by H. M. Long
The crowd ripples as the doors of the hall open. A gust of winter breeze laces through the air and rustles the baby’s hair.
The crowd parts for Omaskat, the Watchman of Thvynder. Eangen murmur and touch their foreheads in respect, eyes downcast. Others mutter their displeasure and retreat to the periphery of the Hall. The former gods now known as the Miri may have fallen or submitted, but millennia of worship have not faded overnight. The New Age comes gradually.
Ayo, who has been lying near my feet, rushes to her former master. Omaskat releases the hand of the small boy at his side and drops down to scratch Ayo between the ears. The boy’s two golden eyes light upon the dog and he laughs a delighted, mortal sound that makes Sixnit’s expression slacken with sorrow and… relief.
My friend leans forward and, in a voice that trembles with hope, she calls, “Vistic?”
The boy looks up. For a moment, I think he doesn’t know Sixnit, and my heart aches for my friend. How could he remember? He was not even a year old when we left him with Omaskat at the White Lake.
But Vistic is no ordinary child. My breath hitches as he runs to Sixnit, toppling into her arms as she laughs and cries and strokes his Eangen black curls.
I stand and lift Sixnit’s daughter up to my shoulder. She stirs, eyelids fluttering. As pale as her lashes are, her eyes are her mother’s: green, twined with violet. Her gaze drifts up to my face, then her lashes close again.
Omaskat comes to a halt across the fire. His shoulders are level beneath a bearskin cloak, his stance easy. His golden eyes soften as he looks at us and, not for the first time, I wonder what he sees. The two women who loved and protected newborn Vistic? The Eangi who slew him, once, in the thrall of a usurper god?
Ayo sits against the Watchman’s leg and, in Sixnit’s arms, Vistic leans back to pat at her cheeks. “Mama,” he pronounces.
Sixnit closes her over-bright eyes and, at her side, I swallow a great knot of happiness.
“Will you take him for a time?” Omaskat asks the other woman, drawing a few steps closer. “Our work in the north is finished and, for all that he is part of Thvynder, I would have Vistic know a normal life.”
Sixnit gives a wordless, eager nod and Omaskat turns to face the assembly. As he does his eyes catch mine and he smiles, a private, knowing look that makes my heart swell. I smile back.
“Now,” Omaskat raises his voice to carry across the Hall. “Thvynder accepts the dedication of the Daughter of Ogam, the Last Daughter of Winter. Hessa?”
I round the fire and hand the girl over. Omaskat holds her with the ease of a veteran father and passes his thumb gently over her tiny, bowed lips.
“With this daughter, the first generation of a new order will rise.” Omaskat lifts his eyes towards me, weighing each word with meaning. “A new breed of warrior-priestesses, and priests, to protect you.”
The occupants of the Hall are quiet, save for the whispers of a few curious children. Out of the corner of my eye, I see my sister Hulda sit forward in her woven chair. Her calculating eyes, so like our mother’s, wander between Omaskat, Ogam’s daughter and me.
Omaskat continues to speak to the assembly, but my vision fades and his voice grows distant. East Meade is gone, and I drift back to a high mountain meadow, where poppies sway under a gathering sky, a shrine lies forgotten, and a man with red hair waits patiently in the forest.
Back in the Hall, I hear Sixnit raise her voice in the first notes of a song. It draws me back into the Waking World, a mixture of old tune and new words, but it sounds right; as if our melodies have finally found the right lyrics. The people join in and eventually, Omaskat does too. His voice is deep and warm, rumbling through my bones. He stands in the midst of us, cradling Sixnit’s daughter, as Sixnit cradles Vistic.
My hand drifts up to my naked throat. My skin is smooth under my fingers and, I find, I do not miss my Eangi collar.
I part my lips and begin to sing.
THE END
GLOSSARY OF NAMES
A
Addack – The Eangen province on the western coast.
Aegr (Ahy-ger) – The eternally wounded bear healed by Liv, daughter of Risix.
Aita (Ahy-tah) – A God of the New World. The Great Healer.
Albor – The town in which the Hall of Smoke is built. Albor, with Iskir, is one of the main centers of Eangi activity.
Algatt – The land, and the people, of Gadr, the God of the Mountain. Raiders, they reside in the mountains north of Eangen.
Aliastros (Al-ee-ah-stros) – A member of the Arpa Pantheon. A god of wind.
Ama – An Eangen woman of Albor.
Amdur – The people of Dur, a subordinate god to Eang. A central Eangen people.
Apharnum – The capital of the Arpa Empire, where the Temple of Lathian and its hidden well of power resides.
Archeress, the – A God of the Old World.
Ardam – High Priest of Eang and the Eangi priesthood, War Chief of the Eangi, residing in the Hall of Smoke in Albor.
Arpa – The land and people of the great Arpa Empire, who control much of the known world.
Ashaklon (Asha-klon) – A God of the Old World.
Athiliu (A-thil-ee-oo) – Commander of the Ilia Gates, 1st General of the Outer Territories of the Arpa Empire.
Ayo (Ey-oh) – Omaskat’s dog.
B–C
Berin – Hessa’s father.
Binding tree – A tree in which an unnatural beast, being, or a god is imprisoned.
Boilingbrook – A location south of Mount Thyr, right on the Arpa border.
Cadic – Nisien’s mare.
Castor – An Arpa legionary, son of a senator.
Ceydr (Kee-der) – A Soulderni man. Husband of Silgi, relative of the horseman Nisien.
Climb of Atonement – A pilgrimage to Eang’s holy ground which an Eangi must undertake after breaking a sacred law or displeasing the goddess.
D–E
Dur – God of the Amdur people, a central Eangen clan.
Eang (Eeng) – A God of the New World who rose to be the strongest and most influential of the New Gods. Goddess of War and patron of the Eangen people.
Eangen (Een-gehn) – The people and land devoted to Eang.
Eangi (Een-gee) – The order of warrior-priests who serve Eang and protect the Eangen people.
Eangi Fire – The power that Eang blesses an Eangi priest or priestess with via a shard of her own life-force, tied to the blood of the Eangen people.
East Meade – A town on the western foot of Mount Thyr. The birthplace of Hessa.
Eidr (Ee-der) – Hessa’s husband, an Eangi warrior-priest.
Eiohe (Eye-oh-heh) – An ancient, forgotten deity.
Erd (Air-d) – Albor’s village blacksmith.
Esach (Ee-sak) – Goddess of Storms and Harvest.
Estavius – An Arpa legionary, son of the High Priest of Aliastros and a devotee of that god.
Etha – (Ee-tha) – Hessa’s youngest sister.
Euweth (Yew-weth) – A Soulderni woman of the Ridings. Mother of the horseman Nisien, cousin to Ceydr.
F–G
Fate – Also called the Weaver, Fate was once a deity and now exists in a non-corporeal state, weaving the patterns of time and destiny for all.
Frir (Fr-eer) – Goddess of Death, sister of Eang. Aunt to Ogam.
Gadr (Gad-derr) – God of the Mountain, god of the Algatt people and land. A God of the New World, peer to Eang.
Galger – One of Eang’s set of legendary axes, Galger and Gammler.
Gammler – One of Eang’s set of legendary axes, Galger and Gammler.
Geda (Gee-dah) – A sister of Eang, executed for a grave betrayal. Her final breaths were used to give life to Eang’s owl messengers.
Gilda – An eastern province of Eangen and a town.
Gods of the New World – Begotten by the Gods of the Old World, the Gods of the New bound or slew their predecessors and reshaped the world for themselves.
Gods of the O
ld World – The original gods, who begot the Gods of the New World and all other beings in creation.
H
Hall of Smoke – The foremost hall of the Eangi priesthood, located in Albor in the south of Eangen.
Hall of Vision – The secondary hall of the Eangi priesthood, located in Iskir in the north of Eangen.
Headwaters – The source of the river Pasidon.
Hessa – An Eangi warrior-priestess, born to Berin in East Meade, raised in the Hall of Smoke in Albor.
High Halls, the – The upper realms in which the Gods of the New World, the rivermen, the woodmaidens and various other beings dwell. In death, humans travel to the High Halls to tell of their living days and await the passing of loved ones. Then, they may lie down together for the Long Sleep in Frir’s Realm of Death.
Hinterlands – The wasteland north of the Algatt Mountains.
Hulda (Hull-dah) – Hessa’s eldest sister.
I
Iosas (Ee-oh-sas) – The half-Arpa son of Silgi, a devotee of Aliastros.
Ilia Gates – Lying south of Urgi, these gates form the northernmost outpost of the Arpa Empire. Commanded by Athiliu.
Iskir (Isk-eer) – A town and region in north-eastern Eangen.
Iskiri (Iss-keer-ee) – The people of Iskir. An Eangen clan.
J–L
Lathian – The Arpa Empire’s God of Gods.
M–N
Melid – Hessa’s mare.
Miri – The Gods of the Old World and the Gods of the New World.
Nisien (Niss-ee-en) – A Soulderni horseman, member of the mounted Arpa auxiliary.
O
Ogam (Oh-gam) – Immortal son of Eang and the elemental being Winter.
Omaskat (Oh-ma-skat) – A supposed Eangen traveler.
Orthskar (Or-th-skar) – A region, people, and large settlement in Northern Eangen.
Oulden (Old-en) – A God of the New World, God of the Soulderni people.
Oulden’s Feet – The central place of worship for the Soulderni people.
P
Pasidon – The great river that flows from the Headwaters, down through Eangen and into the Arpa Empire.
Polinus (Poe-lie-nus) – An Arpa commander.
Q–R
Quentis – An Arpa priest of Lathian.
Ridings, the – The northern half of Soulderni, occupied by extensive grasslands and pastures.
Ried (Ree-ed) – A God of the New World who rebelled against Eang. He was slain and buried under the Hall of Vision.
Riok (Ree-oak) – Woodmaiden goddess of the Rioki people. One of Eang’s court.
Rioki (Ree-oak-kee) – The central-most province and people of Eangen.
Rioux (Ree-oo) – A God of the Old World.
Risix (Rih-six) – A semi-deified descendant of woodmaidens.
Rivermen – A subclass of male, river-dwelling demi-gods begotten by the Gods of the Old World.
S
Shanich (Shah-nick) – A daughter of an Old-World goddess, bound originally by her own kin and rebound by Eang during the Eangen age.
Silgi (Sill-gee) – An Algatt woman, wife of Ceydr and a relative of the horseman Nisien.
Silver Seals – Creations of the rivermen.
Sixnit – An Eangi woman of Albor, wife of Vist.
Skay – Hessa’s second-eldest sister.
Souldern (Sol-dern) – The land of the Soulderni people, occupied by the Arpa Empire.
Soulderni – The people of Souldern, devoted to the God of the New World called Oulden. Occupied by the Arpa Empire.
Spines, the – A natural border of rock formations between Eangen and Arpa-occupied Souldern.
Styga – A God of the Old World.
Svala – High Priestess of Eang and the Eangi priesthood, residing in the Hall of Smoke in Albor.
T
Telios – One of Nisien’s superiors and patrons during the Southern Campaigns.
Thvynder (Th-vin-der) – An ancient deity.
Thyr, Mount – A mountain in south Eangen that looks over Albor and East Meade.
U
Unmaking of the World – The end of an era, when all that exists is unmade and the next era begins from smoke and ashes.
Urgi (Er-gee) – A town in southern Eangen, close to the Arpa border.
Uwi (Yew-wee) – A Soulderni girl, a second cousin to Nisien.
V
Vestige – A physical object or living being to which a god anchors their life in the Waking World.
Vist – An Eangi man, husband of Sixnit.
Vistic – Son of Sixnit and Vist.
W
Waking World – The material world in which human beings live and die.
Waystone – Markers which indicate villages, temples, and other landmarks on Eangen roads.
Winter – A reclusive, elemental god, father of Ogam and lover of Eang.
Woodmaidens – A subclass of female, forest-dwelling demi-goddesses begotten by the Gods of the Old World.
X–Z
Yifr (Yif-fer) – The drink with which elder Eangi travel spiritually to the High Halls.
Yske (Yih-skah) – Hessa’s cousin and stepsister. An Eangi.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A few years ago, when I finished drafting Hall of Smoke, I’d no idea how many people would be involved in getting it to print. Even before this book came into being, I was blessed by a huge network of friends and family who supported my love of writing. As I put these acknowledgements on paper, I’m all the more grateful for them, for every single person who encouraged an eight-year-old to write down her stories, a teenager not to burn them, and a woman to push through another phase of editing.
First, I need to thank my wonderful agent, Naomi Davis for passionately representing me and Hall of Smoke, for your patience and guidance in every area of my career.
This book would be a shadow of what it is now without my editors George Sandison and Joanna Harwood, whose insight and suggestions took Hall of Smoke to an entirely new level. Thank you.
I’m so grateful for my copyeditor Hayley Shepherd, for helping me patch all the little holes in the manuscript, for Julia Lloyd, for creating Hall of Smoke’s truly epic cover, and for Adrian McLaughlin, who typeset the manuscript and made it beautiful. My publicity team, Lydia Gittins, Katharine Carroll, Polly Grice, and Julia Bradley, thank you so much for everything you’ve done and are doing to get Hall of Smoke out into the world.
To my dear friend Cheryl Bowman, reader of the most wretched drafts and encourager through the darkest times, nothing I write would be half what it is without you. Thank you for all the work you put into the runes and the languages of this book (much of it behind the scenes) and for hand-drawing the map in the back of the book.
To my beta readers, Loie Dunn, Jenny Anderson, Jean Malone, Milo Nelakho and Audrey Henley, thank you for slogging through my early drafts of your own free will, for your insightful criticism, for celebrating my wins and helping me believe in this book through the query trenches.
To Genevieve Gornichec, Mallory Kuhn and all the talented debut authors of my 2020 and 2021 author groups, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and for being there throughout all the highs and lows of the debut journey.
Now, my family. When I tried to write out all you’ve done it took up far too many pages, so I hope you feel the weight of the simpler words I’ve chosen here.
Mum and Dad, thank you for always encouraging and nudging my career forward, for reading to me, for the audiobooks and trips to the library that sparked my love of reading and taught me how to write.
Eric, thank you for teaching me to take my writing and my dreams seriously, for listening to my rambles about plot, for editing and proofreading, and never letting me give up.
To my grandparents, Ian and Janet, Ruth and Bill: Thank you for always showing an interest in my writing, for reading my stories and encouraging me, for loving me and always being such a constant, stable source of support.
Lastly, my brilliant, ne
rdy husband Marco. Thank you for giving me the opportunity and the security to seriously write, for celebrating me, helping me through every challenge, and being the cheerful victim in the choreography of so many fight scenes. I love you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
H. M. Long is a Canadian writer who loves history, hiking, and exploring the world. She lives in Ontario, but can often be spotted snooping about European museums or wandering the Alps with her German husband. Hall of Smoke is her first novel.
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