Daughter of Blood (71 page)

Rhi:
House of Morning priestess

Rhike:
Darksworn adept, died in Caer Argent

Rhisart:
House of Blood warrior, from Bane Hold

Rigan:
House of Blood wagoner

Rin:
marine on the
Che'Ryl-g-Raham

Rindle:
river on Emer's Northern March

rites of Hurulth:
vigil kept for Derai dead

Rithor:
squire to Yorindesarinen at time of her battle with the Chaos Worm

River of No Return:
see
Telimbras

River, the:
lands along the Ijir river, including the cities Ij, Terebanth, and Ar

Rook:
initiate farspeaker from the House of Adamant

Rowan Birchmoon:
Winter shaman, former consort to the Earl of Night; see also
Winter Woman

Rul:
personal emissary of the Earl of Adamant; half-brother to Torlun

ruling kin:
ruling bloodline of a Derai House; see also
Blood, the

Sailcloth Street:
Grayharbor thoroughfare

Salar:
Darksworn Ascendant, most closely associated with Sun

Salar's children:
demons that ride Wall storms and slip through fissures in reality

Sarathion:
lieutenant to the Lord Captain of the Patrol

Sardon:
current Earl and hereditary ruler of the House of Blood

Sardonya:
a Daughter of Blood and fifth child of the Earl of Blood; full sister to Kharalthor, Hatha, Huern, Liankhara, and Anvin; half sister to Parannis and Sarein; also half sister to Myrathis

Sarein:
a Daughter of Blood and eighth child of the Earl of Blood; twin to Parannis and half sister to Kharalthor, Hatha, Huern, Liankhara, Sardonya, and Anvin; also half sister to Myrathis

Sarr:
House of Blood farrier

Sarus:
veteran sergeant of the Earl of Night's Honor Guard

Sea Count:
hereditary ruler of the Sea House

Sea envoy:
see
Nimor

Sea House:
House of the Derai Alliance, traditionally “the navigators”

Sea Keep:
paramount stronghold of the Sea House

Sea Mew
:
coastal trader, registered out of Grayharbor

Second:
second-in-command of a Derai military unit

Second Line:
second line of a Derai House's Blood

seeing:
the power to see and foretell future occurrences

seeker:
one with power to seek out the hidden and find the lost

seeking:
active use of a seeker's power

seer:
one who has the power to see into the future

Selia:
Normarch damosel, slain by the facestealer
Orriyn

Serianrethen:
a Son of Stars, first husband to Nerith of the Sea Keep

Ser Ombrose Sondargent:
Duke of Emer's nephew and former champion, now turned rebel

Seruth:
one of the three gods of the Southern Realms, the
lightbringer, guardian of journeys and new beginnings; also Serrut in Emer

Seven, a:
elite Jhainarian warriors bound together into a unit; escort of the priestess-queens of Jhaine; also used by Ishnapuri magi

Shadow Band:
initiates of Kan, sworn to protect the rulers of Ar

shadow hunters:
Thanir's cadres; see also
Darksworn

Shah:
ruler of Ishnapur

shielding:
power to conceal objects and people physically and from magic

Shield of Heaven:
one of the three magical arms of the hero Yorindesarinen; also Shield of Stars

Ship's Luck:
weatherworker's companion on a Sea House ship

Ship's Prow House:
Grayharbor residence

Ships' Shrine:
sea keep memorial to lost ships

Silent God:
Hurulth, the god of death, one of the Nine Gods of the Derai

Sird:
warrior-priest from the House of Adamant

siren worm:
minion of the Swarm

Sirit:
elderly Morning priestess; also old Lady of Morning

Sirithilorn:
formerly Golden Fire of the House of Morning

Sondcendre:
noble house of the Emerian Cendreward

Son of Blood:
title given to a son of an Earl of Blood

Song of Haarth:
voice of the magic of Haarth

southern deserts:
vast desert region lying to the south of Ishnapur

Southern Realms:
lands of Haarth that lie between the River and Ishnapur; also called the Southern Lands

'spawn:
see
darkspawn

springtime love:
Emerian tradition of courtly romance

Sri:
House of Morning priestess

Stefa:
innkeeper's daughter at Grayharbor's Anchor inn

Stoneford:
village in southern Aralorn

Storm Spears:
warrior society historically associated with the House of Blood

Summer's Eve:
Emerian festival marking first new moon of summer

Sun:
one of the three nations of the Sworn

Sundering:
schism that separated the Darksworn from the Derai

Surinay:
once of the House of Morning, now married to the Sea Count

Swarm Bestiary
:
an illustrated compendium of Swarm demons, minions, and darkspawn

Swarm of Dark:
Derai's ancient enemy; vast entity comprising many fell creatures

Swarm, the:
shortening for
Swarm of Dark

Sworn:
name the Darksworn give themselves

Taierin:
weatherworker and niece to Count Tirunor, over four hundred years ago

taint:
House of Blood term for priestly and old powers; also “tainted”

Taly:
ensign in the Red Keep garrison, serves Myrathis
;
also Talies

Tarathan of Ar:
herald of the Guild, from the River's Terebanth Guild House

Tasarion:
current Earl and hereditary ruler of the House of Night

Tasian:
former Heir of Stars whose murder precipitated the Derai civil war

Tavar:
House of Blood clan, associated with Brave Hold

Tavaral:
the Faithkeeper, a general in Yorindesarinen's time; he advanced to support the hero against the Chaos Worm, but came too late

Tawr:
of the Spear, one of the Nine Gods of the Derai

Tawrin:
House of Swords warrior, companion to Orth

Tehan:
Sea House marine in Nimor's escort

Telimbras:
river that runs the length of the Jaransor hills, bordering the Gray Lands, and eventually becomes a tributary of the Ijir; also
River of No Return

Telmirieneth:
Earl of Stars, over four hundred years before

Temorn:
captain of marines on the
Che'Ryl-g-Raham

Temple of Night:
temple precinct in the Keep of Winds

Temple quarter:
temple complex in a Derai keep, compris
ing the temples and adjunct buildings dedicated to all of the Nine Gods

Tenneward Lodge:
country house of Lord Tenneward of Emer

Ter:
Night honor guard in Garan's eight-unit

Tercel:
bay warhorse, belonging to Kalan

Terebanth:
city of the River

Terennin:
Lord of the Dawn Eyes, one of the Nine Gods of the Derai, also known as both the Farseeing and Farseer

Teron:
of Cloud Hold, sworn to the Earl of Night

Thanir:
Darksworn warrior and mage, lieutenant to Aranraith

The Leas:
site of a recent were-hunt led skirmish, on Emer's Northern March

Thiandriath:
Lawgiver, one of the Nine Gods of the Derai

Third Line:
third line of a Derai House's Blood

Thuunoth:
former Golden Fire of the House of Adamant

Tirael:
second son of the Countess of Stars; also Tiraelisian

Tirorn:
House of Swords warrior and captain, nephew to the Sword Earl, also kinsman to Orth; lost in Ij

Tirunor:
Sea Count, over four hundred years before

Token-bearer:
one who bears
the Token

Token, the:
ring associated with the Hunt of Mayanne and its Huntmaster

Torlun:
commands a House of Adamant company

Towers of Morning:
principal stronghold of the House of Morning

Tymar:
Sea House marine in Nimor's escort

Tyun:
Sea House marine, captain of Nimor's guard

Vael:
Star knight and healer; also Vaelenor

Valadan:
marshal of the House of Fire, second-in-command of its armies

Valan:
of Blood's Ward Hold, former suitor to Sardonya

Vela:
attendant to Lady Myrathis

Wall of Night:
vast mountain range garrisoned by the Derai Alliance that protects Haarth from the Swarm, said to have been created by the House of Night; also called the Shield-wall of Night, or Wall

wallspawn:
Blood name for
darkspawn

Ward Hold:
satellite fortress of the House of Blood

weatherworker:
Derai with the power to command natural elements

were-hunt:
collective power of the Swarm, comprising were-hunters

Westwind Hold:
satellite fort of the Keep of Winds

Wild Lands:
vast wilderness lying between the Winter Country and the River

Winter Country:
steppes in the north of Haarth

Winter People:
nomads who dwell in the Winter Country

Winter Woman:
see
Rowan Birchmoon

Wolf:
Winter Country shaman, Rowan Birchmoon's great-uncle

wolfpack:
River and Emerian term for an outlaw band

wyr hounds:
hounds unique to the Derai, able to detect psychic trails and powers

Xer:
Star knight in Tirael's escort; also Xerianor

Xeria:
House of Stars priestess during the civil war; she extinguished the Golden Fire

Yelme:
Sea House marine in Nimor's escort

Yelusin:
collective name Sea House ships give themselves

Yhle:
granddaughter of the Earl of Adamant

Ynvis:
warrior in the Prince of Fire's personal guard

Yorindesarinen:
greatest hero of the Derai, Heir of Stars in her day: she slew the Worm of Chaos but died of the wounds received in that battle

Yris:
Patrol river pilot

Yyr:
formerly Golden Fire of the
House of Swords

Zharaan:
priestess-queen of Jhaine in the years following the Cataclysm

Zhineve-An:
contemporary priestess-queen of Jhaine

T
he Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, famously said that
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Similarly, the journey of a book begins with the first word on a blank page—and in getting to that magical finale, “the end,” a great many more words will have been written. A considerable number of people, too, will have been fellow travelers on the journey.

The first—but never the least—of these fellow travelers is my partner, Andrew, whose unflagging support, encouragement, and enthusiasm for the story helped keep me moving forward, even when the going was proverbially tough.

The journey of this book
was
a long one, and I sincerely thank my lead editor, Kate Nintzel (HarperVoyager USA), for her considerable patience and not inconsiderable grace throughout, as well as for her unwavering faith in, and commitment to, the ongoing Wall of Night story, and
Daughter of Blood
in particular
.
My UK editor, Jenni Hill, was new to the series when I began this book, and I am correspondingly grateful for her patience and continued support.

My agent Robin Rue of Writers House, and her colleagues Beth Miller and Angharad Kowal, have also played a vital part in enabling me to complete the book. I thank them most sincerely for all they have done and continue to do.

I am aware that there are many more people who work for my publishers and play an essential part in transforming what comes from me as “story” and “manuscript,” into what readers experience as a “book.” Most of these people are unknown to me personally, but I know they include dedicated professionals in the production team and art department, as well as marketing and publicity. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all for their hard work, which is very much appreciated. And to particularly mention, with thanks, the few who are known to me, including my copyeditor, Peter Weissman; Joanna Kramer, Editorial Manager at Orbit; and the Hachette team here in New Zealand, including Melanee Winder, Susy Maddox, and Ruby Mitchell.

Many thanks go, as always, to those who were willing to read the manuscript-in-progress and provide insights, critique, and feedback, as well as to confirm specialist research and check specific facts. I would like to particularly thank Peter Fitzpatrick, Joanna Preston, Andrew Robins, Paul Waterhouse, Brynley Crosado, and Irene Williamson. I am also grateful to Dr. Robynanne Milford for answering early questions, and to Dr. Michael Rathbone for later reviewing the sections specifically dealing with injury and wounds, and their treatment.

In 2012, I was privileged to be an Ursula Bethell Writer-in-Residence at the University of Canterbury, which provided both financial and creative support during the early stages of
Daughter Of Blood
. I would like to particularly thank Dr. Christina Stachurski, curator of the residency programme, as well as the University of Canterbury and its English Department, and
Toi Aotearoa
: Creative New Zealand, for making the residency opportunity possible.

I would also like to thank Samantha Webb for offering her fisher's hut as a writing retreat toward the end of the project. The quiet environment and uninterrupted time the hut provided was invaluable in finishing the book. I would also like to thank the permanent residents in the hut community for their welcome and support.

When
The Heir of Night
was published, I began a tradi
tion of running a Tuckerization contest as part of the book launch. So when
The Gathering of the Lost
came out, part of the celebration included drawing a winner who would give her or his name to a character in
Daughter of Blood
. One of the provisions of the contest is that I reserve the right to
“adapt the winning name to best fit a fantasy character.”
In this case, the winner was UK reader, Cheryl Graham—and although I am keenly aware of just how long Cheryl has had to wait to do so, I hope she will enjoy meeting her namesake, Che'Ryl-g-Raham. I note, needless to say, that the character created is entirely fictional.

Finally, I would like to thank all those readers who have not only read and enjoyed
The Heir of Night
and
The Gathering of The Lost
, but taken the time to write and tell me so—and then waited with patience (that word again!) and understanding for
Daughter of Blood
to complete its journey from the first word on the blank page, through to “the end.” The same vote of thanks for patience, and I hope understanding, goes to all my readers.