Authors: Melissa Proffitt
“You mean, will it satisfy me? Yes, Gerrard, a thousand times yes. Atenas chose me because I only did what I always do. Are those little ghosts any less worthy of peace than a god? And now that I know what it’s like on the other side...how can I turn aside from that path?”
Gerrard blew out his breath. “What a relief,” he said. “I was afraid you were going to ask me to give up the staff and settle down somewhere. I love you, but I’m not ready for that.”
“Neither am I.” She pushed herself up and gave Gerrard her hand, a token gesture because
she could never have pulled his weight up by herself. “Shall we see if we can frighten Berenica?”
He laughed, and led her from the shrine into the golden sunlight.
Glossary and Pronunciation Guide
Aesoron: AY-so-ron
Akelliou: ah-KEL-ee-oh
Alestiou: ah-LES-tee-oh
Alita: ah-LEE-tah
Berenica: ber-EN-ih-cah
Castinidou: cas-TIN-ah-doh
Dakariou: dah-KAR-ee-oh
Gerrard: ger-RARD
Gordou: GOR-doh
Marathelos
/
thelis
: Archpriest or -priestess, chief representative of a god; MAR-a-thee-los Morica: MOR-ih-cah
Nacalia: nah-CAH-lee-ah
seicorum
: ore manufactured by an unquiet ghost; say-COR-um
sentare
: bodyguard of the
theloi
of Atenas; sen-TAH-ray
Talarannos: tal-ah-RAN-os
thelis
/
thelos
/
theloi
: priest; THEE-lis, THEE-los, THEE-loi (‘th’ as in ‘think’)
tokthelos/thelis
: high priest or priestess, leader of a community of
theloi
; TOK-thee-los Yelenita: yel-eh-NEE-tah
Zerafine: ZAIR-ah-FEEN
The Pantheon
The gods of the Pantheon represent dualities and therefore come in pairs. Most believe these pairs have a good and an evil god, but it is more accurate to say they represent balance between forces.
Kalindi
, Goddess of the sun: chief god of the Pantheon. The divine healer. Symbol: sun, circle
Kandra
, Goddess of the moon: counterpart of sun goddess. Goddess of fertility. Symbols: star, moon
Hanu
, God of the sea and sky: responsible for the bounty of the earth. Symbol: upward-pointing triangle
Kanu
, God of storms: destructive side of his twin brother (they are identical, and the myth is that you don't know which you're dealing with until it's too late). Symbol: downward-pointing triangle
Sintha
, Goddess of luck: represents good things unlooked for. Symbols: linked squares (idealized dice)
Ventus
, God of fate: represents the uncaring whim of luck gone bad. Symbol: the blind eye
Ormus
, God of travel and change. Symbol: crossed sticks or X
Arieta
, Goddess of the hearth: worshipped by those who care for the household (male or female). Symbol: the circled square (the home surrounded by a sphere of protection)
Endelion
, God of the forge: represents fire controlled for man's use. Symbol: hammer
Ailausa
, Goddess of fire: represents fire untamed. Closest to a god of destruction this Pantheon has. Symbol: curved teardrop shape (stylized flame)
Marenda
, Goddess of creativity and the arts. Symbol: U (vessel to be filled) balanced in M
(symbol of humanity)
Sukman
, God of madness: represents creativity that absorbs and destroys the artist, the mind gone wrong. Symbol: spiral
Atenas
, God of Death: He alone in the Pantheon has no twin counterpart. He is depicted in red cowl and robes with His face hidden. He is prayed to by everyone at some time, mostly in entreaty that He will pass them by. His Priests dress like him; they are called on to ease the pain of the dying (Atenas’s blessing), banish ghosts, and act as impartial judges because they cannot lie. They are often asked to predict when someone will die and always refuse to do so. They also try to teach people that Death is a part of life, to counter the perception of their god being frightening or evil. No symbol; death is everywhere.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melissa McShane lives in the shelter of the mountains out West with her husband, four
children, and three very needy cats. She wrote reviews and critical essays for many years before turning to writing fiction, which is much more fun than anyone ought to be allowed to have. You can visit her at her website
www.mmcshane.com for m
ore information on other books and upcoming releases.
This book is available in print at most online retailers.
Cover design by Ronnell D. Porter