“TIGHT ENOUGH?”
Porté grunted an affirmative. Entrechat finished tying the makeshift bandage around Porté’s chest, then stood with an encouraging clap on the shoulder and went to tend to the others.
It was a grim sight.
The cohort had regrouped about a mile upstream, but the morning was half gone before they had assembled everyone. That had been the worst part. The searching, and the finding, and the dragging. Now they sat or worked quietly in the shallows, ministering to the wounded and laying out the dead.
Porté’s gaze drifted back to that grim sandbar for the twelfth time in an hour. Pirouet lay there, their homesick longings ended by the arrow through their eye. Flamant-Rose was beside them, shot through the neck when they had dropped their rake to cower at the shoreline. Behind them was Ondine.
The silk streamers she’d tied around her gill-plumes were a bright, sodden mass under her graying body. The spine-deep hole where the monster had torn her throat out was almost invisible, obscured by Jeté’s enormous, mourning shadow.
He’d sat there for hours now, breathing in slow, wheezing gasps. His skin was gray, copying hers, and seeping with a grief so profound that it left all the sand dark and saturated for two feet around him.
“Ohé.” The back of somebody’s wrist knocked against Porté’s shoulder. “Fuseau says they’re ready now.”
Porté looked up. Tournant stood over them, proffering the handle of a fillet knife. Already the cohort was speaking with fierce, bitter pride about how well Tournant had represented them. Already they were telling and retelling the story of how heroically the largest of the Many had knocked that evil archer to the ground, saving untold lives – of how close Tournant had come to killing him, and how easily they could have done so, had they not been called to help subdue the struggling wizard. That was what real bravery looked like.
Porté’s resolve hardened. They accepted the knife, and the hand that Tournant offered afterward, and followed them downstream, where Fuseau was waiting.
The cohort had lost two siblings and their dear princess, and nothing would ever soften their grief. But they had captured an earthling... and soon, they would have vengeance.
INTERIM
TWOBLOOD COCKED THE heel of her boot on the last porch-step and knocked again. “Fours? Come on, cabrón – answer me!”
She didn’t get an answer, of course. She hadn’t gotten one yesterday, or the day before, or the day before that. And she would have been glad to press the issue, except that there was really nothing new to tell him: she’d had her two best deputies out hunting for Día for days now, and neither of them had found a damn thing. Even the horse had vanished.
Twoblood held still, and counted to a hundred. Then she kicked the door – and was gratified to hear the flinch of the hunched-up figure on the other side. Well, at least the poor old bastard was still alive. Under the circumstances, that was probably as much as anyone could ask for.
“Fine,” she said, pausing for a dandruff-dusting scratch under her hat. “But we’re going to find her, and you’d better be here waiting when she gets back.”
The silence from the other side was as close to a promise as she was likely to get. So Twoblood turned and went on, underscoring her authority with the hard rap of her boot-heels on every successive step. Behind her, a bare trickle of wetness seeped out from under the door.
GLOSSARY
A – Ardish, the primary language of Eadan settlers
FO – Fondois, a close relative of Fraichais, spoken by both human and mereau residents of the Bas-Fond bayou country
F – Fraichais, a language spoken by freshwater mereaux
M – Marín, a trade language, the international standard for business
K – ei’Krah, the language of the a’Krah people
a’Pue (K) – literally ‘people of no star’; children born during the last days of the a’Krah calendar year. Since they were not born under the auspices of any constellation, they are considered highly unlucky.
ashet (K) – a gesture of deep respect, performed by lowering the gaze and extending the arms, wrists upturned.
atleya (K) – the natural, well-functioning order of things. Sometimes translated as ‘right living’, ‘correct placement’, or ‘harmonious equilibrium’.
atodak (K) – a holy protector or ‘knight’ whose life’s purpose is to guard a child of Marhuk (see ‘marka’). An atodak may not marry, parent children, or outlive his or her charge. Plural ‘atodaxa’.
bourick (FO) – a slur used by mereaux to describe human beings. Literally means ‘navel’.
black singer (A) – Eadan military slang for the children of Marhuk, so called for their black feather cloaks and reputation for reanimating fallen soldiers with their voices. See ‘marka’ and ‘hue’yin’.
chou-aigre (F) – a dish made of salted, fermented cabbage.
cohort (F) – a group of mereau siblings hatched from the same roe (clutch of eggs). Each cohort represents one generation of a given house. Traditionally, one from each cohort is selected to undergo metamorphosis and become a prince, or mature male. See ‘Many’ and ‘Few’.
coujon (FO) – a stupid person.
cottonwood deer (K) – so called for the way their antlers divide, like the branches of a cottonwood tree. In Ardish, they are known as mule deer.
cribbing (A) – a stable vice in which a horse sets its teeth into a fixed object, arches its neck, and pulls back while sucking in air. Over time, it can cause substantial damage to both the horse and the fixture.
défaut amoreux (F) – the ‘love-flaw’: a bite-mark or other superficial wound given to a loved one to make them unattractive to the Amateur.
dépêchez(F) – a before-meal blessing, similar to bon appétit. Literally ‘hurry up!’
do-do fais (FO) – a diminutive, colloquial order to ‘go to sleep’.
earth-person – among mereaux, the polite term for human beings. ‘Earthling’ is a less-respectful alternative.
émouvre (F) - a mereau’s ability to communicate through waterborne pheromones.
ghiva (K) – the knotted strings used for record-keeping. Slaves who specialize in knotting and reading them are ‘ihi’ghiva’.
gift (M) – an ability shared by a certain nation or group of people. Similar to Ardish ‘talent’, but with the added connotation of something generously given, indebting the recipient.
grave bride (A) – in the Penitent faith, a celibate woman of the church. Her duties include tending and burying the newly deceased.
half – a common term for people of mixed race; see also ‘mule’.
house-craft (F) – among the Emboucheaux, the sacred art form for which a house and its members are named.
hue’yin (K) – the holy cloak worn by children of Marhuk. It is made from the feathers of royal crows, and grants exceptional protection to its wearer.
I-part (F) – je, the formal or distant Fraichais word for ‘I’. Used to present one aspect of oneself.
I-whole (F) – jeau, the informal or intimate Fraichais word for ‘I’. Used to refer to the entirety of oneself.
ihi’ghiva (K) – a special kind of slave who wears the ritual blindfold (see ‘yuye’) and has received years of exacting training as a scribe, go-between, and sometimes assassin. He is considered incorruptible, and may not be bought or sold.
kiiswala – an old-world term meaning ‘god through heat’. A condition affecting a fraction of people with Afriti ancestry, in which prolonged exposure to the sun causes hallucinations.
maga (K) – literally ‘master,’ but essentially ‘boss’.
mais (FO) – ‘but’ or ‘well’.
marka (K) – title of a son, daughter, or son of a daughter of Marhuk (feminine ‘markaya’). They are gifted with exceptional divine powers, and expected to devote their lives to the service of all a’Krah.
marrouak – a monstrous, infected creature, no longer human.
même (F) – short for ‘m
oi-même’, or ‘myself’. A term of affection used by siblings of the same cohort.
merd’œuf (F) – ‘eggshit’.
mereau – plural ‘mereaux’. The amphibious people colloquially called ‘fishmen’.
mestizo (M) – a person of mixed race. See also ‘mule’.
metate (M) – a curved stone slab, used for grinding grains and seeds into flour.
miha (M) – short for ‘mi eha’, or ‘my daughter’. Diminutive ‘mihita’.
mule (A) – a slang term for a person of mixed race; others include ‘half’, ‘mestizo’, and ‘two-blood’.
part-timer (A) – an Eadan slur for a native person, so called for the belief that they spend only part of their time in human form.
patronne (FO) – literally means ‘patron’ or ‘boss’, but in practice, it is closer to the casual Ardish ‘chief’ – i.e., not as respectful as it sounds.
peeshwank (FO) – a runt, small boy. Also a slang term for penis.
road agent (A) – a highwayman, or bandit who preys on travellers.
sacristy – a separate room for storage of holy objects, usually behind the altar of a church.
savash (K) – literally ‘unrecognition’; the symbolic expulsion of an a’Krah who has committed a serious offense. Such a person will be treated as a foreigner or an enemy, but may be allowed to return to the community after a suitable act of atonement.
serape (M) – a blanket-like outerwear garment. Also called a poncho.
sexton (A) – in most Penitent churches, the gravedigger and keeper of the church yard.
shirty (A) – bad-tempered, rude, as if disheveled by anger.
sleep voice (F) – used by female mereaux. It sedates human beings, most of whom consider it a highly dangerous weapon.
sweet voice (F) – used by the Many. It has a subconsciously charming effect on human beings.
stove in (A) – a slang term meaning ‘wrecked’ or ‘broken’. Literally ‘smashed inward’.
talent (A) – a supernatural ability believed by Eadans to be exclusive to pure-bred people.
tlahei achan (K) – an ei’Krah expression, literally translated as ‘suck your teeth’. Figuratively means ‘hold fast; there is more still to come.’
tlimit (K) – a highly toxic poison.
tsi’Gwei (K) – the a’Krah coming-of-age ceremony, in which a youth formally requests to be recognized as an adult.
unshuck (A) – literally, to strip the leaves from an ear of corn; figuratively, to undress.
voice (F) – one of the Many, who acts as a herald, envoy, and/or translator for one of the Few. Both male and female mereaux select a voice upon reaching maturity, usually from among their own cohort; those in positions of greater authority may have more than one voice.
voix-douce (F) – see ‘sweet voice’.
yuye (K) – a thin black mesh cloth, which lessens the light absorbed by the human eye without blinding the wearer. The yuye may be worn ritually (as by an ihi’ghiva), or by a’Krah who work during daylight hours.
PEOPLE & PLACES
a’Krah – children of Marhuk and one of the four Great Nations. They are known for dark skin, exceptional night vision, and a sensitivity to sunlight.
Actor – Will Halfwick’s horse, temporarily on loan to his little brother, Sil. A timid six-year-old black gelding – ‘Ax’ for short.
Addie – the fearsome madam of La Saciadería, sometimes called its queen.
Afriti – a race of dark-skinned humans, originally imported for use as slaves. Their innate talent for fire-starting has been considered dangerous.
Aiyasah – the Deer Woman, holy mother of the Irsah. She is known as a protector of travellers.
All-Year River – the cold, fast-flowing mountain river that forms the eastern border of the Eiya’Krah.
Amateur – ‘the lover,’ a mereau god of greed and untimely death.
Ant-Watching Clan – the largest Washchaw clan in Island Town. Their sacred duty is the protection of the small, the weak, and the needy, and they are prohibited from having any voluntary contact with the dead.
Ara-Naure – a dispersed native tribe; children of U’ru, the Dog Lady.
Ardish – the primary language of the Eaden Federacy, still spoken by a minority of Island Town residents.
Aron Bel-Amon – a hero of the Penitent Verses: a poor man who sacrificed his most precious possession to save his impious neighbors. See ‘City of Salt.’
Artisan – a mereau creator-goddess: the crafter of the world and all its creatures.
Aso’ta Marhuk – one of the a’Krah Eldest. He oversees the education of slaves.
Atali’Krah – the ancestral capital of the a’Krah, where the god Marhuk roosts. Sits near the peak of the Mother of Mountains.
Azahi – a native people whose kingdom in the south has risen to considerable power. Sut Hara, the First Man of Island Town, is popularly called ‘the Azahi.’
Balthus – the former Sixes church sexton, now deceased. A pious man, former slave, and Día’s father.
Bii’ditsa – an Ikwei ferryman who works on the Etascado River. A canny businessman and a terrible hypochondriac.
Bombé – in ballet, a bowing of the swimmer’s body. One of the Many in Prince Jeté’s cohort; a cook with a generous disposition.
Boss Calvert – a small-time horse rancher in Hell’s Acre, and the axis of Elim’s world.
Brant – the evening host of La Saciadería. Has some funny ideas about hospitality.
Brave – a resident of the Bravery. Mostly farmers, ranchers, and the town-dwellers who support them.
Bravery – the great plains at the western edge of Eaden, and Elim’s home. A tough place to make a living.
Burnt Quarter – the northwest quarter of Island Town, so called because it burnt to the ground on the night the town was retaken. It is almost entirely deserted.
Cariñosa – Marín translation for the Ardish title ‘Loving’.
Champagne – Shea’s original given name.
City of Salt – in the Verses, a cursed monument to greed: every person who went to plunder it was turned to salt themselves.
Clementine ‘Clem’ Calvert – the younger of the Calvert family’s two daughters. Whereabouts unknown.
Corn Woman – Ten-Maia, holy mother of the Kaia and the Maia.
Demi-Plié – in ballet, a half-squat that usually precedes a hop up from the bottom. One of the Many in Prince Jeté’s cohort; a digger with a wild, playful disposition.
Día – an Afriti woman, a grave bride, and ambassador to the Azahi.
Dog Lady – U’ru, holy mother of the Ara-Naure.
Du Chenne, Miss – formerly Sixes’ schoolmistress, and later an ambassador to the Azahi.
Dulei – a slain prince of the a’Krah and Weisei’s nephew, shot by Elim in a fatal misunderstanding. His atodak is Echep.
Eadan – of or from Eaden.
Eaden – short for Eaden Federacy; the nation founded by descendants of the Northmen. It includes the Bravery, and its western border is the Rio Etascado.
Eaten – a pejorative term for an Eadan.
Echep – Dulei’s missing atodak, and Vuchak’s friend. He was sent from Island Town to Atali’Krah on an errand, and is long overdue.
Medicine for the Dead Page 37
