Becoming Red (The Becoming Novels)
Page 34
MacTire - Gaelic word meaning wolf, literal translation, son of the earth. The King of the Fomorian race. Pierced nipples denote his royal status. In ancient Ireland, suckling the King’s nipples was a demonstration of submission.
Mo ghrá - Gaelic for ‘my love.’
Morrígan - Mythological Irish Goddess of battle. Fought with the Tuatha Dé Danann against the Fomorians and prophesied the end of the world. Has been known to take animal form, as a raven or a wolf, and has appeared in Irish mythology as a beautiful young woman and as an old crone. Sometimes depicted as a trio of female Goddesses. She foretold the death of the hero Chú Chulainn (see Setanta), with whom she had a complicated love-hate relationship.
Plamás - Gaelic word for smooth-talking manipulation.
Rave - The human explanation for the addiction that has taken root in Dublin city is that a new, mind-altering drug, Rave, is circulating, one that causes nail discolouration and renders users sensitive to the effects of the full moon, leading to violence and rampant sexual activity. Users are referred to as C’ravers.
Ravener - A hideous, harpy-like creature with a curved beak and razor talons, resembling a mutated raven. They are the piranhas of the skies, the Morrígan’s guardians keeping the Fomorians in line. They hunt from the skies of Fomor.
Setanta - Mythical Irish hero, who, as a child, killed Culann’s fierce hound in self-defense and offered to take the dog’s place, gaining him the name Chú Chulainn (hound of Cullen). Mortally wounded, Chú Chulainn tied himself to a stone with his own entrails so he could die upright, and it was only when a raven landed on his shoulder that his enemies believed him dead. The Raven was understood to represent the Morrígan in animal form, guarding the hero’s death.
Sláinte - Gaelic word meaning ‘health.’ A traditional drinking toast.
Skuldalid - Derived from the old Norse word for family, the members of the Fomorian King's elite vanguard are collectively known as the Skuldalid. Viciously loyal to MacTire. Originally six, Brandr, Fite, Rún and Tyr are the four remaining members. Crys was killed by the Morrígan’s slayer, and Knutr, his félag, driven insane, was imprisoned in Fomor for the safety of all.
Tá brón orm. Maith dom é, mo ghrá - Gaelic for ‘I am sorry. Forgive me, my love.’
Tapetum lucidum - A reflective layer found behind the retina of many nocturnal, hunting animals. It improves night vision and causes a characteristic eyeshine when a light is shone on the eyes in the dark. The colour shows inter-species variations. Not normally found in humans.
Thegn - Genetic runts of the Fomorian race, their human traits are dominant and they lack the ability to take Varg form. Not subject to the Morrígan’s curse, the Thegn can walk the earth, independent of the full moon, and like the Vargs, they are immortal, unless they lose their heads or have their hearts ripped out. The defect becomes apparent at puberty, at which time the Thegn are forced into a monk-like existence, living to serve the Vargs and endure a life of celibacy, in order to prevent the weakening of the Fomorian blood line. They can be freed from their oath and allowed to reproduce with humans, but all ties to the Fomorians are severed. They cannot return to Fomor.
Thrall - A human who has been bitten and is addicted to the eitr in a Varg’s bite. Characteristically, Thralls are affected by the full moon, are attracted to the colour red and develop a black staining of the half-moons of the nail bed. The Thrall become subservient, sex-crazed slaves to their wildest urges. In some, especially bitten men, the eitr unleashes deep-seated, violent impulses. Many Thrall are driven insane by the addiction, which may have contributed to the lore of full moon madness and lunacy.
Tír na nÓg - Translates from Gaelic as ‘land of the young’, a mythical land of eternal youth and beauty, without sickness, but if an inhabitant were ever to set foot on Ireland’s soil again, it would result in rapid ageing and death.
Tuatha Dé Danann - Mythological race of pre-Christian Irish Gods, who defeated the Fomorians and drove them beneath the sea.
Untame - Fomorian beasts in their most primitive incarnation. These are the creatures who did not merge their souls with those of humans, therefore they lack the humanity of the hybrid Fomorians and are feral. They were caged and pitched against one another in dog-fights for the amusement of the Fomorians.
Varg - A Norse word for wolf, used to describe Fomorians in their beast form. Red-eyed, they have limited colour vision, but see the colour red vividly.
Vargrliker - Old Norse for one who takes on or assumes a wolf’s body. An insult, with the implication that they are not a true wolf, but an imposter. Also used to mean a traitor.
Vashta Nerada - swarming, carnivorous shadows that featured in the Dr. Who television series.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
The writing duo of Jess and Paula met online through their mutual love of paranormal and urban fantasy romance. They sparked creatively and have been writing together for the past three years. Paula lives in Dublin, Ireland with her family. She set aside a career in medicine to raise her three children. Jess lives in Manchester, England with her mother and dog, Simi. When she isn’t writing up worlds with Paula, she’s a wedding planner for a large retail store.
Table of Contents
BECOMING RED
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
GLOSSARY
ABOUT THE AUTHORS