by Lynn Vieh
hellchild: a child believed to be demon-possessed and therefore impervious to magic
Herself: slang term for the queen of England
hidey-holes: small, concealed places in houses for people to hide in or use to spy on someone
Hill, the: an area of Rumsen where most of the wealthy and titled reside
H.M.: abbreviation for Her Majesty
hothead: woman with red hair
illuminator: a device that works like a primitive film projector
Independence: freedom from English rule
johnnies: men who hire prostitutes
keroseel: a combination of seal, whale, or fish oil and kerosene
keyfob: a chain-and-loop key ring, carried by men
keylace: a ribbon key ring, worn around a woman’s wrist
kipbag: mesh tote
kneecappers: criminal enforcers who use clubs to shatter the knees of their victims
knickers: underwear
lampflies: fireflies
lass: girl (affectionate, proper)
lav: lavatory
loo: toilet
loomgel: a girl or woman who works in a menial position at a textile factory
loomworks: textile factory
loon: a mentally disturbed person
loon herder: an orderly at an asylum
loonhouse: asylum for the mentally disturbed
Lost Timers: brigades of English and Italian soldiers who became lost in the Bréchéliant forest and were there possessed by Aramanthan spirits
lungfever: slang for influenza
mage: magic practitioner
magis, magistrate: judge
maiden night: the first time a virginal woman has sex with her husband; term often used for betting purposes by men who want to break an engagement
mariners: sailors
matchit: a disposable, one-use lighter
mate: friend
mech: a mechanic; anything mechanical
mechworks: mechanical rooms
mercantile: a shop selling some variety of merchandise
Middleway: industrial Torian city located on the Great Lakes; also called Middy
mixpot: mixing bowl
mole: city underground worker
nappy: diaper, women’s panties
navyman: a current or former member of H.M.’s naval forces
necktwister: assassin
negli: negligee
netherside: the spirit world, invisible to ordinary mortals; the source of magic power
new industry: the beginning of the industrial age in Toriana
New Parliament: governing body of Torian officials who petition the Crown and enforce the Queen’s legislation; the Torian version of Congress
nightstone: a semiprecious mineral used to contain the spirits of long-dead mages and Aramanthan wizards
Nihon: Japan, Japanese
nits: head lice
nobber: private security guard hired by Hill residents to patrol their streets and keep out any undesirables
Norders: people from the North of England
nozzer: nose; a face mask used with a portable oxygen tank
nudie: a flesh-colored garment worn to give the illusion of nudity under a semitransparent gown or overgarment
Occupancy, the: a period of thirty years after the Rebellion failed during which Toriana was occupied by English troops and governed by martial law
on the stroll: working on the streets (said of prostitutes)
pain powder: a mild opiate or analgesic
partymage: a magic practitioner who uses his power to entertain
pasturelands: farm lands
penders: suspenders
physick: doctor
piesafe: kitchen cabinet where food is stored
piper: plumber
pong: stink
portents: predictions or signs of future events
portints: portraits made from ambrotype photographs that are hand-painted to colorize
posh, posher: wealthy aristocrat
poxbox: diseased prostitute
prayerhouse: the Fleers’ religious gathering places
privy: restroom
prodder: iron fireplace poker
prommy: the promenade in the city’s central park used by horseback riders and carris
pyre: crematorium
queensland, the: England
Queen’s Voice, The: the Crown’s official newspaper
questioning: police interrogation at New Scotland Yard
rasher: strip of bacon
red joy, ruddy joy: opium
redcoats: English militia
redstone: brick
reticule: purse
rondella: an automated carousel-type apparatus
rounder: a rubber carri tire
rub: massage
Rumsen: major city on the west coast of Toriana, roughly equivalent to San Francisco in the United States
satchel: tote bag carried by women
scrabbler: a person who makes a living by scavenging
scram: salvage
seeing: an act by a fortune-teller of predicting a client’s future
seeking: an act by a fortune-teller of finding someone or something
Settle: Seattle
shaman: a native Torian holy man
shopkeep: shop proprietor
short sheet: a hastily printed, illegal daily list of horse races and other events for the purpose of placing bets
silverblack: chemicals used to etch photographed images on ambrotype plates
skip: boat
Skirmish, the: a recent, brief naval conflict between England and Spain
slaterow: a row house with slate shingles
snuff: kill
snuffballs: hollow glass spheres filled with magically enhanced poisons like bloodbane that kill on contact, used like grenades
snuffmages: mage assassins who generally work in teams of two
Son, the: Jesus Christ
soother: chamomile herbal infusion, usually added to tea, to relax, relieve stress, and help with insomnia
Southern Church: a Baptist version of Church of England, begun in the southern provinces of Toriana, tolerated by traditionalists
sparkglass: a substance made of various minerals such as mica, galena, and silica that have been ground to a fine dust and mixed with exterior paint in order to create sparkle
spellcraft: the methods and materials used by magic practitioners to cast spells
squawks: slur for native Torian females
stones: testicles
streaky: a carri’s copper sideboards from which the black paint is wearing off or has been stripped off to simulate wear
strumpet: prostitute
sweet Mary: Mary, mother of Jesus
sweets: candy
switch: wig
Talia, Talian: The Torian universe’s version of Italy, Italians
tealass: a girl or woman who sells hot tea and cakes in a café or from a street cart
teller: fortune-teller
tenner: ten-pound note
Tillers: a secret society comprising important political, business, and social figures
timepiece: watch
tinnery: a factory where fresh fish and other perishables are processed and canned in tin containers
tint: a paper-copy image printed from an ambrotype glass plate; makeup used to redden cheeks and lips
tinter: device used to imprint images on ambrotype glass plates
tintest: a professional ambrotype plate developer and tint maker
to let: available for rent
tonners: members of high society
Toriana: short name for Provincial Union of Victoriana, the alternate-history name for the United States
tosser: a drunk
trade: business
trolling: looking for work
trunch: a wooden baton carried by beaters
tubes: a system of pneumatic pipes that deliver goods and food across the
city
tunneler: an underground city worker who polices the subsurface tunnels and keeps the city’s tube in operation
understair: belowground level of building; cellar or basement
unjammer: a mechanical snakelike device used to unblock tubes
uptoppers: above street level
vicar: priest of the Torianglican Church
waders: thigh-high protective rubber boots
waister: a wide cummerbund-type belt made of fabric that females wear around their waists to cover the joining of skirts and bodices
warders: magic practitioners who create protective charms and spells to protect people, possessions, and property
wardling: an object used as a protective charm
warren: a tunneler’s assigned work area
watershed: raincoat
Welshires: people from Wales
whitecart: horse-drawn conveyance used to transport the wounded to hospital or the mentally disturbed to asylum
wichcart: a street cart that sells sandwiches
willowbark: herbal remedy for headaches and hangovers (equivalent to aspirin)
winge: slang for an older, grouchy person
Yard, the: short name for New Scotland Yard
zoopraxiscope: a device that uses images on glass disks as the first form of stop-motion projection
Connect with the author
Since 2000, Lynn Viehl has published fifty novels in nine genres, including her New York Times bestselling Darkyn series, the StarDoc science fiction series (as S. L. Viehl), and the Tales from Grace Chapel Inn series (as Rebecca Kelly). Ranked as one of the top-one-hundred female, top-fifty book, and top-ten science fiction author bloggers on the Internet, Ms. Viehl hosts Paperback Writer, a popular industry weblog she has updated daily since 2004 with free market info, working advice, and online resources for all writers.
VISIT HER ONLINE
At her blog, Paperback Writer: http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/
At the Disenchanted & Co. blog: http://toriana.blogspot.com/
Where it all began—
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 by Sheila Kelly
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First Pocket Star Books ebook edition October 2013
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Designed by Akasha Archer
Cover illustration by Gordon Crabb
ISBN 978-1-4767-2234-4
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
GLOSSARY
CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR