Mortal Ties (53 page)

Leo Romano:
Laban Rho until forced to step down, passing his clan’s mantle to his heir, Tony
Romano.

Li Lei Yu, aka Grandmother:
Lily’s grandmother on her father’s side. Much older than she looks.

Lily Yu:
Homicide detective in Book 1 (
Tempting Danger
); joined the Unit (FBI) at end of that book. She’s twenty-nine in
Mortal Ties
. She was abducted by a child rapist when she was eight. Rule’s Chosen, Lily is a
touch sensitive—she identifies the presence of magic through touch, but cannot be
affected by it.

Michael Machek:
Jasper’s father.

Ruben Brooks:
Head of Unit Twelve of the FBI with an incredibly accurate precognitive Gift. Became
both lupus and Rho in
Death Magic
.

Rule Turner:
Nokolai Lu Nuncio or heir; Leidolf Rho. The press call him the Nokolai prince. Dark
hair and dark eyes, he is fifty-five, but looks about thirty. He was raised by his
father at Nokolai Clanhome.

Ryder:
Cynna and Cullen’s new baby daughter.

Sarah Drummond:
Al’s wife, killed by Martha Billings.

Toby Asteglio:
Rule’s son. He’s nine and lives with Rule and Lily.

Tony Romano:
Laban Rho. Tall, muscular, and gorgeous, he suffered brain damage as a child, and
while First Change enabled him to heal the neurological damage, he still thinks slowly—but
thoroughly. Often underestimated.

THE LEIDOLF SQUAD

Alan

Barnaby

Chris

Ian

Jeffrey

Joe

Marcus

Mike

Patrick McCausey

Scott White (in charge)

Steve

Todd

OFF-STAGE OR BRIEF APPEARANCE

Arjenie Fox:
Benedict’s Chosen; a researcher for the FBI; part-sidhe

Benedict:
Rule’s oldest brother; in charge of security at Clanhome

Brenda:
Questioned by Lily; she talked too much to her Laban lover

Carl:
Isen’s houseman

Carrie Ann Rucker:
“Mule” for drug cartel, fifty-nine, a placid woman with graying blond hair and a
crooked front tooth

David:
Nokolai guard

Hank Jamison:
Young Laban culprit

Hannah:
Previous Nokolai Rhej

Isadora Bourque:
Nokolai’s chief tender

Merowitch:
Explosives guy

Mick:
Rule’s brother who died

Pete:
Benedict’s second

Sherrianne:
Questioned by Lily at Clanhome

The Sidhe

Alycithin:
Co-leader of the trade delegation; a halfing with tawny fur, a darker ruff atop her
head, and bright green eyes. Muscular and about Lily’s height. Came up through the
warrior class.

Aroglian:
The other elf with Alycithin. An expert spellcaster who specializes in body magic,
including healing. White hair.

Benessarai:
The other co-leader of the delegation. Son of a sidhe lord, heavily outranks Alycithin
socially, which means he’s really in charge. Copper-colored hair.

Dinalaran:
One of Alycithin’s assistants; armed with a SIG, does the driving. Creamsicle-orange
hair.

Lord Sessena:
Benessarai’s mother and Alycithin’s sponsor. Powerful sidhe lord in her realm.

Lord Thierath:
Benessarai’s father.

GLOSSARY

Elfin or Sidhe Words

arguai
:
power from an unknown source; not magic, often spiritual

dielgraf
:
soul-enemy

Rekklat:
a catlike race in Alycithin’s realm, known for their skill as warriors and remarkable
endurance; Alycithin’s father is Rekklat

seurthurin
:
one who practices the arts of the mind (mind-magic, such as illusion)

so’amellree
:
one of the sixteen words for enemy; describes one who might be a friend, were circumstances
different (fem. form)

so’elriath
:
an enemy for whom one feels no hostility, one who is simply on the other side

Thalinol:
the Queens’ realm

LUPI WORDS

Historically, lupus clans in Europe and Britain used Latin to communicate with each
other for the same reason it was adopted by the Church—the need for a unifying tongue.
Their version evolved, as languages will, into a thoroughly bastardized tongue likely
to make classical scholars wince. In addition, there are a few words used by the lupi
that have no known derivation. Lupi claim these words come from an ancient language
that predates Latin, but since Latin predates 1000 BCE, experts consider this unlikely.

The use of Latin to communicate between the clans is dying out now, since so many
lupi speak English as a first or second language, though it’s still considered essential
for a Rho and his sons, who must negotiate with other clans. Several of the words
and phrases remain useful, though, since they have no obvious English equivalent.
Below are a few of the words and phrases any lupus would know.

amica
:
uncommon, but still used. Means friend/girlfriend (fem.); a lupus might call a male
friend of the same clan
adun
, from
adiungo
(to join to, connect, associate).

ardor iunctio
:
literally, “fire of joining.” Symbolic fire used at some ceremonies, most notably
the
gens compleo
.

certa
:
“a place of ice and clarity, where sensation is sharp enough to cut and action flows
too swiftly for thought.” It’s a battle state; sensations heightened, thought clear
but altered. Opposite of
furo
.

drei
:
tithe or head tax; it’s a percentage of income or wealth given to the clan.

du
:
honor, face, history, reputation; has magical component. Predates Latin.

firnam
:
derivation unknown; a memorial for one fallen in battle.

fratriodi
:
brother-hate. A grave sin among the lupi.

furo
:
also called “the fury.” Battle fury or madness. Clanless lupi are especially subject
to it, but it can happen to those within a clan, though it’s rare.

gens amplexi
:
literally, “clan embrace”; ceremony of adoption into clan. From
gens
(clan, tribe, people) +
amplexor
(embrace, welcome, love).

gens compleo
:
literally, “clan to fill up or complete”; the ceremony in which a young lupus (at
age twenty-four) is confirmed as an adult clan member.

gens subicio
:
subicio
means “to put under or expose; to subject; to place near or present.” When one Rho
dies and a new one assumes the mantles, a
gens subicio
is held at which each member of a clan presents himself to his new Rho and ritually
submits.

Lu Nuncio:
normally, a Rho’s acknowledged heir; also acts as enforcer/prosecutor/second-in-command
as needed. (Note: Leidolf has separated the heir from the Lu Nuncio.)
Nuncio
is from
nuncupo
—“to name or pronounce solemnly.” Derivation of
lu
unknown, but may be short form of
lupi
.

nadia
:
mate (fem.); from
nodus -i
(masc.)—a knot; a girdle; any tie, bond, connection, obligation; also a knotty point
or difficulty.

ospi:
out-clan friend or friend of the clan; from
hospes
(host, guest—friend, stranger).

pernato
:
a lupus who didn’t have a lupus father. A
pernato
is lupi because of recessives in both parents’ genes. (Also called throwbacks or
lost ones, if one occurs that the lupi weren’t tracking. Term first mentioned in
Blood Challenge
.)

Rhej:
the title of a clan’s bard/historian/priestess. Also predates Latin.

Rho:
the ruler/leader of a lupus clan. Derivation unknown; legend says it predates Latin.

seco
:
part of “to call
seco
”—to call the ceremony that removes a lupus from his clan.

surdo
:
an unflattering name for humans (masc.). From
surdus
(deaf, unwilling to hear, insensible).

t’eius ven
:
the intimate or informal form of
v’eius ven.

terra tradis
:
t
he private area where a clan’s male youngsters go before their First Change and live
until they learn control.
Tradis
is a bastardized form of
trado
(to bequeath, to teach), so it means “the teaching ground.”

thranga
:
a form of war in which the clans unite under a single battle leader against a common
enemy; traditionally it requires the Lady’s summons, but the nature of that summons
may be disputed. Predates Latin.

v’eius ven
:
probably derived from a phrase meaning “go in her [the Lady’s] grace,” though some
sources suggest
ven
may be from
venor
(hunt) rather than
venia
(grace), or even from
vena
(blood vessel or penis). This form is largely ceremonial.

vesceris corpi:
a major insult—translates literally as “eater of corpses” and implies taking a certain
carnal pleasure in the act.

Lupi: the Clans

There are currently twenty-four clans; ten of them are considered dominant. Four of
the ten dominants are in the United States; two are in Canada; one is in Africa; one
is in Great Britain; one is in Sweden; one is in the Italian Alps; and one is in eastern
Europe.

A dominant clan possesses an especially strong mantle. Occasionally a dominant clan
will accept temporary
subordinate status to another clan, as Kyffin did with Nokolai in Book 1; it’s still
considered dominant because the mantle is unaffected. A clan loses dominant status—and
may lose its mantle and identity—when it loses a Clan Challenge. Clan Challenges are
rare and can mean outright war, but fundamentally they are a contest between the clans’
mantles and may be settled by individual combat between the two Rhos. All but two
of the nondominant clans are subordinated to one of the dominants. Nondominant clans
are small, since the size of the clan has an effect on the strength of its mantle,
and vice versa. Etorri is the exception. It’s very small, yet its mantle is extremely
powerful.

The most powerful clans currently are Nokolai and Leidolf, closely followed by Ybirra.
Etorri wields great influence based on its
du
, but it lacks direct power because of its small size.

Below are the ten dominant clans:

United States

Nokolai:
Rule’s clan. Rho: Isen Turner. Rhej: Hannah. Originally from the Brittany region
of France. Nokolai is the fourth largest clan (Leidolf, Ybirra, and Mondoyo are larger)
and has the most subordinate clans—four, with two in the United States (Laban and
Vochi)—and is the most wealthy. Clanhome is in southern California.

Leidolf:
A numerous clan, traditional enemies of Nokolai, implicated in the attack on Rule’s
father [Books 1, 2, 3]. Randall Frey is the Lu Nuncio (heir) in the first two books,
but is killed in Book 3. The Rho in Books 1–5 is Victor Frey. Victor’s other son is
Brady Gunning, a sociopath: “tall, blond, and bony; nice chest.” Their Rhej is Ella—African
American, tall, broad frame, Baptist. Leidolf currently has no subordinate clans.

After Book 3: Randall Frey is dead; Rule is Leidolf heir; Alex Thibodeaux (grizzled,
just under six feet, built like a pro
wrestler, with skin the color of burnt toast) is Lu Nuncio for the clan; and their
Rho (Victor Frey) is in a coma and dying. He dies in Book 5 (
Mortal Sins
).

Szós:
Hungarian clan that immigrated to the United States; Rikard Demeny is Lu Nuncio in
Book 2. After that, Lu Nuncio is Lucas, third-born son of Rho Andor Demeny. Fierce
fighters. One subordinate clan (Czech; didn’t immigrate).

Ybirra:
Large Spanish clan; the newest clan, founded in 1882 by Tomás Ybirra. Javiero Mendozo
is Lu Nuncio; Manuel Mendoza is Rho. Clanhome in New Mexico. One subordinate clan
four years before the opening of the series.

Wythe:
A midsized clan with a Clanhome in northern New York; the last clan to immigrate
to the United States. Originally from England. Lu Nuncio is Brian Whitman, younger
brother of the Rho Edgar Whitman. Both Edgar and Brian die in Book 8.

Canada

Etorri:
A tiny clan with great
du
(honor, face, magic, history); Stephen Andros is Lu Nuncio. Previous Rho was William
Carr; current one is Frederick Andros. Follows different rules for succession and
does not accept subordinate clans. Clanhome is in eastern Canada. Etorri is said to
be Greek, though the identity of its founder is one of many secrets kept by the clan.
Etorri is a puzzle to the other clans.

Kyffin:
The smallest dominant other than Etorri, based in western Canada; Jasper Herron,
the Rho, is unusually young (forty) and a friend of Rule’s. Subordinate to Nokolai
for a year and a day, starting in middle of Book 1. The Lu Nuncio is Jasper’s uncle,
Myron, as Jasper’s son is too young. Kyffin’s influence is due largely to their friendly
relations with pretty much every other clan.