palotza: a castle or palace, typically quite large, within the Grand Duchy.
Polina Anayev Mirkotsk: the Duchess of Mirkotsk.
polkovnik: the highest rank of officer in the Grand Duchy’s staaya.
polupolkovnik: the second highest rank of officer in the Grand Duchy’s staaya, below only the polkovnik in the chain of command.
privyet: Anuskayan for “hello” or “good day.”
qiram: an Aramahn with the ability to bond with hezhan, giving them the elemental abilities of the spirit.
Rabiah Wahid al Aahtel: one of Nasim’s disciples that he brings with him to Ghayavand.
Radia Anastasiyeva Vostroma: the Duchess of Vostroma.
Radiskoye (Palotza Radiskoye): the seat of power for the Khalakovan family.
Rahid Umar al Gahana: one of the more powerful men from the southern sect of the Maharraht known as the Hratha.
Ramina: the northern city on Galahesh, the one closest to Oramka and Yrstanla.
Ranos Iaroslov Khalakovo: eldest son of Iaros Khalakovo. Also the Boyar of Volgorod.
Rehada Ulan al Shineshka: An Aramahn woman. Nikandr’s lover in Volgorod.
Rosa Oriseva Lhudansk: the Duchess of Lhudansk.
rudder: a complex set of obsidian cylinders at the center of the ship, the nexus where the four mainmasts meet the obsidian core that runs lengthwise through the ship. These three sets of cylinders are adjusted by the pilot at the helm.
Saphia Mishkeva Khalakovo: the Duchess of Khalakovo.
Sariya Quljan al Vehayeh: one of the three arqesh who lived on Ghayavand. Along with Muqallad and Khamal, Sariya caused the sundering three hundred years ago and has been trapped on the island ever since.
Sea of Khurkhan: the sea south of Galahesh, northwest of Nodhvyansk, and southeast of Yrstanla.
Sea of Tabriz: the sea between Yrstanla and Anuskaya, bounded by the empire to the west, Khalakovo to the east, and Volgorod to the south.
seaward: downward, named so because the windships often fly above water.
shamshir: a curved sword used primarily by the Maharraht.
shashka: a lightly curved sword used primarily in the islands of the Grand Duchy.
Shirvozeh: the Aramahn village to the east of Alayazhar, on the island of Ghayavand. It became the seat of Muqallad’s power when the three Al-Aqim became trapped on the island.
Siafyan: a large village with massive trees and hanging walkways running between them on the island of Rafsuhan.
Sihaş ül Mehmed: an envoy who goes to treat with the Grand Duchy.
siraj: Aramahn glowing stones used for illumination.
Sitalyas: the mountain range to the west of Trevitze.
Soroush Wahad al Gatha: leader of the northern sect of the Maharraht.
sotni: a unit of one hundred soldiers.
sotnik: an officer of the Grand Duchy, responsible for one hundred men.
Spar: the large bridge being built by Yrstanla over the Straits of Galahesh.
spire: a tower of obsidian used by the Grand Duchy to control the ley lines between the islands. The Matri groom the ley lines using the spires and their abilities in the aether.
starward: upward from the deck of a ship, toward the sky and stars.
strelet (plural: streltsi): the military men of the Grand Duchy.
szubka: Hat worn by the women of the Grand Duchy.
staaya: the Ducal (Royal) air fleet of the Grand Duchy.
Stasa Olegov Bolgravya: the former Grand Duke, killed on Khalakovo when a suurahezhan, a fire spirit, attacked his yacht as it docked at the eyrie of Radiskoye.
Styophan Andrashayev: the sotnik of the streltsi who accompany Nikandr.
Sukharam Hadir al Dahanan: one of Nasim’s disciples that he brings with him to Ghayavand.
suurahezhan: a spirit of fire.
suuraqiram: one who bonds with suurahezhan and draws upon their power to wield or alter fire in the material world.
Svoya: the southern city on Galahesh, the one closest to the islands.
Syemon: an old gull who serves on the ship, Strovya.
taking breath (or, to take breath): the Aramahn act of meditating, where they try to become one with their surroundings, to understand more about themselves or the world.
Thabash Kaspar al Meliyah: the leader of the Hratha.
Trevitze: the city where Nasim finds Sukharam.
Udra Amir al Rasa: Nikandr’s dhoshaqiram (master of the stuff of life).
Ushai Kissath al Shahda: one of Fahroz’s most trusted servants. She travels the world, hoping to find Nasim and to bring him back to Fahroz.
ushanka: Squat woolen hat.
Uyadensk: the largest island in the Duchy Khalakovo. Home to Palotza Radiskoye and the capital city of Volgorod.
Vaasak Adimov Dhalingrad: the envoy of Zhabyn, sent to Baressa to negotiate for him before his arrival.
vanahezhan: a spirit of earth.
vanaqiram: one who bonds with vanahezhan and draws upon their power to wield or alter earth in the material world.
vashaqiram: a state of pure enlightenment. The state of mind most Aramahn search for.
Victania Saphieva Khalakovo: the only daughter of Saphia and Iaros. The middle child.
Vihrosh: the old name for Baressa, and now the section that lies to the west of the straits.
Vikra: one of the rooks of Vostroma, the one Atiana favors the most.
Vlanek: the acting master of the Yarost on Nikandr’s journey across the Sea of Khurkhan.
Volgorod: the capital and largest city in the Duchy of Khalakovo. Situated near Palotza Radiskoye on the island of Uyadensk.
Wahad Soroush al Qediah: Soroush’s first son, his second child.
windwood: a variety of wood that is specially cured so that it becomes lighter than air. All windships are made of windwood.
windship: one of the ships made of windwood that flies with the help of havaqiram to harness the wind and dhoshaqiram to adjust the heft of the ship’s windwood.
windsman: general term for a man who crews windships.
windward: to the right while facing the fore of a ship, named so because the wind is in this direction when the windship is moored.
Yadhan: the first of the children to become akhoz on Ghayavand. She was taken by Khamal.
Yalessa: the handmaid that most often attends to Atiana in the drowning chamber.
Yalidoz (Kasir Yalidoz): the palace in Baressa, on the island of Galahesh, home to Bahett ül Kirdhash.
Yegor Nikolov Nodhvyansk: the Duke of Nodhvyansk.
Yevgeny Krazhnegov Mirkotsk: the Duke of Mirkotsk.
Yrfa: Saphia Khalakovo’s favorite rook.
Yrstanla: an Empire situated on a large continent to the west of the islands in the Grand Duchy.
Yvanna Antoneva Khalakovo: Ranos’s wife.
Zanaida Lariseva Khazabyirsk: the Duchess of Khazabyirsk.
Zanhalah: the woman who helps Nikandr to heal Soroush’s son, Wahad.
Zhabyn Olegov Vostroma: the Duke of Vostroma.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
There are many people to thank for this book.
First, I’d like to thank my wife, Joanne, who allowed me the time to write. This dream I have of writing is only possible with your unflagging support, understanding, and encouragement, and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
To Paul Genesse, for your many thoughtful critiques, endless encouragement, and dear friendship, I thank you. Our many talks over the course of this book helped not only to refine the ms, but also guided me in my development as a writer.
To Ross Lockhart, thank you for the guiding star you provide to this wayward writer. I appreciate your vast knowledge, not merely in the editing of words, but in the tending of my budding career. And to the troops at Night Shade Books, thank you. There are so many things you do that don’t get enough praise, and while I know the words of one poor writer won’t tip the scales, I hope it evens the balance a bit.
To my agent, Rus
s Galen, my thanks for your wisdom and your foresight. Even when there are treacherous waters, I know you’ll guide me safely through.
To the people of Wellspring (Brenda Cooper, Rob Ziegler, Sarah Kelly [twice], Kelly Swails, Holly McDowell, Greg Wilson, Vincent Jorgensen, Grá Linnaea, Eden Robins, and, last but certainly not least, Bill Shunn), my thanks for the wealth, depth, variety, and accuracy of thoughts on the early parts of this novel. An extra helping of gratitude goes out to Brenda and Rob for reading the full ms at the workshop. You two were the rudder that guided that next, crucial draft.
To Eugene Myers, many thanks for reading the early chapters and then for plowing through the ms after a few drafts had been completed, and to Greg Wilson, for tackling the ms again after already reading it at Wellspring.
I’d also like to thank a few of my many mentors who’ve helped me along the way. To Kij Johnson, my thanks for those many classes at GenCon. To the gang at Viable Paradise VII (Patrick and Teresa Nielsen Hayden, Jim Macdonald, Debra Doyle, Laura Mixon, and Steve Gould), thank you for those early lessons in writing. There were many shortcuts and refinements to my craft I might never have found had I not attended that workshop way back in 2003. To K.D. Wentworth and Tim Powers, my thanks for the workshop at Writers of the Future. There are things I still use daily that I learned during that wonderful week in Los Angeles.
To Holliann Russell Kim, I continue to be in your debt for your skill at finding the hordes of tenacious gremlins that hide within manuscripts, especially this one. Your attention to detail has made this a better work.
And finally, to Todd Lockwood. My thanks for taking what was once only in my mind and giving it life in art.
about the author
Bradley P. Beaulieu fell in love with fantasy the moment he started reading The Hobbit in third grade. From that point on, though he tried reading many other things, fantasy became his touchstone. He always came back to it, and when he started to dabble in writing, fantasy—epic fantasy especially—was the type of story he most dearly wished to share. In 2006, his story, “In the Eyes of the Empress’s Cat”, was voted a Million Writers Award notable story, and in 2004, he became a winner in the Writers of the Future 20 contest. Other stories have appeared in Realms of Fantasy, Intergalactic Medicine Show, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and several DAW anthologies.
Brad lives in Racine, Wisconsin with his wife and two children. By day, Brad is a software engineer, wrangling code into something resembling usefulness. He is also an amateur cook. He loves to cook spicy dishes, particularly Mexican and southwestern. As time goes on, Brad finds that his interests are slowly being whittled down to these two things: family and writing. In that order…
For more, please visit www.quillings.com.
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