The Falconer (Elizabeth May) (37 page)
Read The Falconer (Elizabeth May) Online
Authors: Elizabeth May
Derrick, this means you.
As I have come to learn, the stories of the fae from my childhood are the result of several thousand years of diluted oral history.
What remains of the fae world now is but a shadow of its former magnificence. The Seelie and Unseelie – two warring kingdoms of light and dark fae – once conquered whole continents. Humanity was driven practically extinct by what the fae called the Wild Hunt, a systematic attempt to capture and kill the strongest humans, especially those with the Sight.
It was the never-ending war between the two kingdoms that nearly destroyed them, and the final war with the Falconers that finally finished them both.
After everything Kiaran has taught me, I’ve come to realise that only one truth has endured across time:
Never trust the fae.
Aileana Kameron, 1844.
Baobhan Sìth
Solitary fae (Possibly belonged to a kingdom in her past). She is related to the
daoine sìth
, yet distinct because of her strong telepathic abilities. She is magnetic, with long dark hair and the most vivid green eyes I’ve ever seen. Her smile is both haunting and terrifying, a thing of nightmares. Her power tastes heavy, as if blood is being forced down my throat. Aside from slaughtering the Falconers, she murdered any other
baobhan sìth
born so that her abilities would remain unmatched.
Strengths: She is highly intelligent and cunning, her ability to kill aided by mental powers that can deceive a person into meeting her on a dark road of her choosing where she drains her victims of blood.
Kills:203687103Too many to tally.
Weaknesses:No known weaknesses. I will find one.
Cù Sìth
Non-solitary fae, Unseelie. A faery hound nearly five feet in length, seventeen stone in weight, with fur that alternates in different colours (red, green, deep violet, as I’ve witnessed). Its place in battle was similar to that of the redcaps: to immobilise their enemies’ numbers as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Strengths: A single burst of power that can render a person immobile (to human ears, it sounds like a piercing howl); dense, impenetrable fur, razor-sharp claws. They travel in packs.
Weaknesses: Thinner fur at the belly, but not by much.
Addendum: Power tastes of dry ash. It seems they also have poisonous barbs along their claws that can cause fatal illness.
Thank you
for not warning me about that, Kiaran.
Daoine Sìth
Non-solitary fae, both Seelie and Unseelie (light and dark fae). They are unearthly beautiful, a warrior race known for wreaking destruction and for driving humans to near-extinction (what Kiaran calls the Wild Hunt). The
daoine sìth
once ruled not only the faery realm (
Sìth-bhrùth)
, but once managed to conquer nearly every continent on earth. Kiaran claims there was once a distinction between Seelie and Unseelie rule, but over time both courts became equally power-obsessed and ruthless.
Of course, Kiaran is being vague on strengths and weaknesses but I have managed to garner that their powers include the ability to command the elements.
Weaknesses:?
Kiaran’s power, at least, tastes earthy-sweet, floral, something wild. Which is indescribably lovely when he’s being pleasant, and nauseating when he’s not.
THEY ARE ALSO SMUG, ARROGANT BASTARDS.
Pixies
In
Gàidhlig
, they are referred to as
aibhse
.
Small, winged-fae fae, mostly non-solitary. Pixies, like other smaller fae, are only distantly related to the larger types of
sìthichean
. They once had their own realm, lands, and kingdom that was separately ruled somewhere on Skye, but mass-migrated to Cornwall sometime before the Falconer battle with the
daoine sìth
. Pixies’ power shines in a halo around them, the colour of which changes depending on the pixie’s mood. Can feed off of human energy, as do most other fae, but largely choose not to. Power tastes of gingerbread. Apparently cannot help but mend clothes and steal shiny objects.
I’m going to steal your favorite pistol when you aren’t looking
.
Strengths: Extremely fast flyers; adept with small, sharp weaponry.
I am also quite handsome to the ladies
.
Weaknesses: Honey
not a weakness
, torn ballgowns
also not a weakness
.
Derrick: If you write in this journal again, the honey goes out with the rubbish.
Redcaps:
In
Gàidhlig
, they are referred to as
athach
.
Non-solitary fae, Unseelie. About the size of a revenant, but leaner. Their arms hang low and their hands are large, with long, tapered fingers. They wear masks of bones, and smear the blood of their last human victims over their foreheads. Redcaps were once the brawn of the Unseelie army. Using their war hammers made of fae metal, they could cut through opponents quickly, rendering the other army weakened.
Strengths: Agility, war hammers.
Weaknesses: Spot along the lower back that can be punctured by a mortal weapon. Much of their power is harnessed within the hammer; taking it away makes them vulnerable to attack.
Addendum: Power tastes of witch hazel and iron. And apparently one should not mix excessive amounts of
seilgflùr
with gunpowder and try to blow up a redcap – disaster will ensue.
Revenants
In
Gàidhlig
, they are referred to as
Fuath
.
Solitary fae. Massive, hulking creatures that average seven feet in height. Hideous, rotting-looking skin (apparently a natural deficiency of this type). They smell of decay because of their skin, but also because of their tendency to take deceased victims back to their underground dwellings as a sort of trophy. Their feeding pattern is much slower than other fae, as they wait until their last victim is fully decayed before they hunt again.
Strengths: Size, musculature.
Weaknesses: An opening along their thoracic cage; a soft spot along their abdominal cavity. They are exceedingly stupid.
Addendum: Kiaran was being kind when he described their scent. I shall attempt to hold my breath in the future. And, confound it, they taste like sulfur and ammonia – a more abhorrent combination I cannot conceive of.
Sluagh
Non-solitary fae, Unseelie. Flying creatures that resemble dragons. Skin is thin and iridescent. With their ability to fly silently and in large numbers, they once served the Unseelie the way falcons did Falconers: as spies from the air. They tend to use their powers from a distance during any confrontation, as they are among the most physically fragile of the fae. However, Kiaran tells me not to be fooled by their weak appearance.
Strengths: Well, their ability to incinerate anything in their path certainly sounds decidedly unpleasant; I’ll be sure to avoid.
Weaknesses: Skin thin enough to cut through.
Addendum: Their power lacks taste, but instead feels cold and slick. And now I can say that I’ve experienced their incineration power firsthand and lived to tell the tale . . .
This book was such a labour of love and could not have been possible without the support and encouragement I received along the way. Thank you Dawn, Ewa and Suze for assuring me it was worth writing. To my incredible critique partner, Tess Sharpe: we made it. We did it. Here’s to the last 12 years and many more to come! To the lucky 13s, thank you all so much for this year, and for listening. You guys are wonderful.
For all the people who helped me during the publication process, every step of the way. My agent, Russell Galen, who has been an amazing champion for this book and its sequels from start to finish. My foreign rights agent, Heather Baror-Shapiro, for being my advocate with editors around the world. And my esteemed editors, Gillian Redfearn at Gollancz and Ginee Seo at Chronicle Books, thank you ladies for helping to make this book the best that it could possibly be. I am so grateful to you both. To the team at both Gollancz and Chronicle, I am continually amazed by how much you love this book and all the work you’ve put in. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Finally to Mr May:
Is to mo thasgaidh’s mo reìr
. I love you.
A Gollancz eBook
Copyright © Elizabeth May 2013
All rights reserved
The right of Elizabeth May to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published in Great Britain in 2013 by Gollancz
An imprint of the Orion Publishing Group
Orion House, 5 Upper St Martin’s Lane,
London
WC2H 9EA
An Hachette UK Company
This eBook first published in 2013 by Gollancz.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN
978 0 575 13043 2
All characters and events in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor to be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
