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‘I am no servant of Nie,’ the Par’chin said, ‘simply because I have learned to use stolen magic more effectively than you and your bone-throwing dama’ting.’

Jardir snarled as he got his feet under him and came back in, blocking the lightning-fast kicks and punches as he returned his own probing strikes. Some of these the Par’chin parried, and others he avoided by dematerializing.

It seemed an impossible advantage, but there was a reason why Jardir had never lost a battle in his adult life. He memorized the patterns of the Par’chin’s shifts, and the next time he solidified, expecting an easy return strike, Jardir was ready, dodging aside and punching him hard in the stomach. He followed it with a knee to the throat as the man doubled over, and slammed his open palms into his ears, making his head ring and his thoughts scatter.

‘It seems you cannot use your magic at all when your mind is reeling,’ Jardir said, head-butting the Par’chin in the nose. Blood spattered his face, but Jardir pressed the attack, putting his hands around the greenlander’s throat.

Steel fingers clasped his own throat as the Par’chin surged back at him. ‘Don’t need it,’ he said, pushing Jardir back a few steps and leaping, pitching them both off the cliff after the spear.

‘World’s better off without us, too,’ he said as they fell.

Arlen felt cold wind on his face, clearing his thoughts as he and Jardir continued to grapple, twisting to try to dominate even as the wind howled in their ears.

Jardir proved the more skilled in the struggle, managing to put himself on top as ground rushed to meet them. It seemed pointless — the fall would kill them both, whoever was on top, but Arlen could see in his aura that Jardir didn’t care. Arlen would die a split second before him, and that would be enough.

Arlen stopped struggling, embracing the fall. Jardir’s aura lit with victory, but then Arlen dematerialized, and Jardir struck the ground with a bone-shattering crunch.

Krasian Dictionary

Abban am’Haman am’Kaji: Wealthy khaffit merchant, friend to both Jardir and Arlen, crippled during his warrior training.

Acha: Exclamation meaning ‘heads up!’

Ahmanjah: Book Jardir is penning about his life. It will be to him what the Evejah was to Kaji.

Ahmann asu Hoshkamin am’Jardir am’Kaji: Ahmann, son of Hoshkamin, of the line of Jardir, of the tribe Kaji. Leader of all Krasia. Believed by many to be the Deliverer. See also: Shar’Dama Ka.

Ajin’pal (blood brother): Name for the bond that forms on a boy’s first night fighting in the Maze, when he is tethered to a dal’Sharum warrior to keep him from running when the demons first come at them. An ajin’pal is considered a blood relative thereafter.

Ala: (1) The perfect world created by Everam, corrupted by Nie. (2) Dirt, soil, clay, etc.

Alagai: The Krasian word for corelings (demons). Direct translation is ‘plague of Ala’.

Alagai hora: Demon bones used by dama’ting to create magic items, such as the warded dice they use to tell the future. Alagai hora burst into flame if exposed to sunlight.

Alagai Ka: Ancient Krasian name for the consort to Alagai’ting Ka, the Mother of All Demons. Alagai Ka and his sons were said to be the most powerful of the demon lords, generals, and captains of Nie’s forces.

Alagai’sharak: Holy War against demonkind.

Alagai taiclass="underline" A whip consisting of three strips of braided leather ending in sharp barbs meant to cut deeply into a victim’s flesh. Used by dama as an instrument of punishment.

Alagai’ting Ka: The Mother of All Demons, the demon queen of Krasian myth.

Aleverak: Damaji of the Majah tribe in Krasia.

Amadeveram: Damaji of the Kaji tribe in Krasia before Jardir comes to power.

Amanvah: Jardir’s first daughter by Inevera, Amanvah is dama’ting in her own right. Offered to Rojer as a bride along with her cousin Sikvah.

Andrah: Krasian secular and religious dictator.

Anjha: One of the lesser tribes of Krasia.

Anoch Sun: Lost city that was once the seat of power for Kaji, the Shar’Dama Ka. It is believed to have been claimed by the sands; no one has seen or heard of the city in centuries. People and artefacts called Sunian.

Asavi: Dama’ting of the Kaji tribe. Former rival of Inevera as nie’dama’ting. Lover of Melan.

Ashan: Son of Dama Khevat and closest friend of Jardir’s during his training in Sharik Hora, Ashan is Damaji of the Kaji tribe and part of Jardir’s inner circle. Married to Jardir’s eldest sister, Imisandre. Father of Asukaji and Ashia.

Ashia: Jardir’s Sharum’ting niece. Daughter of Ashan and Imisandre. Married to Asome.

Asome: Jardir’s second son by Inevera. Dama. Known as the ‘heir to nothing’. Married to Ashia.

Asu: ‘Son’, or ‘son of’. Used as a prefix in formal names, as in Ahmann asu Hoshkamin am’Jardir am’Kaji.

Asukaji: Ashan’s eldest son by Jardir’s sister Imisandre. Dama. Name literally means ‘son of Kaji’.

Baden: Rich and powerful dama of the Kaji tribe. Push’ting. Known to possess several items of hora magic.

Bazaar, Great: The largest merchant area in Krasia, located right inside the main gates. It is run entirely by women and khaffit.

Belina: Jardir’s dama’ting wife from the Majah tribe.

Bido: Loincloth, most commonly the white nie’Sharum cloth boys are given after they are taken from their mothers and stripped of their tans.

Cashiv: Push’ting kai’Sharum in personal service to Dama Baden. Lover of Soli.

Chin: Outsider/infidel. This word is also considered an insult, meaning that a person is a coward.

Chusen: Damaji of the Shunjin tribe.

Cielvah: Daughter of Abban. Raped by Hasik.

Coliv: Krevakh Watcher assigned to Jardir’s unit as kai’Sharum. Sent to guard Leesha on her return to the Hollow.

Couzi: A harsh, illegal Krasian liquor flavoured with cinnamon. Because of its potency, it is served in tiny cups meant to be taken in one swallow.

Daclass="underline" Prefix meaning ‘honoured’.

Dal’Sharum: The Krasian warrior caste, which includes the vast majority of the men. Dal’Sharum are broken into tribes controlled by the Damaji, and smaller units answerable to a dama and a kai’Sharum. Dal’Sharum dress in black robes with a black turban and night veil. All are trained in hand-to-hand combat (sharusahk), as well as spear fighting and shield formations.

Dal’ting: Fertile married women, or older women who have given birth.

Dama: A Krasian Holy Man. Dama are both religious and secular leaders. They wear white robes and carry no weapons. All dama are masters of sharusahk, the Krasian hand-to-hand martial art.