by J. D. Lakey
South Road: The road that splits from the North Fork Trail and goes south to run along the southern edges of the bogs.
Trade Fair: The semi-annual events hosted by rotating host domes. The abundance and overstock of goods is traded amongst the domes and the seven year old boys are traded as future husbands to other domes to ensure genetic diversity.
Treebear: A man-tall, clawed marsupial.
Truemother: A term of deep respect and honor given to the Mother whose egg is used to conceive a child. Even after minor genetic manipulation, she is still considered the Truemother.
underager: Children under the age of eight.
Waterfall Trail: The road leading out the South Gate.
West Road: The road leading out the West Gate.
White Dragon Peak: The tallest mountain in the Dragons Spine mountain range due north from Windfall Dome.
wrangler: Father in charge of caring for the animals of the domes.
yellow tag: Apprenticeship tag for those who do long term study outside the dome.
Rank & Dome Affiliation
Blackwind Pack
Cheobawn: Born in Windfall Dome, Mora is her truemother, nestmother, and natalmother. A Black Bead in Blackwind Pack, a rankless Omega Ear.
Megan: Born in Windfall Dome. Amabel is her truemother. Rank – alpha Ear of Blackwind Pack.
Tam: Born in Waterwall Dome, Alpha male of Blackwind Pack.
Alain: Born in Firewalker Dome, Tam’s Second. Beta male of Blackwind Pack.
Connor: Tam’s truebrother. born in Waterwall Dome, Tam’s Third, omega male of Blackwind Pack.
House of the First Mother of Windfall Dome
Mora: First Mother to Windfall Dome, Alpha Ear of the Coven. High Mother to all the High Reach Domes. Truemother of Cheobawn.
Hayrald: First Prime, Mora’s Fist Husband, Husband to the Coven, titular head of the Fathers of Windfall Dome.
Amabel: Mora’s Second Wife. Master Geneticist, Master Maker of the Living Thread, Megan’s truemother.
Sybille: Mora’s Third in command. Brilliant warrior, mathematician, chief liaison with Fathers.
Menolly: High Priestess to Windfall Dome, Mora’s Fourth Wife.
Brigit: Mora’s Fifth wife. A Nursery Mother.
Raddoc: Second Prime, and Hayrald’s Second. Security Chief and Crystalline Mind expert.
Wissen: Hayrald’s Fourth, Husband to the Coven.
Phillius: Hayrald’s Third, Husband to the Coven, Head Pack Liaison.
Ramhorn Pack: Windfall Dome.
Sigrid: Alpha male in Ramhorn Pack.
Erin: Ramhorn’s Alpha Ear.
Soral: Ramhorn Pack’s Beta Ear.
Breyden: Sigrid’s Second. Ramhorn Pack’s strategical thinker.
Meshel: Sigrid’s Third.
Iroc: Sigrid’s Fourth.
Windfall Dome
Zeff: Packless oldpa, he runs the boarhounds, Lady and Prince.
Finn: Master Mechanic and Tinkerer. Brilliant engineer.
Gudu: Finn’s apprentice.
Nedella: Master Chef, Mother in charge of the communal kitchens and food storage.
Brindle: An oldpa who occasionally stands light duty at the South Gate into the stables.
The Stables
Vinara: Master drover.
Druda: Vinara’s Alpha wrangler.
Spacers
Colonel Bohea: Agent of the royal hegemony, titular head of the CPC forces arrayed around Cheobawn’s planet, Tearmann.
CPC: Central Planets Consortium, the political body that oversees the governance of all human space and collects the taxes and conscripts the men to wage war against the Spiders. Headed by a Prince of the royal family, appointed by the CPC.
Scerrons: A species of psi adepts used by the humans as pilots to drag their ships through pan-dimensional hyperspace.
Samwell Wheelwright: Lowlander, born of a wealthy merchant family, college dropout, former CPC conscript, survivor of the Spider Wars.
Sargent Garro: Spider Wars veteran, mercenary, agent of the star fleet commanded by Bohea.
Cheobawn’s Adventure Continues in the Black Bead Chronicles:
Black Bead: Book One
Bhotta’s Tears: Book Two
Spider Wars: Book Three
Trade Fair: Book Four
Dunauken: Book Five
Available for Pre-Order on Kindle
Spider Wars:
Book Three of the Black Bead Chronicles
Winter is a time of quiet industry under the domes — at least it should be. Calamity is stalking the tribes of the high forests. The storms have killed too many of them, man and animal alike, and now the bennelk warn of a new threat coming at them from out of the Wastes.
The epic adventure that began with Black Bead and Bhotta’s Tears continues in Spider Wars. Journey along with Cheobawn, Megan, Tam, Connor, and Alain as they use their wits and their Luck to explore the wild world in which they live.
Click here to find out more about Spider Wars
About the Author
J.D. Lakey was born and raised on the high plains of Montana under an endless sky and as far from civilization as anyone in the twentieth century could get. There she explored the finer nuances of silence and the endless possibilities of the imagination. The stories were always there. The shifting of fortunes finally granted her the time to gather all the stories and give them flesh. An avid reader of science fiction and comics, she currently lives in San Diego, California where she divides her time between her writing, commuting on the I-5, and spending time with her delightful grandchildren.
Read more short stories at JDLakey.com
As a writer there is nothing that gives me more pleasure than to have my books read and to enjoyed by you - the reader! I’d love to hear from you, wether it’s just to say hello, to answer a question, or to give some feedback. So I invite you to visit me online at JDLakey.com where I post updates
You can also email me directly at: [email protected]