The Way Between the Worlds

by Ian Irvine

  Karan: A woman of the house of Fyrn, but with blood of the Aachim from her father, Galliad, and old human and Faellem blood from her mother. This makes her triune. She is also a sensitive and lives at Gothryme.

  Lar: An honorific used in Thurkad.

  Lasee: A pale-yellow brewed drink, mildly intoxicating, and ubiquitous in Orist; fermented from the sweet sap of the sard tree.

  Lauralin: The continent east of the Sea of Thurkad.

  League: About 5000 paces, three miles or five kilometers.

  Librarian: Nadiril the Sage.

  Lightglass: A device made of crystal and metal that emits light after being touched.

  Lilis: A street urchin in Thurkad, rescued by Tallia and now apprenticed to Nadiril.

  Link, linking; also talent of linking: A joining of minds, by which thoughts and feelings can be shared, and support given. Sometimes used for domination.

  Llian: A Zain from Jepperand. He is a master chronicler and a teller. Banished from his college, he fell in with Karan. He has an insatiable curiosity for the Histories.

  Lorrsk: An intelligent creature living in the void, it is humanoid in shape though massively built. Some are sensitives.

  Magister: A mancer and chief of the Council. Mendark has been Magister for a thousand years, save for a brief period when illegally overthrown by Thyllan. After the disaster at Katazza he went to Havissard, where he nearly died and had to renew his body.

  Maigraith: An orphan brought up and trained by Faelamor for some unknown purpose. She is a master of the Secret Art. After the Conclave she led Yggur’s army to war in Bannador. Subsequently Faelamor took control of her again.

  Malien: An Aachim; Rael’s mother; once consort of Tensor. After Tensor’s rebellion in Katazza she took over leadership of the Aachim.

  Mancer: A wizard or sorcerer; someone who is a master of the Secret Art. Also necromanter.

  Master chronicler: One who has mastered the study of the Histories and graduated with highest honor from the College.

  Master of Chanthed: Currently Wistan; the Master of the College of the Histories is also nominal leader of Chanthed.

  Meldorin: The large island that lies to the immediate west of the Sea of Thurkad and the continent of Lauralin.

  Mendark: See Magister.

  Mirror of Aachan: A device made by the Aachim in Aachan for seeing things at a distance. In Santhenar it changed and twisted reality and so the Aachim hid it away. It also developed a memory, retaining the imprints of things it had seen. Stolen by Yalkara, the Mirror was used by her to find a warp in the Forbidding and escape back to Aachan. After the Conclave, Tensor found in it the secret of making gates. Shand now has it.

  Moon: The moon revolves around Santhenar about every thirty days. However one side (the dark face) is blotched red and black by volcanic activity, and because the moon rotates on its axis much more slowly, the dark face is fully turned toward Santh only every couple of months. This rarely coincides with a full moon, but when it does it is a time of ill-omen.

  Nadiril: The head of the Great Library and a member of the Council.

  Nanollet: A small musical instrument that every Faellem child learns how to play. Made of wood and metal, it has a complexity of sounding boards and resonating chambers.

  Narne: A town and port at the navigable extremity of the Garr.

  Nazhak tel Mardux: A book of Aachim tales that Llian committed to memory in Shazmak. Also called Tales of the Aachim.

  Nightland: A place, distant from the world of reality, wherein Rulke was kept prisoner. In Katazza, Tensor made a gate into the Nightland to drag Rulke forth and revenge himself upon him, but only succeeded in letting Rulke out.

  Nilkerrand: A fortified city across the sea from Thurkad.

  Old human: The original human species on Santhenar and by far the most numerous.

  Osseion: The captain of Mendark’s guard, a huge dark man.

  Pender: A masterly sailor who carried Karan and Llian from Narne to Sith, and later to Thurkad. After the Conclave he helped Karan and Shand to escape from Thurkad, and was subsequently hired by Mendark.

  Perion, Empire of: Kandor’s empire, which collapsed after the Sea of Perion dried up.

  Pitlis: A great Aachim of the distant past, whose folly betrayed the great city of Tar Gaarn to Rulke and broke the power of the Aachim. The architect who designed Tar Gaarn and Alcifer, he was slain by Rulke.

  Portal: See gate.

  Potency: An all-powerful, mind-breaking spell developed by the Aachim as a weapon against the Charon, but effective against all but those Zain who bear the Gift of Rulke.

  Proscribed Experiments: Sorcerous procedures designed to find a flaw in the Forbidding which could be used to banish Rulke forever. Hazardous because of the risk of Rulke taking control of the experimenter.

  Rachis: Karan’s steward at Gothryme Manor.

  Rael: An Aachim, half-cousin to Karan, son of Malien and Tensor. He was drowned helping Karan to escape from Shazmak.

  Recorder: The person who set down the tales of the four great battles of Faelamor and Yalkara, among many other tales. He is thought to have taken the Mirror (after Yalkara finally defeated Faelamor and fled Santh) and hidden it against some future need. His name was Gyllias.

  Renderer’s Tablet: A semi-mythical key to the secret script of the Charon.

  Rula: The Magister before Mendark. She was regarded as the greatest of all.

  Rulke: A Charon of Aachan. He enticed Shuthdar to Aachan to make the golden flute, and so began all the troubles. After the Clysm he was imprisoned in the Nightland until a way could be found to banish him back to Aachan. When Tensor opened a gate into the Nightland Rulke escaped, later occupying Shazmak and Carcharon.

  Santhenar, Santh: The least of the Three Worlds, home of the old human peoples.

  Sea of Thurkad: The long sea that divides Meldorin from the continent of Lauralin.

  Secret Art: The use of magical or sorcerous powers (mancing). An art that very few can use and then only after extensive training. Notable mancers include Mendark, Yggur, Maigraith, Rulke, Tensor and Faelamor, though each has quite different strengths and weaknesses. Tallia has considerable skill but as yet insufficient training.

  Sending: A message, thoughts or feelings sent from one mind to another.

  Sentinels: Devices that keep watch and sound an alarm.

  Shalah: A young Aachim woman, twin to Xarah.

  Shand: An old man who works at the inn at Tullin and is more than he seems. A friend of Karan’s late father, Shand rescued Karan from the Conclave, smuggled her out of Thurkad and accompanied her on a trek all the way to Katazza in the middle of the Dry Sea.

  Shazmak: The forgotten city of the Aachim, in the mountains west of Bannador. It was captured by the Ghâshâd, after they were woken from their long years as Whelm.

  Shuthdar: An old human of Santhenar, the maker of the golden flute. After he destroyed the flute and himself, the Forbidding came down, closing the Way between the Worlds.

  Sith: A free city and trading nation built on an island in the River Garr, in southern Iagador.

  Span: The distance spanned by the stretched arms of a tall man. About six feet, or slightly less than two meters.

  Stassor: A city of the Aachim, in eastern Lauralin.

  Tale of the Forbidding: Greatest of the Great Tales, it tells of the final destruction of the flute by Shuthdar more than three thousand years ago, and how the Forbidding sealed Santhenar off from the other two worlds.

  Talent: A native skill or gift, usually honed by extensive training.

  Tales of the Aachim: An ancient summary history of the Aachim, the Nazhak tel Mardux, prepared soon after the founding of Shazmak. Llian read and memorized it in Shazmak so he could translate it later.

  Tallallame: One of the Three Worlds, the home of the Faellem. A beautiful, mountainous world covered in forest.

  Tallia bel Soon: Mendark’s chief lieutenant. She is a mancer and a master of combat with and without weap
ons. Tallia comes from Crandor.

  Tar: A silver coin widely used in Meldorin. Enough to keep a family for several weeks.

  Tar Gaarn: Principal city of the Aachim in the time of the Clysm; it was sacked by Rulke.

  Tell: A gold coin to the value of twenty silver tars.

  Teller: One who has mastered the ritual telling of the tales that form part of the Histories of Santhenar.

  Telling Competition: In Carcharon, Llian challenged Rulke to a telling. Llian won but was accused of cheating and thrown out of Carcharon.

  Tensor: The leader of the Aachim. He saw it as his destiny to restore the Aachim and finally take their revenge on Rulke, who betrayed and ruined them. He is proud to the point of folly.

  Thandiwe: A student at the College in Chanthed and friend of Llian.

  Thranx: A massive winged humanoid creature out of the void. Highly intelligent and able to use the Secret Art.

  Three Worlds: Santhenar, Aachan and Tallallame.

  Thurkad: An ancient, populous city on the River Saboth and the Sea of Thurkad, known for its wealth and corruption. Seat of the Council and the Magister. Yggur’s First Army is now based there.

  Thyllan: Warlord of Iagador and member of the Council. He intrigued against Mendark but was subsequently humiliated by Maigraith in single combat.

  Tirthrax: The principal city of the Aachim, in the Great Mountains.

  Tolryme: A town in northern Bannador, close to Karan’s family seat, Gothryme.

  Torgsted: One of Mendark’s guard. A cheerful, reliable fellow now returned from spying on Thyllan.

  Triune: A double blending—one with the blood of all Three Worlds, three different human species. They are extremely rare and almost always infertile. They may have remarkable abilities. Karan is one.

  Tullin: A tiny village in the mountains south of Chanthed. Shand lives there.

  Twisted Mirror: The Mirror of Aachan, made in Aachan and given to Tensor, who smuggled it with him to Santhenar. Like all objects taken between the worlds, it changed and became treacherous. So called because it does not always show true.

  Vanhe: Formerly one of Yggur’s mid-ranking officers, he was forced to take command after all of Yggur’s generals were killed. Later, after returning from Katazza to find Maigraith gone, Yggur broke Vahne to private.

  Vartila: The leader of a band of the Whelm. She remained Whelm and served Yggur after most of her people reverted to Ghâshâd.

  Voice: The ability of great tellers to move their audience to any emotion they choose by the sheer power of their words.

  Void, the: The spaces between the Three Worlds. A Darwinian place where life is more brutal and fleeting than anywhere. The void teems with the most exotic life imaginable, for nothing survives there without remaking itself constantly.

  Void-leech: An amorphous creature.

  Vuula Fyrn: Karan’s mother, a lyrist. She committed suicide soon after Karan’s father, Galliad, was killed.

  Wahn Barre: The Crow Mountains. Yalkara, the Mistress of Deceits, had a stronghold there, Havissard.

  Waif, The: Pender’s third boat, formerly a blacklisted smuggler’s vessel, Black Opal.

  Way between the Worlds: The secret, forever-changing and ethereal paths that permit the difficult passage between the Three Worlds. They were closed off by the Forbidding.

  Whelm: Servants of Yggur, his terror-guard. See also Ghâshâd.

  Wistan: The seventy-fourth Master of the College of the Histories and of Chanthed.

  Xarah: A young Aachim woman, twin to Shalah who was killed in Katazza.

  Yalkara: The last of the three Charon who came to Santhenar to find the flute and return it to Aachan. She took the Mirror and used it to find a warp in the Forbidding, then fled Santh, leaving the Mirror behind.

  Yetchah: A young Whelm woman who hunted Llian from Chanthed to Tullin. She became Ghâshâd and harbors a hopeless passion for Rulke.

  Yggur: A great and powerful mancer and sworn enemy of Mendark. Formerly a member of the Council, his stronghold is at Fiz Gorgo. After Karan stole the Mirror his armies overran most of southern Meldorin, capturing Thurkad where he now dwells. He and Maigraith became lovers. Yggur hates and fears Rulke from the time Rulke possessed him before he was imprisoned in the Nightland.

  Zain: A scholarly race who once dwelt in Zile and founded the Great Library. They made a pact with Rulke and after his fall most were slaughtered and the remnant exiled.

  Zile: A city in the north-west of the island of Meldorin. Once capital of the Empire of Zur, now chiefly famous for the Great Library.

  GUIDE TO PRONUNCIATION

  There are many languages and dialects used on Santhenar by the four human species. While it is impossible to be definitive in such a brief note, the following generalizations normally apply.

  There are no silent letters, and double consonants are generally pronounced as two separate letters; for example, Yggur is pronounced Ig-ger, and Faellem as Fael-lem. The letter c is usually pronounced as k, except in mancer and Alcifer, where it is pronounced as s. The combination ch is generally pronounced as in church, except in Aachim and Charon, where it is pronounced as k.

  AachimAr’-kim

  CharonKar’-on

  FyrnFirn

  IagadorEye-aga’-dor

  LaseeLar’-say

  MaigraithMay’-gray-ith

  RaelRay’-il

  WhelmH’-welm

  XarahZha’-rah

  ChanthedChan-thed’

  FaelamorFay-el’-amor

  GhâshâdG-harsh’-ard

  KaranKa-ran’

  LlianLee’-an

  NeidNee’-id

  ShuthdarShoo’-th-dar’

  YggurIg’-ger

  Meet the Author

  Ian Irvine, a marine scientist who has developed some of Australia’s national guidelines for protection of the marine environment, has also written twenty-seven novels. These include the internationally bestselling Three Worlds fantasy sequence (The View from the Mirror, The Well of Echoes, and Song of the Tears), which has sold over a million copies, a trilogy of thrillers set in a world undergoing catastrophic climate change, Human Rites, and twelve books for younger readers, the latest being the humorous fantasy quartet, Grim and Grimmer.

  Mike Benveniste

  Also by Ian Irvine

  THE THREE WORLD SERIES

  THE VIEW FROM THE MIRROR QUARTET

  A Shadow on the Glass

  The Tower on the Rift

  Dark is the Moon

  The Way Between the Worlds

  THE WELL OF ECHOES QUARTET

  Geomancer

  Tetrarch

  Scrutator

  Chimaera

  SONG OF THE TEARS TRILOGY

  Torments of the Traitor

  The Curse on the Chosen

  The Destiny of the Dead

  THE TAINTED REALM

  Vengeance

  Rebellion

  Justice

  If you enjoyed

  THE WAY BETWEEN THE WORLDS,

  look out for

  VENGEANCE

  The Tainted Realm: Book 1

  by Ian Irvine

  Ten years ago, two children witnessed a murder that still haunts them as adults.

  Tali watched as two masked figures killed her mother and now, she has sworn revenge. Even though she is a slave. Even though she is powerless. Even though she is nothing in the eyes of those who live above ground, she will find her mother’s killers and bring them to justice.

  Rix, heir to Hightspall’s greatest fortune, is tormented by the fear that he’s linked to the murder, and by a sickening nightmare that he’s doomed to repeat it.

  When a chance meeting brings Tali and Rix together, the secrets of an entire kingdom are uncovered and a villain out of legend returns to throw the land into chaos. Tali and Rix must learn to trust each other and find a way to save the realm—and themselves.

  CHAPTER 1

  “Matriarch Ady, can I check the Solace
s for you?” said Wil, staring at the locked basalt door behind her. “Can I, please?”

  Ady frowned at the quivering, cross-eyed youth, then laid her scribing tool beside the partly engraved sheet of spelter and flexed her aching fingers. “The Solaces are for the matriarchs’ eyes only. Go and polish the clangours.”

  Wil, who was neither handsome nor clever, knew that Ady only kept him around because he worked hard. And because, years ago, he had revealed a gift for shillilar, morrow-sight. Having been robbed of their past, the matriarchs used even their weakest tools to protect Cython’s future.

  Though Wil was so lowly that he might never earn a tattoo, he desperately wanted to be special, to matter. But he had another reason for wanting to look at the Solaces, one he dared not mention to anyone. A later shillilar had told him that there was something wrong, something the matriarchs weren’t telling them. Perhaps—heretical thought—something they didn’t know.

  “You can see your face in the clangours,” he said, inflating his hollow chest. “I’ve also fed the fireflies and cleaned out the effluxor sump. Please can I check the Solaces?”

  Ady studied her swollen knuckles, but did not reply.

  “Why are the secret books called Solaces, anyway?” said Wil.

  “Because they comfort us in our bitter exile.”

  “I heard they order the matriarchs about like naughty children.”

  Ady slapped him, though not as hard as he deserved. “How dare you question the Solaces, idiot youth?”

  Being used to blows, Wil merely rubbed his pockmarked cheek. “If you’d just let me peek…”

  “We only check for new pages once a month.”

  “But it’s been a month, look, look.” A shiny globule of quicksilver, freshly fallen from the coiled condenser of the wall clock, was rolling down its inclined planes towards today’s brazen bucket. “Today’s the ninth. You always check the Solaces on the ninth.”

  “I dare say I’ll get around to it.”