* It seems Talon was serious about that “magic rock,” for it records the words spoken by its holder. I could have fabricated the other side of the conversation, but the gist seems clear enough through context and so I have let the words fall where they may.
* Having known Doltari slaves, I can only assume the auctioneer was blind. Then again, perhaps the good citizens of Kishna-Farriga have become experts at accepting the labels given to slaves without question.
* I have heard a great many theories to the effect that the Free States are a vassal of some other nation. So Doltar believes the Free States are in league with the Manol and the Manol believes the Free States are in league with Zherias, and of course Quur thinks the Free States are Doltari and thus must be protected by the Manol. If large-scale war ever breaks out, I fear it will go poorly for these Free States people trapped in the middle.
* There is no record to indicate that Relos Var has claim to a noble title or order of merit. On the other hand, there’s scarcely any record of Relos Var at all. The earliest mention of that name I have been able to locate is from the book History of the Raevana Conquest by Cilmar Shallrin, which mentions the name once. Since that book was published five hundred years ago, the idea that this might be the same person is troubling.
* This is . . . so wrong. So wrong. The odd number alone should have been the giveaway. This is what happens when you neglect to have a proper education. Two worlds. Just two. Magic is not a “realm”; it is a metaphysical river separating two parallel shores.
* Having personally met Relos Var on several occasions, including at public baths, I have to say that I have never been able to figure out where the man keeps his talismans either—or if he even wears any. Relos Var has the power and aura of someone who wears a great many talismans without seeming to wear any at all.
* I find it highly unlikely his real name is Kihrin, but without confirmation from his birth mother, it would be difficult to know for certain. Perhaps Kihrin is a misspelling.
* “Found a witch in the City today, a burglar in the process of robbing a mansion through the use of her witch gift. While questioning her, she revealed that she was something called a ‘Key.’ Must investigate if there’s a secret organized group practicing illegal magecraft right under the noses of royalty.” —Journal of Kolban Simus, Watchman, found under his pillow after his body was discovered. His death was ruled a suicide.
* Aidin Novirin, a merchant of minor means associated with the Gatekeepers. After returning from personal business, he reported a burglary to the Watchmen, but said he could not determine what, if anything, had been stolen.
* Oh, how I lament the lack of education in the world. This is nothing but superstition.
* A flattering observation, but you and I both know perfectly well that his lack of vanity had nothing to do with monastic discipline. Thank the gods for the house servants, or I likely would have starved to death before he remembered that children need regular meals and baths.
* Far better names than their legal ones, in my opinion.
* Whose mind, I wonder? I find it highly unlikely that the demon wasn’t fully aware that Rook was in the house the entire time. So, it seems quite possible that he pulled the information, not from the prisoner but from Kihrin himself.
* There is a pattern to the people that Talon impersonates in these dialogs. They tend to fall into two categories: those she has eaten and those she has spent long periods of time around, such as Kihrin. Clearly she’s been using her telepathic abilities to learn a great many secrets.
* Besides the Dana Jewels, one of the only recorded sales of a star tear was from a retired Quuros military officer named Duvos. He somehow acquired one and traded it to House D’Kard in exchange for the construction of what is now Sileemkha Palace in Khorvesh. By such standards, this exchange is rather extravagant: just a single star tear would have been an adequate stand-in for one million ords.
* One presumes not literally.
* Every record of dues or fees paid to House D’Erinwa lists this particular pawnshop owner’s name as . . . Butterbelly. I can find no record of any other identity.
* The Temple of Light is dedicated to the Vishai Mysteries, which are considered something of a heterodox faith dedicated to a solar deity named Selanol, who dies and is resurrected with the passing seasons. The religion is extremely popular in Eamithon and looked at oddly everywhere else.
* The implication here is that the Shadowdancers are sophisticated enough to train those they find with talent, but not advanced enough to train their students to memorize tenyé signatures. Just enough knowledge to be useful, and not a shred more.
* It’s not diamond.
* Harder.
* “Going south” is a Quuros euphemism for dying. I suspect the saying goes back to Emperor Kandor’s ill-fated attempt at southern expansion into the Manol.
* This is a common mistake. In fact, the first spell one learns can be quite sophisticated. Not knowing one’s limits is occasionally a marked advantage.
* Obviously, I am not dead. I also reject the idea that I’m responsible for his situation here. I am at best an accessory.
* The beds on board an average Zheriaso-built slave ship can comfortably accommodate a person under 5'2" tall. By comparison, the average Quuros is 5'6" tall, the average Zheriaso is 5'8", and the average vané is 6'2" tall. So in answer to the question “Who could possibly find such accommodations comfortable?” the answer is “No one.” This only highlights the desire of Zheriaso slavers to squeeze every possible bit of space, even from their paying passengers.
* I can’t help but wonder just what Surdyeh thought would happen on Kihrin’s sixteenth birthday. A more distressing idea: what if it all happened exactly as Surdyeh had originally planned?
* There are many variations of the Maevanos, but they all follow the same basic story: the hero dies, travels to the underworld, is judged by Thaena, and is allowed to Return to life again. The Archetype of the Dying God, by Qhadri Silorma, plays on this theme in detail—further elaborating a theory in which Thaena is just one part of a cycle of spiritual reincarnation vital to all existence. This is along with goddesses Taja and Tya, each ruling one of three coexisting realms of reality. These conform to Physical, Magical, and Deathly metaphysical states. Silorma’s book is hugely hated by followers of the Goddess of Life, Galava, who object to being pushed aside in favor of the triplet goddesses.
* I don’t think it should be assumed that Surdyeh wasn’t trained by the Gatekeepers, although it’s possible that the Revelers were responsible for Surdyeh’s musical training. He seems to have known spells that aren’t officially in the Reveler repertoire. Let’s simply say that it would not surprise me to discover Surdyeh had ties to the Gatekeepers, or rather House D’Aramarin.
* Believed to be named because the road marks the spot where Simillion killed the god-king Ghauras. In fact, it’s so named because it marks the spot where the First Emperor’s murdered, mutilated corpse was put on display by the Court of Gems as an “object lesson” to anyone who would defy them.
* Probably not. Demons are not natural creatures, although they can, temporarily, take on physical forms. As such, demons do not possess any gender beyond which is assigned to them, or sometimes, the gender they decide has the most utilitarian value.
* Demons are, naturally, poorly understood entities, and despite the amount of research that has gone into deciphering these creatures, huge gaps in our knowledge remain. The Lesser Key of Grizzst is an obvious beginner’s treatise, but I also find The Cold Invasion by Killus Vornigel to be an excellent perspective on these monsters and their interactions with the physical world.
* Compare with the following prophecy from A Study of Demonic Possession in Quur: “Hail to the Lawbreaker; Hail to the Thief of Souls; Hail to the Prince of Swords. Long will we search for the lion, Until at last we find the hawk, Our king who will free us from ruin, The long suffering of our souls unlocked.”
* Demons are not generally locked into a single form, although they are not the same as mimics such as Talon who shape-change with disconcerting impunity. However, once a demon enters the physical world, they seem to keep their form for the duration of their stay. A demon’s form may be dictated by the sorcerer who summons it, who might declare that a demon should only appear with “a seemly and handsome form” or demand that a demon appear “hideous and terrifying to scare his enemies.” The Lesser Key of Grizzst, for example, recommends demanding a form the demon would find unpleasant, as a way of determining if the demon is truly under control. (I don’t put much stock in this personally, since a demon is more than capable of putting up with a few hours as a cuddly puppy—if it means ripping his summoner to tiny pieces later on.)
* One wonders if Kihrin occasionally forgot that he had a great deal of money saved up, or if he just lost himself in a role, that of a musician’s young apprentice. I suppose the easiest way to keep from spending that money would be to forget he had it.
* One hundred and twenty-five years ago, the King of Zherias, Shogu, attempted to outlaw the practice of slaving, traditionally one of the primary Zheriaso tradecrafts (along with piracy and mercantilism). He survived less than five days past his declaration, and his eldest child, Sinka, promptly legalized it again.
* “Willing” is a debatable term given Morea’s status as a slave.
* The Joratese culture, and particularly their god-touched nobility, survive in large part because they were created as a servitor race to the centaurs that ruled that area. When Quur invaded, the Joratese eagerly sided with the Empire to overthrow the god-king Korshal. The Joratese were quick to offer their sons and daughters to Quuros soldiers, who were entitled to landholdings in the new dominion. Eventually, this resulted in the current Jorat dominion. It takes a dim view of outsiders, or the magic that resulted in their original enslavement.
* Speaking of old, dead god-kings . . . but I really don’t need to provide a history lesson on old Laregrane’s god-king, do I? It’s been a mandatory class at the Academy for the last two centuries.
* There have been any number of servitor races created by the god-kings during their supremacy. Some, such as the centaurs of Jorat or the snow giants of Yor, are extinct or nearly so. The Daughters of Laaka have flourished, in large part because Laaka invested them so heavily with resistance to magic, but mostly because their preferred habitat, the ocean depths, is far from the dominion of man.
* She means the Celestial Concord, perhaps? Very little is known about the Celestial Concord, save that it was a binding agreement between the Eight Immortals and certain god-kings. They all decided it was better to play nice and promise to behave than be hunted down and slain by the Emperor—using his preferred weapon for such, Urthaenriel. Presumably it was some kind of treaty on acceptable behavior. And afterward, the Concord gods did not physically rule on earth. This had previously been a common occurrence during the Age of God-Kings.
* Citizens of the Kirpis and Kazivar dominions like to insist that only wine made from grapes should be called such. The presence of the Academy in Kirpis means that generations of wizards have returned home with a taste for grape wine and the quirk of preferring it for rituals. While Ola never attended the Academy, she must have picked up this association from her time spent in the Upper Circle.
* And poisons. The heart-pumping, excited state nakari powder is famous for inducing can be created through poisonous mushrooms, aconite, and the thorax of the red dragon beetle. In small quantities, these are harmless, but I would be careful to buy nakari powder from a trusted source.
* Is it paranoia I suspect that was the whole point?
* Eamithon is home to some curious exceptions from Quuros law, due to the fact that of all the dominions of the Empire, Eamithon (under the reign of the god-queen Dana) was the only one to join the Empire willingly, with the full cooperation of its ruler. Technically speaking, slavery is legal in Eamithon, but since virtually no one in Eamithon seems to realize this, slaves brought into the dominion have a habit of “vanishing” and turning up in isolated villages where the natives swear that the person has lived there for their whole life. There is also enormous peer pressure on anyone settling in Eamithon with their slaves to free them.
* “Like trying to drown a Zheriaso” is a colloquial expression for attempting something impossible. The phrase’s origins are believed to be tied to one of the many Quuros pirate wars, when Zheriaso were often seen to simply jump overboard and abandon ship rather than fight the superior Quuros navy. They later turned up whole and hale back on Zherias, even in instances where ships were scuttled miles from the coast.
* Since he was never licensed, this technically makes Kihrin a witch.
* House D’Talus.
* According to eyewitness reports of the eruption of Mount Daynis in the southernmost edge of Khorvesh, the main cause of death was not the lava or giant boulders that blew upward from the volcano, but a surge of hot gases and smaller debris that behaved like water, flowing downhill and engulfing entire towns and cities in its path.
* Felicia Nacinte’s masterpiece The Rape of Thoris has regrettably since been destroyed, but some of her other paintings, particularly The Morgage Rout, The Courtship of the Duke’s Daughter, and A Rose for Thaena, are on display at the Duke’s palace in Khorvesh. I highly recommend their viewing if you ever have the opportunity.
* Radiation of what? I would give much to be able to ask Taja for elaboration on these points. Assuming that this dream was really an encounter with the goddess herself (for the record, yes, I am assuming exactly that). However, in substantiation of these claims, I’ve been able to find no mention of any celestial phenomena resembling Tya’s Veil prior to the God-King Era. And prior to the God-King Era, poetry involving the sun and sky did indeed use “yellow” and “blue” as central color motifs.
* I rather suspect that statement is wrong on all possible counts.
* The closest translation of Valathea is “the exquisite sorrow that comes from understanding great truths.” It is a female Kirpis vané given name, currently out of vogue.
* Not better at all, I suspect. “Notrin Milligreest allowed me to examine the Valathea harp, which by family legend traces back to Elana Kandor, widow of famous Quuros Emperor Atrin Kandor. It was said that the harp only plays notes in a minor key, no matter what the skill or intention of the musician. I wished to see this for myself, and Notrin humored me. The harp is in excellent condition, and has been well maintained, and yet, as predicted, I could not coax any music from the harp not best fit for a dirge. When I asked how this had been accomplished, Notrin shrugged and informed me that there was no great skill to it: Valathea only played brightly for those she loved.” —A Study of Enchantment, by Darvok Hin Lora
* An exaggeration. There are, at most, several hundred deities. Maybe twice that many counting dead god-kings.
* No. But the architecture might appear older by virtue of being more primitive. Many relics come from eras technically younger than the vané.
* Although most popular in Khorvesh, Thaena is worshipped in every dominion in the Empire and outside its borders, usually in the form of propitiatory offerings meant to turn her attention elsewhere.
* For my own reasons, I admit to a fascination with mimics. Little is known about them, largely because they’re difficult to find: understandable when dealing with a race that changes their shape and coloring. Most scholars dismiss them as the remnants of some mad god-king’s experiments, which may be the case, since mimics neither age nor reproduce in any traditional sense. As mimics have no interest in illuminating matters, we may never know their true origins.
* This gives the strong implication that his real name is some variation, or rather, that Kihrin is but a mispronunciation of his proper name.
* Although most people are used to calling the strip of land that circles the Imperial Arena “Arena Park,” it’s never been officially named such. Other nicknames in common usage include “Blood Grounds,” and of course the ever-popular “Culling Fields.”
* I must admit, I too thought it was a nude dance. Now I understand why that priest of Thaena stormed out of the room when we saw it performed at the Winter Festival, two years previous. Someone really should tell the Revelers Guild.
* I have met the witch-goddess Suless while visiting Duke Kaen in Yor. She’s a deeply unpleasant woman. Also, don’t ever eat anything she bakes. Trust me.
* Urthaenriel, otherwise known as the Ruin of Kings, Eclipser, the Emperor’s Sword, Godslayer, Map Burner, Saetya, Tyasaeth, Vishabas, War’s Heart, Sun’s Shadow, the Severer, Zinkarox. These are all names given by one group or another to the sword of the Quuros Emperor, one of the great artifacts of the world. At school, they teach that the sword was manufactured by Grizzst the Mad for Emperor Simillion at the request of Khored the Destroyer, but I am skeptical.
* The Manol vané as a race are well known for their skill with archery, but most particularly for their use of poisoned ebony arrowheads. Arrowheads that have slain important enemies of the vané are often taken as souvenirs by the archer who fired the arrow.
* As if the Lord Heir had any right to cast nominating votes for Voices of the Council. Darzin was getting ahead of himself here.
* One does hear rumors, on occasion, to the effect that there are still Kirpis vané inside the Kirpis dominion, despite their diaspora and exile from their homeland after the Quuros conquest, but I have never found any conclusive evidence.
* Technically, no vané’s coloring is “natural,” but it’s a fair question if one is unaware of the mercurial nature of vané appearance.
* One could argue that the Royal Houses benefit from monopolies of scarce resources, but since demand far outstrips supply, Kihrin’s argument has merit from a purely economic viewpoint.
* The definition of “witch” is one of the most hotly contested words in the Guarem language. According to the Academy at Alavel, a “witch” is “an uneducated magical adept who operates without official license from the Royal Houses.” But since women are never given licenses and are forbidden to attend the Academy, the gender-neutral term is almost exclusively applied to women.
* And technically only qualifies as a witch because of a lack of formal licensing. Must be infuriating.
* I’m not convinced the Scrolls of Fate aren’t a clever hoax perpetrated by someone trying to muddy the water—or simply profit off the fascination so many hold for prophecies.
* He still does. And it’s still profoundly boring. On the plus side, mentally replaying one of his lectures is the best insomnia cure I’ve ever discovered.
* Note the wording here. I am inclined to interpret this literally: not that Miya didn’t know, but that she had been ordered to keep silent. Questioning someone who is gaeshed is a bit like talking to a demon—and for the same reasons.
* Lady Miya just made a slip of the tongue here, since, technically speaking, Quuros royalty are forbidden from “ruling.”
* At a guess, probably Sarin D’Mon’s Anatomy of the Human Body, which I understand is still used as the basic primer for entry-level study.
* There is a story concerning the dragon Baelosh where he promised Emperor Simillion he would hunt him down and kill him after “a short nap.” The short nap lasted twenty-five years, and when Baelosh woke, Simillion was dead.
* It’s not uncommon. The vast majority of guildsmen only know one spell, not because they have no desire to learn more but because they have no ability.
* Not technically true. There is quite a trade in illegal practice, primarily in Yor, Marakor, and Jorat.
* Not true. A witch gift depends on talent arriving before skill, so that a child stumbles onto a power before they’ve learned the rules of how that power works, including what might otherwise be self-imposed limitations. Sometimes, particularly when a child is part of a Royal Family, it’s entirely likely that they will receive formal training to use magic before they stumble onto such a gift themselves.
* House D’Mon’s control of the Shadowdancers is not technically illegal, except in as much as the Shadowdancers regularly break the law, but it would certainly be an extraordinary scandal if this were ever made public.
* Only because demons seem to prefer our fear to our desire. There’s no reason a demon couldn’t be beautiful if it wished.
* Mimics eat brains, apparently absorbing their victim’s memories and skills. Although I suppose that was obvious enough from Talon’s side of these transcripts. It should be emphasized that she clearly doesn’t need to eat a person to access at least some memories.
* Mimics make such good spies and assassins that it’s almost a cliché to find their services sold in this regard, although most of their employers never realize they are not hiring humans.
* Not an ability that I associate with mimics. I’m left to wonder if this is a talent unique to Talon, a facet of mimic physiology of which I had been previously unaware, or if Talon was simply lying. I lean toward the last one.
* Obviously, it was the reverse. I take some consolation in knowing that Talon lied to absolutely everyone.
* Thank the secrecy of the vané. None of us really understood how the Stone of Shackles worked.
* I suspect there are very few members of the D’Mon household who haven’t been subjected to Talon’s close mental scrutiny over the years. Darzin was clearly not immune, despite Talon’s false reassurance that he was too strong-willed.
* You’re reading the resulting transcription of the recording she made. So, at least for this singular occasion, she was good for her word. I wouldn’t count on it ever happening again.
* I find this astonishing. I can see no sense to this at all, except perhaps some dark part of Darzin’s mind feared his son possessed a talent for magic greater than his own. It is, after all, unwise to abuse a child who may one day learn the ability to summon demons.
* Kihrin needs to pay more attention to what people are actually promising, rather than what he wants them to have said.
* Really, that’s a question the Kirpis vané should have been asking too.
* In a sense. There was a freak weather phenomenon that year that covered much of the continent with a giant and rather spectacular storm. The argument can indeed be made that the storm was not natural, and thus “the world wept.”
* Not that lost. The Royal Families murdered Emperor Simillion, and the gods were annoyed because he had been in the middle of doing something for them.
* It really wasn’t that mysterious. The family members that Pedron didn’t sacrifice in order to summon demons died during the Affair of the Voices. It was a violent time.
* Additionally, not only did Therin D’Mon marry a Khorveshan woman, but all his daughters received private training and served in the army. Clearly Therin does not possess Darzin’s overdeveloped sense of misogyny.
* I don’t believe any of this is true, although I do think Lyrilyn and Miya were close.
* I’ve always wondered how mimics manage that, since they don’t seem to bleed most of the time.
* Not true, but I suppose it is still accurate to say that no sword Kihrin had access to would be capable of such a feat.
* Gaeshes are considered a variant of a wizard’s magical talismans, dangerous only because an enemy who puts their hands on one may use it against the gaeshed subject. It’s not taught that a gaesh causes this kind of spiritual damage. Unsettling news to me as well.
* No, but only because she made such excellent bait. Although, who knows? Darzin might well have been stupid enough to kill her.
* This follows vané naming conventions. I wonder if that was intentional or just coincidence? There’s always been rumors of Kirpis vané persisting in the Empire, inside the Kirpis forest, even after the diaspora. Never proven, of course. The Quuros citizens of the Kirpis and Kazivar dominions do keep showing up with Kirpis vané traits like cloud-curled hair though, often in pastel hues.
* I do. Talea had previously worn her hair straight and unbound, but Talon wanted to make sure Kihrin would recognize Morea’s sister, so had the woman change Talea’s hair to match. Since the style is Zheriaso, I assume Ola is the ultimate source.
* It’s very odd to read a description of oneself written by other hands, although I must admit Tishar’s description flatters. She had a keen eye for detail, or more likely, Talon gave her one in retelling her story. I find it curious that Talon would paint any part of me in a pleasant light: we were not exactly friends.
* Again, flattering. Also untrue. I care a great deal what people think of me. For example, those who think I am dangerous are less inclined to interrupt me while I’m reading.
* There were always rumors this wasn’t true, but I think every one assumed I was an Ogenra plucked up by High Lord Cedric D’Lorus after the Affair of the Voices. No one questioned too closely: truth in the Upper Circle is what ever a High Lord says it is.
* This is, incidentally, exactly what Gadrith the Twisted is.
* Growing up as royalty can be an excruciatingly lonely existence, especially for a child in line to inherit. Every child from a rival family is assumed to be some sort of saboteur or spy, and every child from inside the family is a potential rival. Some families purchase companion slaves for their children, but such a relationship can hardly be a healthy one.
* The fad of killing an entourage to guard one’s tomb fell out of popularity when people realized that such murdered innocents tended to make poor guards to the tomb, even if Thaena did allow the souls to linger as undead. The story goes that the four dozen concubines of Saric D’Mon VIII all animated, broke out of their tomb, and went on a killing spree that began with the High Lord successor who had authorized their deaths. When twenty-some soldiers and five members of the family had died, the concubines fell to the ground, dead once more.
* A bad habit Darzin almost certainly picked up from Gadrith.
* One might say this about Relos Var too, of course.
* Given that the vané have no special prohibitions against incest, this is possible, but I think it more likely that this is just malicious gossip.
* The Gryphon’s Men. At least, such is what I call them—I have no idea what they call themselves. There are many groups who are interested in the prophecies, for many reasons, but I begin to think that I have underestimated this cabal in particular. What their goals are is still unknown to me, but looking at the evidence, we can clearly count Kihrin’s adopted father, Surdyeh, among their ranks. And at least one Emperor, as well.
* She’s adopted. I checked.
* Let’s just comment that I’m glad I wasn’t written off as unsavable. I found that “may” to be very reassuring.
* I certainly couldn’t have done what Thaena just demonstrated. Even Gadrith, who has an affinity with tsali stones and their creation, had never given the slightest hint that he could move spiritual energy from one vessel to another beyond their initial creation.
* Yes, that really happened. I had my reasons.
* I used magic. I’m not by nature good at the arts of stealth.
* I believe High Lord Cedric D’Lorus paid a veritable fortune in bribes to maintain the fiction Raverí died in captivity after giving birth. We all knew it wasn’t true, but better an executed Lord Heir’s wife than admit the witch-hunters were never able to complete their mission.
* Respectfully, I beg to differ.
* In all seriousness, never bet against Kihrin D’Mon at cards. Or hazards. Or any game of chance. He has Taja’s own damn luck. Literally.
* Yes, I really did say that, but with all apologies, being an ass was the whole point.
* No, that wasn’t part of the plan at all.
* A Thriss musical instrument consisting of three silk strings strung over a short sounding chamber with a long neck played with a variable-tension bow. The Khorveshan spiked violin probably evolved from this earlier version.
* These concepts aren’t mutually exclusive.
* How would that even be possible? To take a soul and turn it into a tsali stone is one thing. A tsali stone may in turn be transformed into one of the artifacts we call Cornerstones, like the Stone of Shackles and Chainbreaker. But Kihrin’s soul is clearly not one of the eight known Cornerstones. However, even if we assume the dragon was speaking metaphorically, it still implies a strong connection between Kihrin and Vol Karoth, which is terrifying.
* As much like a normal horse as a Thriss is like a normal human. Firebloods, crafted by the god-king who once ruled Jorat, are so far removed from normal horses that they must be considered a separate species at this point. They are intelligent and perfectly capable of understanding Guarem, even if they cannot speak it themselves.
* Oh, that would be because Cedric D’Lorus was terrified of Gadrith. Yes, Cedric was perfectly aware of his son’s continued existence. I think the High Lord hoped that if he ignored the situation, it would all just go away.
* It would hardly be the first time that rumor’s been spread about a noble, although in Kihrin’s case it would be exceptional for having no core of truth to the tale.
* I think the worst mistake he ever made was what he did to Kihrin’s teacher, Mouse. His sands flowed downhill from there.
* Technically, it’s not necessary for a witchhunter to keep a variety of different metal weapons on themselves (the normal counter for magical sabotage practiced by the Quuros military). The daggers they use stay close enough to the wielder’s body to be covered by the same aura field that protects the rest of their body. Still, I suppose it has become tradition.
* He attended the D’Mon party dressed as the goddess Thaena’s hunter? He really does have an extraordinary talent for getting under one’s skin. I can only imagine how Therin reacted to that particular heresy.
* They really do exist and live high in the Dragonspire Mountains, but I suspect their inclusion in matters of prophecy is meant to be taken as metaphor.
* “Therin” does comes from a root word that meant lion in the old Guarem, but it’s also a common name. My own name is a variation. This is what I hate about prophecy. Any old thing becomes hugely significant.
* He’s overthinking this. As far as I’ve ever been able to tell, Gadrith originally kept me for ritual purposes, and then later decided I would make an excellent host body once he obtained the Stone of Shackles. That’s why he made me Lord Heir—so he’d have his old position back once he swapped souls with me.
* Caerowan would know the correct form of address is “Your Highness.” One may surmise Caerowan didn’t believe Lady Miya’s assurance of Kihrin’s non-involvement in matters of prophecy.
* They would have worked too, against everyone but me. This means they would have worked against everyone but me and Gadrith.
* Of course, I was sad. This was starting to seem like a scheme that might work.
* Regretfully, I suspect that I am the one responsible for Ola’s death.
* Because I’m only half-human, and the vordreth have a considerable immunity to the effects of most alcohols and drugs. I suppose Talon would have known that if she’d ever read my mind, but I am not easy to read, not even by a mimic.
* There is a bounty for his capture to this day. It’s never been claimed.
* It’s a measure of how desperate Therin was to recover Kihrin, that he consulted with the church of Thaena afterwards. Unfortunately, given the Goddess of Death’s own particular biases in this matter, I can understand why the answers were inconclusive. Darzin used his own methods to find out Kihrin’s location too—and those methods involved Talon’s ability to gain the memories of those she consumes. Talon apparently failed to find any answers—and what she told Darzin to excuse her failure here was equally misleading. I think I can say with some conviction, however, that the Gryphon’s Men now count a mimic amongst their members. I am unsure whether that is a good thing, or horrifying beyond belief.
* He’s wrong. Mimics can do this, but I’m less certain that they can hide from the kind of very intense scrutiny Kihrin learned to perform while on Ynisthana.
* At least he had a realistic sense of the odds.
* She married Galen when the lad turned sixteen. It was a beautiful wedding, if absent of any qualities of love. That’s hardly unusual for royal weddings, however.
* Pretty much true. I couldn’t lie, you see.
* How did I know? The same way I know so many secrets. It’s my witch gift, and the reason Gadrith kept me around for so long. That’s all that needs to be said on that subject for the moment.
* I can only beg your pardon: she really did say this. Believe me, my ego is not so fragile that I feel the need to invent compliments.
* As I do not intend to put so pernicious a summoning as the calling of Xaltorath into public hands, the ritual itself will not be described here. Some knowledge is best lost in the sands of time.
* One wonders if there could be a connection between mimics and the Daughters of Laaka?
* I’m guessing that this spike is the twin of the one that Kihrin was holding, when he thought to surprise Talon in his rooms. It must have been enchanting to deal with her. Neatly done, that.
* Speculation as to what became of the mimic called Talon has been rampant. To my knowledge this is the last time anyone saw the creature. Teraeth later testified he was too concerned over Kihrin’s fate to take the considerable time necessary to destroy her. And the magical spike that kept her paralyzed would not have led to a permanent end. Since her body was not found later, we must assume she remains at large.
* It was never going to work anyway, you see. That’s the funny thing, isn’t it? Neither Gadrith nor Darzin ever really understood just who Kihrin is. If they had, they’d have never attempted this—because Xaltorath had named a price they could never pay. Kihrin’s soul hasn’t, I suspect, been whole for centuries.
* And mother.
* Apologies, but I shortened this curse from the full version. Although the original was, uh, creative.
* Demons are associated with cold, and the eating of fire and heat. That this woman is just the opposite—exactly the opposite—seems odd, and merits further research.
* I doubt that was the only reason. Phaellen D’Erinwa was also top of his class. After his disappearance, that honor fell to Gadrith.
* It’s true. He studied Sandus at every opportunity. He never let me help, even though I would have made the task easier. I suppose he wanted to make sure I couldn’t find some loophole that would allow me to betray him. To be fair, I would have.
* My assumption, inaccurate as it may be, is that this spell would turn Gadrith to water without technically breaking the bonds between body and soul. So, as a kind of living water incapable of thought or act, Gadrith would still be “alive,” preventing the Stone of Shackles from activating. Clever.
* My sentiments exactly. Kihrin, you insane idiot. Don’t ask me what that will do: I have no idea.
* I know: if Kihrin does not remember what happened to him while he was dead, how could I write of it? How could I even begin to speculate what happened to him in the Afterlife? It is, as I have mentioned, a result of my witch gift. Even if the knowledge and memories are not actively accessible, a deep-buried part of Kihrin does remember.
* The last Hellmarch was twelve years ago, starting in Marakor, and cost incalculable lives. Jorat is still underpopulated.
* This explains why King Terindel, of the Kirpis vané, thought that Queen Khaevatz was “unfit” to rule the vané—because of her voramer mother. Presumably since then, the Royal Family has come to terms with that bit of grafting onto the family tree. This is especially true since they probably know Khaemezra is actually the goddess Thaena. Also, technically, Kihrin and Teraeth aren’t related to each other—only because Kihrin’s biological mother is Miya (even if Miya’s body is now possessed by Khaemezra’s granddaughter Khaeriel). Were that not the case, Teraeth, who is Khaevatz’s half-brother, would be Kihrin’s great-uncle. Yes, it’s complicated.