Client: Humans who pay to consult Kymeran witches and warlocks for any number of reasons.
Croggy: A subordinate or acolyte.
Crossed: Also known as cursed, afflicted, hexed, jinxed.
Dexter/Dexie: Someone who practices Right Hand magic, such as lifting curses and curing ailments. Right Hand magic is protective/defensive, as opposed to Left Hand magic, which is malicious/offensive.
Dowser: A psychic who specializes in finding lost things or locating fresh water.
Fecker: A contemptible person.
Gladeye: The opposite of the Evil Eye. A charm that casts good fortune and success, especially in love and business, and protects against curses.
Hamadryad: A shy, seldom-seen nature-spirit who lives inside one particular tree, such as an oak, birch, ash, or sycamore. Because of the urban nature of New York City, only a handful of hamadryads live in Golgotham.
Heavy Lifter: One who can lift malignant curses.
Hedger: Short for “hedgewitch” or “hedge doctor”; a wizard specializing in herbal treatments of various illnesses.
Huldra: Female member of the huldrefolk, one of the supernatural races living in Golgotham. They resemble beautiful young women, except for the cow tails growing from the base of their spines. The males of their kind, known as huldu, appear as handsome men, except for the tails of bulls growing from the base of their spines.
Inflicted: The state of having an illness or spate of misfortune supernatural in origin.
Inflictions: A number of spiteful/socially embarrassing medical illnesses and physical conditions that are the result of supernatural agents. These curses mimic genuine physical and mental illnesses, such as cancer or schizophrenia, and require a diagnosis by a Kymeran healer. If the illness is natural in origin, the client is referred to a doctor. Also referred to as afflictions.
Ipotane: One of the supernatural races found in Golgotham. Humans from the waist up, they are horses from the waist down. Unlike centaurs, they have only two legs. They are often mistaken for satyrs, much to their disgust.
Juggler: Someone who is known as a competent practitioner of both Right and Left Hand magic.
Lifter: A witch or warlock who specializes in lifting curses.
Ligature: Magical binding using knotted cords that prevents someone from physically doing something.
Maenads: One of the supernatural races living in Golgotham. Maenads are female followers of Dionysius, the Greek god of wine. They go into ecstatic frenzies during which they lose all self-control and engage in sexual orgies, ritualistically hunt down wild animals (and occasionally men and children), tear them to pieces, and devour the raw flesh.
Misanthrope: An antihuman bigot.
Munted: Extremely drunk or otherwise intoxicated.
Nump: A fool. A derogatory racial slur directed at humans.
Peddler: Short for “charm peddler”—a wizard who specializes in selling charmed objects for commercial gain.
Pissing Contest: A magic battle between drunken wizards.
PTU: Short for Paranormal Threat Unit, a separate branch of the NYPD in charge of policing Golgotham and responding to paranormal/supernatural events throughout the triborough area.
Pusher: Short for “potion pusher”—a wizard who specializes in selling love potions, untraceable poisons, etc., for commercial gain.
Satyr: One of the supernatural races living in Golgotham. Satyrs are humans from the waist up; goats from the waist down. They also sport horns on their heads. They are notorious for being prone to gambling, drinking, and kidnapping beautiful women. Female satyrs are called fauns.
Slinging Blind: Casting spells without regard to safety, usually due to panic or intoxication.
Talent: A natural magic ability, applying both to humans and Kymerans.
Widdershins: The direction in which a curse must be turned in order to undo it.
The Witch Finders: An elite medieval military group composed of both Christian and Islamic knights and soldiers during the Unholy War. Famous for severing the extra ‘magic’ fingers of Kymerans.
Also by Nancy A. Collins
The Novels of Golgotham
Right Hand Magic
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Golgotham Glossary
Also by Nancy A. Collins
Left Hand Magic Page 26