Aymer: capital of Shaymir, semi-desert independent principality to the north of Roisinan, origin of the Aymer Harp (q.v.)
Aymer harp: a difficult Shaymiri musical instrument.
Beit el’Sihaya (K): the Empty Quarter, from beit (geographic quarter) + sihaya (empty)
Beku: city of Kheldrin
Bodmer Forest: large forest in the heart of Roisinan
Brandar Pass: mountain passage from Roisinan into Shaymir through the range behind Miranei
Bresse: see Castle Bresse
Brynna Kelen: Anghara Kir Hama’s alter ego, the name by which she was known at Cascin
burnoose (K): a head covering and desert veil against sand and heat
Calabra: main port city of Roisinan, at the mouth of the River Tanassa
Cascin (Cascin of the Wells): the ancestral manor of Anghara’s mother Rima, Anghara’s sanctuary in the first years of her exile, held by Lord Lyme, married to Rima’s sister, Chella
Castle Bresse (R): training school for the Sighted, where Anghara first learns a measure of control over her gifts, levelled by Sif in the first stroke of his anti-Sight campaign
Cerdiad (R): Midsummer Harvest Feast with connotations of ancient fertility rites when harvested fields and the harvest are blessed on midsummer’s eve by a priestess of Avanna of the Towers, patron goddess of the feast and the rest of the night given over to celebrations; romantic superstitions practiced by girls wanting to know who they will marry are commonly associated with this night
Charo Taurin: twin to Adamo Taurin, Chella’s younger sons, Anghara’s foster-brother
cheta (R): a military company in the Roisinani army
Colwen: Sif’s first queen, put aside because she could not give him an heir
dan (fem: dan’ah) (K): alone
Dances (R): circles of huge hewn stones with an ancient and often feared power; there are four in Roisinan: in the hills by the river Tanassa, in the middle of the central plain in Shaymir, on the edge of the Vallen Fen in Tath, and in the Mabin Islands (now largely ruined); the three mainland Dances are more or less intact, their original purpose or ancient builders unknown; there may once have been more, as there are solitary stones in other places, which exude something of the power of the Dances, known as Standing Stones (q.v.); both Dances and Standing Stones are avoided at night, and especially during the high festivals as they are believed to be the haunt of spirits
desert sage (S): a herb with a sharp, bittersweet scent which grows in the Shaymir desert
diamondskin (K): lethally poisonous lizard found in the Khari’i’d; no antidote to its poison, which is almost instantly fatal; gray with black diamond-shaped markings on the skin
djellaba (K): desert cloak
Duerin Rashin: King of Tath; scion of the Rashin Clan who once wrested the Throne under the Mountain (q.v.) from the legitimate Kir Hama incumbent—Duerin’s ancestor failed, but Duerin still wants Roisinan, and went to war over it
dun (pl. dun’en) (K): desert horses, exported to Roisinan, Tath and Shaymir from Kheldrin but affordable only to the very rich; beautiful, graceful animals, faster than the wind, dun breeding is largely the province of the Sayyed clan
Dynan (‘Red Dynan’) Kir Hama: Anghara’s father, King of Roisinan, killed in battle against Duerin Rashin of Tath
Empty Quarter, the: see Beit el’Sihaya
Favrin Rashin: Prince of Algira, son of Duerin Rashin of Tath
Feor: ex-priest of both Kerun and Nual, Sighted tutor in the household of Cascin who grooms Anghara Kir Hama for queenship
Fihra Hai’r (K): literally, The First Oasis; the first water-bearing oasis a traveller encounters upon emerging from the Khar’i’id—depending on which direction the voyager is travelling in, the same oasis can also be known as Shod Hai’r (q.v.)
Fodrun: Dynan’s Second General, on whom leadership devolves during the Battle of Ronval when Dynan is killed and Kalas, the First General so badly wounded as to be permanently disabled; seeing the conflict ahead, he chooses to support Sif Kir Hama, Dynan’s grown son, in preference to his legitimate heiress, the nine-year-old Anghara, but not without some misgiving; also known as Fodrun kingmaker
fram’man (pl. fram’man’en) (K): stranger
Glas Coil (R): Gray Wood, something along the lines of the Celtic Tir’na’n’Og, land of youth—Roisinani believe in it as an afterlife
Gul Khaima (K): Oracle Anghara raises in Kheldrin, on a stone pillar by the sea; human oracle
Gul Qara (K): the ancient oracle in the Empty Quarter, which gives Anghara the name of its successor
had’das (K): species of fish caught off the coast of Kheldrin
Hai! Hai haddari! (K): an expression of amazement or admiration
hai’r (pl. hai’r’en) (K): oasis
Hama dan ar’i’id (K): Kheldrini adage: “You’re never alone in the desert
” han (R): inn, as in Halas Han (inn on the river Hal)
hari: red (Kadun Khajir’i’id is sometimes known as Harim Khaijir’i’id)
Hariff: Powerful Kheldrini clan or family involved with silver mining; root hari, red, may indicate they originated in the Red Desert
Harim Khajir’i’id: the Red Desert (see Kadun Khajir’i’id)
iri’sah (K): hot desert wind
jin’aaz spiders (K): large desert spiders who cocoon their larvae in a chrysalis of silk; Kheldrini use silkseekers (q.v.) to find jin’aaz spider lairs and extract this silk; much prized and very expensive—one of the main Kheldrini exports
kadun (K): north
Kadun Khajir’i’id: the Northern Desert; sometimes also known as Harim Khajir’i’id (q.v.)
Kalas: Dynan’s First General, badly wounded at the Battle of Ronval Keda Cullen: sister to Kieran Cullen, gifted musician from Shaymir
Kerun (R): Roisinan god, also known as The Horned One; he is the Guardian of the Gates to Glas Coil (q.v.). He is the avatar responsible for death and life through death. He is the God of War, of Destruction, of Catastrophe; he must be propitiated at the beginning of every new venture, lest he claim it for his own; his sacrifices often involve gold, and he has his own incense, manufactured specially by the priesthood
khai’san (K): hot storm wind of the desert
khajir (K): sand
khar (K): stone
Khar’i’id: black stone desert of Kheldrin; deadly, hot and poisonous, but also strange and generous with occasional obscure and hermetic gifts; sometimes known as Rah’honim Ar’i’id, the Black Desert
kharkhajir (K): coarse sand, rock-sand
Kheldrin: Land of Twilight, from khel (dark, twilight) + drin (land, country); desert country to the west of Roisinan, for many ages closed to outsiders, except for a tiny cultivated strip in the lee of the coastal mountains, where Roisinani visit the trade port of Sa’alah to bargain for silk, esoteric drugs or dun’en
khi’tai (K): medicinal plant; reduces fevers, acts as a painkiller for minor aches; can be used as an anesthetic in conjunction with lais (q.v.)
Kieran Cullen: a Shaymiri boy, Anghara’s foster-brother, already fostering at Cascin manor when she is sent there; later knighted in battle
ki’thar (pl. ki’thar’en) (K): camels, desert animal of Kheldrin
lais (K): squat, ill-favored small bush found largely in Kadun Khajir’i’id; lais tea, soporific, slightly opiate and possibly addictive, can be made either from the whole leaf or from dried leaf powder; sometimes exported from Kheldrin into Roisinan and Tath; well known in Shaymir, where the plant is named selba
mal’gha (K): yellow (Arad Khajir’i’id is sometimes known as Mal’ghaim Khajir’i’id)
Miranei: Roisinan’s capital and the King’s Keep, a powerful fortress never taken by force—and only a few times by treachery
Morgan of Bresse: the head of the Sisterhood of Bresse, she chose death by martyrdom at Sif’s hand in the knowledge that this would hasten the return of Sight to Roisinan’s persecuted people
Nual (R): Roisinani God of the
Waters; not as powerful as Kerun and Avanna, but noteworthy because his temples are sanctuaries which cannot be breached; as some stay a lifetime Nual is sometimes also known as the God of Exile; his temples are always found near water, and anything found on or near the water has always been his; every shipwreck is salvaged by his priests; usually content with light offerings; a garland of flowers thrown into a river is pleasing to him; his priests are as simple as Kerun’s are devious and plot-ridden, and dress in blue in honor of his element
omankhajir (K): soft sand
pa’ha (K): fermented juice of the pahria fruit
pahria palms (K): desert palm bearing large, hard-shelled fruit, soft inside, juicy but tart—an acquired taste; sometimes cultivated, but usually grows wild in desert hai’r’en (q.v.)
rah’hon (K): black
Rah’honim Ar’i’id (K): see Khar’i’id
Rashin: Tath clan of pretenders to the Roisinan throne
Rima of the Wells: Red Dynan’s queen, Anghara’s mother; dies during Sif’s takeover, but is instrumental in saving Anghara from his avenging arm
Roisinan: Ancient land, lush with wood and field ruled by the Kir Hama dynasty until the Rashin clan from south Roisinan rose in revolt and took the throne in blood and rebellion, when the Kir Hama king, Connach Kir Hama, was killed in battle. His son Garen went first into a Nual Sanctuary and then took himself into the mountains, living as an outlaw while he gathered together his father’s shattered army. He took his kingdom back two and half years later, in a successful summer campaign. The Rashin usurper was killed, but his son fled south into what had once been a province of Roisinan and declared it to be the independent kingdom of Tath with its capital at Algira, one of the jewels of Roisinan. Shaymir in the north, once also a part of Roisinan, chose to break away as well, but remained a vassal principality, with Garen Kir Hama as High King in Miranei. Tath was not rooted out, but subdued, and forced to pay tribute. The border, marked by the River Ronval, lies ever uneasy. Garen was succeeded by his son Connach II, and he by his son Dynan, known as the Red for his fiery hair, who in his turn would meet his death at Tath hands like his great-grandsire
Saa! (K): ki’thar command: Stop!
Sa’alah: main Kheldrini port and trade city on the coastal plain
Sabrah: Kheldrini clan or family
sa’hari (K): Are you there? (Equivalent to knocking on a door requesting permission to enter)
Sa’id (K): Lord
Sa’ila: stream close to Sa’alah, only running water in Kheldrin
saliha (K): thank you
salih’al’dayan (K): ritual of giving thanks to the gods, thanksgiving
sarghat (K): a desert root, distinguished on the surface only by a pair of insignificant-looking leaves, easily overlooked by an inexpert traveller, it can sustain life for a long time
Say’ar’dun: Kheldrini city, stronghold of the Sayyed clan, capital of dun’en breeding country
Sayyed: Kheldrini clan or family
say’yin (pl. say’in’en) (K): necklace of rank, usually of sea amber and silver
sea amber: soft yellow globes found in the sea off Kheldrin—deep sea amber is much prized, but smaller and less regular pieces are often found washed up on the shoreline. Exported to Roisinani and Shaymir
se’i’din (K): Khar’i’id plant. A swift-acting poison, no known antidote (Roisinani name: rosebane)
Sen’en Dayr (K): gods willing
Senena Shailan: Sif’s second queen
sen’thar (pl. sen’en’thari) (K): Kheldrini priestly caste, usually female, but sometimes also has male acolytes, none are devoted to a single god—all belong to all gods, and must know all their rituals; there are four levels: novice, white robe (first circle), gray robe (second circle) and gold robe (an’sen’en’thari, q.v.) (Linguistic roots: sen, or sen’en, meaning God or deity, and thar, thari—serve, server, service)
Shadir: Kheldrini clan or family
Sheriha’drin (K): Kheldrini name for Roisinan, Land of Running Water
Shod Hai’r (K): literally, the Last Oasis—the last place to find water before stepping into Khar’i’id; there are two, one in the Kadun and one in the Arad, depending from which direction the traveller is coming, both also known as Fihra Hai’r (q.v.)
Sif Kir Hama: Anghara’s half brother, Red Dynan’s son by a Clera; Sif seizes the throne when it is offered to him at the battle which saw the death of his father, he hates and fears Sight—seeing his own bastard birth due solely to the fact that Dynan chose to marry Rima (who was Sighted) instead of Clera (who was not), this plays a large role in his later violent campaign against Sight
Sight (R): a power with roots in Second Sight, or prescience, granted to those born with it—usually but not exclusively women; current usage covers a multitude of gifts, some rare; a Sighted person may exhibit an ability to “eaves-drop” on conversations many miles away, move objects without touching them, dream true, establish when truth is being spoken (and, more importantly, when not), and sometimes the ability to control their immediate environment (invoke a rainstorm, for example); some of these gifts are taught to aspirant Sighted initiates at Castle Bresse and a similar establishment near Algira in Tath, run by a Sisterhood of Sighted women who have devoted their lives to teaching; largely accepted as a fact of life in individuals—many women are Sighted in Roisinan—but often feared in large numbers
silkseeker: golden-yellow and white bird often used in Kheldrin to seek out nests of jin’aaz spiders (q.v.), on whose larvae it feeds; the larger adult jin’aaz, in turn, has been known to devour unwary silkseekers; wild silkseekers are seen as Gods’ birds, and are protected
soul fire: aura around Sighted people, visible to others with Sight; of a shade specific and unique to every individual (Anghara’s is gold, ai’Jihaar’s is white, ai’Farra’s is crimson)
Standing Stones (R): huge, hewn, solitary stones, often but not always upright, scattered across Roisinan; thought to have been part of an ancient Dance; sometimes used as a focus for sacrifice by underground worshippers of the Old Gods and practitioners of black magic, but even without this connotation they possess power and are avoided at night, especially on major festivals like Cerdiad
Tath: ancient province of Roisinan, now an independent kingdom ruled by the Rashin Clan, pretenders to the Throne Under the Mountain
Throne under the Mountain: ancient name for the Roisinan Throne, in the mountain fortress of Miranei
Ul’khari’ma: village of al’Talip ma’Shadir where al’Tamar fostered; a corruption of “The Place of the Stone”—the place Anghara knows as Gul Khaima, and where she raises the second Kheldrini oracle
Vallen Fen (T): broad, malodorous swamp at the mouth of the River Ronval, largely on the Tath side
wirrow (R): a medicinal herb in Roisinan
About the Author
ALMA ALEXANDER is the author of four accomplished novels, including the duology The Hidden Queen and Changer of Days, and The Secrets of Jin-Shei. She was born in Yugoslavia, grew up in Africa, lived in New Zealand, and is now based in Bellingham, Washington. You can visit her website at www.almahromic.com.
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BOOKS BY
Alma Alexander
THE SECRETS OF JIN-SHEI
CHANGER OF DAYS
THE HIDDEN QUEEN
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Microsoft Reader April 2005 ISBN 0-06-084406-X
First published in New Zealand under the title Changer of Days, Volume 1, by Voyager, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
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