by A. J. Smith
From ‘The Chronicles of the Seas’, vol. IV, by Father Wessel
Ice Fang, lore-master of Kalall’s Deep
THE DARK YOUNG
And it shall be as a priest when awake and it shall be as an altar when torpid, and it shall consume and terrify, and it shall follow none save its father, the Black God of the Forest with a Thousand Young. The priest and the altar. The priest and the altar.
From ‘Ar Kral Desh Jek’ (author unknown)
THE DOKKALFAR
The forest-dwellers of the lands of men are many things. To the Ro, arrogant in their superiority, they are risen men – painted as undead monsters and hunted by crusaders of the Black church. To the Ranen, fascinated by youthful tales of monsters, they are otherworldly and terrifying, a remnant of the Giant age. To the Karesians, proud and inflexible, they are an enemy to be vanquished – warriors with stealth and blade.
But to the Kirin, to those of us who live alongside them, they are beautiful and ancient, deserving of respect and loyalty.
The song of the Dokkalfar travels a great distance in the wild forests of Oslan and more than one Kirin youth has spent hours sitting against a tree merely listening to the mournful songs of their neighbours.
They were here before us and will remain long after we have destroyed ourselves.
From ‘Sights and Sounds of Oslan’ by Vham Dusani, Kirin scholar
THE GREAT RACE OF ANCIENT JEKKA
To the east, beyond the plains of Leith, is the ruined land. Men have come to call it the Wastes of Jekka or the Cannibal Lands, for those tribes that dwell there are fond of human flesh.
However, those of us who study such things have discovered disturbing knowledge that paints these beings as more than simple beasts.
In the chronicles of Deep Time – in whatever form they yet exist – this cleric has discovered several references to the Great Race, references that do not speak of cannibalism but of chaos and empires to rival man, built on the bones of vanquished enemies and maintained through sacrifice and bizarre sexual rituals. They were proud, arrogant and utterly amoral, believing completely in their most immediate whims and nothing more.
Whatever the Great Race of Jekka might once have been, they are now a shadow and a myth, bearing no resemblance to the fanged hunters infrequently encountered by man.
From ‘A Treatise on the Unknown’ by Yacob of Leith,
Blue cleric of the One God
CHARACTER LISTING
THE PEOPLE OF RO
The house of Canarn – descended from Lord Bullvy of Canarn
Hector of Canarn – Duke of Ro Canarn – deceased
Bromvy Black Guard of Canarn (Brom) – errant lord and son of Duke Hector
Bronwyn of Canarn – daughter of Duke Hector, twin sister to Bromvy
Haake of Canarn – Duke Hector’s household guard
The house of Tiris – descended from High King Dashell Tiris
Sebastian Tiris – scion of the house of Tiris and king of Tor Funweir
Lady Alexandra – wife of King Sabastian
Bartholomew Tiris – the king’s father – deceased
Christophe Tiris – son to King Sebastian, prince of Tor Funweir – deceased
Clerics of the One God
Mobius of the Falls of Arnon – Cardinal of the Purple
Severen of Voy – Cardinal of the Purple
Brother Jakan of Tiris – Purple cleric of the sword, protector to King Sebastian Tiris
Brother Torian of Arnon – Purple cleric of the quest – deceased
Animustus of Voy – Gold cleric
Brother Lanry – Brown cleric, confessor to Duke Hector
Brother Utha the Ghost – Black cleric and old-blood of the Shadow Giants
Brother Roderick of the Falls of Arnon – Black cleric
Knights and nobles
Mortimer Rillion – Knight Commander of the Red army – deceased
Nathan of Du Ban – Knight Captain of the Red, adjutant to Knight Commander Rillion – deceased
Rashabald of Haran – executioner and knight of the Red – deceased
William of Verellian – Knight Captain of the Red
Fallon of Leith – Knight Lieutenant of the Red and the army’s finest swordsman, adjutant to Knight Captain Verellian
Tristram of Hunter’s Cross – Knight Commander of the Red
Hallam Pevain – mercenary knight
Castus of Weir – bound man and gaoler – deceased
Leon Great Claw – a knight, first master to Randall of Darkwald – deceased
Lyam of Weir – Duke of Ro Weir
Common folk
Bracha – old knight sergeant
Callis – sergeant in the Red army
Clement of Chase – watch sergeant of Ro Tiris
Elyot of the Tor – watchman of Ro Tiris
Fulton of Canarn – tavern keeper
Kale Glenwood (formerly Glen Ward) – forger, resident in Ro Tiris
Lorkesh – guardsman
Lux – watch sergeant of Ro Tiris
Lyssa – child in the Brown chapel
Mott – a bandit
Randall of Darkwald – squire to, in succession: Sir Leon Great Claw, Brother Torian of Arnon, and Brother Utha the Ghost
Robin of Tiris – watchmen of Ro Tiris
Rodgar – child in the Brown chapel
Tobin of Cozz – blacksmith and fixer
THE PEOPLE OF ROWANOCO
The Ranen of Fjorlan
The high lords of Fjorlan have, since the first, sought to keep their names alive through their children. Those of minor houses are afforded no such honour and many deliberately strike their father’s name due to dishonourable actions.
The house of Teardrop – named for Alguin Teardrop, the first high thain of Fjorlan.
Ragnar Teardrop Larsson – father to Magnus Forkbeard Ragnarsson and Algenon Teardrop Ragnarsson – deceased
Magnus Forkbeard Ragnarsson – younger brother to Algenon Teardrop Ragnarsson, priest of the Order of the Hammer, friend to Lord Bromvy – deceased
Algenon Teardrop Ragnarsson – high thain of Ranen, elder brother to Magnus Forkbeard Ragnarsson – deceased
Ingrid Teardrop Algedottir – daughter to Algenon Teardrop Ragnarsson
Alahan Teardrop Algesson – son to Algenon Teardrop Ragnarsson
Wulfrick the Enraged – axe-master of Fredericksand
Thorfin Axe Hailer – lore-master of Fredericksand
Samson the Liar – old-blood of the Ice Giants
The house of Summer Wolf – an ancient and respected house, named for Kalall Summer Wolf
Aleph Summer Wolf Kallsson – thain of Tiergarten – deceased
Halla Summer Wolf Alephsdottir – daughter to Aleph Summer Wolf, axe-maiden
Borrin Iron Beard – axe-master of Tiergarten – deceased
The house of Ursa – A new house with no honourable lineage, they name as they see fit
Rulag Ursa Bear Tamer – thain of Jarvik, father to Kalag Ursa
Rodgar – child in the Brown chapel
Kalag Ursa Rulagsson – lordling of Jarvik
Lyssa – child in the Brown chapel
Jalek Blood – axe-master of Jarvik
Survivors of the dragon fleet
Rexel Falling Cloud – axe-master of Hammerfall
Oleff Hard Head – chain-master of Fredericksand
The Ranen of the south lands
The Free Companies are common folk who earn their honour names and have never sought nobility or family names.
Wraith Company – protectors of the Grass Sea
Horrock Green Blade – captain of Wraith Company, commander of Ro Hail
Haffen Red Face – axe-master of Ro Hail
Freya Cold Eyes – wise-woman of Ro Hail
Micah Stone Dog – young axe-man of Ro Hail
Darron Moon Eye – priest – deceased
Johan Long Shadow – commander at South Warden
THE PEOPLE OF KARESI
A
The Seven Sisters – enchantresses, formerly of Jaa, now of Shub-Nillurath
Saara the Mistress of Pain – leader of the order of the Seven Sisters, bears no mark
Ameira the Lady of Spiders – a Seven Sister, marked with the sign of a spider’s web – deceased
Katja the Hand of Despair – a Seven Sister, marked with the sign of a howling wolf
Sasha the Illusionist – a Seven Sister, marked with the sign of a flowering rose
Lillian the Lady of Death – a Seven Sister, marked with the sign of a hand
Shilpa the Shadow of Lies – a Seven Sister, marked with the sign of birds in flight
Isabel the Seductress – a Seven Sister, marked with the sign of a coiled snake
The Wind Claws – men who give their life to Jaa
Dalian Thief Taker – greatest of the wind claws
Larix the Traveller – a wind claw – deceased
The Hounds – criminals serving as the Karesian army
Izra Sabal – whip-mistress of the Hounds
Turve Ramhe – whip-master of the Hounds
Common folk
Al-Hasim, prince of the wastes – exile and thief, friend to the house of Canarn
Emaniz Kabrizzi – book dealer of Ro Weir
Jenner of Rikara – Karesian smuggler, brother to Kohli
Kohli of Rikara – Karesian smuggler, brother to Jenner
Voon of Rikara – exemplar of Jaa, missing somewhere in Karesia
THE GODLESS
Kirin – a mongrel race, neither Ro nor Karesian
Rham Jas Rami – assassin, dark-blood and friend to Bromvy, Black Guard of Canarn
Zeldantor – son to Rham Jas Rami, slave to Saara the Mistress of Pain
The Dokkalfar – an ancient race of non-human forest-dwellers.
Tyr Nanon the Shape Taker – warrior of the Heart
Tyr Rafn – warrior of the Heart – deceased
Tyr Sigurd – warrior of the Heart
Tyr Vasir – a forest-dweller held captive by the men of Ro
Vithar Joror – shaman of the Heart
Vithar Jofn – shaman of the Heart
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank the following people for more help, support and love than can be adequately expressed. You all contributed to this and I really hope you enjoy it.
Simon Hall, Mark Allen, Tony Carew, Martin Cubberley, Carrie Hall, Benjamin Hesford, Marcus Holland, Paolo Trepiccione, Alex Wallis, Karl Wustrau and my mum (who thinks the swearing a little unnecessary, but read the first three chapters anyway).
ABOUT THIS BOOK
The city of Ro Canarn burns. With their father’s blood fresh upon the headsman’s sword, Lord Bromvy and Lady Bronwyn, the last scions of the house of Canarn, face fugitive exile or death. By royal decree, their noble line is now reviled, named Black Guard, and struck from past and future histories throughout the lands of Ro.
In the court of Ro Tiris, men fear to speak their minds. The Army of the Red is marching upon the North. Those who oppose its advance risk the bloody fate of house Canarn, for strange accidents befall those who dare question the King’s new advisors… Those foolish enough to speak their names call them the Seven Sisters: witches of the fire god; each as beautiful and as dangerous as a flame.
And, called from the long ages of deep time by war and sacrifice, the children of a dead god are waking with a pitiless cry—
All that was dead will rise.
All that now lives will fall…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A. J. SMITH has been devising the worlds, histories and characters of the Long War chronicles for more than a decade. He was born in Birmingham and works in secondary education.
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First published in the UK in 2013 by Head of Zeus Ltd
Copyright © A. J. Smith, 2013
The moral right of A. J. Smith to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN (E) 9781781853825
ISBN (HB) 9781781855621
ISBN (XTPB) 9781781855638
Typeset by Ben Cracknell Studios
Printed in Germany
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