Ascendant's Rite (The Moontide Quartet) (116 page)

Amiza al’Ardijah: Calipha of Ardijah
Renn Bondeau: Rondian former-battlemage, now Caliph of Ardijah

In Lokistan

Mandira Khojana monastery

Puravai: a Zain master
Yash: a Zain acolyte
Gateem: a Zain acolyte
Aprek: a Zain acolyte
Kedak: a Zain acolyte
Haddo: a Zain acolyte
Sindar: a Zain acolyte
Fenan: a Zain acolyte
Bhati: a Zain acolyte
Joa: a Zain acolyte
Vekati: a Zain acolyte
Meero: a Zain acolyte
Urfin: a Zain acolyte
Felakan: a Zain monk
Alaron Mercer: mage, son of Vann and Tesla
Ramita Ankesharan: Lakh widow of Antonin Meiros
Dasra and Nasatya: twin newborn sons of Ramita and Antonin Meiros

In Lakh

Baranasi

Vikash Nooradin: market trader [deceased]
Ram Sankar: market trader
Sunita Sankar: Ram’s wife

In southern Lakh

Ispal Ankesharan: trader; Ramita’s father
Tanuva Ankesharan: Ispal’s wife; Ramita’s mother
Jai: Ispal’s son
Keita: Jai’s wife

From the Past

Johan Corin (‘Corineus’): Messiah of the Kore
Selene Corin (‘Corinea’) also known as Lillea Selene Sorades: sister (allegedly), lover and murderer of Johan Corin; personification of feminine evil
Olfuss Nesti: a deceased King of Javon
Jarius Langstrit: deceased Noros general
Echor Borodium: Duke of Argundy (deceased)
Belonius Vult: Governor of Norostein (deceased)
Nasette Ledoc: only person in history known to have been transformed from a mage into a Souldrinker
Attiya Zai: Omali holy man, founder of the Zain order of monasticism

The Blessed Three Hundred

Sertain: First Emperor of the Rondian Empire
Baramitius: Ascendant mage and creator of ambrosia, and the Scytale of Corineus
Berial: Brician Ascendant; mage-ancestor of Alaron Mercer and Elena Anborn

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There have been a lot of people involved in placing this book in your hands, and I’m very grateful to all of them. It
really
wouldn’t have happened without them. First off, thanks to the wonderful Jo Fletcher for all the skill, experience and wisdom she’s brought to bear; these books are a product of her faith in the ideas and vision of this occasionally errant writer, and it’s impossible for me to express enough gratitude to her!

Thanks also to the rest of the team at Jo Fletcher Books, especially Nicola Budd and Andrew Turner; and to the US team, especially Eric Price and Olivia Taussig; and the wonderful publicists at Wunderkind led by Elena Stokes. Also big thanks (and apologies for the mishmash of languages and accents in the story) to Ryan Neuschafer and the team assembling the audio books. And thanks again to Emily Faccini for the cool maps.

Then there are the regular Moontide team: the test readers; Paul Linton, Kerry Greig and Heather Adams. I’ve said it before but these are the people who keep these books up to snuff and fit for consumption, kind of like a World Health Organisation Special Unit assigned to the Moontide Quartet. Sampling, testing and improving are just some of the duties they perform so well. Thanks so much!

It’s very hard for a story to go from being a file in a computer to a book in a shop without someone to fight its corner and get it noticed by publishers. I’m lucky to be represented by the aforementioned Heather, who runs HMA Literary Agency UK (alongside her husband Mike Bryan). Thank you both once more for opening the doors for me and my dreams, and for being perfect hosts on our last visit to the UK.

As always, my greatest thanks is to my lovely wife Kerry, who has to put up with weird conversation at all hours about imaginary people and their deeds. Her willingness to test-read, edit and proof was massively important to the series, as well as her own imagination in contributing ideas and feedback. I literally crossed half the globe to be with her, and I’ve never regretted a moment.

Finally, shout-outs to my children Brendan and Melissa; my parents Cliff and Biddy, and all my friends, especially Mark, Felix and Stefania, Raj and Hina, Andrew and Brenda, my rakhi-sisters Tanuva and Vidhi, and Keith and Kathryn.

And hello to Jason Isaacs and the Doctors of Wittertainment, of course.

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