The Daylight War (120 page)

Arlen felt cold wind on his face, clearing his thoughts as he and Jardir continued to grapple, twisting to try to dominate even as the wind howled in their ears.

Jardir proved the more skilled in the struggle, managing to put himself on top as ground rushed to meet them. It seemed pointless – the fall would kill them both, whoever was on top, but Arlen could see in his aura that Jardir didn’t care. Arlen would die a split second before him, and that would be enough.

Arlen stopped struggling, embracing the fall. Jardir’s aura lit with victory, but then Arlen dematerialized, and Jardir struck the ground with a bone-shattering crunch.

Abban am’Haman am’Kaji:
Wealthy
khaffit
merchant, friend to both Jardir and Arlen, crippled during his warrior training.

Acha:
Exclamation meaning ‘heads up!’

Ahmanjah:
Book Jardir is penning about his life. It will be to him what the Evejah was to Kaji.

Ahmann asu Hoshkamin am’Jardir am’Kaji:
Ahmann, son of Hoshkamin, of the line of Jardir, of the tribe Kaji. Leader of all Krasia. Believed by many to be the Deliverer. See also: Shar’Dama Ka.

Ajin’pal
(blood brother)
:
Name for the bond that forms on a boy’s first night fighting in the Maze, when he is tethered to a
dal’Sharum
warrior to keep him from running when the demons first come at them. An
ajin’pal
is considered a blood relative thereafter.

Ala:
(1) The perfect world created by Everam, corrupted by Nie. (2) Dirt, soil, clay, etc.

Alagai:
The Krasian word for corelings (demons). Direct translation is ‘plague of Ala’.

Alagai hora:
Demon bones used by
dama’ting
to create magic items, such as the warded dice they use to tell the future.
Alagai
hora
burst into flame if exposed to sunlight.

Alagai Ka:
Ancient Krasian name for the consort to Alagai’ting Ka, the Mother of All Demons. Alagai Ka and his sons were said to be the most powerful of the demon lords, generals, and captains of Nie’s forces.

Alagai’sharak:
Holy War against demonkind.

Alagai tail:
A whip consisting of three strips of braided leather ending in sharp barbs meant to cut deeply into a victim’s flesh. Used by
dama
as an instrument of punishment.

Alagai’ting Ka:
The Mother of All Demons, the demon queen of Krasian myth.

Aleverak:
Damaji
of the Majah tribe in Krasia.

Amadeveram:
Damaji
of the Kaji tribe in Krasia before Jardir comes to power.

Amanvah:
Jardir’s first daughter by Inevera, Amanvah is
dama’ting
in her own right. Offered to Rojer as a bride along with her cousin Sikvah.

Andrah:
Krasian secular and religious dictator.

Anjha:
One of the lesser tribes of Krasia.

Anoch Sun:
Lost city that was once the seat of power for Kaji, the Shar’Dama Ka. It is believed to have been claimed by the sands; no one has seen or heard of the city in centuries. People and artefacts called Sunian.

Asavi:
Dama’ting
of the Kaji tribe. Former rival of Inevera as
nie’dama’ting
. Lover of Melan.

Ashan:
Son of Dama Khevat and closest friend of Jardir’s during his training in Sharik Hora, Ashan is
Damaji
of the Kaji tribe and part of Jardir’s inner circle. Married to Jardir’s eldest sister, Imisandre. Father of Asukaji and Ashia.

Ashia:
Jardir’s
Sharum’ting
niece. Daughter of Ashan and Imisandre. Married to Asome.

Asome:
Jardir’s second son by Inevera.
Dama.
Known as the ‘heir to nothing’. Married to Ashia.

Asu:
‘Son’, or ‘son of’. Used as a prefix in formal names, as in Ahmann asu Hoshkamin am’Jardir am’Kaji.

Asukaji:
Ashan’s eldest son by Jardir’s sister Imisandre.
Dama.
Name literally means ‘son of Kaji’.

Baden:
Rich and powerful
dama
of the Kaji tribe.
Push’ting
. Known to possess several items of
hora
magic.

Bazaar, Great:
The largest merchant area in Krasia, located right inside the main gates. It is run entirely by women and
khaffit.

Belina:
Jardir’s
dama’ting
wife from the Majah tribe.

Bido:
Loincloth, most commonly the white
nie’Sharum
cloth boys are given after they are taken from their mothers and stripped of their tans.

Cashiv:
Push’ting kai’Sharum
in personal service to Dama Baden. Lover of Soli.

Chin:
Outsider/infidel. This word is also considered an insult, meaning that a person is a coward.

Chusen:
Damaji
of the Shunjin tribe.

Cielvah:
Daughter of Abban. Raped by Hasik
.

Coliv:
Krevakh Watcher assigned to Jardir’s unit as
kai’Sharum
. Sent to guard Leesha on her return to the Hollow.

Couzi:
A harsh, illegal Krasian liquor flavoured with cinnamon. Because of its potency, it is served in tiny cups meant to be taken in one swallow.

Dal:
Prefix meaning ‘honoured’.

Dal’Sharum:
The Krasian warrior caste, which includes the vast majority of the men.
Dal’Sharum
are broken into tribes controlled by the
Damaji
,
and smaller units answerable to a
dama
and a
kai’Sharum
.
Dal’Sharum
dress in black robes with a black turban and night veil. All are trained in hand-to-hand combat (
sharusahk
), as well as spear fighting and shield formations.

Dal’ting:
Fertile married women, or older women who have given birth.

Dama:
A Krasian Holy Man.
Dama
are both religious and secular leaders. They wear white robes and carry no weapons. All
dama
are masters of
sharusahk,
the Krasian hand-to-hand martial art.

Damajah:
Singular title for the First Wife of the Shar’Dama Ka.

Damaji:
The twelve
Damaji
are the religious and secular leaders of their individual tribes, and serve the Andrah as ministers and advisors.

Damaji’ting:
The tribal leaders of the
dama’ting
,
and the most powerful women in Krasia.

Dama’ting:
Krasian Holy Women who also serve as healers and midwives.
Dama’ting
hold the secrets of
hora
magic, including the power to foretell the future, and are held in fear and awe. Harming a
dama’ting
in any way is punishable by death.

Daylight War, the:
Also known as Sharak Sun. Ancient war during which Kaji conquered the known world, uniting them for Sharak Ka.

Desert Spear, the:
The Krasians’ term for their city. Known in the North as Fort Krasia.

Drillmasters:
Elite warriors who train
nie’Sharum
. Drillmasters wear standard
dal’Sharum
blacks, but their night veils are red.

Enkaji:
Damaji
of the powerful Mehnding tribe.

Enkido:
Eunuch servant and
sharusahk
instructor of the Kaji
dama’ting.
Made personal bodyguard to Amanvah.

Evejah, the:
The holy book of Everam, written by Kaji, the first Deliverer, some thirty-five hundred years past. The Evejah is separated into sections called Dunes. Each
dama
pens a copy of the Evejah in his own blood during his clerical training.

Evejan:
Name of the Krasian religion, ‘those who follow the Evejah’.

Evejan law:
The militant religious law the Krasians impose on
chin
,
meant to force nonbelievers to follow the Evejah under threat rather than belief.

Everalia:
Jardir’s third Kaji wife.

Everam:
The Creator.

Everam’s Bounty:
After Fort Rizon was taken with its vast farmland in 333 AR, the city-state was renamed Everam’s Bounty to honour the Creator. It is the Krasian foothold in the green lands.

Fahki:
Dal’Sharum
son of Abban. Raised to hate his
khaffit
father.

Fashin:
Damaji
of the Halvas tribe
.

Gai:
Plague.

Greenlander:
One from the green lands.

Green lands:
Krasian name for Thesa (the lands north of the Krasian desert).

Halvan:
Friend of Jardir and Ashan during Jardir’s training in Sharik Hora. Dama Halvan is advisor to Damaji Ashan.

Hannu Pash:
Literally ‘life’s path’, this represents the period of a boy’s life after he has been taken from his mother but before his caste (
dal’Sharum
,
dama
,
or
khaffit
) is set. It is a period of intense and brutal physical training, along with religious indoctrination.

Hanya:
Jardir’s youngest sister, four years younger than he. Married to Hasik, mother to Sikvah.

Hasik:
Nie’Sharum
boy who insults and bullies Jardir. Called Whistler because his missing tooth causes his
s
’s to whistle. Later becomes one of the Spears of the Deliverer and Jardir’s bodyguard.

Horn of Sharak:
Ceremonial horn blown to begin and end
alagai’sharak
.

Hoshkamin:
Father of Ahmann Jardir; deceased.

Hoshvah:
Jardir’s middle sister, three years younger than he. Married to Shanjat. Mother of Shanvah.

Ichach:
Damaji
of the Khanjin tribe.

Imisandre:
Jardir’s eldest sister, one year younger than he. Married to Ashan. Mother of Asukaji and Ashia.

Inevera:
(1) Jardir’s powerful
dama’ting
First Wife. Kaji tribe. Also known as the Damajah. (2) Krasian word meaning ‘Everam’s will’ or ‘Everam willing’.

Jama:
Lesser Krasian tribe. Enemies of the Khanjin.

Jardir:
The seventh son of Kaji, the Deliverer. Once a great house, the line of Jardir lasted more than three thousand years, slowly dwindling in number and glory until its last son, Ahmann Jardir, restored the line to glory.

Jayan:
Jardir’s first
Sharum
son by Inevera. Later appointed Sharum Ka.

Jiwah:
Wife.

Jiwah Ka:
First wife. The
Jiwah
Ka
is the first and most honoured
of a Krasian man’s wives. She has veto power over subsequent marriages, and can command the lesser wives.

Jiwah Sen:
Lesser wives, subservient to a man’s
Jiwah
Ka
.

Jiwah’Sharum:
Literally ‘wives of warriors’, these are women purchased for the great harem of the
Sharum
during their fertile years. It is considered a great honour to serve. All warriors have access to their tribe’s
jiwah’Sharum
,
and are expected to keep them continually pregnant, adding warriors to the tribe.

Jurim:
Dal’Sharum
who trained with Jardir. Kaji tribe. Later one of the Spears of the Deliverer.

Kad’:
Prefix meaning ‘of’.

Kai’Sharum:
Krasian military captains, the
kai’Sharum
receive special training in Sharik Hora and lead individual units in
alagai’sharak
. The number of
kai’Sharum
in a tribe depends on its number of warriors. Some tribes have many, some just one.
Kai’Sharum
wear
dal’Sharum
blacks, but their night veils are white.

Kaji:
The name of the original Deliverer and patriarch of the Kaji tribe, also known as Shar’Dama Ka, the Spear of Everam, and various other titles. Kaji united the known world in war against demons some thirty-five hundred years past. His seat of power was the lost city of Anoch Sun, but he also founded Fort Krasia.

Kaji had three artefacts for which he was famous: (1) The Spear of Kaji – the metal spear he used to slay
alagai
by the thousand. (2) The Crown of Kaji – bejewelled and moulded in the shape of powerful wards. (3) The Cloak of Kaji – a cloak that made him invisible to demons, so he could walk freely in the night.

Kaji’sharaj:
Training barracks for boys of the Kaji tribe.

Kajivah:
Mother of Ahmann Jardir and his three sisters, Imisandre, Hoshvah, and Hanya. Widow of Hoshkamin Jardir. Once considered cursed for bearing three daughters in a row.

Kasaad:
Inevera’s father. Crippled
khaffit
. Former
Sharum
.

Kaval:
Gavram asu Chenin am’Kaval am’Kaji. Drillmaster of the Kaji tribe. One of Jardir’s
dal’Sharum
instructors during his
Hannu
Pash
.

Kenevah:
Damaji’ting
of the Kaji tribe during Inevera’s
dama’ting
training
.

Kevera:
Damaji
of the Sharach tribe.

Khaffit:
A man who takes up a craft instead of becoming a Holy Man or warrior. Lowest male station in Krasian society. Expelled from
Hannu
Pash
,
khaffit
are forced to dress in the tan clothes of children and shave their cheeks as a sign that they are not men.