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GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Aetherogram: The message transmitted by an aethographor. The aethographor is a wireless communication apparatus that does not suffer from electromagnetic disruption like the telegraph (which was abandoned as a failure). Two machines with matching valves (properly termed crystalline valve frequensors) can transmit messages through the aether to each other.
BUR: The Bureau of Unnatural Registry, part of the British government. It has oversight of werewolves, vampires, ghosts, preternaturals, and metanaturals within the British Empire. The organization is headquartered in London, and Conall Maccon, Alpha for the Woolsey/London werewolf pack, is head of the London BUR office and Chief Sundowner (licensed killer).
Claviger: Clavigers act as servants and companions to werewolves, and are paid for their services with the possibility of becoming werewolves themselves. Their duties include looking after out-of-control werewolves on and around the full moon, and taking care of any business the pack has that needs to be conducted during daylight hours.
Drone: A drone acts as a vampire’s companion, servant, caretaker, and willing food source (blood). There can also be a sexual component to the relationship. Drones receive payment for their services in the possibility of becoming vampires themselves.
Hive: A hive is a group of vampires and their particular residence. A hive is always ruled by a vampire queen, who cannot leave the hive house and relies on the vampires that belong to her hive and their drones to represent her in the outside world.
Indenture: An indentured servant or worker owes their time and labor to the person or institution holding their indenture for a prescribed amount of time. In exchange, they are paid a salary and trained in a certain skill set. In some cases, the education comes first, then once educated, the skilled laborer is indentured to pay back the cost of that education.
Muhjah: The third member of the Shadow Council; a preternatural. This advisor to Queen Victoria is meant to break the stalemate between the potentate (vampire) and the dewan (werewolf). He or she represents the voice of the modern age, as opposed to the other two older, set-in-their-ways advisors.
Sootie: Children who work in the boiler rooms of airships, shoveling coal.
Confused by any other terms used in this story? Try the Gail Carriger wikia
Acknowledgements
Flirt, a little poem for you…
Lost love well spent
on the ending we didn’t get.
~ Fiendish
Want More Gail Carriger?
You’ve just read a stand-alone story set in the Parasolverse. Characters cross between most of my scribbles. You could play a rousing game of Where’s the Wicker Chicken? I hope you enjoy them all!
Other stories set in this universe are...
The Delightfully Deadly Novellas
Stand-alone romance novellas
(proper, stealthy lady assassins)
The Supernatural Society Novellas
LGBTQ romance novellas
(very proper subversive activities)
The Finishing School Series
Four young adult novels beginning with Etiquette & Espionage
(spies, girl power, and flying food)
The Parasol Protectorate Series
Five novels beginning with Soulless
(adventure, romance, silly hats)
The Custard Protocol Series
Spin-off, begins with Prudence
(world travel, romance, stolen tea)
The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn’t
Short story set in steampunk Regency Egypt
(featuring one sexy and rather unpleasant Italian)
Gail’s Other Works
Marine Biology
LGBT shifter comedy romance short story
(with geeky werewolves and hot mermen)
Fairy Debt
YA comedy girl power short story
(with dragons and cupcakes)
My Sister’s Song
High fantasy historical short story
(warrior woman takes on a Roman legion alone)
About the Writerbeast
New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger writes to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriate Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She escaped small-town life and inadvertently acquired several degrees in higher learning, a fondness for cephalopods, and a chronic tea habit. She then traveled the historic cities of Europe, subsisting entirely on biscuits secreted in her handbag. She resides in the Colonies, surrounded by fantastic shoes, where she insists on tea imported from London.
GailCarriger.com
G A I L C A R R I G E R, L L C
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, used in a fictitious manner, or in the public domain. Any resemblance to actual events or actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
WARNING
This work of fiction may contain sexually explicit situations of a romantic and carnal nature between members of the same sex, opposite sex, or both. If love (in its many forms) and love’s consequences (in even more varied forms) are likely to offend, please do not read this book. Miss Carriger has a young adult quartet, the Finishing School series, that may be more to your taste. Thank you for your understanding, self-awareness, and self-control.
Copyright © 2016 by GAIL CARRIGER LLC
Cover photo © Donna Ricci. All rights reserved.
Photo by Pixie Vision Photography
Cover © 2016 by GAIL CARRIGER LLC, assembled by Starla Huchton
Digital Formatting by Seaside Publications
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, including the right to reproduce this book, or any portion thereof, in any form.
This book is for your personal enjoyment only. If you are reading this book and it was not purchased for your use, then please purchase your own copy.
In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the uploading, torrenting, or electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting [email protected].
The author strives to ensure her self-published works are available as widely as possible and at a price commensurate with her ability to earn a living. Thank you for respecting her hard work.
Version 1.0
ISBN 978-1-944751-06-7
Romancing the Inventor Page 15
