by K V Johansen
The fragment of the soul of Jochiz is heavy in her satchel.
She turns away, the cloak of feathers swirling, rising in the wind. The owl flies west.
The last road and the last dawn foreseen by the Wolf may not be so very far away.
Finis
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I leaned on my friends for advice and assistance on various aspects of this one, and many, many thanks are owed them for taking the time to answer my questions and guide me to the right resources for further research. Psychotherapist Brian Walsh advised me on PTSD and nightmare disorders and also found me some very useful articles to read. Jason Johansen-Morris, P.Eng., gave me two pages of equations, diagrams, and notes on the construction of a bridge of rafts. (I have, of course, woven my secondary world’s cosmology and wizardry into their primary world psychiatry and engineering. Do not try this stuff at home.) Connie Choi helped out with some more names. Tristanne, Marina, April, and Chris were, as always, there to be talked at during plot emergencies, as were a few others from time to time—particularly Jenna, Paul, Laurie, and yes, the Twitter gang. Ivan, the Wicked White Dog, kept Jui and Jiot honest—and Jonathan Harpur supplied the alphabet pretzels.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © Chris Paul
K. V. Johansen was born in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, where she developed her lifelong fascination with fantasy literature after reading The Lord of the Rings at the age of eight. Her interest in the history and languages of the Middle Ages led her to take a Master’s Degree in Medieval Studies at the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto, and a second M.A. in English Literature at McMaster University, where she wrote her thesis on Layamon’s Brut, an Early Middle English epic poem. While spending most of her time writing, she retains her interest in medieval history and languages and is a member of the Tolkien Society and the Early English Text Society, as well as the SFWA and the Writers’ Union of Canada. In 2014, she was an instructor at the Science Fiction Foundation’s Masterclass in Literary Criticism held in London. She is also the author of two works on the history of children’s fantasy literature, two short story collections, and a number of books for children and teens. Various of her books have been translated into French, Macedonian, and Danish. Visit her online at www.kvj.ca or find her on Twitter— @kvjohansen.