“Trinity, yes. I was a fool to doubt you, wasn’t I?”
Which of them he meant wasn’t clear, but one would do for both.
The Commandant wondered, though, if Torisen’s fears were unjustified after all. Jameth would make a good randon, no doubt, but Kothifir would be lucky to survive her. Might not the same be said about the entire Kencyrath? What, after all, had he been nurturing in his nest at Tentir?
Child of darkness, breathed the shadows. Lordan of light.
But those were thoughts for a different time. Outside the hall door, he heard the cadets bringing the feast to the table amidst laughter and cheers. They had earned this day. So had Jameth. He thrust the door open and gestured them through.
“Before you leave for Kothifir,” he heard the Highlord say, “we have to talk.”
She threw back her head with a crow of triumphant laughter. “Finally!”
The Commandant followed them up to the high table and there presented them to the assembled cadets.
“I give you Torisen Black Lord and his sister Jameth!”
The latter stood up. “For the last time,” she said in a clear, high voice, eyes locked on her brother’s, “my name is not Jameth. It’s Jame, short for Jamethiel. Jamethiel Priest’s-bane of Knorth.”
LEXICON
Addy—Shade’s gilded swamp adder
Aden Smooth-face—a senior randon and Lord Ardeth’s younger brother
Adiraina—the Ardeth Matriarch, beloved of Kinzi
Adric—Lord Ardeth
Anise—one of Jame’s ten-command, killed by the Noyat
Anku—leader of the Merikit war maids, older sister of Gran Cyd
Argentiel—That-Which-Preserves
Arrin-ken—the third of the Three People of the Kencyrath; huge, catlike beings who act as judges
Arrin-thar—use of claws or clawed gloves in combat
Ashe—a haunt singer
Bashti—one of the ancient kingdoms of the Central Lands
Bashtiri shadow assassins—assassins who, thanks to special tattooing, are invisible and can cast their shadows
Bear—Sheth’s brain-damaged elder brother, a former randon and Jame’s teacher in the Arrin-thar
Beauty—a darkling wyrm
Bel-tairi—a Whinno-hir, formerly Kinzi’s, now Jame’s
blackheads—parasitical fish from the Silverhead
Blackie—a nickname for Torisen
Boden—Lord Brandan’s heir and nephew
bonefire—a bonfire containing a Burnt Man’s bone
Bran—a Brandan randon who teaches obscure weaponry
Brant—Lord Brandan of Falkirr
Brenwyr—Lord Brandan’s maledight sister
Brier Iron-thorn—once a Caineron, now second in charge of Jame’s ten-command
Brithany—Ardeth’s gray Whinno-hir mare
Burley—the small stream that runs down beside Tentir to join the Silver River
Burning Ones—servants of the Burning Man, mostly kin-slayers
Burnt Man, the—the one of the Four who represents fire
Burr—Torisen’s Kendar servant
Caldane—Lord Caineron
Cataracts, the—where the Kencyr Host and the Waster Horde met in battle
Chain of Creation—a series of parallel universes connected through threshold worlds like Rathillien
changer—one of the Master’s servants, who can assume any shape
Chingetai—chief of the Merikit
Clary—a Coman ten-commander
Cloud—Sheth’s warhorse
Commandant—title of the head of the randon college
Corvine—a former Knorth Oath-breaker who has become a Randir sargent
Cron—a Knorth Kendar
d’hen—a Tai-tastigon knife-fighter’s coat
Da—a Merikit woman who acts as a man; housebond of Ma
Damson—one of Jame’s ten-command
Dar—one of Jame’s ten-command
Dari—Ardeth’s son and would-be heir
Dark Judge—blind Arrin-ken obsessed with justice
Death’s-head—a rathorn
Director—title of the head of Mount Alban, the current one a blind Kendar
direhounds—gaze-hounds used to run down prey
Distan—Ardeth’s daughter, Pereden’s consort, Timmon’s mother
dreamscape—the collective dream world of the Kencyrath
Drie—an Ardeth cadet; Timmon’s half-brother and former whipping boy
Dure—a Caineron cadet bound to a trock
dwar—a deep, healing sleep
Earth Wife, the—the one of the Four who represents the earth
Eaten One, the—the one of the Four who represents water
Erim—one of Jame’s ten-command
Essiar—Lord Edirr, twin of Essien
Essien—Lord Edirr, twin of Essiar
Falconeer—any member of the Falconer’s class
Falconer—blind teacher of those Shanir with bonds to animals
Falkirr—Lord Brandan’s keep
Fall, the—when Gerridon betrayed the Kencyrath to Perimal Darkling
Falling Man, the—the one of the Four who represents air
Fash—one of Gorbel’s ten-command
Four, the—Rathillien’s elemental powers
Ganth Gray Lord—Jame and Torisen’s father
Gari—a Coman cadet with an affinity to insects
Gen—a board game
Gerraint—Ganth’s father
Gerridon, Master of Knorth—the Knorth Highlord who betrayed his people to Perimal Darkling
Ghill—Cron’s young son
Ghost Walks, the—apartments where the Knorth lived at Gothregor before the Massacre
Glendar—Gerridon’s younger brother, who became Highlord after the Fall
Gnasher—wolver King of the Woods
Gorbel—Caldane’s son and heir
Gothregor—the Knorth keep
Gran Cyd—queen of the Merikit
Graykin—Jame’s Southron, half-bred servant
Gray Lands—qhere the souls of the unburnt dead walk
Gray-leggings—Gorbel’s warhorse
Greshan Greed-heart—Ganth’s older brother; Jame and Tori’s uncle
Grimly—Torisen’s friend, a wolver poet
Hathir—one of the ancient kingdoms of the Central Lands
Hatch—a young Merikit
haunt—anything that has been tainted by the Haunted Lands and is therefore neither quite dead nor quite alive; usually mindless, but not in the case of Ashe
Haunted Lands, the—lands to the northwest of Rathillien undercut by Perimal Darkling
Hawthorn—a Brandan captain
Higbert—one of Gorbel’s ten-command
Highborn—the first of the Three People; ruling class of the Kencyrath
Hinde—a Randir acolyte who can cause earthquakes
Holly—Hollens, Lord Danior
Holt, the—where Grimly and his wolvers live
Honor’s Paradox—Where does honor lie, in obedience to one’s lord or to oneself?
housebond—Merikit term for a husband
Hurl—a Coman cadet
Ice Maid—a Merikit girl offered to the Eaten One as his/her Favorite
imu—primitive image associated with the Earth Wife
Index—a scrollsman who specializes in the Merikit and on locating information
Ivory Knife, the—one of the three objects of power, whose least scratch means death
Jame—our heroine
Jameth—a nickname which she hates
Jamethiel Dream-weaver—Jame and Torisen’s mother, consort of the Master
Jedrak—former Lord Jaran
Jorin—Jame’s blind hunting ounce
Karnid—a resident of Urakarn
Kedan—temporary lord of the Jaran
Kenan—Lord Randir
Kencyr Houses—[see cha
rt]
Kencyrath—the Three People; chosen by the Three-Faced God to stop Perimal Darkling
Kendar—the second of the Three People; usually bound to a Highborn
Keral—a darkling changer
Killy—one of Jame’s ten-command
Kindrie Soul-walker—a healer, cousin to Jame and Torisen
King of the Wood—the wolver who leads the wolvers of the Deep Weald
Kinzi Keen-eyed—Jame and Tori’s great-grandmother
Kirien—the Jaran Lordan
Kothifir—a great city on the edge of the Southern Wastes
Krothen—current king of Kothifir
Kruin—Krothen’s father
Lawful Lie, the—the singer’s prerogative to stretch the truth
lodge-wyf—a Merikit woman who owns a lodge and therefore can have housebonds
lordan—a lord’s heir
Ma—a Merikit lodge-wyf
Macarn—Jame’s elderly Kendar friend
Mack—a mouse
maledight—a Shanir who can kill with a curse
Marc—a Kendar friend of Jameth
Massacre, the—some thirty years ago, shadow assassins killed all the Knorth ladies except for Tieri; no one knows why
Master, the—Gerridon
master-ten—the cadet in charge of a barracks
Merikit—a northern hill tribe
Mick—a mouse
Mint—one of Jame’s ten-command
Molocar—a type of massive, powerful hound
Mother Ragga—the Earth Wife
Mount Alban—the Scrollsmen’s College
Mouse—an Edirr cadet and Falconeer
Moyden—a scrollsman who knows about prehistory of the Southern Wastes
Mullen—a Knorth Kendar whose name Torisen forgot
Narsa—an Ardeth cadet; Timmon’s lover
Nemesis—the incarnation of That-Which-Destroys
Niall—one of Jame’s ten-command
Nidling—chief of the Noyat
Noyat—a northern hill tribe under the influence of Perimal Darkling
Nusair—Caldane’s son, killed by a changer
Oath-breaker—a Knorth who refused to follow Ganth into exile
Obidin—Gorbel’s five-commander
Odalian—a prince of Karkinaroth
Old Blood—a Shanir
Old Tentir—the fortress part of Tentir, as distinct from the cadets’ barracks
ounce—a hunting cat the size of a serval
Pereden Proud-prance—Ardeth’s favorite son
Perimal Darkling—an entity eating its way down the Chain of Creation from threshold world to world
pook—a strange little dog capable of tracking across the folds in the land
Prid—a Merikit girl
Quill—one of Jame’s ten-command
Ran—term of respect for a randon officer
Randiroc—the exiled Randir Lordan
randon—officer class
Randon Council—nine senior randon, one from each house, who alternate as Commandant of Tentir
rathorn—an ivory-clad, horned beast rather like a cross between a horse and a dragon
Rawneth—the Randir Matriarch
Reef—Randir master-ten
Regonereth—That-Which-Destroys, the Third Face of God
Rowan—Torisen’s steward
Rue—Jame’s servant; one of her ten-command
Sar—title of respect for a randon sargent
scrollsman—a scholar or singer
scythe-arms—a weapon composed of two double-pointed blades of unequal length
Sene—a combination of the Senetha and the Senethar
Senetha—dance form of the Senethar
Senethar—unarmed combat composed of earth-moving, fire-leaping, wind-blowing and water-flowing
Senethari—a master or teacher
Shade—a Randir cadet, Kendar daughter of Lord Randir
Shanir—Kencyr with special powers or traits; all have at least some Highborn blood
Sheth Sharp-tongue—Caineron war-leader and current commandant of Tentir
shwupp—a subterranean scavenger that traps its prey in muddy pits
Silver Steps, the—the series of falls between the Silverhead and the River Silver
Silverhead, the—the headwater of the Silver
singer—a scrollsman or scrollswoman entitled to use the Lawful Lie
soul-image—the image that embodies each person’s soul
soulscape—the collective space where all Kencyr soul-images overlap
Southern Host, the—the largest standing Kencyr army, employed by King Krothen of Kothifir
Storm—Torisen’s warhorse
Tarn—a Danior cadet and Falconeer
Tentir—the randon college
Thal—a Tastigon god
Those-who-returned—Kencyr who tried to follow Ganth Gray Lord into exile, whom he drove back
Three-Faced God, the—the god of the Kencyrath, composed of Creation, Preservation, and Destruction
Timmon—the Ardeth Lordan
Tirandys—a darkling changer; also Jame’s Senethari or teacher
Torisen Black Lord—Lord Knorth, Highlord of the Kencyrath; Jame’s twin brother
Torvi—Tarn’s Molocar
Trishien—the Jaran Matriarch
trock—an omnivorous creature that looks like a rock
Tungit—a Merikit shaman
Twizzle—Gorbel’s pook
Tyr-ridan—three individuals who represent the Three Faces of God
Urakarn—a city on the eastern edge of the Southern Wastes
Vant—Jame’s former five-commander and master-ten
war maid—a Merikit woman who chooses to fight and hunt like a man
Waster Horde—a cannibalistic mass of people who endlessly circle the Southern Wastes
watch wierdling—a leather-encased Merikit corpse that acts as a watchman
Weald, the—the greater forest, of which the Holt is part
Whinno-hir—near immortal equines, allies of the Kencyrath
White Hills, the—where Ganth battled the Seven Kings and lost
White Knife, the—the agent of an honorable death, modeled on the Ivory Knife
Willow—Marc’s little sister
Winter War—an annual military exercise carried out within Tentir
Witch of Wilden—Rawneth
Wither—Spokesman for Kenan
wolver—werewolves or wolfmen who change at will
Women’s World, the—most Highborn women belong to this largely secret society
wyrm—a darkling crawler, or very large creepy-crawly with a poisonous bite
yackcarn—big, ugly beasts; a cross between wooly mammoths and warthogs
Yce—Torisen’s wolver pup
yondri-gon—threshold-dwellers; Kendar without a lord who take on temporary service with a house