Daybreak (87 page)

Horatio:
A cook from the Grandforest who travels in Garron’s caravan. Though he’s failed many times, he is still determined to discover a tasty new recipe.

Hubert, Earl:
The ruler of the Unforgivable Mountains, and a glutton for fine spirits. Ironically, it’s poison placed in a goblet of spirits by King Crevan that ultimately does him in.

Jake:
A spectacle-wearing battlemage from the seas. He’s rescued by Kael and company in
Harbinger
, helps the defeat the Witch of Wendelgrimm, and sack Duke Reginald. In
Slight and Shadow
, he joins Kyleigh on her march through the desert — where we begin to learn a little about his tortured past. He behaves strangely around Elena and even saves her from the fiery blast of an exploding Queen minceworm. He’s rather upset when Elena chooses to leave at the end of the book … but at least she gave him a pair of her gloves.

Jonathan the Fiddler:
A mischievous man and self-proclaimed rogue from the Grandforest. When he refuses to escape with the pirates in
Slight and Shadow
, he’s captured alongside Kael and forced to serve as a bard in Lord Gilderick’s castle — where he becomes instrumental in the rescuing of the lady giants. He falls desperately in love with Clairy, Prince Brend’s little sister, and begs to marry her at the end of the book. After some scolding from Darrah, Brend reluctantly agrees.

Kael:
A young man from the Unforgivable Mountains with reddish-brown hair and absolutely no chance of ever fitting in. He’s spent his whole life in Tinnark, and really doesn’t think he’ll ever have an adventure of his own … but it turns out he was wrong.

Kyleigh:
A beautiful young woman with a rather murky past. She has wandered the Kingdom for an unknown number of years as a halfdragon, a shapechanger, and a dishonored knight. Who knows what sort of mischief she'll get into next?

Laemoth:
Marc’s cohort. He murders Roland in
Harbinger
for a chance to join Earl Titus’s army — a chance that’s stolen from him when he trips and skewers himself on his own sword.

Ludwig (Pens):
One of Lord Gilderick’s mages. Nobody knows exactly what happened to him, but rumor has it that he entered Gilderick’s castle unannounced one day to ask for repairs on his roof, and the Lord of the plains had him locked inside a cage — where he eventually perished. Kael and Eveningwing discover
The
Dreadful Journeys of Ben Deathtreader
inside his cottage.

Lysander, Captain:
A roguishly handsome young pirate captain from the seas. He suffered for five years under a curse from the Witch of Wendelgrimm — one that caused his moods to affect the weather around him. Kael frees him from his curse and he goes on to marry Aerilyn. They’re now expecting their first child.

Marc:
A bully and Kael’s tormentor throughout his childhood in Tinnark. He helps Laemoth murder Roland in
Harbinger
, and then has to fight for his life when Earl Titus turns Laemoth against him. He watches as Laemoth trips and dies on the blade of his own sword, allowing him to join Titus’s army as a bloodtraitor.

Matteo:
A pirate captain, father of Lysander, and brother of Uncle Martin.

Morris:
The helmsman of
Anchorgloam
. He lost both of his hands while fighting in the Whispering War, but that still doesn’t stop him from teaching Kael everything he knows about whispering.

Nadine:
 
A warrior from the desert, and one of the little
mots
. She served the mots as their Dawn’s protector before being cruelly demoted by the Grandmot. Though she manages to exact revenge at the end of
Slight and Shadow
, she is ultimately banished for her actions — but quickly discovers a new purpose as one of Kyleigh’s companions.

Reginald, Duke:
A crafty businessman and the ruler of the High Seas. He enjoyed a trade monopoly for seventeen years — until Kael helped his managers overthrow him. He languishes in his own dungeons until Elena breaks in and murders him in his cell.

Roland:
Kael’s friend and mentor. He taught Kael how to trap when no one else would, and always seemed to believe that he would go on to do great things. He’s killed in
Harbinger
by Marc and Laemoth — who try to use his blood to buy their way into Titus’s army. He appears in Kael’s dreams as the man in white before finally revealing himself to be dead. When Kael is severely injured in
Slight and Shadow
, it’s Roland who keeps him from crossing Death’s river.

Sahar, Baron:
The ruler of Whitebone Desert, and a fellow with a real eye for finery. He’s blown to bits when Jake accidentally sets off a rather volatile minceworm Queen that’d been nesting beneath his glittering castle.

Setheran the Wright:
The last Wright born in the Kingdom and the hero of the Whispering War. He fought alongside Kyleigh before winning the War by burying himself in a landslide along with the rebel whisperers. He has always been  one of Kael's favorite heroes and even appeared inside his Inner Sanctum once, giving Kael the strength he needed to face Lord Gilderick.

Shamus:
The master shipbuilder of Copperdock. Kael rescues Shamus and his people from the curse of the Witch of Wendelgrimm. When Kyleigh returns to Copperdock at the end of
Harbinger
, Shamus asks her to rule as their Lady. She agrees, and they decide to change the castle’s name from Wendelgrimm to Roost.

Silas:
A halfcat who journeys to the seas to ask Kyleigh to help him free the mountains. When she refuses, he follows her into the desert — determined not to let her out of his sight.

Thelred:
The cousin of Lysander, Uncle Martin’s only son, and a skilled pianist. He loses a leg in a blast from one of Finks’s traps.

Titus, Earl:
King Crevan’s warlord. “Kill or be killed” is his mantra, and if a man wants to join his army, he must be willing to shed blood of kin and friend. Described as the man who brought the Kingdom to its knees, Titus has succeeded in earning himself the title of Earl of the Unforgivable Mountains, and has been using his slave-mages to blast a road to its top.

Uncle Martin:
The brother of Matteo, Lysander’s Uncle, and Thelred’s father. He loves women almost as much as he loves sweets — and isn’t afraid to use his cane to defend his right to either.

Witch of Wendelgrimm:
The shade of the High Seas, and every sailor’s worst nightmare. Her tempest kept Copperdock imprisoned for nearly twenty years — until Kael drove a dagger through her heart
.