Hundi: the fifth day of the week in the desert calendar
Ibrahim: old storyteller
Ib’Saim: a stall owner from the bazaar
ifin: an eyeless, bat-like creature with two sets of wings, a creation of Goezhen
Irem: a spy for Hamid
Irhüd’s Finger: a desert landmark; a tall standing stone
Iri: an elder god, called three times before the sun awoke in the heavens
Iri’s Four Sacred Stones: a/k/a the Tears of Tulathan (Result of the breaking of the Sunset Stone)
irindai: beautiful moth; also known as a cressetwing, considered a sign of luck (But see also: gallows moth)
Ishaq Kirhan’ava: Macide’s father and Çeda’s grandfather, one-time leader of the Moonless Host, Shaikh of the newly formed thirteenth tribe
Ishmantep: a large caravanserai on the eastern route from Sharakhai to Malasan
Iyesa Külaşan’ava al Masal: Külaşan’s dead daughter
The Jackal’s Tail: smokehouse known as a seedy place
jalabiya: a loose-fitting hooded gown or robe
Jalize: a Blade Maiden and one of Sümeya’s hand
Jein: Mala’s sister
Jenise: a Shieldwife
Jewel of the Desert: Sharakhai
Jherrok: shaikh of Tribe Narazid, a tall man
Juvaan Xin-Lei: albino from Mirea and Mirea’s ambassador to Sharakhai
Kadir: works for “a powerful woman,” i.e., Rümayesh
Kadri: See “Tribe Kadri”
kaftan: alternate spelling
kahve: a bean, a stimulant when ground and brewed to make a hot drink
Kameyl: a Blade Maiden and one of Sümeya’s hand
Kannan: laws written by the Kings and based on the much older Al’Ambra, the laws of the desert tribes
Kavi: a jeweler
keffiyeh: a cotton headdress
kefir: a milk drink
Kenan: one of the tribes
kenshar: a curved knife
Kesaea: a princess of the thousand tribes, sister of Ashwandi
ketch: small sailing ship
khalat: a long-sleeved Mirean silk outer robe
khet: a copper coin
Khyrn: see “Old Khyrn”
kiai: a percussive sound used when striking an opponent
King Azad: King of Thorns; makes mysterious draughts, never sleeps
King Beşir: King of Shadows, can move between shadows
King Cahil: the Confessor King, the King of Truth; known to be cruel
King Husamettín: the King of Swords and Lord of the Blade Maidens
King Ihsan: the Honey-tongued King, serves as Sharakhai’s chief ambassador, known to be plotting and conniving
King Kiral: supreme among the Twelve Kings; “with burning eyes and pock-marked skin”
King Külaşan: the Wandering King, the The Lost King
King Mesut: the Jackal King, Lord of the Asirim
King Onur: once known as the King of Spears, more often referred to as the Feasting King or the King of Sloth
King Sukru: the Reaping King, controls the asirim through use of a magical whip
King Yusam: the Jade-Eyed King; sees visions in a magical mere granted by the gods
King Zeheb: the King of Whispers, rumored he can hear speech from far away, particularly when it relates to the Kings’ business
King of Glittering Stone: appears in the poem; a cipher
King’s Harbor: where Sharakhai’s warships dock
Kirhan: Macide’s grandfather
the Knot: a district in Sharakhai; a “veritable maze of mudbrick”
kufi: a hat
Kundhun: a kingdom west of Sharakhai and the Shangazi Desert, a vast grassland
Kundhunese: a people, a language
Kundhuni: adjectival form
Kydze: (f) one of the best fighters to come out of Kundhun since Çeda’s own mentor, Djaga
Lady Enasia: Matron Zohra’s companion
Lady Kialiss of Almadan: a dirt dog, one of Djaga’s opponents
Lasdi: the sixth day of the week in the desert calendar
lassi: a yogurt drink
lateen: a rig with a triangular sail (lateen sail) bent to a yard hoisted to the head of a low mast
Leorah Mikel’ava al Rafik: Devorah’s sister, Ihsaq’s mother, Çeda’s great-grandmother
Lina: a girl in one of Çeda’s childhood memories
Lord Veşdi: King Külaşan’s eldest living son; Master of Coin
Macide Ishaq’ava: leader of the Moonless Host
Mae: a qirin warrior in service to Queen Alansal of Mirea
Makuo: one twin fathered by the trickster god, Onondu; brother is Hidi
Malahndi: the second day of the week in the desert calendar
Malasan: a kingdom east of Sharakhai and the Shangazi Desert
Malasani: inhabitant of Malasan
Masal: one of the tribes; a/k/a the Shining Spears
Master Nezahum: a woman on the faculty of the collegium
Matrons: healers and trainers from the House of Maidens
Matron Zohra: an aging woman, owner of an estate in Sharakhai
Mazandir: a large caravanserai on the southern route from Sharakhai to Qaimir
Meiying: a powerful Mirean blood mage, one of the Enclave’s inner circle
Melis: a Blade Maiden and one of Sümeya’s hand, daughter of King Yusam
Meliz: former dirt dog, Djaga’s mentor
Memma: like “mommy”
Meryam: Queen of Qaimir; sister of the murdered Yasmine, aunt of the murdered Rehann; a powerful blood mage
merlon: on a battlement, the solid part between two crenels
Mihir Halim’ava al Kadri: son of the desert shaikh of the Kadri, Halim
mind’s flight: one of the 3 types of diaphanous stones; is said to bestow the gift of mind-reading when swallowed, though the imbiber dies rather quickly
Mirea: a kingdom north of Sharakhai and the Shangazi Desert
Mirean: adjectival form
the Moonless Host: a/k/a Al’afwa Khadar; men and women of the twelve tribes that once ruled the entirety of the Shangazi Desert; sworn to fight the Kings
Mykal: Ramahd’s nephew and pageboy
nahcolite: a carbonate mineral, naturally occurring sodium bicarbonate
Nalamae: the goddess who created the River Haddah in the Great Shangazi desert, the youngest of the desert gods
Narazid: a desert tribe; a/k/a the Bloody Manes
Navakahm: captain of the Silver Spears, Lord of the Guard
Nayyan: First Warden before Sümeya, daughter of King Azad, Sümeya’s one-time lover
Nebahat: a powerful Malasani blood mage, one of the Enclave’s inner circle
Neylana: shaikh of Tribe Kenan
nigella seeds: a spice used in desert cuisine
Night Lily: a sleeping draught
Night’s Kiss: the blade the dark god, Goezhen, had granted to Husamettín on Beht Ihman
Nijin: a desert harbor
niqab: veil made of lightweight opaque fabric; leaves only the eyes uncovered
Nirendra: a slumlord lady, rents space in rooms
Old Khyrn Rellana’ala: judge from Tribe Rafik
Old Nur: a shipmate of Emre’s
Onondu: the trickster god, “God of the Endless Hills,” god of vengeance in Kundhun; father of the godling twins Hidi & Makuo
Ophir’s: the oldest standing brewery in Sharakhai
Ornük: Urdman’s son
oryx: large antelope
Osman: owner of the pits, a retired pit fighter and a one-time lover of Çeda’s
oud: a kind of lute
pauldrons: shoulder guards
P
elam: the master of games, the announcer for the gladiatorial bouts held in the pits
pennon: flag, pennant
Phelia: one of Melis’s sisters
physic: a medical doctor
prat: an incompetent or ineffectual person
Prayna: a powerful Sharakhani blood mage, one of the Enclave’s inner circle
Qaimir: a kingdom south of Sharakhai and the Shangazi Desert
Qaimiri: adjectival form
qanun: musical instrument, a large zither
Quanlang: a province in Mirea
Queen Alansal: of Mirea
Quezada: one of Ramahd’s men
Rafa: Emre’s brother
Rafik: one of the tribes; a/k/a the Biting Shields
Rafiro: one of Ramahd’s men
rahl: a unit of currency, gold coins stamped with the mark of the Kings
ral shahnad: “summer’s fire,” the distilled essence of a rare flower found only in the furthest reaches of Kundhun
Rasel: Scourge of the Black Veils; former wearer of River’s Daughter
rattlewings: see “açal”
The Reaping King: a/k/a King Sukru, one of the twelve; commands the asirim by use of a magical whip
rebab: a bowed string musical instrument
Red Crescent: a neighborhood near the quays of the western harbor
Rehann: Ramahd’s murdered daughter, Meryam’s niece
Rengin: footman on Matron Zohra’s estate
Rhia: goddess of dreams and ambition, the sister moon of the goddess Tulathan
River Haddah: created by the goddess Nalamae in the Great Shangazi desert
River’s Daughter: the name of Çeda’s sword
Roseridge: Çeda’s neighborhood
Ruan: half-Sharakhani man who works for Juvaan Xin-Lei
Rümayesh: a female ehrekh, one of the first made by Goezhen
Saadet ibn Sim: killer of Emre’s brother, Rafa; a Malasani bravo
Sahra: Seyhan’s daughter
Salahndi: the first day of the week in the desert calendar
Saliah Riverborn: a witch of the desert, the goddess Nalamae in disguise
Salmük: one of the tribes; a/k/a the Black Veils
saltstone: one of the 3 types of diaphanous stones; can be swallowed, but is more often sewn beneath the skin of the forehead. It slowly dissolves, bleeding away memories until none are left. The victim becomes completely and utterly docile
Samael: an alchemyst
Samaril: capital city of Malasan
Savadi: the seventh day of the week in the desert calendar, the busiest along the Trough
Sayabim: an old crone, a Matron at the House of the Blade Maidens, a sword trainer
scarab: a name for a member of the Moonless Host
schisandra: a woody vine harvested for its berries
the scriptorium: a kind of library
Sehid-Alaz: a King of Sharakhai sacrificed on Beht Ihman, cursed to become an asir
Şelal Ymine’ala al Rafik: shaikh of Tribe Rafik
selhesh: a term for dirt dog
Serpentine: a winding street in Sharakhai
Seyhan: a spice seller in the Roseridge spice market
a shade: a mission to ferry goods or messages from place to place in Sharakhai
shaikh: the leader of a desert tribe
Shal’alara of the Three Blades: one of the elders of the thirteenth tribe, a storied swordswoman and adventurer
the Shallows: slums
shamshir: curved saber having one edge on the convex side
the Shangazi: the desert, a/k/a Great Shangazi, Great Desert, Great Mother
Sharakhai: a large desert metropolis, a/k/a the Amber Jewel
Sharakhan: the language spoken in Sharakhai and much of the desert
Sharakhani: adjectival form
shinai: a slatted bamboo practice sword
Shining Spears: a nickname for the people of Tribe Masal
shisha: hookah
Sidehill: a neighborhood in Sharakhai, a nickname for Goldenhill
Silver Spears: the Kings’ guard, the city police
Sim: works for Osman
Sirina Jalih’ala al Kenan: Mala’s mother, a lover of King Mesut
sirwal trousers: loose trousers that hang to just below the knee
siyaf: term of respect for a master swordsman
song of blades: tahl selheshal; a/k/a sword dance
the Spear: a large street running from the western harbor to the gates of the House of Kings, “one of the busiest streets in Sharakhai”
the Standing Stones: a nickname for the people of Tribe Ebros
Sümeya: First Warden, commander of the Blade Maidens, daughter of King Husamettín
Sun Palace: the lowest of the thirteen palaces on Tauriyat, once belonged to Sehid-Alaz
The Sunset Stone: a/k/a The Flame of Iri; a giant amethyst
Sunshearer: King Kiral’s sword
Surrahdi: the dead king of Malasan; a/k/a the Mad King of Malasan
Sweet Anna: a fragrant plant
Sword of the Willow: from Tribe Okan to the winner of Annam’s Traverse
Syahla: Mihir’s mother, Halim’s wife
sylval: unit of currency
tabbaq: a cured leaf, commonly smoked in a shisha
tahl selheshal: song of blades, a/k/a sword dance
tanbur: a stringed instrument
Tariq Esad’ava: one of Osman’s street toughs, grew up with Çeda & Emre
Tauriyat: Mount Tauriyat, home to the House of Kings, Sharakhai’s thirteen palaces, and the House of Maidens
Tavahndi: the third day of the week in the desert calendar
the Tears of Tulathan: a/k/a Iri’s Four Sacred Stones (result of the breaking of the Sunset Stone)
Tehla: a baker, friend of Çeda; Davud’s sister
tessera, tesserae: tiles of a mosaic
Thaash: god of war
Thalagir: Rümayesh’s new name, given by Brama
thawb: a common outer garment in the desert, consisting of a length of cloth that is sewn into a long loose skirt or draped around the body and fastened over one shoulder
Thebi: character in a tale of the god Bakhi
the Thousand Territories of Kundhun: another name for Kundhun, one of the four kingdoms surrounding Sharakhai
Tiller’s Row: a street in the Shallows, “one of the few with any businesses to speak of”
thwart: a seat in a rowboat
Tolovan: vizir of King Ihsan
Tribe Ebros: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Standing Stones
Tribe Halarijan: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the White Trees
Tribe Kadri: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Burning Hands
Tribe Kenan: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Rushing Waters
Tribe Khiyanat: the name the thirteenth tribe chooses when they form anew; khiyanat means “betrayed” in the old tongue of the desert
Tribe Malakhed: the ancient name for the thirteenth tribe, abandoned when the tribe is reborn
Tribe Masal: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Red Wind
Tribe Narazid: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Bloody Manes
Tribe Okan: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Black Wings
Tribe Rafik: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Biting Shields
Tribe Salmük: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Black Veils
Tribe Sema: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Children of the Crescent Moons
Tribe Tulogal: Devorah and Leorah’s chil
dhood tribe; a/k/a the Raining Stars
Tribe Ulmahir: one of the twelve desert tribes; a/k/a the Amber Blades
the Trough: the central and largest thoroughfare in Sharakhai, runs from the northern harbor, through the center of the city, and terminating at the southern harbor
Tsitsian: capital city of Mirea
Tsitsian Village: an immigrant neighborhood in Sharakhai
Tulathan: goddess of law and order, sister moon of the goddess Rhia
Undosu: a powerful Kundhuni blood mage, one of the Enclave’s inner circle
Urdman: one of Narazid’s riders in the Traverse
Vadram: Osman’s predecessor in the shading business
Vandraama Mountains: a mountain range bordering the desert
Verda: works for Osman
Lord Veşdi: Külaşan’s eldest living son; Master of Coin
vetiver: the root of a grass that yields fragrant oil used in perfumery and as a medicinal
vizir/vizira: a high official, minister of state
Wadi: Devorah’s borrowed stallion
Way of Jewels: location in the city
the Well: a neighborhood near the Shallows; Osman’s pits are there
western harbor: the smallest and seediest of the city’s four sandy harbors
the Wheel: the massive circle where four thoroughfares meet: the Spear, the Trough, Coffer Street, and Hazghad Road
White Wolf: Çeda’s moniker in the fighting pits of Sharakhai
Willem: a brilliant young man with strange magical abilities bound to the blood magi, Nebahat, in Sharakhai’s collegia
wyrm: worm
Yael: mother of Devorah and Leorah
Yanca: Çeda and Emre’s neighbor in Roseridge
Yasmine: Meryam’s murdered sister, Ramahd’s wife and mother of Rehann
Yerinde: goddess of love and ambition; once stole Tulathan away “for love”
Yerinde’s Kiss: a honey collected from the rare stone bees’ nests; used as an aphrodisiac
Yerinde’s Snare: the convergence of a twisting, misshapen web of streets & the most populous district in Sharakhai
Yndris: a Blade Maiden with a hot temper, the daughter of King Cahil and an enemy of Çeda
Yosan Mahzun’ava: one of Tehla’s brothers
Zaïde: a Matron in service to the Kings; heals and takes Çeda into the House of Maidens
zilij: a board Çeda fashioned from skimwood, used as a conveyance to glide easily over sand
Zohra: i.e., Matron Zohra, resident of an estate in Sharakhai
Acknowledgments