The Lady

Read The Lady Online

Authors: K. V. Johansen

ALSO BY K. V. JOHANSEN

Blackdog

The Leopard

Published 2014 by Pyr
®
, an imprint of Prometheus Books

The Lady: Marakand, Volume Two
. Copyright © 2014 by K.V. Johansen. 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, digital, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or conveyed via the Internet or a website without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Characters, locales, and events portrayed in this novel either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

Cover illustration © Raymond Swanland
Cover design by Grace M. Conti-Zilsberger

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The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:

Johansen, K. V. (Krista V.), 1968–

The lady / K. V. Johansen.
pages ; cm. — (Marakand ; volume 2)
ISBN 978-1-61614-980-2 (softcover) — ISBN 978-1-61614-981-9 (ebook)

I. Title.

PR9199.3.J555L33 2014

813'.54—dc23

2014023968

Printed in the United States of America

There's a gang that's been reading my stuff since—forever. If they see shadows of a certain ancient character in both Holla and Ahj, well, even literary characters have ancestors. Or descendants. So, this one is for April, Marina, Chris, Tristanne, and Mum
.

Contents

Dramatis Personae

Part One

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

Chapter X

Chapter XI

Chapter XII

Part Two

Chapter XIII

Chapter XIV

Chapter XV

Chapter XVI

Chapter XVII

Chapter XVIII

Chapter XIX

Chapter XX

Chapter XXI

Chapter XXII

Chapter XXIII

Chapter XXIV

Chapter XXV

Chapter XXVI

Chapter XXVII

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter XXIX

Chapter XXX

Chapter XXXI

Chapter XXXII

Chapter XXXIII

Chapter XXXIV

Chapter XXXV

Epilogue

About The Author

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Adva—The Serakallashi third wife of the Grasslander Ketsim, the Lake-Lord's governor of Serakallash, murdered with her daughter during the Serakallashi uprising.

Ahjvar—Surnamed the Leopard, a Five Cities assassin suffering under more than his fair share of curses; originally from Praitan.

Andara—Deyandara's god; god of the Duina Andara in Praitan.

Anganurth—A wizard of unknown origins, who became the devil Jasberek.

Arhu—A devout priest of the Lady, sent to speak for her in the Duina Catairna.

Arrac-Nourril—One of the Twenty Families alleged to have founded Marakand.

Ashir—A priest, the Right Hand of the Lady, husband of Rahel.

Asmin-Luya—A Grasslander man of Gaguush's caravan gang, killed in battle at Lissavakail, father of Zavel.

Attalissa—Goddess of the lake Lissavakail in the mountains called the Pillars of the Sky; foster-daughter of Holla-Sayan, formerly protected by the Blackdog.

Auntie—Midwife living with Talfan the apothecary; former nurse of Jugurthos Barraya.

Austellan—A blind Catairnan lord, ally of the Seneschal and Marnoch.

Aylnia—A sandal-maker's wife and diviner, taken by Red Masks.

Badger—A mastiff belonging to Deyandara, slain defending her against brigands.

Barraya—A Family or clan name in Marakand; one of the Twenty Families, supposed founders of the city.

Bashra— A Black Desert god, god of Gaguush's folk.

Beccan—Sister of Nour, late wife of Hadidu; she died in childbirth before this story began.

Belmyn—Senior-most patrol-first in the Sunset Gate company of the street guard under Jugurthos Barraya.

Beni Sessihz—An elderly senator of Marakand.

Bikkim—Serakallashi former member of Gaguush's gang; mortal husband of the goddess Attalissa.

The Blackdog—Thought to be a guardian spirit who bonded with a chosen warrior of Lissavakail to protect the goddess Attalissa; now the Westgrasslander caravaneer Holla-Sayan, free of Attalissa and said by Moth to be the damaged soul of a devil wounded and lost in the world in a forgotten devils' war.

Cairangorm—A king of the Duina Catairna in Praitan; some songs say he was murdered by his elder son, some by his young wife, on the Day of the Three Kings, about ninety years before this story takes place. The songs are still popular among the bards in Praitan, though they are not often sung in the royal hall of the Duina Catairna. It is believed the land and the folk have been under a curse of ill fortune since that day.

Catairanach—Goddess of a spring and patron of the Duina Catairna.

Catairlau—Son of Cairangorm's first wife, his heir, champion, and wizard. Alleged by some to have murdered his father; died not long after him on the Day of the Three Kings.

Cattiga—Queen of the Duina Catairna, aunt of Deyandara, murdered by Marakander envoys.

Chieh—A mercenary woman from the Five Cities, one of Ketsim's tent guard, wife of Lug.

Choa, high lord of—Ghu's former master, ruler of a province of northern Nabban.

Cricket—Deyandara's pony.

Costen—A lord of the Duina Catairna, at feud with Lord Hicca.

Dellan—A Catairnan lady, daughter of Lord Austellan and his representative with Marnoch's warband.

Demrios Xua—A senator of Marakand.

Deyandara—Illegitimate half-sister of Durandau, king of the Duina Andara and high king of Praitan. Niece and blood-heir of Catigga of the Duina Catairna. Sometimes called Deya.

Django—A member of Gaguush's gang, originally from the Stone Desert, brother of Kapuzeh.

Dotemon—One of the seven devils, otherwise the wizard Yeh-Lin the Beautiful.

Durandau— King of the Duina Andara and elected high king of Praitan; eldest brother of Deyandara.

Ead, “Young” Ead—A street guard of the Eastern Wall.

Elias Barraya—A senator of Marakand; wife of her cousin Petrimos Barraya; mother of Jugurthos. She was executed in the cages shortly after the earthquake.

Elissa—Praitannec lady, one of High King Durandau's wizards.

Ergos Arrac—An elderly sandal-maker of the suburb.

Ermina—Second daughter of Varro and Talfan.

Esau—Son of the priestess of Ilbialla and only person from that family to survive the earthquake and the subsequent slaughter of all priests but the Lady's. His name was changed to Hadidu and he was raised by the family of the Doves coffeehouse.

Fairu—A lord in the eastern part of the Duina Catairna.

Faullen—A huntsman of the Duina Catairna in Marnoch's service, later in Deyandara's service.

Feizi—One of the Twenty Families of Marakand.

Gaguush—A Black Desert caravan-mistress and gang-boss on the western road, recently married to Holla-Sayan.

Gelyn—A bard of the Duina Catairna.

Geir, Red Geir—One of the first three kings in the north, nephew of the wizard Heuslar.

Ghatai—One of the seven devils, otherwise the wizard Tamghiz, also known as Tamghat, the Lake-Lord of Lissavakail. Father of Ivah.

Ghu—Ahjvar's servant and companion; has been a slave horse-boy, groom, sailor, beggar, and other things besides in his life to date.

Gilru—Young son of Queen Cattiga, murdered by Marakanders.

Goran—A lord of the Duina Catairna, loyal to the Seneschal and Marnoch.

Gurhan—Hill-god of Marakand, formerly served by a clan of hereditary priests.

Guthrun—A Northron caravaneer, camel-leech in Kharduin's gang.

The hag—Ahjvar's name for the ghost which possesses him.

Haildroch and Hallet—Catairnan wizards, kinsmen of the bard Lady Gelyn.

Hassin—Street-guard captain of the Riverbend Gate garrison in Marakand.

Haukbyrgga—The lake-goddess of Varro's folk.

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