A massive serpent with over two hundred and fifty heads growing out of the full length of its body. Although jabbits rarely leave the Quag, little can halt their attack once they are on the blood scent. Jabbits can easily overtake Wugs and have fangs in each head full of enough poison to drop a creta.
Learning ′lr-ning
The institution youngs attend until the age of twelve sessions. It is at Learning that youngs gain skills necessary for work in Wormwood.
light ′līt
The time of sunlight between one night and the next.
Loons, the ′loons
A boardinghouse on the High Street.
lycan ′lī-kin
A beast of the Quag covered in long, straight hair, whose bite turns its victims into its own kind. The tall, powerfully built lycan walks on two legs and wields its sharp fangs and claws to attack its prey.
Maladon ′mal--dän
From the Wugish word for “terrible death,” an ancient race whose highest calling is to inflict terrible death on others. A sessions-long war between the Maladons and Wugmorts forced the Wugs to found the village of Wormwood, around which they conjured the Quag for protection.
Maladon Castle ′mal--dän kæ-sl
The headquarters of the Maladon race. It is here that Necro dwells, and also where the Maladons torture and enslave their enemies.
maniack ′mā-nē-ak
An evil spirit that can attach to a body and mind, driving a Wug irreversibly mad with every fear he or she has ever had.
manticore ′man-t-kr
A swift, treacherous beast indigenous to the Quag with the head of a lion, the tail of a serpent and the body of a goat. Over twice the height of an average Wug and three times the width, the manticore’s most formidable features are its abilities to read minds and breathe fire.
Mill, the ′mil
A place of work in Wormwood where flour and other grains are refined.
morta ′mr-t
A long- or short-barreled metal projectile weapon.
Noc ′näk
The large, round, milky-white object in the heavens that shines at night.
Ordinaries ′rdnriz
Those who do not possess magical abilities.
Outlier ′aut-lī-r
A threatening two-legged creature that lives in the Quag and can pass as a Wugmort. Outliers are believed to be able to control the minds of Wugs and make them do their bidding.
Quag, the ′kwäg
A forest that encircles Wormwood and is home to all manner of fierce creatures and Outliers. It is widely believed among Wugmorts that nothing exists beyond the Quag.
remnant ′rem-nnt
A collection of memories from an assortment of Wugs; an embodied record of their remembrances.
Saint Necros ′sınt n-kros
The church in True where the people come to worship. It is named after Necro, the leader of the Maladons, who insists on being worshipped by all.
Seer-See ′sē-ir ′sē
A prophetical instrument used by sorcerers to view other places. The Seer-See consists of sand thrown into a pewter cup of flaming liquid, the contents of which are then poured onto a table to display a moving picture of a distant location.
session ′se-shn
A unit of time equal to three hundred and sixty-five lights.
slep ′slep
A magnificent Wormwood creature characterized by its noble head, long tail, six legs and beautiful coat. It is said that sleps were once able to fly, and that the slight indentations noticeable on their withers now mark the spot from which their wings grew.
sliver ′sli-vr
A small unit or brief period of time.
Stacks ′staks
A large brick building in Wormwood where items for trade and consumption are produced.
Steeples ′stē-pls
A place the majority of Wugmorts go every seventh light to listen to a sermonizer.
True ′tru
The first town that Vega and her friends encounter. It is seemingly filled with happy people, but has sinister secrets.
unicorn ′yoo-n-krn
A noble and gentle beast characterized by a brilliantly white coat and mane of gold, with shiny black eyes and a regal horn the color of silver. The soft horn of the unicorn is known to defeat all poisons, but can only be obtained by convincing the unicorn to surrender it freely or by killing the beast outright.
Valhall ′val-hal
The prison of Wormwood, set in public in the center of the village.
Victus ′vık-tus
The name given by the Maladons to those they enslave.
wendigo ′wen-d-gō
A malevolent spirit that can possess whatever it devours. This ghastly, quasi-transparent creature lives throughout the Quag but is predominant in the Mycanmoor. Signs that a wendigo is nearby are a vague feeling of terror and a sense that the facts stored in your head are being replaced by residual memories of the prey the wendigo has devoured.
whist ′wist
A large, domesticated hound of Wormwood known for its impressive speed.
Wugmort (Wug for short) ′wg-mort (′wg)
A citizen of Wormwood.
In writing the third installment of the Vega Jane saga, I had a tremendous amount of support that made the story far better. To the folks listed on this page, Vega and I thank you!
To Rachel Griffiths, David Levithan, Mallory Kass, Julie Amitie, Charisse Meloto, Dick Robinson, Ellie Berger, Lori Benton, Dave Ascher, Elizabeth Parisi, Gabe Rumbaut, Evangelos Vasilakis, Rachel Gluckstern, Sue Flynn, Nikki Mutch and the whole sales team at Scholastic, for helping me send Vega and her friends headlong into yet another world.
To Venetia Gosling, Kat McKenna, Catherine Alport, Sarah Clarke, Rachel Vale, Alyx Price, Tracey Ridgewell, Lucy Pearse, Trisha Jackson, Jeremy Trevathan, Katie James, Lee Dibble, Sarah McLean, Charlotte Williams, Stacey Hamilton, Geoff Duffield, Leanne Williams, Stuart Dwyer, Anna Bond, Jonathan Atkins, Sara Lloyd and Alex Saunders at Pan Macmillan, for always being so wonderfully enthusiastic and supportive.
To Steven Maat and the entire Bruna team, for introducing Vega and Company to Holland.
To Aaron Priest, for two decades of great advice and counsel.
To Arleen Priest, Lucy Childs Baker, Lisa Erbach Vance, Frances Jalet-Miller, John Richmond, and Matt Belford for allowing me to focus on the books.
To Kristen White and Michelle Butler, for keeping Columbus Rose and me going strong.
David Baldacci is a global #1 bestselling author. His books are published in over forty-five languages and in more than eighty countries; over 110 million copies are in print. His works have been adapted for both feature film and television. He is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation®, which supports literacy efforts across America. David and his family live in Virginia.
Copyright © 2017 by Columbus Rose, Ltd.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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First edition, March 2017
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