The Siren Depths (54 page)

Authors: Martha Wells

Tags: #Fiction, #General, #Fantasy

BOOK: The Siren Depths

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Sericans are nomadic traders who travel in large wooden caravan wagons, through both the plains and mountains of the far and near east, and throughout the lands of Imperial Kish. Their land of origin is unknown, at least to outsiders. They have dark blue skin and straight black hair, and are always safe to approach.

Sipar are the denizens of a far west empire, and are often found some distance from their land of origin. They are tall and slim, and have very pale skin tinged with gray, and black or silver-gray hair. Their heads, limbs, and torsos are long in proportion to their height, and they have high foreheads and elongated features. They are known for their trading networks, and are also builders of gadgets and machines. They are usually safe to approach as individuals or small groups, but their complex systems of government can make travelers to their cities uneasy.

Telethi are nomadic, living primarily on boats and large trading ships, and are found in coastal regions all through the southwest. They are tall and strongly built, with dark gold skin and hair.

Verineish are sealings, living only in saltwater seas. They have green scaled skin and dark green hair of a texture and thickness that resembles water plants. Their hands and feet are webbed and clawed, and they have sharply pointed fins along their arms and legs. They are insular and hard to approach, but not counted as dangerous.

Water Travelers are waterlings, and very dangerous to approach. Though they often engage in coastal trade, they are carrion eaters and are believed by some to feed on unwary groundlings, if the opportunity presents itself. The main body of a Water Traveler appears to be a groundling from the waist up. Below, a root-like mass floats on the water with tentacles and a mouth beneath the surface. Gray horn structures stand up above the water, surrounding and protecting the surface body, growing out of its arms, back, chest, and vestigial legs. Their skin is gray and studded with hard chips of horn-like growths.

About the Author

Martha Wells was born in 1964 in Fort Worth, Texas, and graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.A. in Anthropology. She is the author of fourteen SF/F novels, including
The Element of Fire
,
City of Bones
,
Wheel of the Infinite
,
The Wizard Hunters
, and the Nebula-nominated
The Death of the Necromancer.
Forthcoming novels include a YA fantasy,
Emilie and the Hollow World
, due out in April of 2013, and a second YA fantasy and a Star Wars novel due out in 2014. She has had short stories in
Black Gate
,
Lone Star Stories
,
Realms of Fantasy
, and the anthologies
Elemental
,
Tales of the Emerald Serpent
, and
The Other Half of the Sky
, and essays in the nonfiction anthologies
Farscape Forever
,
Mapping the World of Harry Potter
, and
Chicks Unravel Time
. She also has two Stargate Atlantis media-tie-in novels:
Reliquary
and
Entanglement.
Her books have been published in seven languages. She lives in College Station, Texas, with her husband. Her web site is www.marthawells.com.