økkspill—a game similar to darts. The name literally means “axe games.” It involves a board with three bull’s-eyes—in white, black, and gold, respectively—and five kasteren axes.
Omte—one of the smaller troll kingdoms, only slightly more populous than the Skojare. Omte trolls are known to be rude and somewhat ill-tempered. They still practice changelings but pick families of lower class than the Trylle and Kanin. Unlike the other tribes, the Omte tend to be less attractive in appearance. The Omte split off from the Vittra tribe in circa 1280 CE, when Dag felt like the Vittra favored the smaller hobgoblins and more conventionally attractive “humanoid” trolls. He took the ogres and established the tribe in Fulaträsk. Since 1280 CE, they have had forty monarchs—much more than any other tribe. The high turnover rate among Omte monarchs is due to their violent lifestyle, compromised immune systems, and lower intelligence. They are currently in the Torian Dynasty, with the widowed Queen Regent Bodil Elak ruling until her son Crown Prince Furston Elak comes of age in 2028.
Ondarike, Colorado—the capital city of the Vittra. The Queen and the majority of the powerful Vittra live within the palace there. It is located in northern Colorado, near Walden in the mountains.
Oslinna, Wyoming—a Trylle village that was decimated by the Vittra in 2010, but it has been slowly rebuilding. It is near Gillette, Wyoming.
Ottawa, Ontario—a city in eastern Ontario. It is the second-most populous city in Ontario.
Överste—a position in the Kanin military. In times of war, the Överste is the officer in charge of commanding the soldiers. The Överste does not decide any battle plans, but instead receives orders from the King or the Chancellor.
persuasion—a form of psychokinesis that is a mild form of mind control. The ability to cause another person to act a certain way based on thoughts.
peurojen—the one in charge of the giant woolly elk, similar to a shepherd.
precognition—a form of psychokinesis that is knowledge of something before its occurrence, especially by extrasensory perception.
psionic—referring to the practical use of psychic powers or paranormal phenomena.
psionic stun gun (PSG)—a weapon similar to a Taser or stun gun, but instead of electricity, it runs on psionic power.
psychokinesis—a blanket term for the production or control of motion, especially in inanimate and remote objects, purportedly by the exercise of psychic powers. This can include mind control, precognition, telekinesis, biological healing, teleportation, and transmutation.
Rektor—the Kanin in charge of trackers. The Rektor works with new recruits, helps with placement, and generally keeps the trackers organized and functioning.
rose hip soup—a soup common in Sweden, with a deep rosy color and sweet-tart tang. Rose hips, which ripen long after the rose blooms have faded, can be dried to enjoy all year and serve as an important source of vitamin C in northern countries.
Sámi—the indigenous peoples of the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia. Also known as Sami, Saami, or Fenni. They have historically had an appearance similar to Inuit and other First Nation peoples.
semla—a Scandinavian sweet roll made of wheat bread, whipped cream, and almond paste. It is similar to a cream puff.
Sintvann, North Carolina—an Omte city located in the Great Dismal Swamp in North Carolina. The name means “Angry Waters.”
Skojare—the aquatic tribe of trolls that is nearly extinct. They require large amounts of fresh water to survive, and one-third of their population possess gills that allow them to breathe underwater. Once plentiful, only about five thousand Skojare are left on the entire planet. In circa 1300 CE, Aun the Blue broke off from the Kanin tribe, heading south from Doldastam for a warmer water source. He took all the gilled trolls with him and established the Skojare in Storvatten. They have had twenty-four monarchs since 1300 CE, and they are currently in the Rolfian Dynasty, with King Mikko Rune. His daughter, the Crown Princess Lisbet “Libby” Biâelse, is next in line for the throne.
Storvatten, Ontario—the capital and largest city of the Skojare, and it is home to the palace and the Skojare royal family. It is situated on Lake Superior, not too far from Thunder Bay, Ontario, with a population of over fifteen hundred in 2019.
Sverige—the name for Sweden in Swedish.
Tonåren—in the Skojare society, a time when teenagers seek to explore the human world and escape the isolation of Storvatten. Most teens return home within a few weeks. Similar to Rumspringa.
Tower of Avanor—the tower in the Mimirin where the lineage and ancestry records are stored.
tracker—a member of troll society who is specifically trained to track down changelings and bring them home. Trackers have no paranormal abilities, other than the affinity to tune in to their particular changeling. They are able to sense danger to their charge and can determine the distance between them. The lowest form of troll society, other than mänsklig.
Tralla horse—a powerful draft horse, larger than a Shire horse or a Clydesdale, originating in Scandinavia and only known to be bred among the Kanin. Once used as a workhorse because they can handle the cold and snow, now they are usually used for show, such as in parades or during celebrations.
triskelion—a symbol consisting of three lines radiating from a center.
troglecology—a branch of biology in the Mimirin devoted to studying the relationships between trolls and the environment around them and with each other. It is derived from the words troglodyte (Latin for “troll”) and ecology (the branch of biology dealing with the relationships of organisms with their environment and with each other).
troll of mixed blood (TOMB)—any troll that has parents that are not of the same tribe. This includes both full-TOMBs (both parents are trolls) and half-TOMBs (one parent is a troll, one parent is human). By using People First Language, it is more inclusive and socially acceptable compared to half-breed, half-blood, or halvblud. There are fifteen distinct types of TOMBs (ten full-TOMB, five half-TOMB). They are as follows:
KanHu (Kanin & human)
KanOm (Kanin & Omte)
OmHu (Omte & human)
OmTry (Omte & Trylle)
Omttra (Omte & Vittra)
SkoHu (Skojare & human)
Skomte (Skojare & Omte)
Skonin (Skojare & Kanin)
SkoTry (Skojare & Trylle)
TryHu (Trylle & human)
Trynin (Trylle & Kanin)
VittHu (Vittra & human)
Vittjare (Vittra & Skojare)
VittKa (Vittra & Kanin)
Vittrylle (Vittra & Trylle)
Trylle—the beautiful trolls with powers of psychokinesis and for whom the practice of changelings is a cornerstone of their society. Like all trolls, they are ill-tempered and cunning, and often selfish. They were once plentiful, but their numbers and abilities are fading, though they are still one of the largest tribes of trolls. They are considered peaceful. The Trylle became a tribe in 1510 CE, when Aldaril became fed up with the inept Kanin King Harald. He went south, taking many wealthy nobles with him, and established the Trylle in Förening along the Mississippi River. They have had twenty-one monarchs since 1510 CE, and they are currently in the Mógilian Dynasty, with Queen Wendy Staad. Her son, Crown Prince Oliver Staad, is next in line for the throne.
tupilaq—an Inuit word meaning “witch” or “shaman.”
ullaakuut—an Inuit word that means “good morning.”
valknut—a symbol sometimes known as the “warrior knot.” It consists of three interlocked triangles, and it’s frequently seen on Norse artifacts.
Viliätten—House of Vili, the oldest troll dynasty. See Vilings Dynasty.
Vilinga Saga—the document that explains the lineage of the troll monarchy that Ulla is archiving. The opening lines of the saga are as follows: “One war-king called Vili; with his House of Vilings, went to the Western Lands, to conquer all that they would find.”
Vilings Dynasty—the oldest dynasty in troll history. It is the only dy
nasty of the united kingdom of trolls. It ran from circa 770 CE with Vili in Áibmoráigi, Scandinavia, and ended with the feuding brothers Jorund the Elder of the Vittra in North America and Norund the Younger of the Kanin in the already established Doldastam, in circa 1200 CE. In circa 1040 CE, Asa the Cold and many of the trolls fled from Scandinavia out of fear of the war on paganism. They sailed with Vikings over to North America and relocated the troll capital from Áibmoráigi to Doldastam.
Vittra—a more violent faction of trolls whose powers lie in physical strength and longevity, although some mild psychokinesis is not unheard-of. They also suffer from idiopathic infertility, with increased frequency in the past century. While Vittra are generally beautiful in appearance, more than fifty percent of their offspring are born as hobgoblins, and a quarter of their attractive populations are born with dwarfism. The Vittra are one of the oldest tribes, having been the first one to split off from the Kanin in circa 1200 CE, when the feuding brothers Norund the Younger and Jorund the Elder disagreed about staying in the north. Jorund went south, establishing the Vittra in Ondarike. He took all of the strong, less attractive trolls with him, leading to eventual creation of the ogres and hobgoblins. In circa 1280 CE, Dag broke off from the Vittra, fearing they were favoring the hobgoblins and more attractive “humanoid” trolls. He led the ogres down to Fulaträsk and established the Omte. Despite being the second-oldest tribe, the Vittra have had the fewest monarchs, in large part due to their supernatural longevity. They have had twenty-one monarchs since their establishment in circa 1200 CE, and they are currently in the Sarafina Dynasty with Queen Sara Elsing.
War for the Princess—a 2009–2010 violent conflict between the Vittra and the Trylle over their shared heir, then Crown Princess Wendy Luella Dahl. Wendy chose to be with the Trylle, and after her coronation as Queen, the Trylle attacked the Vittra, and they defeated the Vittra with the execution of their King, Oren Elsing.
woollies—another name for the “giant woolly elk.” See Irish elk.
The
LOST
CITY
Amanda Hocking lives in Minnesota, had never sold a book before April 2010 and has now sold her millionth. She is ‘the most spectacular example of an author striking gold through ebooks’, according to the Observer. In her own words, Amanda is an obsessive tweeter, John Hughes mourner, Batman devotee, Muppets activist and unicorn enthusiast. Her books include the Trylle trilogy, the Kanin Chronicles, the Watersong series, the Valkyrie duology and the Omte Origins trilogy.
By Amanda Hocking
Freeks
The Trylle trilogy
Switched
Torn
Ascend
Trylle: The Complete Trilogy
The Watersong series
Wake
Lullaby
Tidal
Elegy
The Kanin Chronicles
Frostfire
Ice Kissed
Crystal Kingdom
Kanin: The Complete Chronicles
The Valkyrie duology
Between the Blade and the Heart
From the Earth to the Shadows
The Omte Origins trilogy
The Lost City
The Morning Flower
First published 2020 by Wednesday Books
an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
This electronic edition first published in the UK 2020 by Pan Books
an imprint of Pan Macmillan
The Smithson, 6 Briset Street, London EC1M 5NR
Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.com
ISBN 978-1-5290-0131-0
Copyright © Amanda Hocking 2020
Cover Images © Trevillion and Shutterstock
The right of Amanda Hocking to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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