Sverige—the name for Sweden in Swedish.
thrimavolk (or Þrimavolk)—a secret group of female warriors belonging to the Älvolk. The thrimavolk are theoretically the female counterpart to the Älvolk, and they are all the daughters of Älvolk.
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 amongst the Kanin. Once used as a workhorse because they could 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 (branch of biology dealing with the relationships of organisms with their environment and with each other).
trollius funus—genus name of sorgblomma. See sorgblomma.
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-TOMBs, five half-TOMBs). 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 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.
Trylle Toy Shoppe—a store in Förening that sells handcrafted toys for children.
tupilaq—an Inuit word meaning “witch” or “shaman.”
Ugly Vulture, the—a roughneck Omte bar in their capital city, Fulaträsk.
ullaakuut—an Inuit word that means “good morning.”
ungblod—a term referring to the generation of Älvolk that came of age in the 1960s, under the rise of the Freyarian Älvolk. The children of ungblod are called ungbaba (singular) and ungbabar (plural).
valknut—a symbol sometimes known as the “warrior knot.” It consists of three interlocked triangles, and it’s frequently seen on Norse artifacts.
varrarassi—a name used for the sorgblomma by the Sami people. See sorgblomma.
veloma—an álfar term for boy-/girlfriend or significant other; the literal translation is “the one you fondly choose to be with.”
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 dynasty 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 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 the eventual creation of 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 defeated them with the execution of their King, Oren Elsing.
Wisteria & Whimsy Bed & Breakfast—an inn in Trylle, owned and operated by Birdie Vinstock.
withania root—a root in the nightshade family; more commonly known as ashwagandha. It is believed to help with memory.
wolfram—a silvery-white heavy metal with a very high melting point; more commonly known as tungsten outside of the troll communities.
woollies—another name for the “giant woolly elk.” See Irish elk.
wyrm—a mythical limbless and wingless dragon or dragonlike creature. It often flies and/or breathes fire.
wyvern—a mythical winged dragon or dragonlike creature. It has a total of four limbs—two wings and two legs. It often breathes fire.
Yggammi Tree Inn—a treetop hotel in Fulaträsk, Louisiana, built on a trio of Southern live oaks.
Also by Amanda Hocking
Torn
Ascend
Wake
Lullaby
Tidal
Elegy
Frostfire
Ice Kissed
Crystal Kingdom
Freeks
Between the Blade and the Heart
From the Earth to the Shadows
The Lost City
The Morning Flower
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
AMANDA HOCKING is the author of more than twenty young adult novels, including the New York Times bestselling Trylle Trilogy and Kanin Chronicles. Her love of pop culture and all things
paranormal influence her writing. She spends her time in Minnesota, taking care of her menagerie of pets and working on her next book. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
1. In the Air
2. Hostage
3. Return
4. Exchanged
5. Aural
6. Recovery
7. Binrassi
8. Familiarity
9. Plans
10. Sisterly
11. Missed
12. Studious
13. Dreams
14. North
15. Confessions
16. Birthright
17. By the Sea
18. Lyrical
19. Earworm
20. Korva
21. Eclipsed
22. Results
23. Olfactory
24. Walls
25. Strategies
26. Sutherlands
27. Roots
28. Daughters
29. Parable
30. The Bridge
31. Summoned
32. Confirmations
33. Arrow
34. Morning Flower
35. Revelations
36. Enchanted
37. Fanatical
38. Bahsutt
39. Risks
40. Ögonen
41. Ablaze
42. Manipulations
43. Worldly
44. Whimsical
45. Time
46. Veloma
47. A Journey Back
48. Annul
49. Humanity
50. Slumber
51. Lysa
52. Authority
53. Benevolent
54. Exile
55. Bolster
56. Falling
57. The Ten
58. Together
59. Summer Bird
60. En Masse
61. Summit
62. Temple
63. Crossing
64. Calvary
65. Encamped
66. Underground
67. Patriarch
68. Venom
69. Girjastu
70. Brimstone
71. Quaking
72. Wolfram
73. Unearth
74. Escape
75. World Ender
76. Betrayals
77. Stable
78. Ouroboros
79. Resolve
80. Abyss
81. Knightfall
82. Shatter
83. Gutted
84. Uncage
85. Odyssey
86. Away
Epilogue
Glossary
Also by Amanda Hocking
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First published in the United States by Wednesday Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
THE EVER AFTER. Copyright © 2020 by Amanda Hocking. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.wednesdaybooks.com
Cover design by Kerri Resnick
Cover photo-illustration by Mike Heath
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Hocking, Amanda, author.
Title: The ever after / Amanda Hocking.
Description: First edition. | New York: Wednesday Books, 2021. | Series: The Omte origins; 3
Identifiers: LCCN 2020037493 | ISBN 9781250204301 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781250204318 (ebook)
Subjects: CYAC: Fantasy. Classification: LCC PZ7.H65828 Ev 2021 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020037493
eISBN 9781250204318
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First Edition: 2021