The Curse on the Chosen (The Song of the Tears Book 2)

by Ian Irvine

  He had not seen Nish coming. The Imperial troops were well trained but there had been no war in ten years and they were not battle hardened the way Nish had been. He whirled, struck upwards and slew the second man with a slash that took his head off, then turned for the third.

  The soldier was out of reach, and Gi was defending furiously with the heavy sword that had been her grandfather’s, but even had she been trained in sword fighting she could never match this man. He was toying with her, feasting on her terror, delivering a minor cut to the shoulder, another to the thigh. Nish tried desperately to reach him but the soldier saw him coming and laughed as he thrust his blade into her heart.

  Loyal, gentle Gi, who had been Nish’s closest ally since he’d arrived in Gendrigore, fell on her back into the mud. Her eyes met his, she looked puzzled, then their light faded and she was dead.

  No time to grieve; no time for anything. Nish ran and, with a wild swipe, hacked through the soldier’s side. He screamed and fell on top of Gi’s body, thrashing. Nish heaved him off and put him out of his agony with one swift thrust. After a last look at her compact, bloody form and her pretty, bewildered face, he shook his head and turned to survey the battlefield, which had descended into the chaos of hundreds of individual melees.

  ‘The cause is lost,’ bellowed Flydd from not far away. ‘Yggur, if you’re going to do anything, do it now! Nish, this way.’

  ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ said Nish. He had led his faithful militia here and nothing could induce him to run out on them now.

  On the circling air-sled, Klarm was peering around the steamy clearing, searching for him, and Nish felt an urgent need to hide. He slid in behind Tulitine but Klarm touched Reaper and Nish’s head felt as though it were bursting – as if the dwarf had used the same spell on him as he had on the red-haired archer.

  Every nerve fibre sang and his scarred hand shrieked with pain. The scars took on a bright, silvery glow, like a reflection of the mercuric shimmer of the tears, and even when he slipped the hand inside his shirt, its glow could still be seen. He’d never hide now.

  He raised a fallen spear in his shining hand; the caduceus shrilled, his headache faded and his vision cleared suddenly, as if he were seeing the world through a diamond lens – his clearsight had switched on, as it sometimes did when things were desperate.

  From the corner of his eye he made out an aura swirling around the caduceus; high above them, the Profane Tears roiled menacingly. And, to his surprise, something pulsed within the blade of the sabre – Vivimord’s enchantment?

  It was no use to him; he had no idea how to use it. Catching a movement from the corner of his eye, Nish whirled; a giant of a warrior was heading for him. Over his back was strapped a span-long sword, and he carried a weighted net whose cords had a faint aura, no doubt linked to the tears. On seeing Nish’s shining scars, the giant raised the net. Once he threw it, it would be impossible to evade.

  GLOSSARY

  Aachan: One of the Three Worlds, the original world of the Aachim and, after its conquest by The Hundred, the Charon. It was recently rendered uninhabitable by massive, and mysterious, volcanic eruptions, and some tens of thousands of Aachim fled to Santhenar through a portal, in a fleet of constructs.

  Aachim: The human species native to Aachan; they are a long-lived, clever people, great artisans and engineers, but melancholy and prone to hubris. Many were brought as slaves to Santhenar in ancient times, but later the Aachim flourished, until they were betrayed by Rulke in the Clysm, after which they withdrew from the world to their hidden mountain cities (see also Aachan).

  Aftersickness: Sickness that people suffer after using the Secret Art or a native gift or talent.

  Antithesis: The one object (or power or force) that can break the power of the Profane Tears and bring down the God-Emperor.

  Bladder-bat: A flesh-formed aerial attack beast. An internal bladder can be inflated with floater-gas, enabling it to lift heavy objects.

  Blending: A child of the union between two of the four different human species – Charon, Faellem, Aachim and old human. Blendings are rare, and often deranged, but can have remarkable talents.

  Calendar: Santhenar’s year is roughly 395.7 days and contains twelve months, each of thirty-three days.

  Charon: One of the four human species, once the master people of the world of Aachan where, mysteriously, the Charon were practically sterile, and though they had enormously long life, few children were born, until the race was almost extinct. At the end of the Time of the Mirror, the few survivors went back to the void, to go to their extinction with dignity.

  Chissmoul: A thapter (flying construct) pilot during the lyrinx war, shy but known for her reckless verve.

  Clanker: An armoured war cart which moved via pairs of mechanical legs and was powered by the field. All were rendered useless by the destruction of the nodes at the end of the war.

  Clysm: A series of wars between the Charon and the Aachim beginning around 1500 years ago, resulting in the almost total devastation of Santhenar.

  Colm: Once the heir to Gothryme, he lost both clan and heritage during the war and resents it deeply. He accompanied Maelys to Mistmurk Mountain and nurtures an affection for her. During the war, when Colm was just a boy, he helped Nish, and Nish promised to come back one day and help Colm regain his heritage. Colm is bitter that Nish forgot his promise, even though Nish was powerless in prison.

  Compulsion: A form of the Secret Art; a way of forcing someone to do something against their will.

  Construct: A war machine at least partly powered by the Secret Art, invented by Rulke in the Nightland. His construct was capable of creating portals, though the constructs later modelled on his by the Aachim were not. All were rendered useless by the destruction of the nodes at the end of the war.

  Council of Santhenar: An alliance of powerful mancers. The Council helped to create the Nightland and cast Rulke into it, but was later overthrown by the Numinator, who created the Council of Scrutators in its place..

  Crandor: A rich, tropical land on the north-eastern side of Lauralin.

  Cryl-Nish Hlar: Generally known as Nish, he started out badly but grew to become one of the greatest heroes of the lyrinx war, though at the end of it he was cast into prison for rebelling against his father, Jal-Nish. He was freed by Maelys a few months ago and has been on the run ever since. At the end of the war Nish vowed to overthrow his father and relieve the suffering of the people of Santhenar, but Nish has not been able to keep his promise, for he is stricken with self-doubt and afraid that he will take the same corrupt path as his father. He has always been tempted by power and what it can bring. And Nish never got over the death of his beloved Irisis, slain on his father’s orders; Jal-Nish offers to bring her back from the dead and, though Nish knows this is impossible, he is unbearably tempted.

  Cursed Flame: A mysterious flame in the caverns below the Charon obelisk on Mistmurk Mountain. It has somewhat ambiguous healing properties.

  Defiance, the: The Deliverer’s supporters and army, initially controlled by Monkshart.

  Deliverer, the: The one person (or so the common folk believe) who can overthrow the God-Emperor.

  Dry Sea: Formerly the Sea of Perion, it dried up in ancient times but began to flood at the end of the lyrinx war a decade ago and is now the Sea of Perion again.

  Dunnet: A small, secluded land within Elludore Forest, once Faelamor’s hideout.

  Ell: An ell is a small (and approximate) measure of distance, about the length of a finger joint.

  Elludore: A large forested land, north and west of Thurkad on Meldorin Island.

  Faelamor: Leader of the Faellem species who came to Santhenar soon after Rulke, to keep watch on the Charon and maintain the balance between the worlds. She was Maigraith’s liege and kept her in thrall for most of her life. Faelamor took most of her people back to their world, Tallallame, at the end of the Time of the Mirror, and there they self-immolated.

  Faellem: The human
species who once inhabited the world of Tallallame. They were a small, dour people, forbidden to use machines and magical devices, but were masters of disguise and illusion.

  Flangers: A soldier and hero in the lyrinx wars, he is stricken by guilt for following orders and shooting down a Council thapter, and desperate to atone.

  Flappeter: A large flying creature flesh-formed by Jal-Nish, it has a pair of feather-rotors growing from the middle of its back. Flappeters are controlled by bonded riders, using enchanted amulets, and any harm to either flappeter or rider causes harm to the other.

  Flesh-forming: A branch of the Secret Art invented by the lyrinx but now used by Jal-Nish.

  Garr, Garrflood: The largest and wildest river in Meldorin. It arises to the west of Shazmak and runs to the Sea of Thurkad east of Sith.

  Gate: A structure powered by the Secret Art, which permits people to move instantly from one place to another. Also called a portal.

  Ghâshâd: The ancient, mortal enemies of the Aachim, they were a race born to serve unquestioningly. They were corrupted and swore allegiance to Rulke in ancient times, but when he was imprisoned in the Nightland they took a new name, Whelm, and served Yggur for a time. When Rulke escaped, they became Ghâshâd again, but upon his death swore to take no master ever after.

  Ghorr: The corrupt former Chief Scrutator of the Council of Scrutators, and Flydd’s bitter enemy, now dead.

  Gilhaelith: An eccentric, amoral geomancer and tetrarch, he died by self-crystallisation at the end of the lyrinx war.

  God-Emperor: The title assumed by Jal-Nish Hlar sometime after he took control of the world with the Profane Tears.

  Gothryme: An impoverished manor near Tolryme in Bannador, on Meldorin Island. In the Time of the Mirror it belonged to Karan. Colm is the nominal heir but his family fled during the war and now it is occupied by people in the favour of the God-Emperor.

  Great Library: Founded at Zile by the Zain in the time of the Empire of Zur, it lasted for thousands of years but disappeared from the Histories during the lyrinx war.

  Great Tales: The greatest stories from the Histories of Santhenar. A tale can only become a Great Tale by the unanimous decision of the master chroniclers. In four thousand years only twenty-three Great Tales were made, the twenty-third being acclaimed by many as the greatest – Llian of Chanthed’s Tale of the Mirror. More tales were written during the lyrinx war but they don’t have the same force, as they were written as propaganda at the Chief Scrutator’s behest.

  Histories, the: The vast collection of records that chronicle more than four thousand years of history on Santhenar. The culture of Santhenar is interwoven with and inseparable from the Histories, and the most vital longing anyone can have is to be mentioned in them. Families and clans also keep their personal Histories.

  Human species: There were four distinct human species: the Aachim of Aachan, the Faellem of Tallallame, the old humans of Santhenar, and the Charon who came out of the void. All but old humans could be very long-lived. Matings between the different species rarely produced children (see Blending).

  Irisis Stirm: A heroine of the lyrinx war, and Nish’s lover at the end of the war, she gave her life to try to save Nish from his father’s vengeance.

  Jal-Nish Hlar: Nish’s father. He suffered massive injuries from a lyrinx attack during the war and begged to be allowed to die, but Nish and Irisis saved his life. Now hideously maimed and unable to repair himself even with the power of the tears, he controls the world as God-Emperor and plays malicious games with his enemies, though he has a secret fear that the world is under threat, once again, from the void. At the end of Book One he pleaded with Nish for help to atone for all his wrongs, but Nish, thinking Jal-Nish was playing another malicious game, repudiated him, and only realised too late that Jal-Nish was genuine.

  Karan: During the Time of the Mirror, two centuries and more ago, she was a young 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 made her triune, though she did not know it. A sensitive whose home was Gothryme, Karan was the heroine of the Tale of the Mirror and wedded Llian at the end of it. She is now reviled as Karan Kin-Slayer, for killing Llian and her children, then herself, though no one can understand why.

  Klarm: The former Dwarf Scrutator is a great mancer and a handsome, cheerful, brave man. He was one of Flydd’s greatest allies during the lyrinx war.

  Lauralin: The continent east of the Sea of Thurkad.

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

  Llian: An ostracised Zain, he was a master chronicler, a teller of the Great Tales, and one of the heroes of the Tale of the Mirror, which he wrote and which became the twenty-third Great Tale. He is now reviled as Llian the Liar, the master chronicler who dared to corrupt the histories and write a Great Tale that wasn’t true.

  Lyrinx: Massive winged humanoids, some of whom are great mancers, who escaped from the void to Santhenar at the end of the Time of the Mirror. See also Lyrinx War.

  Lyrinx War: The 150-year-long war between the winged lyrinx and the peoples of Santhenar, which ended ten years ago when the lyrinx were defeated and were given the alien-infested world of Tallallame for their own.

  Maelys Nifferlin: A shy, demure girl of nineteen, one of the last of her clan, who was compelled by her mother and aunts to rescue Nish and get pregnant to him, so as to restore the clan. She did rescue Nish, and accompanied him on many adventures, though he, still obsessed with his beloved Irisis, repudiated her tentative advances and Maelys was so mortified that she was not game to try again.

  Maigraith: An orphan brought up and trained by Faelamor, she was a master of the Secret Art. She became Yggur’s lover, briefly, and at the end of the Time of the Mirror she fell for Rulke and became pregnant to him not long before he died.

  Malien: An Aachim, and once one of their leaders, she was an ally of Flydd and Yggur during the lyrinx war but has not been seen since it ended.

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

  Mendark: A great mancer from the Time of the Mirror, he took renewal on many occasions but was killed at the end of the Time of the Mirror.

  Monkshart: The name taken by Jal-Nish’s former ally and friend, Vivimord, after renouncing his allegiance. He is a charismatic zealot and mancer, but corrupt. He is trying to use the Deliverer to bring down the God-Emperor because he believes that for any man to take such a title is blasphemy.

  Nightland: A place, distant from the world of reality, where Rulke was kept prisoner for a thousand years. Tensor made a gate into the Nightland to revenge himself on Rulke, but only succeeded in letting him out, and shortly the Nightland collapsed into nothingness, or so it was believed.

  Nish: See Cryl-Nish Hlar.

  Numinator, the: A mysterious figure who dwells at the Tower of a Thousand Steps, on the Island of Noom in the frozen south, and secretly controlled the Council of Scrutators.

  Nylatl: A small but vicious armoured beast created by lyrinx flesh-forming as a weapon in the war.

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

  Phrune: Monkshart’s acolyte, healer and perhaps lover; a sadistic killer whom Maelys slew at the Cursed Flame.

  Portal: See Gate.

  Profane Tears: Two tear-shaped globes, called Gatherer and Reaper, with the appearance of roiling quicksilver, created by the implosion of a node of power thirteen years ago and stolen by Jal-Nish. When all the nodes were destroyed at the end of the war, the tears gave him the power to control the world. Gatherer coordinates all Jal-Nish’s spies and spying devices; Reaper punishes and destroys.

  Quartine: see Tetrarch.

  Rulke: A Charon and the greatest of The Hundred. In ancient times Rulke 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 was able to escape into Santhenar, but he was later killed
by Tensor.

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

  Secret Art: The use of magical or sorcerous powers (mancing). An art that very few can use and then only after considerable training. The Art was greatly weakened ten years ago, after Tiaan destroyed all the nodes of power, thus concentrating virtually all mancery in Jal-Nish’s sorcerous Profane Tears.

  Shadow Realm: The uncanny place through which Flydd hopes to pass, to escape Jal-Nish.

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

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

  Spying Devices: The God-Emperor has many spying devices, such as wisp-watchers, loop listeners and snoop-sniffers, all relaying information back to the tear, Gatherer.

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

  Tallallame: One of the Three Worlds, once the world of the Faellem. A beautiful, mountainous world covered in forest but now, in a cosmic irony, infested by alien creatures from the void.

  Taphloid: An egg-sized device made from yellow metal, given to Maelys by her father to suppress the aura created by her talent; it has other, as yet unknown, properties.

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

  Tensor: The proud, flawed leader of the Aachim for thousands of years, he let Rulke out of the Nightland. Tensor was killed at the end of the Tale of the Mirror.

  Tetrarch: a person bearing the blood of all four human species. Also called quartine.