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Beneath the Twisted Trees

Page 67

by Bradley P. Beaulieu

Melis: a Blade Maiden and one of Sümeya’s hand, daughter of King Yusam

  Meliz: former dirt dog, Djaga’s mentor

  Meryam: Queen of Qaimir; sister of the murdered Yasmine, aunt of the murdered Rehann; a powerful blood mage

  merlon: on a battlement, the solid part between two crenels

  Mihir Halim’ava al Kadri: son of the desert shaikh of the Kadri, Halim

  mind’s flight: one of the 3 types of diaphanous stones; is said to bestow the gift of mind-reading when swallowed, though the imbiber dies rather quickly

  Mirea: a kingdom north of Sharakhai and the Shangazi Desert

  the Moonless Host: a/k/a Al’afwa Khadar; men and women of the twelve tribes that once ruled the entirety of the Shangazi Desert; sworn to fight the Kings

  nahcolite: a carbonate mineral, naturally occurring sodium bicarbonate

  Nalamae: the goddess who created the River Haddah in the Great Shangazi desert, the youngest of the desert gods

  Navakahm: captain of the Silver Spears, Lord of the Guard

  Nayyan: First Warden before Sümeya, daughter of King Azad, Sümeya’s one-time lover

  Neylana: shaikh of Tribe Kenan

  nigella seeds: a spice used in desert cuisine

  Night Lily: a sleeping draught

  Night’s Kiss: the blade the dark god, Goezhen, had granted to Husamettín on Beht Ihman

  Nijin: a desert harbor

  niqab: veil made of lightweight opaque fabric and leaves only the eyes uncovered

  Nirendra: a slumlord lady, rents space in rooms

  Old Khyrn Rellana’ala: judge from Tribe Rafik

  Old Nur: a shipmate of Emre’s

  Onondu: the trickster god, “God of the Endless Hills,” god of vengeance in Kundhun; father of the godling twins Hidi & Makuo

  Ophir’s: the oldest standing brewery in Sharakhai

  oryx: large antelope

  Osman: owner of the pits, a retired pit fighter and a one-time lover of Çeda’s

  oud: a kind of lute

  Pelam: the master of games, the announcer for the gladiatorial bouts held in the pits

  pennon: flag, pennant

  physic: a medical doctor

  prat: an incompetent or ineffectual person

  Qaimir: a kingdom south of Sharakhai and the Shangazi Desert

  qanun: musical instrument, a large zither

  Quanlang: a province in Mirea

  Queen Alansal: of Mirea

  Quezada: one of Ramahd’s men

  Rafa: Emre’s brother

  Rafiro: one of Ramahd’s men

  rahl: a unit of currency, gold coins stamped with the mark of the Kings

  ral shahnad: “summer’s fire,” the distilled essence of a rare flower found only in the furthest reaches of Kundhun

  Ramahd shan Amansir: of House Amansir; one of only 4 survivors of the Bloody Passage

  Rasel: Scourge of the Black Veils; former wearer of River’s Daughter

  rattlewings: see “açal”

  The Reaping King: a/k/a King Sukru, one of the twelve; commands the asirim using a magical whip

  rebab: musical instrument, a type of bowed string instrument

  Red Crescent: a neighborhood near the quays of the western harbor

  Rehann: Ramahd’s murdered daughter, Meryam’s niece

  Rengin: footman on Matron Zohra’s estate

  Rhia: goddess of dreams and ambition, the sister moon of the goddess Tulathan

  River Haddah: created by the goddess Nalamae in the Great Shangazi desert

  River’s Daughter: the name of Çeda’s sword

  Roseridge: Çeda’s neighborhood

  Ruan: half-Sharakhani man who works for Juvaan Xin-Lei

  Rümayesh: a female ehrekh, one of the first made by Goezhen

  Saadet ibn Sim: killer of Emre’s brother, Rafa; a Malasani bravo

  Salahndi: the first day of the week in the desert calendar

  Saliah Riverborn: a witch of the desert, the goddess Nalamae in disguise

  Salmük: one of the tribes; a/k/a the Black Veils

  saltstone: one of the 3 types of diaphanous stones; can be swallowed, but is more often sewn beneath the skin of the forehead. It slowly dissolves, bleeding away memories until none are left.

  Samael: an alchemyst

  Samaril: capital city of Malasan

  Savadi: the seventh day of the week in the desert calendar, the busiest along the Trough

  Sayabim: an old crone, a Matron at the House of the Blade Maidens, a sword trainer

  scarab: a name for a member of the Moonless Host

  schisandra: a woody vine harvested for its berries

  the scriptorium: a kind of library

  Sehid-Alaz: a King of Sharakhai sacrificed on Beht Ihman, cursed to become an asir

  Şelal Ymine’ala al Rafik: shaikh of Tribe Rafik

  selhesh: a term for dirt dog

  Serpentine: a winding street in Sharakhai

  Seyhan: a spice seller in the Roseridge spice market

  a shade: a mission to ferry goods or messages from place to place in Sharakhai

  shaikh: the leader of a desert tribe

  the Shallows: slums

  shamshir: curved sabre having one edge on the convex side

  the Shangazi: the desert, a/k/a Great Shangazi, Great Desert, Great Mother

  Sharakhai: a large desert metropolis, a/k/a the Amber Jewel

  Sharakhan: the language spoken in Sharakhai and much of the desert

  shinai: a slatted bamboo practice sword

  Shining Spears: a nickname for the people of Tribe Masal

  shisha: hookah

  Sidehill: a neighborhood in Sharakhai, a nickname for Goldenhill

  Silver Spears: the Kings’ guard, the city police

  Sirina Jalih’ala al Kenan: Mala’s mother, a lover of King Mesut

  sirwal trousers: loose trousers that hang to just below the knee

  siyaf: term of respect for a master swordsman

  song of blades: tahl selheshal; a/k/a sword dance

  the Spear: a large street running from the western harbor to the gates of the House of Kings, “one of the busiest streets in Sharakhai”

  Sümeya: First Warden, commander of the Blade Maidens, daughter of King Husamettín

  Sun Palace: the lowest of the thirteen palaces on Tauriyat, once belonged to Sehid-Alaz

  The Sunset Stone: a/k/a The Flame of Iri; a giant amethyst

  Sunshearer: King Kiral’s sword

  Surrahdi: the dead king of Malasan; a/k/a the Mad King of Malasan

  Sweet Anna: a fragrant plant

  Sword of the Willow: from Tribe Okan to the winner of Annam’s Traverse

  sylval: unit of currency

  tabbaq: a cured leaf, commonly smoked in a shisha

  tahl selheshal: song of blades a/k/a sword dance

  tamarisk: a tree

  tanbur: a stringed instrument

  Tariq Esad’ava: one of Osman’s street toughs, grew up with Çeda & Emre

  Tauriyat: Mount Tauriyat, home to the House of Kings, Sharakhai’s thirteen palaces, and the House of Maidens

  Tavahndi: the third day of the week in the desert calendar

  the Tears of Tulathan: a/k/a Iri’s Four Sacred Stones (result of the breaking of the Sunset Stone)

  Tehla: a baker, friend of Çeda; Davud’s sister

  tessera, tesserae: tiles of a mosaic

  Thaash: god of war

  thawb: a common outer garment in the desert, consisting of a length of cloth that is sewn into a long loose skirt or draped around the body and fastened over one shoulder.

  the Thousand Territories of Kundhun: another name for Kundhun, one of the four kingdoms surrounding Sharak
hai

  Tiller’s Row: a street in the Shallows, “one of the few with any businesses to speak of”

  thwart: a seat in a rowboat

  Tolovan: vizir of King Ihsan

  Tribe Ebros: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Standing Stones

  Tribe Halarijan: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the White Trees

  Tribe Kadri: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Burning Hands

  Tribe Kenan: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Rushing Waters

  Tribe Khiyanat: the name the thirteenth tribe chooses when they form anew; khiyanat means “betrayed” in the old tongue of the desert

  Tribe Malakhed: the ancient name for the thirteenth tribe, abandoned when the tribe is reborn

  Tribe Masal: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Red Wind

  Tribe Narazid: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Bloody Manes

  Tribe Okan: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Black Wings

  Tribe Rafik: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Biting Shields

  Tribe Salmük: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Black Veils

  Tribe Sema: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Children of the Crescent Moons

  Tribe Tulogal: Devorah and Leorah’s childhood tribe; a/k/a the Raining Stars

  Tribe Ulmahir: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Amber Blades

  the Trough: the central and largest thoroughfare in Sharakhai, runs from the northern harbor, through the center of the city, and terminating at the southern harbor

  Tsitsian: capital city of Mirea

  Tsitsian Village: an immigrant neighborhood in Sharakhai

  Tulathan: goddess of law and order, sister moon of the goddess Rhia

  Vadram: Osman’s predecessor in the shading business

  Vandraama Mountains: a mountain range bordering the desert

  vetiver: the root of a grass that yields fragrant oil used in perfumery and as a medicinal

  Lord Veşdi: Külaşan’s eldest living son; Master of Coin

  vizir/vizira: a high official, minister of state

  Wadi: Devorah’s borrowed stallion

  Way of Jewels: location in the city

  the Well: a neighborhood near the Shallows; Osman’s pits are there

  western harbor: the smallest and seediest of the city’s four sandy harbors

  the Wheel: the massive circle where four thoroughfares meet: the Spear, the Trough, Coffer Street, and Hazghad Road

  White Wolf: Çeda’s moniker in the fighting pits of Sharakhai

  Yael: mother of Devorah and Leorah

  Yanca: Çeda and Emre’s neighbor in Roseridge

  Yasmine: Meryam’s murdered sister, Ramahd’s wife and mother of Rehann

  Yerinde: goddess of love and ambition; once stole Tulathan away “for love”

  Yerinde’s Kiss: a honey collected from the rare stone bees’ nests; used as an aphrodisiac

  Yerinde’s Snare: the convergence of a twisting web of streets; the most populous district in Sharakhai

  Yosan Mahzun’ava: one of Tehla’s brothers

  Zaïde: a Matron in service to the Kings; heals and takes Çeda into the House of Maidens

  zilij: a board Çeda fashioned from skimwood, used as a conveyance to glide easily over sand

  Acknowledgments

  This book marks the beginning of the end, the start of the second half of this grand tale. Once again there are many people to thank. Extra helpings go out to Paul Genesse for knowing the right places to push, making sure I’m staying true to the story, and for all the brainstorming sessions we had to iron out the kinks in this book. To Renée Ann Torres and Femke Giesolf, thank you once again for reading the manuscript and sharing your thoughts. It’s especially valuable to have beta readers who know the story so well.

  My publishers, DAW and Gollancz, and their teams deserve a hearty round of applause. To Betsy Wollheim, thank you for your guidance and your belief in the series. To Gillian Redfearn, thank you for your dreaded red pen and for forcing me to trim the story to its essence. To Marylou Capes-Platt, thank you once again for your keen eye. The copy editing stage can be brutal, but I’d much rather have that than release a book that’s not the best it can be. Only two tomes left until this grand tale is done! Thank you to everyone in the DAW and Gollancz production, marketing, sales, and back office support teams for seeing this book through to publication and beyond.

  I am indebted to my agent, Russ Galen, not only for this book, but for helping to ensure that the full series will see the light of day. Many thanks to Danny Baror and Heather Baror-Shapiro as well for your tireless efforts in bringing this series to readers all over the world.

  To the Shattered Sands fans out there, thank you for all the encouragement, the emails sharing your enthusiasm, and all the crowing about the books. I see it and I appreciate it. The series would be nowhere without you.

  About the Author

  Bradley P. Beaulieu is the author of the Lays of Anuskaya Trilogy and the Song of Shattered Sands series. His novels have garnered many accolades, including a Gemmell Morningstar Award nomination. He is also an L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Award winner.

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