by Ted Sanders
Auditor a type of Riven; though not Tan’ji, Auditors can imitate the powers of nearby instruments
backjack a small silver Tan’kindi whose location can be tracked with a paired, compass-like device
breach the gap in time across which the Fel’Daera sees the future
cleave to forcibly and permanently rip apart the bond between a Keeper and his or her Tan’ji
cloister one of the small safe havens of the Wardens, usually a walled garden containing a leestone and a falkrete circle
dispossessed term for a Keeper who is permanently cut off from his or her instrument, usually by cleaving or being severed for too long
doba the little huts in the Great Burrow
falkretes strangely shaped stones found in cloisters; Keepers can teleport between them
Fel’Daera (fel-DARE-ah) Horace’s Tan’ji, the Box of Promises; with it, he can see a short distance into the future
Find, the the solitary period during which a new Keeper discovers and then masters his or her instrument
fusion when a Keeper and his or her Tan’ji draw in too much of the Medium at once, binding together permanently in a suspended state
Gallery, the a corridor deep in the Warren whose doorways will only appear by the light of certain jithandras
golem a massive swarm of moving stones; a powerful Tan’kindi controlled by the Riven
Great Burrow the uppermost chamber of the Warren
harps instruments used by Tuners; only Tuners can operate them, but they are not Tan’ji
humour, the the blinding, invisible cloud of gray Gabriel releases from the Staff of Obro
jithandra (jih-THAHN-drah) small Tan’kindi used for light, identification, and entry into the Wardens’ sanctuaries
Ka’hoka (kah-HO-kah) a major sanctuary of the Altari
Keeper one who has bonded with an instrument, thus becoming Tan’ji
Kesh’kiri (kesh-KEER-ee) the name the Riven use for themselves (see Riven)
Laithe of Teneves (TEN-eevs) Joshua’s Tan’ji, a miniature globe that grants the power to open portals anywhere on earth
leestone a Tan’kindi that provides some protection against the Riven
Loomdaughters the first Tan’ji made with the Starlit Loom; there were nine in total
Lostling one who possesses an instrument, but did not go through a proper Find
mal’gama (mahl-GAH-ma) similar to the golem, a Tan’kindi comprised of thousands of green stones, capable of flight
Medium, the the energy that powers all Tanu
Miradel Isabel’s harp, a wicker sphere
Mordin tall, ferocious Riven who are particularly skilled at hunting down Tan’ji
Mothergates the three enigmatic structures through which the Medium flows before reaching out to power all Tanu in the world
Nevren a field of influence that temporarily severs the bond between a Keeper and his Tan’ji; Nevrens protect the Wardens’ strongholds
oraculum a Tan’ji belonging to Mr. Meister, a lens that allows him to see the Medium
passkey a Tan’kindi that allows passage through certain walls
phalanx a small Tan’kindi, made from the fingerbone of a Mordin; it fires a blast of energy that pins Tan’ji in place
polymath’s ring a Tan’kindi that allows its wearer to bond with more than one Tanji; shaped like a Möbius strip
raven’s eye a weak and portable kind of leestone, a Tan’kindi
Ravenvine April’s Tan’ji, a silver vine she wears around her left ear; it grants her the power to empathically absorb the thoughts of nearby animals
Ravids small, quick Riven with the ability to teleport short distances
Riven a hidden race of beings who hunger to reclaim all the Tanu for their own; they call themselves the Kesh’kiri
Ro’ha, the (RO-ha) an Altari ceremony in which Keepers formally demonstrate their abilities; literally “open hand”
sa’halvasa (sah-hahl-VAH-sah) related to the golem, a swarm of tiny insectlike Tanu with razor-sharp wings
Sanguine Hall the back entrance to the Warren, home to the sa’halvasa
sever to temporarily cut a Keeper off from his or her Tan’ji
Staff of Obro Gabriel’s Tan’ji, a wooden staff with a silver tip; it releases the humour, which blinds others but gives him an acute awareness of his surroundings
Starlit Loom the very first Tanu, a Tan’ji that gives its Keeper the power to make new Tanu; Sil’falo Teneves, called Falo (FAY-lo), is its Keeper
Tanu (TAH-noo) the universal term for all of the mysterious devices created by the Makers; the function of these instruments is all but unknown to most (two main kinds of Tanu are Tan’ji and Tan’kindi)
Tan’ji (tahn-JEE) a special class of Tanu that will work only when bonded with a Keeper who has a specific talent; Tan’ji also describes the Keeper himself or herself as well as the state of that bond—a kind of belonging or being
Tan’kindi (tahn-KIN-dee) a simpler category of Tanu that will work for anyone, without requiring a special talent or a bond (raven’s eyes, passkeys, etc.)
Tan’layn (tahn-LAIN) Tan’ji that do not currently have a Keeper; the unclaimed
tourminda (tour-MIN-dah) a fairly common kind of Tan’ji that allows its Keeper to defy gravity; Neptune is the Keeper of the Devlin tourminda
Tuner though not Tan’ji, Tuners can use instruments called harps to cleanse and tune other Tanu
Tunraden (toon-RAH-den) Brian’s Tan’ji, a Loomdaughter; with it, he can create and repair Tanu
Veil of Lura (LOOR-ah) a shimmering curtain of light that hides and protects the Mothergates
Vithra’s Eye the Nevren that guards the Warren
Vora Mrs. Hapsteade’s Tan’ji, the quill and ink; it is used to determine the abilitites of potential new Keepers
Wardens the secret group of Keepers devoted to protecting the Tanu from the Riven
Warren the Wardens’ headquarters beneath the city, deep underground
Well of Giving the massively powerful Nevren at Ka’hoka
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
MY TREMENDOUS GRATITUDE GOES OUT TO EVERYONE AT HarperCollins for all they’ve done to continue to make this series happen. First and foremost to Toni Markiet, whose insights and perseverance have been invaluable, and sometimes forgotten. Thank you, Toni, for every little thing I know you’ve done for me and this book, and for every big thing I don’t. There’s been so much, and I’m grateful for it all.
An enormous thank-you to Kate Morgan Jackson and to Suzanne Murphy for their continued support of The Keepers, support that means everything, both to the books and to me. Thank you to Tessa Meischeid, Amy Ryan, Gina Rizzo, and everyone else who had a helping hand in every aspect of this project. And a special thanks to Laaren Brown for checking my maps and knowing her Paul Simon.
Thank you to my agent, Miriam Altshuler, for somehow being a rock, a hard place, a friend, and a mother. I’d be lost without you. And thanks to Reiko Davis for all the nitty-gritty.
Thank you to my dad for his ongoing belief and love, and to all my loud and wonderful cousins—Jim, Olivia, Madeline, Jody, Zach, Teena, and the rest. And of course to Matt Mulholland, for all the help with the science—with everything from time travel viewings in a moving car to the terminal velocity of falling children.
Much love and gratitude to Matt Minicucci, Laura Koritz, Russell Evatt, Kathy Skwarczek, Jeff & Rosita Durbin, and Michele Whisenhunt. Your support buoys me even during all those stretches when I’m too busy to remind you just how much it means to me.
Thank you, too, to my students at the University of Illinois. Everything I try to teach you is a lesson for myself, and I’ve learned so much from all the work that you do. I’m a better writer, and person, because of you.
Thank you to Rowan and Bridget, for continuing to become the fascinating humans that you are and letting me watch. I love you.
And thank you beyond everything to Jodee, who managed this last year of wri
ting and fretting, of late nights and long conversations, during the first year of our son Milo’s life. I owe no one more than you, for everything that continues to happen, and every future that awaits us. I love you.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Jodee Stanley
TED SANDERS is the author of the short-story collection No Animals We Could Name, winner of the 2011 Bakeless Prize for fiction. His stories and essays have appeared in publications such as the Georgia Review, the Gettysburg Review, and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories anthology. A recipient of a 2012 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, he lives with his family in Urbana, Illinois, and teaches at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Keepers is his first series for younger readers. You can visit him online at www.tedsanders.net.
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CREDITS
Cover art by Iacopo Bruno
COPYRIGHT
THE KEEPERS: THE PORTAL AND THE VEIL. Text copyright © 2017 by Ted Sanders. Illustrations copyright © 2017 by Iacopo Bruno. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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ISBN 978-0-06-227588-2
EPub Edition © September 2017 ISBN 9780062275905
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