by Myers, Karen
Mother of George Talbot Traherne, wife of Conrad (Corniad) Traherne.
Mariah Catlett
Human agent for Gwyn ap Nudd and George Talbot Traherne. Lives at the caretaker’s house at Bellemore.
FAE & IMMORTALS
Alun (AL-an)
Servant to the huntsman of Gwyn ap Nudd.
Angharad (ang-KAR-ad)
Artist affiliated with Gwyn ap Nudd’s court.
Bedo (BEE-doh) - diminutive of Meredudd.
Servant assigned to Angharad at Lludd’s court.
Beli Mawr (BEH-lee MA-oor) - Beli the Great.
Father of Lludd Llaw Eraint (Nudd) and Llefelys.
Brynach (BRIN-akh)
Great-nephew of Eurig ap Gruffyd.
Cadugan (kah-DUG-an)
Steward to Rhys Vachan ap Rhys at Edgewood.
Ceridwen (ke-RID-wen)
Scholar, healer, magician at Gwyn ap Nudd’s court.
Cernunnos (ker-NOO-nus) - Master of Beasts.
A god who takes the form of an antlered man (the horned man) or an antlered red deer-man.
Coronwen (ko-RON-wen)
Daughter of Eurig ap Gruffyd and Tegwen. Wife of Llefelys. Queen of Gaul.
Creiddylad ferch Nudd (krey-THIL-ad verkh NIDH)
Daughter of Lludd Llaw Eraint (Nudd), sister of Gwyn ap Nudd and Edern ap Nudd, one-time wife of Gwythyr ap Greidawl. Ex-Lady of Edgewood (Pencoed) to Gwyn ap Nudd.
Cuhelyn (ki-HEE-lin)
Vassal of Lludd Llaw Eraint.
Cydifor (KEED-ih-vor)
Musician to Rhys Vachan ap Rhys in Edgewood.
Cyledr Wyllt (KIL-eh-der WILT) - Cyledr the Mad.
Son of Nwython. Warrior of Gwythyr ap Greidawl.
Dyfnallt (DEV-nahlt)
Hunt staff trainee sent by Cuhelyn.
Edern ap Nudd (EE-dern ap NIDH)
Son of Lludd Llaw Eraint (Nudd), brother of Gwyn ap Nudd and Creiddylad ferch Nudd, father of Rhys ab Edern, grandfather of Rhys Vachan ap Rhys and Rhian ferch Rhys.
Eiddun (EI-dhin)
Widow from Edgewood, maid for Angharad.
Eiryth (EI-ryth)
Wife of Rhys ab Edern, mother of Rhys Vachan ap Rhys and Rhian ferch Rhys.
Eluned (e-LII-ned)
A master scholar and healer to Rhys Vachan ap Rhys in Edgewood. Mother’s sister to Eiryth, mother of Rhys Vachan ap Rhys.
Eurig ap Gruffydd (EI-rig ap GRIFF-ith)
Father of Coronwen. Husband of Tegwen, great-uncle of Brynach. Vassal of Gwyn ap Nudd.
Glesni (GLES-ni)
One of Lludd’s noble vassals. Friend of Gwyn ap Nudd.
Gwenith (GWEE-nith)
Dyfnallt’s former wife.
Gwion (GWII-on)
Hunt staff trainee sent by Glesni.
Gwyn ap Nudd (GWIN ap NIDH) - Gwyn Annan.
Son of Lludd Llaw Eraint (Nudd), brother of Edern ap Nudd and Creiddlyad ferch Nudd. Father of Georgia Rice Annan. Prince of Annwn.
Gwythyr ap Greidawl (GWI-thir ap GREI-dul)
Ex-husband of Creiddylad ferch Nudd. Gwyn ap Nudd’s opponent each Nos Galan Mae.
Hadyn (HAY-din)
Weapons-master to Gwyn ap Nudd.
Idris ap Hywel - Idris Powell (IH-dris ap HIH-wel)
Marshal to Gwyn ap Nudd. 2nd in command.
Ifor ap Griffri - Ifor Moel (IH-ver ap GRIFF-ree), (IH-ver MOYLE) - Ifor the Bald.
Steward and administrator to Gwyn ap Nudd under Idris Powell.
Iolo ap Huw (YO-lo ap HUE) - diminutive of Iorwerth.
Huntsman to Gwyn ap Nudd.
Iona (YO-na)
Breeder of ponies and small horses.
Llefelys (lhe-VEE-lis)
Son of Beli Mawr. Brother of Lludd/Nudd. Uncle of Gwyn ap Nudd, Edern ap Nudd, and Creiddylad ferch Nudd. Husband of Coronwen ferch Eurig. King of Gaul.
Lludd Llaw Eraint (LHIDH LHAU er-AYNT) - Nudd/Lludd of the Silver Hand.
Son of Beli Mawr. Brother of Llefelys. Father of Gwyn ap Nudd, Edern ap Nudd, and Creiddylad ferch Nudd. King of Britain.
Madog ab Owen Gwynedd (MAA-dog ab OU-ain GWI-nedh)
Son of the Prince of Gwynedd. Discovered a way to the new world around 1100.
Maelgwn (MYLE-goon)
Young way-finder, friend of Granite Cloud. Adopted son of George Talbot Traherne.
Morien (MOR-yen)
Scholar, healer, magician to Llefelys.
Nudd
See Lludd Llaw Eraint.
Nwython (NWIH-thon)
A warrior of Gwythyr ap Greidawl, killed by Gwyn ap Nudd. Father of Cyledr Wyllt.
Pwyll Pen Annwn (PWILL pen ANN-un) - Pwyll head of Annwn.
An ally of Gwythyr ap Greidawl and friend of Arawn. Lord of Dyfed.
Rhian ferch Rhys (HRII-an verkh RHEESE)
Foster-daughter of Gwyn ap Nudd, daughter of Rhys ab Edern and Eiryth, granddaughter of Edern ap Nudd, sister of Rhys Vachan ap Rhys. Junior huntsman to Gwyn ap Nudd.
Rhodri ap Morgant (HROD-hrii ap MOR-gant)
Distant cousin to Gwyn ap Nudd, cousin to Rhian ferch Rhys and Rhys Vachan ap Rhys. Diplomat and way-finder to Gwyn ap Nudd. Musician.
Rhys ab Edern (HREESE ab EE-dern)
Son of Edern ap Nudd, husband of Eiryth, father of Rhian ferch Rhys and Rhys Vachan ap Rhys.
Rhys Vachan ap Rhys (HREESE VAKH-an ap HREESE) - Rhys the younger, Rhys Junior.
Foster-son of Gwyn ap Nudd, son of Rhys ab Edern and Eiryth, grandson of Edern ap Nudd, brother of Rhian ferch Rhys. Earl of Edgewood under Gwyn ap Nudd.
Senua (se-NOO-ah)
A goddess of springs and wisdom.
Taranis (ta-RAN-iss)
A god of thunder and strength.
Tegwen (TEG-wen)
Mother of Coronwen. Wife of Eurig ap Gruffydd.
Thomas Kethin (KETH-in) - Thomas the Swarthy.
Son of Thomas, Lord Fairfax, and Dilys
Tudur (TII-dir)
Huntsman to Llefelys.
KORRIGANS (KOR-i-gans)
Broch (BROCKH)
Elder, community leader for Gwyn’s korrigans in Edgewood.
Drilego (dri-LEH-go)
Daughter of Broch.
LUTINS (LOO-tanh)
Armelle (ar-MEL)
Wife of Tanguy.
Benitoe (BEN-ih-toe)
Whipper-in. Adopted nephew of Maëlys.
Deuroc (DU-roc)
A lutin from Edgewood who has joined the Kuzul.
Huon (HOO-on)
Kennel-man.
Isolda (i-SOL-da)
Daughter of Ives, betrothed to Benitoe. Deceased.
Ives (EVE)
Kennel-master. Father of Isolda.
Luhedoc (LOO-eh-doc)
Husband of Maëlys.
Maëlys (may-EL-iss)
Wife of Luhedoc, runs the Golden Cockerel inn in Edgewood.
Tanguy (TAN-ghee)
Kennel-man. Husband of Armelle.
ELEMENTALS
Ash Tremor
Daughter of Gravel, older sister of Seething Magma.
Cavern Wind
Daughter of Seething Magma, granddaughter of Gravel.
Granite Cloud
Daughter of Seething Magma, granddaughter of Gravel.
Gravel
Mother of Seething Magma, grandmother of Granite Cloud.
Seething Magma - Mag.
Daughter of Gravel, mother of Granite Cloud and Cavern Wind.
HORSES
Brenin Du (BREN-in DII) - Black King.
Pony for Maelgwn. Black gelding.
Mosby (MOZ-by)
George’s horse. Dapple-gray Percheron-thoroughbred gelding.
HOUNDS - CWN ANNWN
Cwn Annwn (COON AN-nun)
The Hounds of Hell. See Annwn.
Cythraul (m) (KEH-thral) - Devil, Demon.
Outsider.
Dando (m) (DAN-doe)
Dant (m) (DANT) - Fang.
Gafael (f) (GAA-vail) - Grip.
Goronwy (m) (go-RON-wee)
Outsider
.
Gweilgi (f) (GWEIL-gi) - Wolf-dog.
Outsider.
Leo (m)
Outsider.
Surwen (f) (SEER-wen) - Magical.
DOGS (OTHER)
Cabal (KA-ball)
A terrier owned by Angharad.
Ermengarde (ER-men-GARD)
A terrier owned by Angharad.
Hugo
A blue-tick coonhound owned by George.
Sergeant
A yellow feist owned by George.
EVENTS
Nos Galan Gaeaf (noos GA-lan GEI-a) - The night of the calend of winter.
The first day (night) of winter. October 31, the eve of November 1, the eve of All Saints’ Day (All Hallows), Hallowe’en. (Celtic dates begin in the evening).
Nos Galan Mae (noos GA-lan MAY) - The night of the calend of May.
The first day (night) of summer. April 30, the eve of May 1.
PLACES
Afon Llynfi (AA-von LLen-vi) - Smooth River.
The Piedmont river that flows west to east where Tremafon is located.
Annwn (AN-nun)
Part of the Celtic otherworld, traditionally the underworld. See Cwn Annwn.
Daear Llosg (DEI-ar LHOSK) - Burnt Ground.
The meadow on the slope north of Greenway Court where funerals and cremations are held.
Gwastadedd Mawr (gwa-STAA-dedh MA-oor) - The Great Plain.
Salisbury Plain.
Karnag (CAR-nac)
A new village of lutins carved from an abandoned district in Pen-y-Coed (Edgewood).
Llys y Lon Las (LHIIS eh LOON laas) - Greenway Court (Court of the Green Lane).
The name of Gwyn ap Nudd’s manor, later borrowed (before 1750) by a human visitor, Thomas, 6th Lord Fairfax, as a name for his wilderness estate and hunting lodge at White Post, in the Shenandoah Valley.
Pant-glas (PANT-glaas). Also Pantglas. - Greenhollow.
The name of the village below Greenway Court.
Pen-y-Coed (PEN-ih-KOID). Also Pencoed. - Edgewood.
The name of Creiddylad’s estate, granted by Gwyn ap Nudd. Now in the charge of Rhys Vachan ap Rhys.
Taironnen (tair-O-nen) - The three elms.
The name of Eurig’s estate.
Tremafon (trem-AA-von) - River View.
The name of the korrigan town and warehouse on Afon Llynfi.
IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK…
MORE GOODIES
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CONTACTING THE AUTHOR
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ALSO BY KAREN MYERS
The Hounds of Annwn
To Carry the Horn
The Ways of Winter
King of the May
Bound into the Blood
Story Collections
Tales of Annwn
Short Stories
The Call
Under the Bough
Night Hunt
Cariad
The Empty Hills
The Affinities of Magic
Structures of Earth
EXCERPT FROM STRUCTURES OF EARTH
Coming Soon from Perkunas Press
Were they following me or are they just guessing?
Rushalentar used his SIGHT to peek around the stone edge of the doorway he’d ducked into, without exposing himself. The two guild proctors lingered on the corner across the street, with an excellent view of the servants’ door in the next block that was his original destination.
If they catch me with it, there’s going to be trouble.
He weighed the thick book wrapped in his cloak, and considered his choices. Waiting in a doorway in broad daylight was not appealing. He could BEND light past him, but since he wasn’t very good at it that was only effective for night use. The best thing would be to go all the way around the city blocks to the far side of the one he wanted and work back up to the alley behind the stable, out of their sight.
Well, nothing else I can do. Interfering old busybodies.
He sloped out of the doorway behind the two men and walked noiselessly away from them, turning right at the first alley, and took an alternate route along the streets and cut-through lanes until he reached the far corner of the block that the proctors were watching. He strolled a third of the way along and paused at the entry of the alley that ran through to the next street to wait for the foot traffic to thin out. He looked up at the huge guild house that occupied most of the block, everything on the far side of the alley, and he shook his head.
Someday. I swear, someday the mother house will reopen. I just don’t know how.
His eyes passed over the shuttered windows, the barred gates, and the whole massive five-story stone pile, derelict now, abandoned. No one left to pay for repairs, to heat the place, to keep it running.
Rush sighed and slipped into the alley. He passed the main guild building and reached the stable built up against the compound’s enclosing walls. Above him were the loft doors they used to load hay and feed, when they could afford it.
If Uncle Pitt can’t find anything else to sell, the horses will be the next thing to go.
He checked the alley in both directions—he had it to himself for now. The ground-level door below the loft was boarded up, so Rush settled his package carefully over a shoulder by tying knots around it with the cloak, and crept up the stonework of the wall, finding toeholds in the crumbling mortar. It wasn’t the first time he’d come in this way, but he preferred to do it at night where there was less chance of being spotted. The loft door was MONITORED but not secured. He suppressed the monitor, jimmied the simple latch, and tumbled inside, breathing a sigh of relief at coming home. Then he sneezed at the dust, twice.
After he refastened the loft doors, he peeked out through the small loft windows at the narrow end of the building. The proctors were just starting to cross over from their corner post across the street.
Hastily, he dumped the knotted cloak with its contents in the loft, and then tore down the drop ladder and out of the stable, trotting across the kitchen garden to the servants’ hall. Just before the entrance he paused to make sure there were no betraying bits of straw clinging to him, combed his fingers through his hair, and took a deep breath. He kicked the lower right corner of the wooden panel to bully the hinges into cooperation one more time, then pulled open the door and stepped in just as the first knocks pounded on the outer street door.
Gray-haired Rigolt walked toward him along the hall to answer the summons. He turned his head as Rush appeared and tipped it at the source of the noise. “Your doing, Master Rush?”
“I’ve been here all morning, Rigolt,” Rush said firmly, plucking one more wisp of hay from his shoulder and dropping it onto the floor.
The butler nodded, and proceeded at a dignified pace through the narrow hall. He opened the street door as if there were nothing unusual in the peremptory demand.
“May I help you, gentlemen?” he asked.
The two men wore their Council signs clearly on the right breast of their cloaks. Spring was just beginning, but the day was nice enough for the cloaks to be uncomfortably warm. The elder man said, “We wish to speak with Master Pittestapan.”
He cast a dark look around the worn entryway and the drab walls, where fresh paint had not been seen for many a long decade. “I understand that this is the proper entrance to use.”
Rush strode forward into their sight. “I’m afraid it’s the only entrance ava
ilable these days, sirs. I will let my uncle know you are here, if you will please wait for a moment.”
The proctor nodded disdainfully, and Rush walked off in no great hurry to do their bidding, noting that Rigolt had shut the doors along the hallway before letting strangers into the house. Once out of sight, he trotted up the stairs to the second floor, taking them two steps at a time. He rapped twice on the nearest door, and then opened it in response to the voice within.
His uncle was still in his house robes, in the middle of the day. He’d clearly just arisen from his armchair. Rush couldn’t quite see which book he’d been reading.
“What’s all that racket about, Rush?”
“I picked up Truttelaran’s Compendium, but the council proctors are out and asking questions. They want to speak with you, didn’t say why.”
“Someone spotted you and reported it,” Pittestapan said, with a heavy sigh.
Rush raised his hands and shrugged.
“Stall them while I dress,” his uncle said. “What did I pay for it?”
“Two imperials and a quarter.” In response to the wince on his uncle’s face, Rush added, “The going price is four imps, so we can always resell it if need be.”
Pitt nodded wearily and waved him out the door.
Rush took his time returning to the proctors, contained at the doorway by the imperturbable presence of Rigolt.
“My uncle will be with you soon,” Rush said. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Rigolt cleared his throat. “Perhaps the gentlemen would care to be seated in the… day room.”
Rush stood aside to let the proctors pass and brought up the rear. Rigolt led the party to the servants’ tea room at a stately pace. He paused after opening the door, blocking the view with his body, and Rush throttled a laugh as he pictured him waving someone out through the other doors before letting the proctors in.
It was a sad room, the furniture neatly arranged but the carpets worn and thin. The servants’ dining hall was below stairs and unsuitable for strangers—this room was where the staff relaxed on breaks, in a prosperous guild house. Nowadays it was where the entire shrunken household came together. Pittestapan had not descended so far as to dine with the staff in the servants’ hall, but he took his meals here, with his nephew, and averted his eyes from the holes in the curtains.
The elder proctor acquired a pinched expression but contented himself with saying, “Thank you, this will do. I knew Torch & Scroll had fallen on hard times, but I had no idea…”