“Lady Jane.” Elim pulled off his hat and closed the door on the world outside. “Mom.”
THE END
GLOSSARY
A – Ardish, the primary language of Eadan settlers
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’; feminine ‘atodaka’.
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’.
earth-person – among mereaux, the polite term for human beings. ‘Earthling’ is a less-respectful alternative.
emi – a Maia word for ‘big brother’.
gallery (A) – a long, horizontal corridor dug into a mine
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’.
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.
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 ‘moi-même’, or ‘myself’. A term of affection used by siblings of the same cohort.
mereau – plural ‘mereaux’. The amphibious people colloquially called ‘fishmen’.
mule (A) – a slang term for a person of mixed race; others include ‘half’, ‘mestizo’, and ‘two-blood’.
oyami – a Maia word for ‘little brother’.
Penitence – the majority religion of the Eaden Federacy. It has many denominations, but all are based on belief in one true God. Its adherents are called Penitents.
Pue’Va (K) – the five ‘monthless’ days of the a’Krah calendar. They are considered highly unlucky: no business is conducted, visiting is discouraged, and children born during this time are highly suspect (see a’Pue).
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.
stope (A) – a hollow dome-like excavation in a mine
stove in (A) – a slang term meaning ‘wrecked’ or ‘broken’. Literally ‘smashed inward’.
tarré (F) – an aromatic spice used in some mereau dishes. For human beings, it is a ruinously addictive drug.
Verses, the – holy poems of the Penitent faith, originally passed down through recitation.
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.
winze (A) – a small hole connecting two levels of a mine
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, borrowed by Sil – ‘Ax’ for short. Elim shot him after he became infected.
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.
Ah Che – a Maia boy, left blind and epileptic by a brain infection in childhood.
Ah Set – Ah Che’s younger brother, killed by the epidemic that devastated their village.
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.
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.
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.’
Bombé – one of the Many in Prince Jeté’s cohort, left crippled by one of Vuchak’s arrows.
Born-Awake – short for ‘She Who Was Born Awake’: Vuchak’s niece, Yeh’ne and Suitak’s first child, who lived for less than a day.
Boss Calvert – a small-time horse rancher in Hell’s Acre, and the axis of Elim’s world.
Brant – the deceptively charming evening host of La Saciadería. Executed on a technicality.
Burnt Quarter – the northwest quarter of Island Town, so called because it burnt to the ground on the night the town was retaken. Deserted except for Día’s church.
Champagne – Shea’s original given name.
Corn Woman – see ‘Ten-Maia’.
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 – the name Shea used when she served as Sixes’ schoolmistress
Dulei – a slain prince of the a’Krah, shot by Elim in a fatal misunderstanding. His atodak is Echep. Son of Winshin, nephew of Weisei. By the a’Krah kinship system, he is also considered a son of Marhuk.
Eadan – of or from Eaden.
Eaden – short for Eaden Federacy; the nation of settlers founded by descendants of the Northmen.
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 disappeared.
ei’Krah – the native language of the a’Krah people. These days, most swearing is done in Marín.
Eiya’Krah, the – the ancestral lands of the a’Krah people, whose eastern border is the All-Year River. Mostly mountainous, high desert terrain.
Eldest – the most reverend elders of the a’Krah.
Elim – full name Appaloosa Elim: a marbled mule who belongs to the Calvert family, and apparently the Dog Lady’s son.
Emboucheaux – ‘mouth-of-the-river people’; a nation of freshwater mereaux.
Eula Lightly – a local girl in Hell’s Acre. Her dalliance with Elim nearly cost him his
life.
Elver Lightly – a farmer in Hell’s Acre; Eula’s father and Boss Calvert’s neighbor.
Etascado River – the river in which Island Town sits; currently the border between Eaden and native territory. Its water is drinkable, but tastes unpleasantly of salt.
Faro – the dandily-dressed clerk at La Saciadería, and Opéra’s right-hand (fish)man.
Few, the – fertile ‘royal’ mereaux, referred to as princes and princesses. The Few are large, mostly water-bound, and have some abilities not shared by the Many.
First Man of Island Town – the title of Island Town’s governor. Currently held by Sut Hara, often called ‘the Azahi’.
Flamant-Rose – one of the Many in Prince Jeté’s cohort; a small, shy geologist. Killed by one of Vuchak’s arrows.
Fours – an unhappy man, currently running a livery and secondhand-goods store in Island Town. One of the Azahi’s two remaining ambassadors, and Día’s foster-father.
Fraichais – first language of the Emboucheaux; the spoken alternative to freshwater sign language.
Fuseau – one of the Many in Prince Jeté’s cohort, who serves as the prince’s voice.
Giving Hands – a pair of giant carved stone hands in Atali’Krah, where the bodies of exceptional a’Krah are laid to rest.
Grandfather Crow – another name for Marhuk, god of the a’Krah.
Hakai – one of the two ihi’ghiva who serves Huitsak, temporarily on loan to Vuchak and Weisei. He serves as a translator, and seems to have a talent for earth magic.
Harak – Penten Marhuk’s atodak, aged but loyal.
Hell’s Acre – Elim’s hometown, and Sil’s long-term residence.
Henry Bon – a mixed-race bounty hunter from the eastern bayous; Shea’s temporary paramour.
Huitsak – the master of the Island Town a’Krah, sometimes called the ‘king’ of La Saciadería. In size, strength, and intellect, he is overwhelming.
Irabei – a young a’Krah girl; she lives in Atali’Krah with her family.
Island Town – the modern name for Sixes.
Ismat – Winshin Marhuk’s atodaka: a fierce older woman.
Jeté – a newly-matured prince of the House of Losange, and leader of his cohort.
La Saciadería – the great hotel at the northern end of Island Town. Sells enjoyments of every kind.
‘Lady’ Jane Calvert – Boss Calvert’s wife, an older woman of considerable education.
Last Word, the – Marhuk’s oldest living daughter, who serves as his human voice.
Losange, House of – one of the houses of the Emboucheaux; represented by Prince Jeté and his cohort.
Lovoka – one of the four Great Nations; sometimes called the People of the Wolf. See also ‘Winter Wolves’
Maia – children of Ten-Maia, the Corn Woman. They were renowned for their earthworks, and were dispersed soon after her death.
Many, the – collective term for ordinary or asexual mereaux. With some painful alterations, they can pass for human. See also ‘Few’.
Marhuk – also called Grandfather Crow, holy father of the a’Krah.
Marhuka – the collective name for the children of Marhuk: his sons, his daughters, and the sons of his daughters.
Marín – a trade language, and the international standard for business.
Melisant – one of the Few, and Mother to the house that bears her name. Former mother to Fours and Shea, before they were gifted to the House of Opéra.
Merin-Ka – the fallen canyon city of the Ohoti people. Its last surviving residents turned to cannibalism at the end of a brutal siege, and became marrouak.
Mille-Feuille – one of Fours and Shea’s siblings, who was likewise gifted to the House of Opéra and sent to live in Sixes as a human spy.
Molly Boone – Elim’s horse, a bay mare of considerable size and questionable modesty.
Mother of Mountains, the – a sacred mountain situated near the eastern border of the Eiya’Krah. Atali’Krah, the ancestral capital of the a’Krah people, sits near its peak.
Nillie Halfwick – Sil’s sister, and Will’s twin. She has an exceptional talent for ice-making.
Northman – the common name for a ‘pedigreed’ white person from Eaden. Some retain a talent for freezing or chilling objects.
Opéra – one of the Few, and Mother of the house that bears her name. The Etascado River, and by extension Island Town, is part of her domain.
Ondine – a young princess of the House of Losange, and Jeté’s younger sister. Killed by the Dog Lady.
Osho-Dacha – an Ara-Naure boy, young enough to still be called by his baby-name. Killed by the Winter Wolves.
Oyachen – the a’Krah proprietor of a popular eatery in the Moon Quarter of Island Town.
Penten Marhuk – the youngest of the Eldest; a daughter of Marhuk who was born male. She is considered a wise and compassionate negotiator.
Pipat – an older widow of the a’Krah and a night citizen of Island Town; formerly Vuchak’s girlfriend.
Pirouet – one of the Many in Prince Jeté’s cohort. Killed by one of Vuchak’s arrows.
Porté – one of the Many in Prince Jeté’s cohort; a stevedore grieving for their slain siblings. Their name means ‘carried’.
Red Brothers, the – a pair of hills flanking the beginning of the Mother of Mountains’ southern trail.
Shea – a mereau spy with more identities than manners. Fours’ sister, U’ru’s herald, and Día’s nemesis. See also ‘Champagne’ and ‘Miss du Chenne’.
Sibyl, the – in the Penitent faith, the originator of evil, and mother of demons.
Sil Halfwick – Elim’s partner; a sickly young Northman who found himself on the wrong end of a hangman’s noose. Has been looking a bit green around the edges.
Sixes – the former (Eadan) name for Island Town.
Spirit Towers – five raised wooden platforms in Atali’Krah, where the dead are laid to rest.
Starving God – a pejorative term for the god of the Penitent faith.
Suitak – Vuchak’s brother-in-law, Yeh’ne’s husband, and Born-Awake’s father.
Sundowner – an Eadan term for a native person of any nation.
Tadai – a young man of the a’Krah, in Huitsak’s employ at la Saciadería.
Ten-Maia – the Corn Woman, youngest of the Three Sisters, holy mother of the Kaia and Maia. She was killed under mysterious circumstances over twenty years ago.
To’taka Marhuk – one of the a’Krah Eldest. He is responsible for pairing the children of Marhuk with their life-guardians, and overseeing their education. See ‘marka’ and ‘atodak’.
Twoblood – the curiously-titled Second Man of Island Town. Remarkable for her fangs, freckles, and unshakable dedication to her job. In Eadan parlance, she would be called a ‘speckled’ mule.
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