She sighed and walked past him. “Where to now?”
“Home,” he said.
As they travelled, slipping out of the Thieves’ Road as soon as they reached a safe place, he thought about Sonea’s message. He couldn’t blame her for seizing the opportunity to meet Lorkin. He’d have done the same thing.
But he didn’t trust Kallen in the same way he trusted her. Not just because I don’t know him like I know Sonea, or that he’s not from the lower end of Imardin society, and not even because of Kallen’s liking for roet. The man is too … He searched for a word, and eventually settled on “rigid”. Cery didn’t doubt the man’s promise to never give up in his search for Skellin, but it came first from a dedication to law and what was right, rather than a desire to protect others. He doubted that Kallen would ever bend the law or his idea of rightness, and that could lead to people getting hurt. The people most likely to be hurt are Anyi, Gol and I.
At last they reached the entrance to the hideout. It had been cold outside, and the chill clung to them. They were all keen to get inside and warm up, but forced themselves to go through all the precautions, and their numb fingers to work all the safeguards. Once inside, Anyi set about starting a fire while Gol checked for indications that the escape routes had been compromised.
Cery sat down. A bottle of wine and three glasses had been set on the table. He sighed. Right now all he wanted was a warmed glass of bol.
“Is there something to celebrate?” he asked, looking at Anyi and Gol.
They turned to regard him, their expressions puzzled.
Cery gestured to the bottle. “Your idea?”
The pair shook their heads.
He turned to stare at the bottle. His heart lurched. A rushing sound filled his ears. A tag hung from a loop of string about the bottle’s neck. On it were scrawled three words. He looked closer.
For your daughter.
He staggered to his feet.
“Out,” he gasped. “Someone’s been here. We have to get out.”
GLOSSARY
ANIMALS
aga moths – pests that eat clothing
anyi – sea mammals with short spines
ceryni – small rodent enka – horned domestic animal, bred for meat
eyoma – sea leeches
faren – general term for arachnids
gorin – large domestic animal used for food and to haul boats and wagons
harrel – small domestic animal bred for meat
inava – insect believed to bestow good luck
limek – wild predatory dog
mullook – wild nocturnal bird
quannea – rare shells
rassook – domestic bird used for meat and feathers
ravi – rodent, larger than ceryni
reber – domestic animal, bred for wool and meat
sapfly – woodland insect
sevli – poisonous lizard
squimp – squirrel-like creature that steals food
yeel – small domesticated breed of limek used for tracking
zill – small, intelligent mammal sometimes kept as a pet
PLANTS/FOOD
anivope vine – plant sensitive to mental projection
bellspice – spice grown in Sachaka
bol – (also means “river scum’) strong liquor made from tugors
brasi – green leafy vegetable with small buds
briskbark – bark with decongestant properties
cabbas – hollow, bell-shaped vegetable
chebol sauce – rich meat sauce made from bol
cone cakes – bite-sized cakes
creamflower – flower used as a soporific
crots – large, purple beans
curem – smooth, nutty spice curren – coarse grain with robust flavour
dall – long fruit with tart orange, seedy flesh
dunda – root chewed as a stimulating drug
gan-gan – flowering bush from Lan
husroot – herb used for cleansing wounds
iker – stimulating drug, reputed to have aphrodisiac properties
jerras – long yellow beans
kreppa – foul-smelling medicinal herb
marin – red citrus fruit
monyo – bulb
myk – mind-affecting drug
nalar – pungent root
nemmin – sleep-inducing drug
nightwood – hardwood timber
pachi – crisp, sweet fruit
papea – pepper-like spice
piorres – small, bell-shaped fruit
raka/suka – stimulating drink made from roasted beans, originally from Sachaka
roet – plant from which a soporific drug and a perfume are derived
rot – slang term for the drug roet shem – edible reed-like plant
sumi – bitter drink
sweetdrops – candies
telk – seed from which an oil is extracted
tenn – grain that can be cooked as is, broken into small pieces, or ground to make a flour
tiro – edible nuts
tugor – parsnip-like root
ukkas – carnivorous plants
vare – berries from which most wine is produced
whitewater – pure spirits made from tugors
yellowseed – crop grown in Sachaka
CLOTHING AND WEAPONRY
incal – square symbol, not unlike a family shield, sewn onto sleeve or cuff
kebin – iron bar with hook for catching attacker’s knife, carried by guards
longcoat – ankle-length coat
quan – tiny disc-shaped beads made of shell
undershift – Kyralian women’s undergarment
vyer – stringed instrument from Elyne
PUBLIC HOUSES
bathhouse – establishment selling bathing facilities and other grooming services
bolhouse – establishment selling bol and short term accommodation
brewhouse – bol manufacturer
hole – building constructed from scavenged materials
stayhouse – rented building, a family to a room
COUNTRIES/PEOPLES IN
THE REGION
Duna – tribes who live in volcanic desert north of Sachaka
Elyne – neighbour to Kyralia and Sachaka and once ruled by Sachaka
Kyralia – neighbour to Elyne and