternally pragmatic way. Jonathan, our firstborn, has been very helpful recently with his insights regarding photography and lighting, saving me from looking as if I were telling ghost stories around a campfire during my first Skype interview for promoting Dawnflight. And special thanks go to our daughter, Jessica, who got me back into the literary saddle by telling me to “just shut up and write.” Of course she was absolutely right. I wish I could do more to express my gratitude, but, “unfortunately, sainthood is not in my power.” (Richard Harris as King Arthur in Camelot, Warner Brothers, released 25 October 1967).
To this list I add fellow writer Robin Allen, who also helped shepherd me through the process of looking good for video interviews and is one of the best friends—online or off—that anyone could ever wish for; my editor, Deb Taber, a wellspring of advice and encouragement; Joe Calkins for going above-and-beyond in converting my line-art graphics in addition to producing the lovely cover art; Judith Harlan and Theresa Rose of Lucky Bat Books for their superb instincts for layout and design; Jessica Gibson of Release Day Diva for helping me spread the cyber-word about my work; and voice artist Dorothy Dickson, who applied her considerable talent and energy to the production of Dawnflight’s audiobook edition and with whom I hope to work to create the Morning’s Journey audiobook and many other projects to come.
kdh, Wytheville, Virginia
December 16, 2012
Interior art and other graphics:
Argyll Doves (Gyanhumara): original artwork ©1998-2014 Kim Headlee.
All other character totems are line-art adaptations ©2012-2014 Kim Headlee, based on photographs of the following Pictish stones found throughout Scotland: Bear, walking (Gawain): the Bear Stone, Scatness, Shetland Isles.
Boar (Urien): the Boar Stone of Clune Farm, Dores, Highland Inverness.
Disc-cross (Niniane): the Dyce 6 stone, City of Aberdeen.
Double-crescent (Lughann): detail on the back of the Ulbster Stone, Thurso Museum, Highland Caithness.
Dragon, horizontal (Arthur): the Dragon Stone, Portmahomack, Tarbat, Ross and Cromarty.
Dragon, vertical (Arthur): detail on the front of stone Meigle 4, Meigle Sculptured Stones Museum, Angus, Perthshire and Kinross.
Flower (Annamar): detail on the front of the Dunnichen Stone at the Meffan Institute, Forfar, Angus, Perthshire and Kinross.
Griffin (Ælferd): detail on the end of Meigle 26 in the Meigle Sculptured Stones Museum, Angus, Perthshire and Kinross.
Kelpie/Dolphin/Seahorse (Denu): detail on the back of the Ulbster Stone, Thurso Museum, Highland Caithness. The glyph's orientation on the stone is vertical.
Leopard's Head (Badulf): detail on a silver plaque found in the hoard at Norrie's Law, Fife. The glyph's orientation on the plaque is vertical.
Lion, standing (Angusel): inspired by a detail on the side of Meigle 26 in the Meigle Sculptured Stones Museum, Angus, Perthshire and Kinross.
Lion’s Head (Angusel): inspired by a detail on the Daniel Stone, Rosemarkie, Black Isle, Easter Ross, depicting a lioness with a man’s head in her mouth.
Mirror Case (Cynda): detail on the Brough of Birsay Stone, Orkney.
Notched Rectangle (Gereint): detail on the rear of Aberlemno 2, Aberlemno Kirkyard, Angus, Perthshire and Kinross.
Scholar (Dafydd): detail on the front of stone Kirriemuir 1, Forfar, Angus.
Salmon (Merlin): detail on the Golspie Stone, Craigton 2, Highland Sutherland.
Stag, walking (Bedwyr): detail on the front of the Eassie Stone, Eassie, Angus.
V-Crescent (Morghe): detail on the Brough of Birsay Stone, Orkney.
&n
bsp; Z-Rod, canted (Dwras): detail on a silver plaque found in the hoard at Norrie's Law, Fife. The glyph's orientation on the plaque is vertical.
About the Author
KIM HEADLEE LIVES on a farm in the mountains of southwestern Virginia with her family, cats, fish, goats, Great Pyrenees goat-guards, and assorted wildlife. People and creatures come & go, but the cave and the 250-year-old house ruins—the latter having been occupied as recently as the mid-20th century—seem to be sticking around for a while yet.
http://kimiversonheadlee.blogspot.com
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Other published works by Kim Iverson Headlee:
King Arthur’s Sister in Washington’s Court by Mark Twain as channeled by Kim Iverson Headlee, illustrated by Jennifer Doneske and Tom Doneske, ebook, Lucky Bat Books, 2014.
Snow in July, with character-totem art by Jessica Headlee; ebook & paperback, Pendragon Cove Press, 2014.
The Color of Vengeance, a short story excerpted from Morning’s Journey, ebook & audiobook editions, Lucky Bat Books, 2013.
Dawnflight (The Dragon’s Dove Chronicles, Book 1), ebook, audiobook & paperback, Lucky Bat Books, 2013; cover and interior updated 2014.
Liberty, writing as Kimberly Iverson, paperback, HQN Books, Harlequin, 2006.
Dawnflight, 1st Edition, paperback, Sonnet Books, Simon & Schuster, 1999.
Forthcoming:
Liberty, 2nd Edition, Pendragon Cove Press.
King Arthur’s Sister in Washington’s Court by Mark Twain as channeled by Kim Iverson Headlee, audiobook edition, performed by Caprisha Page.
Raging Sea (The Dragon’s Dove Chronicles, volume 3), Pendragon Cove Press.
King Arthur’s Sister in Washington’s Court by Mark Twain as channeled by Kim Iverson Headlee, illustrated by Jennifer Doneske and Tom Doneske, hardcover, Lucky Bat Books.
Prophecy, the sequel to Liberty, Pendragon Cove Press.
