Advent of Ruin (The Qaehl Cycle Book 1)

by Allene Lowrey

  “So we have cheated death once.” Zena spoke from behind him, and Shahin leapt into the air.

  Where did she come from?

  “We have,” he croaked, then tried to clear his throat. “And we’ll do it again and again, for as long as we have to.” That was a little better. There must be some water around somewhere.

  “Death likes being cheated very little, and sooner or later will claim us all.”

  “He can have me when I’m old and gray and ill. Until then, I’ll fight him for all I’ve got.” Shahin started walking. There was sure to be some damage, if only from the fires, and they would need to prepare against next time.

  EPILOGUE

  Damodar waited until he heard the girl’s cries stop. It would have to do; he did not believe there was anyone to save her this time, even if she had survived the fall in the first place, and he had better things to do.

  Below, Lochan came to investigate the eerie wail he’d heard from the valley. It sounded like the scream of the mountain cat he’d been hunting. As he stalked forward he could tell there was clearly a body lying on the ground, and then that it was human. He hurried forward.

  It was a young girl, he saw, and she bled from both legs. One of them was mangled. He felt her face to see if she lived; her skin was clammy, but she still breathed. She might die if he took her back, but she definitely would die if he left her here. Lochan gathered her in his arms as he would an injured kid from the herd and gave up the hunt for this night.

  Their new camp was three bends up the valley, nestled in an offshoot ravine. He arrived before the moon had traveled another fist through the sky. The girl’s breathing was labored. He went straight for Hekevidya’s tent.

  “Mother!” He did not announce himself as he entered the healer’s tent. “Mother, I found a child in the wilderness. Can you heal her?”

  “Set her down, Lochan, and I’ll have a look.” The hekevidya was sun-dark and weathered, but walked with the grace of a woman twenty years younger over to the bed where he laid the girl. She could have been Lochan’s grandmother, in point of fact; she permitted them to call her Mother so they would not call her Grandmother or Hekevidya. Her name was Shanti. She hissed in air through her teeth when she got a look at the unconscious girl. “I will try. Fetch my basket of gut and a needle, and I will clean the wound.”

  The girl’s legs were still bleeding, but only sluggishly, and that was a bad break. This would be tricky. She dabbed honey over the wounds to stave off infection, and then threaded her needle with the gut Lochan brought.

  “Mother!” Another man of the Bar’shetr rushed into the tent, bearing his own dire news.

  “Speak quietly or hold your report, Rahul. This child’s life is on the line.” She did not look up from her work.

  “Mother.” He modulated his voice better this time. “I have returned from the ancient shrine. A passageway stood open behind the chamber of prayer.”

  “Then it is as I feared. Prepare yourselves, and tell Raghu we must go to the Mountaintop and prepare it for our kinsman who may come after.” She clucked her tongue. “Lochan, did you spy sign of another person near the girl?”

  “I could barely see the girl.”

  “These wounds did not come from her fall. She was cut.”

  “Would you have me track the murderer?” The angry sneer was not directed at Shanti.

  “No. There is no time, and the land is no longer our friend. But if she lives, I will require milk.”

  “I understand, mother.” Lochan slipped from the tent, and Rahul followed.

  She was alone with the patient, and so she began to chant.

  * * *

  The broken leg was splinted by the time Lochan returned. The girl had not regained consciousness, but warmth had returned to her skin and she breathed peacefully. Sweat dripped from Shanti’s brow, and she was not yet finished for the night.

  “She will live. There is fresh goat’s milk?”

  “Yes, and camel when she is ready.”

  “Camel? How is it one of the camels can give milk?”

  “She refuses to wean her calf.”

  “Prepare a skin of that, then. You know how to coax her to drink.”

  “Of course, mother.”

  “When you return, I must read the stars.”

  “I understand, mother.” Lochan slipped back outside to fetch a skin of camel’s milk.

  The girl would survive, but she might wish she had not. The world was suddenly become a very cruel place. Lochan would tend her well, though; he cherished the helpless, and nothing made him happier than to see one outgrow his care. It was hard to believe he was only a few years older than this girl he had found. While she waited, Shanti drew a cup of bitter tea for herself. She would need every edge she could get to make it through the rest of this night.

  GLOSSARY

  Aranya Prasuuna: A clan of the Chèin’ii tribe.

  Atrakhanti: One of the old gods of the Qaehl. Wife of Dhamar and sister of Khubhranta. Protector goddess featured in the myth of the Sealing of Tchraja, also goddess of the moon and divinations. Shown dancing with Dhamar in the murals of Q’uungerab Pradesh.

  Bahadur: Lieutenant (effectively) in the Q’uungerab Pradesh city guard, Satapadis over the southern quarter.

  Bar’shetr Vasengu: A tribe with a semi-permanent village in the deep desert, near the mountains Chandi and Ravi are traveling towards. Suspicious of outsiders. Primary language a dialect of Old Kaehr; only member of the tribe with any command of Trade is the elder Raghu.

  Basu: A sran of the kalabazaar Rodsfahan. Tall, skinny, with a light tenor voice. Keeps his clinic between a tannery and a butcher, but inside you can smell neither. Helps the street urchins in return for chores done.

  Bezrashi: A nomadic tribe living on the edge of the Qaehl.

  Chandi: Long black hair, dark eyes. Expected to become a true beauty. Perceptive and daring, but sometimes too trusting. The only child of Talikha and Korshed, Chandi is a promising, ambitious 12-year-old of the Aranya Prasuuna Chèin’ii who has been learning the art of fan dancing since age of 5. Best friend and rival of Gita.

  Chèin’ii: Nationality of peripatetic nomads in the Qaehl. All members of a certain age group refer to members of older age groups using family terms Auntie, Uncle, Grandmother, Grandfather, cousin, etc. Members of the tribe in the same calling and similar ages are sisters or brothers, or year-sisters and year-brothers if the same age. Some tribes train fortune-tellers, but only a few actually believe in soothsaying.

  Damodar: A violent and sometimes unpredictable colleague of Ravi’s.

  Dhamar: Androgynous husband of Atrakhanti. Protector god featured in the myth of the Sealing of Tchraja, also god of the sun and justice.

  Esha: Master Trainer for the Aranya Prasuuna Chèin’ii. Widower with two sons. Takes in Shahin when the other man asks to join their caravan.

  Feroze: A mercenary working for archaeological expeditions out of Vidyavana Pradesh.

  Fravardin au’Kul: A Scholar of the Historian’s Guild in Vidyavana Pradesh. Known for being pompous. An informer for the city Asylum.

  Gita: Chandi’s best friend, rival, and year-sister. Has long black hair with vibrant green eyes. Extremely perceptive and smart, a good student, but easily paralyzed by the need to make decisions. A pessimist.

  Hekevidya: See Sran, with one major difference. A clan Hekevidya is also capable of performing divinations of various sorts (most commonly by reading the stars). Secret even to the other clan members, however, Hekevidya are trained in the ways of magic and the speaking of mantras.

  Jaleh: Youngest member of the Loremaster’s Guild of Vidyavana Pradesh. Takes Bahadur as a research assistant with dispensations acquired through Minu.

  Javed: Scholar of the Historian’s Guild of Vidyavana Pradesh. Becomes landlord for Bahadur and Gita. Introduces Bahadur to the organization Minu and generally helps his tenants settle in to the city.

  Jit: A street urchin of Rodsfahan. With his friends, in
tends to drive the slavers out of Rodsfahan when he grows up. One of Basu’s street children.

  Kaddu Nagar: A set of stacked ruins not far from Vidyavana Pradesh. There are at least five cities there, numbered from newest to oldest (because the Scholars don’t know how many cities they will actually find).

  Kalabazaar: A black-market settlement, usually built up around water within a few days of a major city-state.

  Kamari: A horse of the Aranya Prasuuna Chèin’ii. Unusually intelligent and loyal even for a horse, she becomes Shahin’s mount

  Kamboja: A mercenary working for archaeological expeditions out of Vidyavana Pradesh.

  Kapi: Depicted as a monkey, often sitting near the right foot of Khubhranta. God of animals, trees, and magic.

  Keafkhan: A restaurant specializing in kafe and the sharing of information.

  Khali Gull: Tavern in Vidyavana Pradesh popular among the scholars for its selection of suramey.

  Khubhranta: Many-limbed god with obsidian skin. Depicted as holding various items in his many hands, including a book, a scale, the trident Ustij, and gold and jewels. Played a significant role in the myth of the Sealing of Tchraja, along with Atrakhanti and Dhamar.

  Kiran: Mistress of Dance for the Aranya Prasuuna Chèin’ii. Best friend and former rival of Talikha. Beautiful even in middle age.

  Kitendua: A large predatory feline native to the savanna of the continent.

  Korshed: An acrobat among the Aranya Prasuuna Chèin’ii, and Chandi’s father. Selected to succeed Elder Yusa in the clan council.

  Lila: A beautiful young woman of the Bezrashi.

  Lochan: Young hunter and herder of the Bar’shetr Vasengu.

  Loremaster’s Guild: One of several scholarly guilds in Vidyavana Pradesh. The Loremasters devote themselves to the study, preservation, and translation of the ancient myths of the land. Many (but not all) Loremasters are also members of the secret society Minu, which believes the myths are actually history.

  Mersa: A deciduous tree native to the continent, holy to the trickster god Kapi. Bears compound leaves and small, yellow or white flowers on one or more trunks with papery bark. Most easily cultivated from cuttings.

  Migration: The period of time following the great floods which rendered the Qaehl a desert and swallowed several of the ancient cities in sinkholes. (Other ancient cities would be swallowed by sand over the following centuries.) During this time period, the Chèin’ii led the survivors as they traveled about the desert, learning how to survive in the harsh new environment. The story of the beginning of the Migration is often referred to as “Why the gods removed their hands from the world.”

  Minu: A secret society among the Scholars of Vidyavana Pradesh who believe that the myths of their world are simply distortions of the real history. The government of Vidyavana Pradesh has decreed that this belief is evidence of insanity, and so anyone who is found to be a member of the society faces internment in the Asylum. A large percentage of the members of Minu are also members of the Loremaster’s Guild, but there are also believers scattered through all the other guilds.

  Old Kaehr: A language of the Qaehl, preserved by the Chèin’ii for formal occasions. Some of the more remote tribes of the Qaehl speak a dialect of Old Kaehr, since their exposure to the more common Trade tongue has been limited or nonexistent.

  Pari: Ravi’s housekeeper and companion while he is at home in Sararaq Pradesh. Gregarious, kindly mother figure to both Chandi and Ravi before they leave on their quest.

  Qaehl: The great desert around which the story centers. Possible but difficult to survive without supplies in the extremity. Primary language is Trade, but there are numerous dialects which may or may not be comprehensible to each other. Other dialects are more closely related to the ancient language maintained among the Chèin’ii as Old Kaehr (e.g., the Bar’shetr Vasengu dialect).

  Q’uungerab Pradesh: City-state & trade hub in a western arm of the Qaehl. Laws are egalitarian and applied fairly due to the large number of foreign merchants/merchant caravans constantly in the city. There is a central bazaar at the crossroads of the Vidhyaji and Rodhyaji. The city walls are covered in murals, carved in high relief and painted, of the old gods. To the west, south, and east the walls are protected from sandstorms by a stormbreaker wall, built roughly 100 yards from the proper walls. To the north of the city are salt mines.

  Ravi: A glass merchant out of Sararaq Pradesh who is in Q’uungerab Pradesh prior to its fall.

  Ristasya Karitana: One of the most famous pre-Migration romances, the Ristasya Karitana tells the story of the Princess Rista and her god-lover. Very racy in places.

  Rodsfahan: The kalabazaar outside Vidyavana Pradesh. Somehow better situated than the city itself, as they have an actual oasis.

  Rostam: One of the top animal handlers of the Aranya Prasuuna Chèin’ii.

  Sakjhra: A ruin and excavation site north of Vidyavana Pradesh and the site of Bahadur’s second dig. Unlike Kaddu Nagar, Sakjhra was buried by sand.

  Sanaz: Javed’s wife, and therefore landlady to Bahadur and Gita. Takes charge of Gita’s literacy education. Tries to have a strict no-work-at-night policy, with only limited success.

  Sanjay: Administrator of the government courier service out of Udhampna Pradesh. Formerly a courier himself, Sanjay is wealthy, powerful, and ambitious. Antagonistic relationship with Shahin, who remembers when Sanjay was still a courier. A pudgy man, his face is florid, and he usually wears his green-and-white robes of office.

  Sararaq Pradesh: City-state to the south of Q’uungerab Pradesh. Known for its glassmaking.

  Sassana Cartel: A powerful business interest based in Udhampna Pradesh, with outposts in many other city-states. Primarily but not exclusively concerned with the import and export of foodstuffs.

  Sealing of Tchraja: This story is referenced twice in the murals of Q’uungerab Pradesh, once on the wall itself as Atrakhanti and Dhamar dance, crushing scorpions under their feet, and once on the left side of the Ra-Vidhyaji Gate, where Khubhranta fights a swarm of human-headed scorpions.

  Tchraja’s twenty-third manifestation fell, and

  He inhabited the scorpion beasts below the earth

  A thousand times a thousand infinities poured forth

  From the hollows of the Qaehl.

  Shahin: Originally a courier from Udhampna Pradesh, Shahin asks to join the Aranya Prasuuna Chèin’ii after an encounter with the tchraja that cost him his mounts. Two weeks later he made it to Q’uungerab Pradesh to deliver his message, but his warning about the monsters was laughed away by the guards with the aid of ridicule from an outsider. Takes up residence with Esha in the caravan. Begins training with the animal handlers & Korshed to put together a trick riding show.

  Shanti: Hekevidya of the Bar’shetr Vasengu.

  Simin Parvana: The inn in Rodsfahan where Ravi rents a room during their unexpected stay. Mistress of the inn has a reputation as an honest woman, despite (or perhaps because of) her surroundings.

  Somzhé: Refined teraima

  Sran: Midwives and physicians of the city-states and the Chèin’ii, as well as some of the other less-isolated tribes. Srani is the feminine form, and Srana the masculine.

  Stormbreaker: An outer wall protecting the decorated walls of Q’uungerab Pradesh from scouring sand and keeping the roads into and out of the city clear and permanent.

  Suramey: A wine fermented exclusively in Vidyavana Pradesh.

  Talikha: Chandi’s mother. Excellent singer; teaches voice lessons, but is not the Mistress of Voice. Before an unspecified accident, she was the dancing rival and best friend of Kiran. As a result of the accident, Talikha can no longer dance, tires easily, and became barren.

  Tchraja: One of the old gods of the Qaehl, whose power was both uncontrolled and creative in nature. Coveted the leadership of the gods and the world.

  tchraja: Monstrous, segmented scorpions which appeared as though from nowhere in the Qaehl. Tchraja stand roughly 5’ tall at the back, and their venom is power
ful enough to take down a horse or a camel in less than 1 hour. They are voracious omnivores, and prefer to hunt from ambush.

  Teraima: A potent sedative with analgesic properties. Highly addictive, even before being refined. Teraima addicts are often referred to as “sleepers.”

  Tolkanda: A village in the northern savanna, not far from a road to Udhampna Pradesh.

  Trade: The primary language of the civilized areas of the Qaehl.

  Udhampna Pradesh: A city-state in the Qaehl to the northeast of Q’uungerab Pradesh. Highly chivalric, and most scribes and bankers in the city are women, but also highly bureaucratic and prone to corruption.

  Ut’sharmka: A liquor popular among the Bezrashi made of fermented goat’s milk.

  Varti: Shahin’s sister, and wife of Cydus. Offers aid to Bahadur in exchange for news of her brother.

  Vidyavana Pradesh: The City of Scholars, as it’s known. Located in the heart of the desert, Vidyavana has to import most of its food and water, and is subject to sandstorms from every side. The scholar’s guilds within the city are largely meritocratic, and since the scholar’s guilds form the heart of the city, so is the rest of it. The powers that be have declared belief in the veracity of the old myths to be a sign of dangerous insanity, and so those with such leanings have gone underground and into Minu.