seeing through: The moment when a person who can work essence first becomes sensitive to workings and that person’s continued ability to perceive them. Seeing through half-workings means recognizing the reality beneath a disguise. Seeing through full workings means recognizing that a working is present. Seeing through marks entry into the first caste. The weakest workers — individuals such as Madisyn Ryder — will never do more than see through. Workers usually see through when about two-thirds of their total capacity has developed. Thus, the later a worker sees through, the more powerful they will be.
Serhan Kurulurmak-Sakaklur: A Second Beth Ryder meets in Gold Rush; a member of a family of traders.
stipend: Cordus pays Beth Ryder the basic Nolander salary of $32,000 per annum, from which monthly room and board of $2,000 is deducted. As one of the more powerful members of his organization, she could receive much more, but she would have to ask for it, which she has chosen not to do.
strait: A passageway connecting a place in one Emanation to a place in the other. The natural state of a strait is to be closed, and it takes a great deal of power to open one up. Most straits connect two fixed places, such as the one running between Free and Bill Gates’s farm. A few are only fixed on one end and are able to connect to several different locations on the other; the strait Limu opened to send the green man to Dorf was an example of this second kind.
stratum: A discrete portion of the Second Emanation (the plural is “strata”). Strata have been created since the earliest life arose on Earth. Many strata are not conducive to human existence. Most preserve landmasses and geological features that no longer exist in the First Emanation. Countless species no longer extant on Earth persist in various strata of the Second Emanation.
stricture: A lasting sample of a liege’s essence embedded within the body of their vassal. Functions as a tracking device.
Sturluson, Helen: The cover identity of an escaped fragment of the Thirsting Ground. Also known as the “Brooklyn fragment.”
Sua Chamnansatol: A member of Cordus’s organization, usually stationed in Phoenix, Arizona. A water-worker.
sustained working: A working invested with enough power at its creation to keep running in perpetuity. Most workings are not sustained; instead, they require a repeated or continuous input of energy.
Suzanne Dreisbach: Beth Ryder’s next-door neighbor in Dorf, Wisconsin.
Terry Washington: One of Bill Gates’s people. A Second; a U.S. Army veteran with expertise in firearms and ordnance. Unable to work essence.
Tezzy (Hortencia) Tolosa: A member of Cordus’s staff. Beth Ryder’s martial arts instructor.
Theo (Theodore) Duff: A Nolander who belongs to Cordus’s organization. A water-worker.
the Thirsting Ground: A voracious and frightening Second Emanations entity.
Tiffany Ryder: Beth Ryder’s oldest niece, daughter of Ben and Justine Ryder. A tracker.
unworking: The effort to undo or destroy someone else’s working.
Williams, John: A member of Cordus’s organization. Gifted in barrier work. Also known as “Leontios.”
Wiri, Elanora: A Second; a member of Cordus’s organization.
working: A full alteration of reality through the manipulation of essence. Sometimes called a “full working.”
Yellin, Lodovico: A Second; a member of Cordus’s organization. Assigned as Beth Ryder’s second trainer.
the youngling: A newly escaped fragment of the Thirsting Ground.
Zion: A member of Cordus’s organization. A tracker. “Zion” is her entire name. She had it legally changed because it annoyed her to be referred to by her original full name (Zafirah Innocenté O’Sullivan-Namanworth), something Seconds tend to do.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
The Emanations Series
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Author's Note
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
About the Author
Glossary of Places, Terms, and Individuals
Table of Contents
Copyright Page
Copyright 2014 Becca Mills
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Marion Sipe
Cover photo copyright 2012 istockphoto.com/efenzi
Digital Edition 1.0 – November 30, 2014
Solatium is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents in this book are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real.