Eske: High Priestess of Tiboran.
Favom Court: Farm and manor house north of Gerse. Country residence of the House of Decath.
Fei: Confidence artist and sometime thief. Acquaintance of Digger.
Ferrymen: Ruthless human smugglers who typically charge exorbitant fees for their services and have a well-deserved reputation for violence.
Geirt: Former chambermaid of Talth Ceid.
Gelnir: One of the three provinces that make up the nation of Llyvraneth. A fertile region of farmland to the west and south, and home to Llyvraneth’s capital city of Gerse.
Gerse: Capital city of Llyvraneth. Digger’s home.
Granthin, Halcot: See Rat.
Grea: Baker in the Seventh Circle. Digger’s landlady. Rat’s aunt.
Greenmen: See Acolyte Guard.
Grillig: Seventh Circle fence and dealer in secondhand goods. Acquaintance of Digger.
Hanivard Palace: Royal residence in Gerse. Home to King Bardolph.
Hobin, Lord: Nobleman in Gerse. Official in the Ministry of War. Rat’s lover.
Inquisition: Dedicated arm of the Celyst church charged with eradicating heresy. Led by a staff of inquisitors (specially ordained priests) under the command of the Lord High Inquisitor, Werne Nebraut. The Inquisition has wide-ranging powers and very little oversight.
Irin: Sarist refugee.
Jos: Sarist refugee.
Karst, Alech: Employee of Talth Ceid.
Keep, the: Bryn Tsairn in Llyvrin (“Silver Keep”). Royal prison in Gerse.
Kellespau: One of the three provinces that make up the nation of Llyvraneth. A hilly region covering the northeastern third of the island.
Koya: Gersin socialite. Properly Davinna Koyuz, estranged wife of Stantin Koyuz. Daughter of Talth Ceid; sister of Barris.
Koyuz, Stantin: Wealthy Gersin merchant. Koya’s husband.
Lenos: Sarist refugee.
Light of Yraine: Ship belonging to the Ceid.
Llyvraneth: Island nation consisting of three provinces: Gelnir, Briddja Nul, and Kellespau.
Marau: God of the dead and consort to Celys. Twin brother to Sar. His symbol is the crow.
Mend-kaal: God of the hearth, the home, and of labor. Twin brother to Tiboran; son of Celys and Marau. His symbol is the hammer.
Mondeci, Evalia: Courtesan in Tratua. Acquaintance of Durrel. Deceased.
Nameless One, The: Goddess of justice and divine retribution. Daughter of Celys and Marau.
Nebraut, Werne:Lord High Inquisitor. Known as “Werne the Bloodletter.” Digger’s brother.
Nemair, Merista: Noblewoman and mage serving in Prince Wierolf’s army. Cousin of Durrel Decath. See StarCrossed.
Oss, River: One of two major rivers flowing through Gerse.
Ponvi: Ship belonging to the Ceid.
Rat: Digger’s roommate.
Reynart, Tnor: A Sarist mage. Commander of Prince Wierolf’s magical army.
Sar: Goddess of magic and dreams. Twin sister to Marau. Her symbol is the seven-pointed star.
Sarist: Term used to denote magic users and/or worshippers of Sar. Also a supporter of Prince Wierolf’s rebellion against King Bardolph. Not all Sarists are magical, but it is widely believed that everyone with magic must be a Sarist. In general, Sarists support a legalization of magic.
Seventh Circle: Poor district in Gerse. Digger’s neighborhood.
Silver: Tsairn in Llyvrin. An elemental metal that cloaks magic.
Talanca: Nation to Llyvraneth’s south.
Taradyce, Raffin: Acolyte Guardsman. Nobleman from Gerse. Best friend of Durrel Decath.
Tegen: Thief in Gerse; victim of the Inquisition. Formerly Digger’s partner and lover. See StarCrossed.
Teina: Sarist refugee.
Temple, the: Tavern, inn, and theater serving as the center of worship for Tiboran in Gerse.
Temus: Prisoner in the Keep.
Tiboran: God of wine and theater. Twin brother to Mend-kaal. His symbol is the mask, and he has been adopted as a patron by those who must lie for a living, most notably thieves.
Tincture of the Moon of Marau: Poison used to kill Talth Ceid.
Tratua: Port city on Llyvraneth’s southeast coast.
Varenzia: Nation bordering Corlesanne. Allied with Sarists.
Vorges: Sarist refugee.
Watch, the: Gerse’s municipal police force. Divided into shifts (Day Watch and Night Watch).
Werne: See Nebraut, Werne.
Wierolf of Hanival: Prince of the realm. Commander of Sarist forces. King Bardolph’s nephew; cousin to Prince Astilan.
Yeris Volbann: Port city on Llyvraneth’s northwest coast.
Zet: Goddess of war and the hunt. Her symbol is the arrow. Patron of the nobility.
WARRANT OF ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The following persons are wanted on suspicion of aiding and abetting the author in the perpetration of this novel: Chris Bunce, Erin Murphy, Cheryl Klein, Barbara Stuber, Laura Manivong, Rebecca Barnhouse, Susan Jeffers Casel, Phil Falco, Juliana Kolesova, Mike Schley, Colleen Johnston, and Jill Walker. Additional suspects have been implicated but their identities remain unconfirmed. The public is advised that the above-named conspirators are extremely crafty, cunning, and resourceful, and should only be approached with due caution.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ELIZABETH C. BUNCE is the author of A Curse Dark as Gold, which won the William C. Morris YA Debut Award, and StarCrossed, which Kirkus called “irresistible.” Elizabeth, who is the world’s worst liar, lives near Kansas City, Missouri, with her husband and their dogs. Visit her online at www.elizabethcbunce.com.
Text copyright © 2011 by Stephanie Elizabeth Bunce
Map art by Mike Schley copyright © 2011 by Stephanie Elizabeth Bunce
All rights reserved. Published by Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC and the LANTERN LOGO are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bunce, Elizabeth C.
Liar’s moon / Elizabeth C. Bunce. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Sequel to: StarCrossed.
Summary: In a quest to prove her friend, Lord Durrel Decath, innocent of the murder of his wife, pickpocket Digger stumbles into a conspiracy with far-reaching consequences for the civil war raging in Llyvraneth, while also finding herself falling in love.
ISBN 978-0-545-13608-2 (hardback : alk. paper) [1. Fantasy. 2. Murder — Fiction. 3. Fugitives from justice — Fiction. 4. Magic — Fiction. 5. Robbers and outlaws — Fiction. 6. Social classes — Fiction. 7. Mystery and detective stories.] I. Title.
PZ7.B91505Li 2011
[Fic] — dc22 2011005071
eISBN 978-0-545-38819-1
First edition, November 2011
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
Table of Contents
COVER
TITLE PAGE
MAP OF GERSE
CONTENTS
PART I KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
PART II KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
PART III KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT
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
LEXICON
WARRANT OF ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
COPYRIGHT
Liar's Moon Page 36