by C. L. Wilson
A voice, deep and resonant, like no voice he’d ever heard before, sounded in his mind and his soul and every illuminated cell of his body, as if the gods themselves were speaking to him.
You are ready, Rainier-Eras. Let yourself be king.
Tears mingled with the falling magic-bright mist. Peace stole over him. He breathed again, deeply, and filled his heart with courage and determination.
“I am Rainier-Eras!” He shouted it to the heavens, sending the affirmation spinning upwards in Spirit and thought and tairen song. “Feyreisen of the Fey’Bahren pride, king of the Fading Lands, Defender of the Fey.”
The Fey and tairen echoed his cry. “Rainier Feyreisen! King of the Fading Lands! Defender of the Fey!”
Rain swam back to the shores of the lake. As his feet sank into the thick moss lining the bank, the star-bright magic continued to swirl around him, swathing him in veils of energy. He lifted his arms. Earth spun out in blinding whirls, enveloping the Fey king’s armor, dissolving it in flows of green-hued magic that merged with the bright light spinning about him.
He continued to walk, setting one foot firmly before the other. With each step, the veils of magic flowing around him darkened to shades of red and black and gold, and he could feel the hundreds of Fey kings who had come before him brushing against his mind, whispering words of encouragement.
The sun-bright magic faded, leaving Rain clad in the armor of the king. He spoke a summoning word he’d never known before, and the king’s gold blades settled snugly in their sheaths. The name-symbols etched into the armor flashed like a galaxy of stars before fading to simple gold and silver.
And there on the left breastplate, in a spot over his heart, a new king’s symbol now shone: the sigil of Rainier-Eras, etched and encircled in gold.
Bel handed him the golden helm. Rain took it, remembering the Fey’s brave cry of “To victory or death!” as Johr led them to war. He looked at his brothers, committing their faces to his memory, knowing many of them would not see another year. Knowing they would embrace their deaths so those they loved could live. He would not cry, “To victory or death!” That was not why he fought. That was not why they fought.
“To victory, my brothers.” He caught Ellysetta’s hand and raised it high. “And to life.”
“To victory and life!” the warriors cried.
Rain summoned the Change, took Ellysetta on his back, and shot into the sky, leaving his plain warrior’s leathers where they lay, the skin of his old life, now shed forever.
Celierian Language / Terms
bell—hour
chime—minute
dorn—a furry, round somnolent rodent. Eaten in stews. A “soggy dorn” is an idiom for someone who is spoiling someone else’s fun. A party pooper.
Lord Adelis—god of light. While Celierians worship a pantheon of gods and goddesses (thirteen in all), The Church of Light worships Adelis, Lord of Light, above all others. He is considered the supreme god, with dominion over the other twelve.
Lord Seledorn—god of darkness, Lord of Shadows.
rultshart—a vile, smelly, boarlike animal. The term is often used as an insult.
Elden Language / Terms
Primage—master mage
Sulimage—journeyman mage
umagi—a mage-claimed individual, subordinate to the will of his/her master.
Fey Language / Terms
In Feyan, apostrophes are used in the following ways:
• Meaning “of.” Kem’falla…my lady, literally “lady of mine.” E’tani, literally “mate of the heart.” Shei’tani, literally “mate of the truth/soul.”
• In lieu of hyphen, and to indicate emphasis for words combined of multiple root words.
• Sometimes used to replace missing letters/vowels. Ni v’al’ta! (literally Ni ve al’ta.)
aiyah—yes
ajiana—sweet one
Azrahn—common name of Azreisenahn, the soul magic
bas’ka—all right
beylah vo—thank you (literally “thanks to you”)
bote cha!—blades ready! (weapons at the ready!)
Cha Baruk—Dance of Knives
cha’kor—literal translation is five knives. Fey word for “quintet.”
chadin—little knife; literally “small fang” a student in the Dance of Knives. Each student is paired with a mentor who guides their progress through four hundred years of training in the school. It is an apprenticeship of sorts, though many teachers will contribute to the actual education.
chakai—First Knife or First Blade. Champion.
chatok—Big Knife (mentor, leader, also teacher in the dance of knives.)
chatokkai—First General (leader of all Fey armies, 2nd in command to the Tairen Soul). Belliard vel Jelani is the chatokkai of the Fading Lands
chervil—a Fey expletive. Bastard, as in, “You smug chervil.”
dahl’reisen—Literally “lost soul.” Name given to unmated Fey warriors who are banished from the Fading Lands. They either seek sheisan’dahlein or serve as mercenaries/assassins to mortal races.
deskor—bad
doreh shabeila de—so be it (so shall it be)
e’tan—beloved / husband / mate (of the heart, not the truemate of the soul)
e’tani—beloved / wife / mate (of the heart, not the truemate of the soul)
e’tanitsa—a chosen bond of the heart, not a truemate bond
faer—magic
falla—lady
Felah Baruk—Dance of Joy
Fey’cha—a Fey throwing dagger. Fey’cha have either black handles or red handles. Red Fey’cha are deadly poison. Fey warriors carry dozens of each kind of Fey’cha in leather straps crisscrossed across their chests.
Feyreisa—Tairen Soul’s mate; Queen
Feyreisen—Tairen Soul; King
jaffed—a Fey expletive. Used as in, “We’d be jaffed if that happened.”
jita’nos—sister’s son
kabei—good
ke vo’san—I love you
kem’falla—my lady
kem’san—my love/ my heart
krekk—a Fey expletive
ku’shalah aiyah to nei—bid me yes or no
las—peace, hush, calm
liss—light
lute—red (also blood)
Massan—the council of five powerful Fey statesmen who oversee the domestic governance of the Fading Lands. They do not convene without the Shei’dalin and the Feyreisen except in times of extreme need.
Mei felani. Bei santi. Nehtah, bas desrali—Live well, love deep. Tomorrow, we (will) die.
meicha—a curving, scimitarlike blade. Each fey warrior carries two meicha, one at each hip.
miora felah ti’Feyreisan—joy to the Feyreisa (literally “Joyful life to the Feyreisa”)
nei—no
parei—stop
sel’dor—literally “black pain.” A rare black metal that painfully disrupts Fey magic.
selkahr—black crystals used by Mages. Made from Azrahn-corrupted Tairen’s Eye crystal.
setah!—enough!
seyani—a Fey warrior’s longsword. Each Fey warrior carries two seyani swords strapped to his back.
sha vel’mei—you’re welcome
shei’dalin—Fey healer and Truthspeaker; capped when referring to their leader.
sheisan’dahlein—Fey honor death. Ceremonial suicide for the good of the Fey.
shei’tan—beloved / husband / truemate
shei’tani—beloved / wife / truemate
shei’tanitsa—the truemate bond
sieks’ta—I have shame (I’m sorry; I beg your pardon)
sorreisu kiyr—Soul Quest crystal
Tairen—flying catlike creatures that live in the Fading Lands. The Fey are the Tairenfolk, magical because of their close kinship with the Tairen.
Tairen Soul—also known as Feyreisen; they are rare Fey who can transform into tairen. Masters of all five Fey magics, they are feared and revered for their power
. The oldest Tairen Soul becomes the Feyreisen, the Fey King.
teska—please
Ver reisa ku’chae. Kem surah, shei’tani—Your soul calls out. Mine answers, beloved.
Naming Syntax
Truemated men go from vel to v’En. Mated men go from vel to vel’En.
Truemated women go from vol to v’En. Mated women go from vol to vol’En.
For example:
• Marissya and Dax v’En Solande are truemates.
• Rain vel’En Daris and Sariel vol’En Daris were mates (e’tanitsa mates).
Acknowledgements
Thanks to my wonderful dad, who didn’t realize when he agreed to enter my Web site content into that little template we bought that he would soon become a master Webster, SQL guru, photoshopper, Java scripter, Flash programmer and Dreamweaver Superstar. You are my hero.
As always, thanks to my fabulous friends, critique partners, and plotting pals: Christine Feehan, Betina Krahn, Kathie Firzlaff, Sharon Stone, Diana Peterfreund and Carla Hughes. Thanks to my husband Kevin, and children Ileah, Rhiannon, and Aidan for putting up with my long hours.
Special thanks to the wonderful readers who submitted poetry in my inaugural Tairen Soul poetry contest. Congratulations to all the reader-elected winners! The winning poems are included in King and Queen (along with a few other poems I selected from those entered). Four of the winning and entered poems (or excerpts) have been included in this book: “Mages of Eld” by Michele Baird, Portland, OR; “Tairen Song” by Lynda Hendrix, Wellford, SC; “Beyond the Faering Mists” by Bridget Clark, Warrington, PA; and “Shei’tanitsa Reign” by Ariel Hacker, Monument, CO. You can read all the entered poems and the winning poems on my Web site. Thanks, ladies, for sharing your fabulous talent! And thanks to my readers for voting.
PRAISE RAVES FOR C. L. WILSON’S EPIC TAIREN SOUL SERIES!
LADY OF LIGHT AND SHADOWS
“Released right on the heels of her impressive October debut, Lord of the Fading Lands…Wilson jumps back into her tale without skipping a beat, expanding her world with finesse while boldly taking her story in entirely unexpected directions. As Ellysetta comes into her own as a proper heroine, driving the story toward its breath-taking conclusion, gratified fans may find their elation giving way to anxiety, as the wait for the next volume will be considerably longer.”
—Publishers Weekly
“I had to stop myself from reading the book more than a few times because I knew if I sat down to read a few pages, I’d end up reading dozens and lose complete track of time…. This is a book worth taking a weekend vacation solely for the purpose of reading it.”
—Smart Bitches Blog
“The sequel to her highly charged fantasy debut, Lord of the Fading Lands, picks up right with the action, as events take a dark turn. Wilson’s prose flows gracefully and is filled with evocative language that reveals the ambitious world she’s creating. Fate and destiny vie with burgeoning love to place the two lovers at the epicenter of a dangerous storm.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“One of the year’s coolest—and hottest reads…Stunning.”
—Michelle Buonfiglio,
Romance B(u)y the Book on LifetimeTV.com
“The situation and atmosphere were extremely vivid and it was almost like watching a movie. The characters have so much emotion and it just jumps off the pages. I loved this book…. This series will be legend…”
—Night Owl Romance
“Ms. Wilson weaves a complex tale, which gives equal billing to the fantasy and romance elements of her story. Her world is intricate and her characters are intriguing….. I’m enthralled by Ms. Wilson’s series and can’t wait for the next book! This series is a must read for fantasy lovers.”
—Once Upon A Romance
LORD OF THE FADING LANDS
“An absolutely wonderful new voice for romance with all the bells and whistles for pure escapism! It exceeded all my expectations.”
—Kay Meriam,
RWA Steffie Walker Bookseller of the Year 2003
“I LOVE this book! A thrilling, captivating story that stays with you after you put it down. The best book I’ve read in years.”
—Christine Feehan, New York Times Bestselling Author
“Lush and evocative. A powerful epic fantasy to savor.”
—Gena Showalter, New York Times Bestselling Author
“Brilliant and breathtaking! Lord of the Fading Lands debuts a fascinatingly unique world populated with characters I fell in love with—and can’t wait to read about again.”
—Alyssa Day, Author of Atlantis Rising
“This debut will draw you into a magical weave of spirit and air that won’t release you until the last word is read.”
—Jessica Stachowski, Bookseller,
The World’s Biggest Bookstore
“A stunning romantic fantasy debut! Very highly recommended.”
—Leslie Tramposch, PNR (ParaNormal Romance)
Other books by C. L. Wilson:
LADY OF LIGHT AND SHADOWS
LORD OF THE FADING LANDS
About the Author
C. L. WILSON wrote her first story at age six, and though she took a number of long detours during her life, she never gave up her lifelong dream of being published. Many years, hundreds of false starts, and five completed novels later, she received “The Call” in October 2006 and sold her epic fantasy romance, TAIREN SOUL, at auction. Her debut novel spent two weeks on the USA Today list of bestselling books in America, and her subsequent novels have gone on to hit a variety of lists including USA Today, the New York Times, and Publishers Weekly. When not writing, C.L. enjoys relaxing with her husband and three children in sunny Florida and daydreaming of a world where people exercise in their sleep and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream is a fat-burning food.
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Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
KING OF SWORD AND SKY. Copyright © 2008 by C. L. Wilson. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, nontransferable 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 HarperCollins e-books.
“Mages of Eld” copyright © 2008 by Michele Baird
“Tairen Song” copyright © 2008 by Lynda Hendrix
“Beyond the Faering Mists” copyright © 2008 by Bridget Clark
“Shei’tanitsa Reign” copyright © 2008 by Ariel Hacker
ePub Edition © June 2010 ISBN: 978-0-06-202368-1
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