The Lady (2 page)

Heuslar—Red-haired Northron wizard who became the devil Ogada, uncle of Red Geir.

Hicca—A lord of the Duina Catairna, allied with Ketsim, aspirant to the kingship of the Duina Catairna.

Holla-Sayan—A Westgrasslander caravan-guard, who unwillingly became the host for the Blackdog of Lissavakail and foster-father to the goddess Attalissa; now one with the Blackdog and a free agent. Husband of Gaguush.

Hravnmod the Wise—One of the first three kings in the north, brother of Ulfhild, said to have been slain by her.

Hyllanim—Son of Hyllau, successor of Cairangorm and Catairlau as king of the Duina Catairna on the Day of the Three Kings.

Hyllau—Second (and much younger) wife of Cairangorm, King of the Duina Catairna. She is said in many songs to have murdered her husband; died on the day of the Three Kings.

Ilbialla—Goddess of a well in Sunset Ward in Marakand, patron of Sunset and Riverbend Wards, served by a single hereditary priest or priestess.

Iris—Third of Varro's and Talfan's four daughters.

Itulyan—A clerk in the Sunset Gate company of the street guard.

Ivah—A wizard, daughter of Tamghat, who was the devil Tamghiz Ghatai, though Ivah did not learn this until after his death.

Jasberek—One of the seven devils, merged with the wizard Anganurth.

Jasmel—Eldest daughter of Varro and Talfan.

Jing Xua—A street-guard lieutenant at the Eastern Wall.

Jiot—A dog, black and tan, one of two strays from the streets of Marakand that have chosen to follow Ghu.

Jochiz—One of the seven devils, called Jochiz Fireborn; bonded with the wizard Sien-Shava.

Judeh—A Marakander-born caravaneer of Gaguush's gang.

Jugurthos Barraya—Captain of the Sunset Gate fort of the Marakander street guard; son of two executed senators and dispossessed heir of the main branch of the Family Barraya.

Jui—A dog, white and ash-grey, one of two strays that have chosen to follow Ghu.

Kapuzeh—A member of Gaguush's gang, originally from the Stone Desert, brother of Django.

Keeper—Moth's sword, forged by the demon wolf-smith, inherited from her grandmother. “Keeper” is the meaning of its proper name, Kepra.

Kepra—Moth's Northron sword. For the inscriptions on it, see “The Storyteller.”

Ketsim—A Grasslander claiming to be warlord of the Orange Banners; formerly among the chiefs of Tamghat the Lake-Lord's
noekar
, or vassals, and the governor of conquered Serakallash, now a mercenary hired with his followers to take the Duina Catairna for Marakand.

Kharduin—A caravan-master from the eastern deserts, Nour's partner in business and otherwise on the eastern road.

Kurman—A temple guardsman, cousin of Lieutenant Jing Xua.

The Lady of the Deep Well, Lady of Marakand—The foremost of the original three gods of Marakand, served by a large number of priests and priestesses. Though the most-worshipped of the three gods, she never appeared to any but her priests. The Voice of the Lady was her intermediary in dealings with the city. About thirty years before this story, following a devastating earthquake, she, through her Voice and temple, assumed rule of the city.

The Lake-Lord—Title taken by Tamghat (Tamghiz Ghatai) as ruler of Lissavakail.

Lakkariss—A black sword, possibly made of obsidian, belonging to Moth.

Launval the Elder—Praitannec lord, High King Durandau's champion.

Launval the Younger—Praitannec lord, one of High King Durandau's wizards.

The Leopard—see Ahjvar.

Lilace—The Voice of the Lady, assassinated by Ahjvar.

Lin—A wandering Nabbani wizard who entered High King Durandau's service, also tutor to Durandau's sister Deyandara.

Lu—A Five Cities caravaneer and horse-dealer involved with Nour and Hadidu in smuggling the wizard-talented out of Marakand.

Lug—A Grasslander warrior, one of the mercenary Ketsim's
noekar
and tent guard. Husband of Chieh.

Lysen—Ketsim's second wife, a Grasslander, in grief for whom he neglected his duties as chief of the tribe and was driven into exile by his brother.

Maca—Ketsim's long-dead first wife, a Grasslander.

Mag—A Catairnan wizard.

Mansour—Member of the family of priests of the Marakander hill-god Gurhan; father of Zora.

Marnoch—Queen Cattiga's chief huntsman, son of Lord Seneschal Yvarr, warleader of the Duina Catairna after Queen Cattiga's murder.

Mikki—Moth's demon lover, a
verrbjarn
, or werebear, bear by day and man by night; his father was a Northron sea-raider turned homesteader, his mother a bear demon of the Hardenwald and the guardian of the grave of the devil Vartu.

Moth—A Northern wanderer, wizard, warrior, storyteller, sister and King's Sword of Hravnmod the Wise, allegedly his murderer; the devil Ulfhild Vartu, called Kingsbane.

Mother Nabban, Father Nabban—River and mountain, the only gods of the Nabbani empire.

Nour—Marakander wizard and caravaneer of the eastern road, brother-in-law of Hadidu, business partner and lover of Kharduin.

Ogada—One of the seven devils, bonded with the Northron wizard Heuslar.

Orsa—The goddess of a stream and swamp in the Duina Catairna.

Orta Barraya—A street-guard captain stationed at the Eastern Wall.

Pagel—A Catairnan scout and soothsayer of Lord Fairu's household.

Pakdhala—Name used by the goddess Attalissa as Holla-Sayan's supposed daughter.

Palin—A bard and prince of the Duina Catairna, alleged true father of Deyandara, brother of Queen Cattiga.

Pazum—A magistrate of the suburb of Marakand.

Petrimos Barraya—Senator of Marakand, husband of his cousin Elias Barraya, father of Jugurthos; executed in the cages shortly after the earthquake.

Praitanna—Goddess of the River Praitanna and the Duina Praitanna, one of the seven tribes of Praitan; regarded as the greatest of the seven patron deities of the
duinas
.

Rahel—A Marakander priestess, Beholder of the Face of the Lady, wife of Ashir. Killed on Zora's orders.

Rasta—The elderly master of a caravanserai in Marakand's suburb, where Gaguush's gang usually puts up. Fond of cats.

Rozen—Catairnan scout appointed as Deyandara's servant.

Sayan—A god of the Sayanbarkash in the Western Grass, Holla-Sayan's god.

Senara—Older lady of a northern region of the Duina Catairna.

Sera—Goddess of Serakallash, a town in the Red Desert on the western caravan road.

Sessihz—One of the Twenty Families in Marakand.

Shaugh—One of Deyandara's bench-companions, that is, a warrior of her household, among her personal guard.

Shemal—Young son of Hadidu, nephew of Nour.

Shenar—Master of a caravanserai in Marakand's suburb where Kharduin's gang is lodged.

Shiwasa Xua—A senator of Marakand.

Sien-Mor—A wizard from the southern ocean who became the devil Tu'usha; younger sister of Sien-Shava. Her body was consumed past restoration by fire, though some aspect of her soul lives on within Tu'usha.

Sien-Shava—A wizard from the southern ocean who became the devil Jochiz; older brother of Sien-Mor.

Siman—A Grasslander, leader of Ketsim's rebellious sons.

Storm—A bone-horse, a necromantic creation anchored to a horse's skull; Storm appears to have ideas of his own, which a bone-horse should not.

Styrma—Storm's name in Northron.

Surey—A lieutenant in the Temple Guard and an agent of Revered Ashir, the Right Hand of the Lady.

Talfan—A Marakander apothecary, wife of Varro, mother of Jasmel, Ermina, Iris, and an infant daughter.

Talwesach—One of King Cairangorm's wizards in the Duina Catairna, a century or so ago.

Tamarisk—A Salt Desert girl newly hired into Gaguush's caravan gang.

Tamghat—Name used by the devil Tamghiz Ghatai when he conquered Lissavakail.

Tamghiz—Grasslander chieftain and wizard bonded with the devil Ghatai; onetime husband of Ulfhild; father of Ivah.

Thekla—A Westron woman in Gaguush's gang.

Tihma—A Marakander magistrate of the suburb.

Tihmrose—A Marakander woman in Gaguush's gang.

Tulip—Adjutant (and mistress) of Captain Jugurthos Barraya of the Sunset Gate garrison in Marakand.

Tu'usha—One of the seven devils, called Tu'usha the Restless by the Northron skalds; bonded with the wizard Sien-Mor.

Ulfhild of Hravnsfjall—King's Sword of Hravnmod the Wise and his younger sister; wizard who became the devil Vartu Kingsbane. She, however, maintains she did not murder her brother. Once married to Tamghiz; their children were Maerhild and Oern; see Moth.

Varro—A Northron man in Gaguush's gang, married to the Marakander apothecary Talfan.

Vartu—One of the seven devils, bonded with the wizard Ulfhild; see Moth.

Viga Forkbeard—One of the first three kings in the north.

Watcher—The apothecary Talfan's watchdog.

Xua—One of the Twenty Families of Marakand.

Yeh-Lin the Beautiful—A Nabbani wizard, courtesan, general, and regent, or possibly empress, depending upon which history you prefer to believe; became the devil Dotemon. Ruled Nabban again at some point after she became a devil.

Yselly—A Praitannec bard with whom Deyandara travelled as an unofficial apprentice, died from an adder's bite.

Yvarr—Seneschal of Queen Cattiga of the Duina Catairna, father of Marnoch.

Zavel—A Serakallashi-raised Grasslander in Gaguush's gang.

Zora—A dancer and musician in the temple of the Lady, daughter of Mansour, the only survivor of the massacre of the priests of Gurhan. Given to the Lady to be possessed as her new Voice, she chose to bond with the devil Tu'usha.

PART ONE

CHAPTER I

The man had been like an older brother to him ever since his parents had got him hired into the caravan-mistress Gaguush's gang, but sometimes Zavel could hate the self-righteous bastard of a Westgrasslander. Like now. All he had wanted was the loan of a few coins, but no, he got a tongue-lashing instead. As if Holla-Sayan had never had a drink or two more than sat well the next morning, or gone with an easy woman. And if that wasn't what he was up to now, skulking down the street with his eyes running anxiously to those two slim figures who'd walked ahead and were now waiting arm in arm, a Grasslander caravaneer with the long braids of the road and another with her Nabbani-black hair cut short as a Marakander boy's. That one looked around, wondering where her victim had got to.

Zavel had Holla-Sayan by the arm, stopping the man just walking off on him, and now he dug in his fingers. Gaped wordless a moment. Couldn't be. And Holla had been right with them, a hand under the Nabbani's elbow, all friendly, when Zavel had spotted the threesome, the Westgrasslander and the two women, one of whom was—
Ivah
. The past year hadn't treated her well. She was gaunt and pallid, but cutting her long hair was no disguise at all; he knew the sly narrow eyes, yellow-brown as his own, the delicate features and tight little mouth, bruised black as it was. She knew him, too. He saw her eyes widen in shock, and damn if she didn't look to Holla-Sayan in some appeal.

“Holla!” He let go Holla-Sayan's arm, pushed away from him. “
Ivah!
You murdering, bastard whore of the Lake-Lord, you—” His knife was in his hand and he leapt for her, reaching to grab her by the front of her coat, to jerk her close and into the stabbing blade, but he choked, jerked backwards himself by the hood of his coat, Holla, damn him, and he spun around, slashing. Holla-Sayan knocked his arm aside and a fist hit his jaw. He heard the thud of it, felt the jarring clack of his teeth. Then nothing.

Sense returned in retching, in white lights smearing and streaking his eyes. Zavel hunched up and groaned, realized the man bending over him groping in his pockets was probably not trying to be helpful, and hit him, hard, low, and everything he deserved, the sneaking Marakander thief. He found his knife and staggered away, leaving the man groaning and retching in turn behind him.

No sign of Holla-Sayan or the women. Sera curse him, Holla, sneaking off with
Ivah
, of all people. Of all the girls he could go chasing when he tired of the boss's temper, he was whoring around with the damned dead Lake-Lord's thrice-damned and treacherous, murdering pet wizard, the woman who'd cut Bikkim's throat for him, or had haughty I'm-too-good-for-a-bondman's-son Shaiveh do it for her to keep her own soft fingers clean. He'd have expected Holla to tear the throat of her as soon as look at her and leave her broken in the street for the real dogs to feast on.

Maybe that's what Holla-Sayan had been about?

Not bloody likely, with that gentle hand under the arm he'd seen when he first glimpsed the man. Subtlety, sweet-talking her off into some private corner where he could kill her tidily out of sight, wasn't Holla's way. No, at the first sight, first
sniff
of her, the monster that possessed him should have taken over. The Blackdog should have been shaking her like a rat, had the throat of her there and then on the street without ever a thought for what danger that brought down on the rest of the gang from the Red Masks, the wizard-hunting mute priests of the Lady of Marakand. Even if they did hardly ever come out to the suburb.

The damned wizard had bespelled Holla-Sayan. That explained it. She had bespelled the whole gang, once upon a time, won herself a place with them, got herself made tutor to Pakdhala when they'd all thought her Holla's bastard daughter, not knowing she was the goddess of Lissavakail, not knowing Holla-Sayan had been taken and possessed by the Blackdog. Monster mountain-spirit or not, Holla-Sayan hadn't been immune to Ivah's wizardry then. He'd fallen to it again, obviously. And how was Zavel supposed to rescue him? He didn't want to end
his
life with
his
neck snapped like a rat's, and Holla, once the dog took him over, was quite, quite mad. Anyway, Zavel had no idea where they'd gone. In bed somewhere, he supposed and damned if he was going to start checking every inn and tavern to save the fool from himself. Holla would come to his senses in time. Surely. It wasn't like Ivah was even very pretty, to hold a man for long. Of course, you couldn't call Gaguush pretty, either, and he'd married her, so maybe that wasn't what Holla went looking for.