wife noun—Human word for muthvashi .
Wise Sons—See “military ranks and units—orc leaders.”
Wise Woman noun—A human woman skilled in the healing arts. Wise Women also practice midwifery.
wizard noun—The human translation for minsi. Although Muth la speaks to mothers, on rare occasions she imparts special knowledge to sons. This knowledge benefits all urkzimmuthi. Although this may seem magical, it is not derived from sorcery. Renowned wizards include Val-hak, who brought the secret of making sand ice to his clan; Fluuk-jan, who taught his clan how to make steel; and Velasa-pah, who learned how to visit the realm of spirits and foretell events.
woman noun—An orc female is called a muth, but the term is not commonly applied to human females. There is no specific term for them in Orcish, although “woe man,” a corrupted pronunciation of “woman,” is occasionally employed.
yellow iron noun—The human translation for daumriti, the Orcish word for gold. Orcs do not prize gold and mainly use it in decorative metalwork and for weights used with scales. The chimneys in hanmuthis sometimes bear designs in gold. Orcs do not wear jewelry or decorate their weapons, so gold is not used for those purposes. Because the metal never tarnishes, orcs consider it a symbol for eternity.
That is why their queen’s crown is made of gold.
zim noun—Child.
zimmuthi noun—The singular form of “orc.” (child [of] mother) zul verb root and noun—To love, love.
By Morgan Howell
King’s Property Clan Daughter Royal Destiny
Praise for King’s Property Book 1 of Queen of the Orcs
“An unusual tale.. .Howell’s depiction of orc culture is fascinating—these orcs are as big, strong, and dangerous as any in fantasy, but they also have moral and ethical issues of importance. This is not a book to read for fun on a rainy night—it’s a book to think about.”
—E.......M.,
Nebula Award-winning author of The D^^ of Paksenarrion
“Dar never loses our admiration and compassion—qualities at the heart of any struggling hero. King’s Property tests your presumptions of ‘the other’ and brings to mind the cultural prejudices and wars born from betrayal that are so sadly evident throughout our own history.”
—K.. L_, author of W&rchild
“In a crowded field, Howell has succeeded in creating an original and vivid fantasy. [The] characters display unexpected depths of humanity—even when they’re not human. I was captivated by Dar. Highly recommended.”
—N. K.,
Nebula Award-winning author of Beggars in Spain
Queen of the Orcs: Royal Destiny is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
A Del Rey Books Mass Market Original Copyright © 2007 by William H. Hubbell All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Del Rey Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
D. R is a registered trademark and the Del Rey colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.
eISBN: 978-0-345-50045-8
v1.0