by David Weber
“And Gwylym,” he replied over his own built-in com, sapphire eyes hard as he watched the trembling Grand Inquisitor with the noose about his neck. “Everyone else the bastard had murdered.”
“I know. But we’ve come a long way from where you started, Merlin. A long way.”
“Maybe. But we’ve got an even longer way to go, and there’s that ‘Archangels’ return’ to worry about. The way Duchairn’s salvaging the Church, finding some way to deal with that should keep us … occupied.”
“Of course it will,” Nahrmahn Baytz’ voice said. “But since you’re so fond of Churchill quotes, what about this one? ‘This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.’”
* * *
Byrk Raimahn waited another ten, slow seconds. Then he stepped back.
“Very well,” he said coldly, and nodded to the executioner.
The trap opened, the rope snapped tight, and the body jerked once as the neck broke cleanly. There was a sound from the watching crowd. Not of jubilation, not of celebration. Only a vast, wordless sigh.
* * *
“I don’t know how it looks from your perspective, Merlin,” Nahrmahn said quietly, “but from mine? It’s been one hell of a beginning, my friend.”
Merlin gazed at the body, watching it sway slowly, and put his hands on Nynian’s shoulders. She covered the hand on her right shoulder with her own and turned her head to look up at him. He looked away from the body, meeting her eyes, and smiled slowly.
“It has that, Nahrmahn, it has that. And if we’ve got a long way to go,” he squeezed Nynian’s shoulders gently, “at least we’ve got good company for the trip.”
Author’s Note
Some of you may have noticed that there is no character list in this book. Some of you may have felt a certain relief that there’s no character list in this book.
A combination of factors came together to cause its omission this time around. Part of it was the simple length of the manuscript and the thought of what adding another forty thousand or so words to it would have done in terms of my readers’ skeletal muscular injuries. Part of it was that I was delayed getting the book in and that, in fact, Tor has done a remarkable job to get it through production in time for delivery.
And part of it was that I intend—eventually—to post a comprehensive list of all the characters in all the Safehold novels on my website at davidweber.net. I will also be posting the master electronic map of Safehold. It requires some work before it’s ready for prime time, however, and the same is true of the character list. So if you come looking for either of them in the immediate future, you probably won’t find them. Give me another month or so, and you should be able to.
Thanks for coming along for the ride this far. I promise Merlin still has lots more story to tell.
Glossary
Abbey of Saint Evehlain—the sister abbey of the Monastery of Saint Zherneau.
Abbey of the Snows—an abbey of the Sisters of Chihiro of the Quill located in the Mountains of Light above Langhorne’s Tears. Although it is a working abbey of Chihiro, all of the nuns of the abbey are also Sisters of Saint Kohdy and the abbey serves as protection and cover for Saint Kohdy’s tomb. The Abbey of the Snows is built on the foundation of a pre-Armageddon Reef structure, which is reputed to have been a resort house for Eric Langhorne before his death.
Angle-glass—Charisian term for a periscope.
Angora lizard—a Safeholdian “lizard” with a particularly luxuriant, cashmere-like coat. They are raised and sheared as sheep and form a significant part of the fine-textiles industry.
Anshinritsumei—“the little fire” from the Holy Writ; the lesser touch of God’s spirit and the maximum enlightenment of which mortals are capable.
Ape lizard—ape lizards are much larger and more powerful versions of monkey lizards. Unlike monkey lizards, they are mostly ground dwellers, although they are capable of climbing trees suitable to bear their weight. The great mountain ape lizard weighs as much as nine hundred or a thousand pounds, whereas the plains ape lizard weighs no more than a hundred to a hundred and fifty pounds. Ape lizards live in families of up to twenty or thirty adults, and whereas monkey lizards will typically flee when confronted with a threat, ape lizards are much more likely to respond by attacking the threat. It is not unheard of for two or three ape lizard “families” to combine forces against particularly dangerous predators, and even a great dragon will generally avoid such a threat.
Archangels, The—central figures of the Church of God Awaiting. The Archangels were senior members of the command crew of Operation Ark who assumed the status of divine messengers, guides, and guardians in order to control and shape the future of human civilization on Safehold.
ASP—Artillery Support Party, the term used to describe teams of ICA officers and noncoms specially trained to call for and coordinate artillery support. ASPs may be attached at any level, from the division down to the company or even platoon, and are equipped with heliographs, signal flags, runners, and/or messenger wyverns.
Bahnyta—the name Seijin Kohdy assigned to his hikousen.
Band—the AoG and Harchongese equivalent of an army corps. The word “corps” itself can’t be used because of the Inquisition’s opposition to the adoption of that “heresy-tainted” term.
Blink lizard—a small, bioluminescent winged lizard. Although it’s about three times the size of a firefly, it fills much the same niche on Safehold.
Blue leaf—a woody, densely growing native Safeholdian tree or shrub very similar to mountain laurel. It bears white or yellow flowers in season and takes its name from the waxy blue cast of its leaves.
Bombsweeper—the Imperial Charisian Navy’s name for a minesweeper.
Borer—a form of Safeholdian shellfish which attaches itself to the hulls of ships or the timbers of wharves by boring into them. There are several types of borer: the most destructive of which continually eat their way deeper into any wooden structure, whereas some less destructive varieties eat only enough of the structure to anchor themselves and actually form a protective outer layer which gradually builds up a coral-like surface. Borers and rot are the two most serious threats (aside, of course, from fire) to wooden hulls.
Briar berries—any of several varieties of native Safeholdian berries which grow on thorny bushes.
Cat-lizard—furry lizard about the size of a terrestrial cat. They are kept as pets and are very affectionate.
Catamount—a smaller version of the Safeholdian slash lizard. The catamount is very fast and smarter than its larger cousin, which means it tends to avoid humans. It is, however, a lethal and dangerous hunter in its own right.
Chamberfruit—a native Safeholdian plant similar to a terrestrial calabash gourd. The chamberfruit is grown both as a food source and as a naturally produced container. There are several varieties of chamberfruit, and one common use for it is in the construction of foamstone pipes for smoking.
Cherrybean tea—a “tea” made from the beans (seeds) of the cherrybean tree, especially favored in Emerald and Tarot and a highly esteemed luxury in North Harchong and the Temple Lands, although its expense limits it to a very wealthy group of consumers.
Cherrybean tree—the Safeholdian name for coffee trees. There is only one variety on Safehold, a version of robusta genetically engineered to survive in a wider range of climates. The cherrybean tree is still limited to a fairly narrow belt of equatorial and near equatorial Safehold because of the planet’s lower average temperatures.
Chewleaf—a mildly narcotic leaf from a native Safeholdian plant. It is used much as terrestrial chewing tobacco over much of the planet’s surface.
Choke tree—a low-growing species of tree native to Safehold. It comes in many varieties and is found in most of the planet’s climate zones. It is dense-growing, tough, and difficult to eradicate, but it requires quite a lot of sunlight to flourish, which means it is seldom found in mature old-growth forests
.
Church of Charis—the schismatic church which split from the Church of God Awaiting following the Group of Four’s effort to destroy the Kingdom of Charis.
Church of God Awaiting—the church and religion created by the command staff of Operation Ark to control the colonists and their descendants and prevent the reemergence of advanced technology.
Cliff bear—a Safeholdian mammal which somewhat resembles a terrestrial grizzly bear crossed with a raccoon. It has the facial “mask” markings of a raccoon and round, marsupial ears. Unlike terrestrial bears, however, cliff bears are almost exclusively carnivorous.
Cliff lizard—a six-limbed, oviparous mammal native to Safehold. Male cliff lizards average between one hundred and fifty and two hundred and fifty pounds in weight and fill much the same niche as bighorn mountain sheep.
Commentaries, The—the authorized interpretations and doctrinal expansions upon the Holy Writ. They represent the officially approved and Church-sanctioned interpretation of the original Scripture.
Composition D—The Charisian name for TNT.
Cotton silk—a plant native to Safehold which shares many of the properties of silk and cotton. It is very lightweight and strong, but the raw fiber comes from a plant pod which is even more filled with seeds than Old Earth cotton. Because of the amount of hand labor required to harvest and process the pods and to remove the seeds from it, cotton silk is very expensive.
Council of Vicars—the Church of God Awaiting’s equivalent of the College of Cardinals.
Course lizard—one of several species of very fast, carnivorous lizards bred and trained to run down prey. Course lizard breeds range in size from the Tiegelkamp course lizard, somewhat smaller than a terrestrial greyhound, to the Gray Wall course lizard, with a body length of over five feet and a maximumn weight of close to two hundred and fifty pounds.
Crusher serpent—a huge Safeholdian predator roughly analogous to a boa constrictor. Crusher serpents are warm blooded, which better suits them to Safehold’s colder climate, and can reach lengths of up to sixty feet. They are ambush hunters which prefer flight to fight in threat situations, and they can sometimes be faced down even by relatively small prey animals. Nonetheless, they are fearsome foes if cornered and have been known to take down even adolescent slash lizards.
Dagger thorn—a native Charisian shrub, growing to a height of perhaps three feet at maturity, which possesses knife-edged thorns from three to seven inches long, depending upon the variety.
Dandelion—the Safeholdian dandelion grows to approximately twice the size of the Terrestrial plant for which it is named but is otherwise extremely similar in appearance and its seeds disperse in very much the same fashion.
De Castro marble—a densely swirled, rosy marble from the de Castro Mountains of North Harchong which is prized by sculptors, especially for religious and Church art.
Decrees of Schueler—the codified internal directives, regulations, and procedure manual of the Office of the Inqusition.
Deep-mouth wyvern—the Safeholdian equivalent of a pelican.
Doomwhale—the most dangerous predator of Safehold, although, fortunately, it seldom bothers with anything as small as humans. Doomwhales have been known to run to as much as one hundred feet in length, and they are pure carnivores. Each doomwhale requires a huge range, and encounters with them are rare, for which human beings are just as glad, thank you. Doomwhales will eat anything … including the largest krakens. They have been known, on extremely rare occasions, to attack merchant ships and war galleys.
Double-glass or Double-spyglass—Charisian term for binoculars.
Dragon—the largest native Safeholdian land life-form. Dragons come in two varieties: the common dragon (generally subdivided into jungle dragons and hill dragons) and the carnivorous great dragon. See Great dragon.
Eye-cheese—Safeholdian name for Swiss cheese.
Fallen, The—the Archangels, angels, and mortals who followed Shan-wei in her rebellion against God and the rightful authority of the Archangel Langhorne. The term applies to all of Shan-wei’s adherents, but is most often used in reference to the angels and Archangels who followed her willingly rather than the mortals who were duped into obeying her.
False silver—Safeholdian name for antimony.
Fire striker—Charisian term for a cigarette lighter.
Fire vine—a large, hardy, fast-growing Safeholdian vine. Its runners can exceed two inches in diameter, and the plant is extremely rich in natural oils. It is considered a major hazard to human habitations, especially in areas which experience arid, dry summers, because of its very high natural flammability and because its oil is poisonous to humans and terrestrial species of animals. The crushed vine and its seed pods, however, are an important source of lubricating oils, and it is commercially cultivated in some areas for that reason.
Fire willow—a Safeholdian evergeen tree native to East Haven’s temperate and subarctic regions. Fire willow seldom grows much above five meters in height and has long, streamer-like leaves. It prefers relatively damp growing conditions and produces dense clusters of berries ranging in color from a bright orange to scarlet.
Fire wing—Safeholdian term for a cavalry maneuver very similar to the Terran caracole, in which mounted troops deliver pistol fire against infantry at close quarters. It is also designed to be used against enemy cavalry under favorable conditions.
Fist of Kau-Yung—the unofficial name assigned to Helm Cleaver and its operatives by agents inquisitor attempting to combat the organization.
Five-day—a Safeholdian “week,” consisting of only five days, Monday through Friday.
Flange-beam—Safeholdian term used for what a Terran engineer would call an “I-beam.”
Fleming moss—an absorbent moss native to Safehold which was genetically engineered by Shan-wei’s terraforming crews to possess natural antibiotic properties. It is a staple of Safeholdian medical practice.
Foamstone—the Safeholdian equivalent of meerschaum. This light-colored, soft stone takes its name from the same source as meerschaum, since it is occasionally found floating in the Gulf of Tanshar. Its primary use is in the construction of incense burners for the Church of God Awaiting and in the manufacture of tobacco pipes and cigar holders.
Forktail—one of several species of native Safeholdian fish which fill an ecological niche similar to that of the Old Earth herring.
Fox-lizard—a warm-blooded, six-limbed Safeholdian omnivore, covered with fur, which ranges from a dull russet color to a very dark gray. Most species of fox-lizard are capable of climbing trees. They range in length from forty to forty-eight inches, have bushy tails approximately twenty-five inches long, and weigh between twenty and thirty pounds.
Gbaba—a star-traveling, xenophobic species whose reaction to encounters with any possibly competing species is to exterminate it. The Gbaba completely destroyed the Terran Federation and, so far as is known, all human beings in the galaxy aside from the population of Safehold.
Glynfych Distillery—a Chisholmian distillery famous throughout Safehold for the quality of its whiskeys.
Golden berry—a tree growing to about ten feet in height which thrives in most Safeholdian climates. A tea brewed from its leaves is a sovereign specific for motion sickness and nausea.
Grass lizard—a Safeholdian herbivore, somewhat larger than a Terrestrial German Shepherd, which is regarded as a serious pest by farmers. There are several subspecies, which are found almost everywhere outside the arctic regions.
Grasshopper—a Safeholdian insect analogue which grows to a length of as much as nine inches and is carnivorous. Fortunately, they do not occur in the same numbers as terrestrial grasshoppers.
Gray-horned wyvern—a nocturnal flying predator of Safehold. It is roughly analogous to a terrestrial owl.
Gray mists—the Safeholdian term for Alzheimer’s disease.
Great dragon—the largest and most dangerous land carnivore of Safehold. The great dragon isn’t actually re
lated to hill dragons or jungle dragons at all, despite some superficial physical resemblances. In fact, it’s more of a scaled-up slash lizard, with elongated jaws and sharp, serrated teeth. It has six limbs and, unlike the slash lizard, is covered in thick, well-insulated hide rather than fur.
Group of Four—the four vicars who dominate and effectively control the Council of Vicars of the Church of God Awaiting.
Gun dogs—ICA infantry and cavalry nickname for their own army’s artillerists.
Hairatha Dragons—the Hairatha professional baseball team. The traditional rivals of the Tellesberg Krakens for the Kingdom Championship.
Hake—a Safeholdian fish. Like most “fish” native to Safehold, it has a very long, sinuous body but the head does resemble a terrestrial hake or cod, with a hooked jaw.
Hammer-islander—Safeholdian term for a sou’wester; a waterproof foul-weather hat made of oilskin or tarred canvas. It takes its name from Hammer Island, which experiences some of the harshest weather on Safehold.
Hand of Kau-Yung—the name applied by agents of the Inquisition to the anti-Group of Four organization established in Zion by Aivah Pahrsahn/Ahnzhelyk Phonda.
Helm Cleaver—the name of Seijin Kohdy’s “magic sword,” and also the name assigned by Nynian Rychtair to the covert action organization created in parallel with the Sisters of Saint Kohdy.
High-angle gun—a relatively short, stubby artillery piece with a carriage specially designed to allow higher angles of fire in order to lob gunpowder-filled shells in high, arcing trajectories. The name is generally shortened to “angle-gun” by the gun crews themselves.
High Hallows—a very tough, winter-hardy breed of horses.
Highland lilly—a native Safeholdian perenial flowering plant. It grows to a height of 3 to 4 feet and bears a pure white, seven-lobed flower 8 to 9 inches across. Its flower is the symbol of martyrdom for the Church of God Awaiting.