Jayan cried out, breaking ranks to run down the mountain path in search of it. The Par'chin turned, drawing heat and impact wards in the air that blasted the cliff face, sending a shower of stones to block his path.

'No one leaves until this is finished!' he thundered.

'Very well, servant of Nie,' Jardir said. 'Let us finish it.' He concentrated, extending the protective field of his crown as he charged, meaning to use its power to drive the son of Jeph over the edge into the abyss where he belonged.

But the magic of the crown, which he had thought could repel all alagai, had no effect on the Par'chin, and they grappled instead. Jardir took an immediate advantage, working into a strong hold, but again the Par'chin collapsed into smoke, escaping to re-form an instant later, landing heavy blows.

'I am no servant of Nie,' the Par'chin said, 'simply because I have learned to use stolen magic more effectively than you and your bone-throwing dama'ting.'

Jardir snarled as he got his feet under him and came back in, blocking the lightning-fast kicks and punches as he returned his own probing strikes. Some of these the Par'chin parried, and others he avoided by dematerializing.

It seemed an impossible advantage, but there was a reason why Jardir had never lost a battle in his adult life. He memorized the patterns of the Par'chin's shifts, and the next time he solidified, expecting an easy return strike, Jardir was ready, dodging aside and punching him hard in the stomach. He followed it with a knee to the throat as the man doubled over, and slammed his open palms into his ears, making his head ring and his thoughts scatter.

'It seems you cannot use your magic at all when your mind is reeling,' Jardir said, head-butting the Par'chin in the nose. Blood spattered his face, but Jardir pressed the attack, putting his hands around the greenlander's throat.

Steel fingers clasped his own throat as the Par'chin surged back at him. 'Don't need it,' he said, pushing Jardir back a few steps and leaping, pitching them both off the cliff after the spear.

'World's better off without us, too,' he said as they fell.

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.

Krasian Dictionary.

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.