Rebel Elements (Seals of the Duelists) (49 page)

Third:
the third class of eunuchs, comprised of volunteers seeking safety and guaranteed employment in imperial service in exchange for any future children. Often, Thirds come from poor or large families or escape dire straits

Tilaa:
the language of the Aklaa people, identical to that spoken in Nunaa, where it is merely called Raqtaaq. Tilaa is also the name for the Aklaa concept of speaking things into existence, for willing the world to change, or forcing fate. Their language is thus called Tilaa with the intent that the Aklaa people will be an unstoppable force in the world, and the rulers of Aklaa bore the title of Voice of Tilaa

Timbool:
Bayan’s farm hound. Later, Bayan’s second Earth Avatar, formed to resemble his dog in large scale

Tjaard Staasen:
the Academy’s Water Instructor, he holds the rank of Avatar Duelist

Trade Duelist:
a duelist of Avatar rank or higher who has served in duel dens for twenty years. They transition from using their magic in duels to using it in a trade of their choice, usually selected according to the duelist’s strongest element. Trade Duelists perform normally impossible tasks using their avatars, such as constructing a bridge across the previously uncrossable Mambajao River in Balanganam.

Trainees:
unranked students at the Duelist Academy. They wear heavy iron bracelets and practice the six sacred motions, spell forms, and meditation daily for two seasons or so, before they’re ever allowed to cast magic

Tuathi:
nomadic clans of horsemen who live in the hills west of the Maam Ardcath. Historically, they have clashed with the Waarden and their allies on numerous occasions, and once sacked Akkeraad, forcing the emperor to flee. The Dunfarroghan are their “domesticated” descendants. The Tuathi are known for their warlike ways, their disdain for the soft, settled lives of imperial farmers and merchants, and for the use of the unnatural and forbidden anima magic

Tuq:
god of the Raqtaaq. His worship is forbidden now that the Waarden Empire has made the Raqtaaq lands into mere provinces. The sacred soil in which devout followers of Tuq kneel and pray is severely restricted, but certain powerful individuals can still smuggle some from its location on the old Aklaa palace grounds

Tuur Langlaren:
Headmaster of the Duelist Academy and a Hexmagic Duelist

Twervel Sea:
a southern sea between Shawnash’kote and Raqtaaq provinces

Uunaq:
one of Qivinga’s indentured handmaids

Vagary:
a roadside bandit, from the old empire term “vagaries of travel”

Villagers:
specifically, the inhabitants of Peace Village. Also a general term used by duelists to refer to anyone who doesn’t possess magic

Voice of Tilaa:
title borne by the rulers of Aklaa before the last king was deposed and executed

Void, the:
a state of emotionless detachment. Duelist trainees are taught to embrace the Void long before they’re allowed to cast spells, since emotional outbursts make elemental magic go wild

Waarden:
the ruling people of the Waarden Empire. Their blood type is dominant over all others. Sometimes nicknamed “wisp”

War of Steel:
the shortest war in imperial history, between Karkhedon and the Teresseren Empire, due to the empire’s determination to wipe the forbidden metal from their lands, as well as all those who wielded it

Warmaster:
the rank held by selected powerful duelists, and the Academy Headmaster, in times of war. The headmaster is responsible for marshaling the students and teachers into battle hexes, though such desperate circumstances haven’t occurred since the Second Tuathi War

Wateyo tes’Eshkin:
one of the emperor’s Lord Ministers, and a wealthy, powerful nobleman in his own right, he controls the Ministry of Ways and employs Philo Sallas as his best surveyor. Married to Iyanu K’mokamo, father of Kiwani t’Eshkin

Wekshi:
the Academy’s Wind Instructor, she holds the rank of Avatar Duelist

Wisnuk Bay:
a bay in Kemada, surrounded by fertile land that is populated by wealthy families with long noble ancestries, like the Eshkin family

About the Author

Jasmine Giacomo writes from Washington State, where she lives with her husband and two children. She graduated last millennium with a degree in English Literature from a college built atop a volcano.

Though she's been writing since the age of four, she also enjoys geocaching, history, science and games, and holds a black belt in Danzan Ryu Jujitsu. She particularly enjoys reading and writing fight scenes.

Her current writing project is book three in the Seals of the Duelists series. Find her on
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