Cross Purposes (Chronicles of Ylandre, Book 5)

Cross Purposes

Chronicles of Ylandre Book Five

Eressë

Published 2013

ISBN: 978-1-62210-011-8

Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235. Copyright © Published 2013, Eressë. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

Manufactured in the United States of America

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This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

Blurb

With love, the line between happiness and heartache is all too easy to cross.

One of Ylandre’s most prominent nobles, Keosqe Deilen may have had it all in terms of wealth, power, and social rank. But in matters of the heart, he was impoverished. Such was the consequence of falling in unrequited love. Though he hides that love and his sorrow well, a few inevitably see through his masquerade.

Young Tristen Marante is quick to discern Keosqe’s pain. His blunt sympathy is a balm to Keosqe’s wounded heart as much as his beauty is an effective distraction from the noble’s hopeless yearning. But Tristen is a skittish would-be lover, whose reluctance to express his affection is as much an impediment as the lack of reciprocation from Keosqe’s first love had been. Whereas Keosqe seeks intimacy, Tristen shies from it, suspicious of the motives behind his pursuit and unwilling to yield his heart so easily or soon.

With such different perspectives toward lust and love, is it any wonder their path to a common goal is strewn with stumbling blocks and paved with false impressions?

Glossary of Terms

Aba
“sire” Parent who functions as the head of the family.

Adda
“father” Parent who functions as the principal caregiver of the family.

age of consent
The lawful age of consent is thirty summers and Deira are prohibited from engaging in sexual relations beforehand. An adult Deir who beds a minor even if the act is consensual will be charged with rape. The law does not apply to minors bound in wedlock or taken as concubines. The former most often occurs when a binding is contractual or arranged. The latter is nigh conjugal in nature and thus ensures a young Deir will not be basely treated and will remain in good standing in society.

age of majority
The legal coming of age is thirty-five summers. At thirty-five, a Deir is considered a full adult and no longer subject to parental rule or guardianship. In the case of underage sovereigns and fief-lords, however, guardianship is shed at the age of twenty-two to prevent overly lengthy regencies which in ancient history often resulted in the reluctance of the regent to return authority to the lawful ruling lord and thus led to ruinous power struggles.

ar
Designates the surname of a married Deir’s spouse if the Deir concerned does not change his own name upon marriage and the spouse’s family is the more socially or politically prominent, e.g. Riodan Leyhar
ar
Essendri.

Ardan
In the North Continent, hereditary monarch or potentate of a large sovereign realm or ruling overlord of an aggregate of internally autonomous states.

Ardis
An Ardan’s consort.

ariad
“beloved” An endearment.

blueblood
The Aiseni aristocracy or nobility is composed of four groups—non-royal fief-lords, barons, the children or brothers of fief-lords and barons, and untitled nobles, such as children of younger sons who have no title of their own to pass on. These last are also referred to as the lesser aristocracy. Bluebloods are always accorded the high honorific
dyhar
.

by-blow
An illegitimate child.

Citadel
Official residence of the Ardan of Ylandre, it is located in the capital of Rikara.

courtesy title
A title that has no legal validity—it does not confer official authority over persons or territory. The only non-royal titled Deira who wield jurisdictional power are the fief-lords. The most common courtesy titles are Lord and Master. The former is applied to (1) the consorts, sons, and brothers of fief-lords and (2) barons and their spouses. The latter is applied to (1) the sons or brothers of fief-lords when they are addressed informally, (2) untitled aristocrats, (3) Deira of high professional rank such as teachers, physicians, diplomats, community leaders and renowned artisans and (4) members of the gentry but only within their respective households or, in the case of
serle
, their community.

Deir
Member of the race of hermaphrodites that populate the world of Aisen.

dyhar
High honorific applied to Deira of noble blood or high-ranking profession.

enyr
“True Blood” A Deir whose antecedents kept their breeding with the gelra to the barest viable minimum and thus retained much of the physical strength and endurance and most of the mind gifts of the Naere.

fane marriage (aka fane binding)
Marriage solemnized in religious rites preferably in a church or temple. A fane marriage can only be ended by the death of a spouse.

felka
Prostitute who works in a brothel or walks the streets for patrons.

gelra
Native race of Aisen with whom the Naere systematically bred and eventually supplanted.

gentry
The gentry class is divided into two—the upper gentry and minor gentry. The upper gentry is composed of the
serle
or baronets and the landed gentry, that is upperclass commoners who possess large entailed estates. The minor gentry are less well off and do not own property beyond their homes and the land on which they stand. Some work for a living but always in respected professions, e.g. council elders, craftspeople, healers, military officers, solicitors and teachers. The gentry are always accorded the general honorific
tyar
.

Hamir
Khitairan ruling aristocrat. See
Herun
.

handfasting
Marriage solemnized in civil rites. Handfasting is the only form of Deiran wedlock that can be ended by divorce or annulment.

Heris
A Herun’s consort.

Herun
North Continent ruling aristocrat. Herune may govern sovereign principalities, fiefdoms, city-states or great urban centers.

hethar
“companion” Deir who provides sexual services and/or social companionship for a considerable fee. Unlike common prostitutes,
hethare
are well educated and highly cultured and, in most cities, generally accepted in polite society.

heyas
A common expletive.

il
Designates the birthing parent’s surname when an illegitimate child carries his biological sire’s name, e.g. Dylen Essendri
il
Teris.

Inception
Term for the period of engineered racial evolution wherein the colonizing Naere bred with the native gelra, which led to the emergence of the present day Deira.

leman
Concubine or kept lover.

ley-silver
Plain silver.

Mikhar
Khitairan hereditary monarch or potentate. See
Ardan.

min
Diminutive form of address applied to a Deir of junior years or station. Usage warrants mutual familiarity whether familial, platonic, or professional.

mirash
A conception suppressor.

Naere
The Deira’s race of origin.

Oda
“grandfather” Grandparent who functioned as caregiver of his family.

Opa
“grandsire” Grandparent who functioned as the head of his family.

prefect
The chief officer of a constabulary base.

royalty
Pertains to a sovereign head of state and the members of his immediate family, i.e. his consort, children, brothers and first degree uncles, cousins, and nephews.

sedyr
“Half Blood” Deir whose antecedents bred indiscriminately with the gelra during the Inception which resulted in the diminishment or disappearance of many of the characteristics of the Naere in succeeding generations.

serl
“baronet” Non-noble holder of the lowest hereditary North Continent title.

Shaja
South Vihandran hereditary ruler. See
Ardan
.

soul-binding (aka soul-mating)
Eternal marriage that remains binding throughout soul-bound Deira’s life cycles. The soul-mated are wed to each other even in death and instinctively seek each other in their succeeding reincarnations. A soul-bound Deir calls his partner his soul-spouse or soul’s mate.

templar
Extraordinarily mentally gifted Deir.

thar
Formally designates the House name of a Deir of noble birth who goes by a different clan name or surname, e.g. Yovan Seydon
thar
Essendri.

thein
“baron” Non-ruling member of the North Continent nobility.

tir
Conjugal term used to introduce a bound Deir’s birth surname if he takes his spouse’s surname, e.g. Lassen Essendri
tir
Idana.

tribune
A high-ranking military officer.

tyar
General honorific for someone of higher years or station or whose profession warrants more than general courtesy.

viratha
“Imprinting” A process by which a Deir ensures that his concubine cannot have sexual relations with another partner.

yudar
A practitioner of
yuda
, the ancient martial art of Naeren archery.

* * * *

Glossary of Principal Characters & Places

Aisen

A world populated by the race of hermaphrodites known as the Deira, Aisen has five continents and two major bodies of salt water.

Anju

Seat of House Kardova, it is a minor but prosperous fief along the southeastern border of Ylandre just north of Velarus. Anju is one of a handful of fiefs that retained much of their original laws and traditions following annexation to Ylandre.

Arvalde

The smallest continent, Arvalde lies to the south of Lydan and is connected to its northern neighbor by a narrow land bridge. Arvalde’s climate is warm and humid, and there are only two seasons, warm and cool. The Arvaldins are somewhat swarthy of complexion, light-haired, and dark-eyed.

Asmara

A wealthy and influential country, the South Vihandran kingdom spans the main route between its neighbors and the realm of Ylandre. Ruled by the Halvan family almost from its inception, Asmara's capital is the gateway city Shenze.

Autonomous Provinces of Ylandre: Camara, Fenycia, Tenerith & Velarus

The Provinces fall directly under the Crown’s rule, but the relationship is a loose one at best. Camara lies in the southwest while Fenycia is in the central region, toward the east border. Originally part of the defunct nation of Varadan, Tenerith is in the northwest whereas Velarus is located in the southeast.

-Lassen
“Las”
Idana, the youngest child of a family of the minor gentry from Tal Ereq, a town in the province of Velarus, he became the leman of Rohyr Essendri, Ardan of Ylandre.

-Ruomi
“Ruo”
Garvas, the son of a Fenycian peasant, he is presently the adjutant of Reijir Arthanna, the Herun of Ilmaren.

Continents of Aisen: Arvalde, Khitaira, Lydan, North Vihandra & South Vihandra

The ancient Naere made landfall in the great landmass they named Vihandra. It was later divided into North and South Vihandra. As North Vihandra grew in political importance and economic power, it began to be referred to as the North Continent. The epithet eventually became the commonly used name. Khitaira and Lydan lie to the west of Vihandra across the Samaran Sea. Arvalde is located south of Lydan. The vast and treacherous Rualan Ocean lies to the east between Vihandra and Khitaira.

Edessa

Seat of Clan Mesare, the fief of Edessa is located in the lower midlands. The capital city is Diondra.

-Ranael “
Ran”
Mesare
thar
Essendri, the middle son of the Herun of Edessa, he is a high-ranking officer of the Royal army and cousin to Rohyr Essendri.

Glanthar

Seat of Clan Mithani, the seaward fief of Glanthar is located on the western coastline of Ylandre. The capital city is Evinor.

-Aeldan
“Dan”
Mithani
thar
Essendri, a cousin of Rohyr Essendri, he is the heir apparent to the Herun of Glanthar.