Ja Akari: Zeerani phrase meaning “under the sun”; loosely translates to being completely open and honest, hiding nothing
Ja’Sajani: Zeerani warden, responsible for maintaining order and security within his local territory
Ja Sajani: Zeerani phrase meaning “upon the earth”; loosely translates to being present in the moment
Jehannim: a mythical hellish place of fire and brimstone; also the name of a mountain range west of the river Dibris and east of Quarabala
jiinberry: a water-loving berry that grows along the banks of the Dibris during the flooding season
ka: that half of atulfah which is known as the breath of spirit. It manifests to most as an expanded awareness of one’s surroundings
Ka Atu: the Dragon King of Atualon
Kaapua: a river in Sindan
kahanna: vash’ai sorcerer
Kha’Akari: Zeerani warrior who has been exiled from the sight of Akari
Khanbul (the Forbidden City): home of the Sindanese emperor
khutlani: Zeerani word meaning “forbidden”
kima’a: avatar spirit-beast in Shehannam
kin: intelligent creatures descended from the first races and considered relatives of dragons—vash’ai, wyverns, and mymyc are numbered among the kin
kith: term used to describe creatures that are more intelligent than beasts, but lack the awareness of kin or humans
kithren: Zeerani person bound to a vash’ai, and vice versa
ladies/lords of twilight: Dae lords
lashai: modified half-human servants that wait upon the Daechen and yendaeshi
lionsnake: an enormous, venomous, two-legged plumed serpent that lives in the Zeera
the Lonely Road: in Zeerani mythology, the road traveled by the dead
Madraj: an arena and gathering place of the Zeeranim
Mah’zula: a society of Zeeranim who live a purely nomadic life and abide by the ancient ways of the desert, seeking to return to the glory days of the First Women
Min Yaarif: trading and slavers’ port on the western bank of the Dibris
Min Yahtamu: ancient trading post west of the Jehannim
mutaani: Zeerani term meaning “there is beauty in death”
Mutai Gon-yu (The Mountains that Tamed the Rains): mountain range in Sindan
Nar Bedayyan: a sea to the west of Atualon
Nar Intihaan: a sea to the east of Sindan
Nar Kabdaan: a sea east of the Zeera and west of Sindan
ne Atu: member of the royal family of Atualon
Nian-da: a ten-day-long festival in Sindan. Any child born during this time is assumed to be fathered by a Dae man during Moonstide, and without exception is taken to Khanbul at the age of sixteen
Night of Sorrows: an historic uprising in Quarabala, brought about via political machinations by the Cult of Eth, which left the populace decimated and the ruling families nearly extinct
Nisfi: Zeerani pride
O’oraid: large, intelligent spiders used in divination by Illindrists
outlanders: term used by the Zeerani to describe people not of the Zeera
parens: heads of the ruling families in Atualon
pride: Zeerani clan. Also used to describe all prides as a single entity
Quarabala (also known as the Seared Lands): a region so hot that humans live in cities far underground
Quarabalese: of Quarabala
reavers: insectoid humans that have been modified by the Araids. Their bite is envenomed
Riharr: Zeerani pride
russet ridgebacks: large spiders that live in underground colonies. Harmless unless they are disturbed. Their eggs are considered a delicacy in the Zeera.
sa: that half of atulfah which is known as the heart of the soul. An expanded sense of empathy and harmony
Sajani (Sajani Earth Dragon, the Sleeping Dragon): according to legend, Sajani is a diva (a female dragon) who sleeps beneath the crust of the world, waiting for the song of her mate Akari to wake her
Salar Merraj: city of the salt miners built upon the shores of a dead salt lake. The Mer family stronghold
Salarians: citizens of the salt-mining city Salar Merraj
Saodan: capital city of Quarabala
sand-dae: shapes made of wind-driven sand
Shahad: Zeerani pride
Shehannam (the Dreaming Lands): the otherworld, a place of dreams and strange beings
shenu: a board game popular in the Zeera
shofar akibra: a magical instrument fashioned from the horn of the golden ram
shongwei: an intelligent, carnivorous sea creature
Sindan: empire that stretches from Nar Kabdaan in the west to Nar Intihaan in the east
Sindanese: of Sindan
Snafu: patron divine of fuckups
the Sundering: cataclysm that took place roughly one thousand years before the events of this story
surdus: deaf to atulfah
Tai Bardan (Mountains of Ice): mountain range in Sindan east of Khanbul
Tai Damat (Mountains of Blood): mountain range in Sindan on the Great Salt Road, north of Khanbul
tarbok: goat-sized herd animal, plentiful near rivers and oases
touar: head-to-toe outfit worn by the Zeerani wardens: head wrap and veils, calf-length robe, loose trousers, all blue
Twilight Lands: a land at once part of and separated from the world of Men; home of the Dae
usca: a strong alcoholic beverage popular in the Zeera
Uthrak: Zeerani pride
vash’ai: large, intelligent sabre-tusked cats. Vash’ai are kin, descended from the first races
Wild Hunt (also the Hunt): deadly game played by the Huntress, a powerful being who enforces the rules of Shehannam
wyvern: intelligent flying kin
yendaeshi: trainer, mentor, and master to the Daechen and Daezhu
Yosh: a hellish place in Zeerani mythology, and of that wicked spirit or deity that rules it. Variously thought to be deep underground, hidden in the Jehannim, or on another plane of existence altogether
youthmistress/master (istaza/istaz): Zeerani adults in charge of guiding and teaching the pride’s young people
Zeera: a desert south of the Great Salt Road, known for its singing dunes, hostile environment, and remote barbarian prides
Zeeranim: people of the desert
Zeeravashani: a Zeerani person who has bonded with a vash’ai
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to give a nod of thanks to…
My rockstar agent, Mark Gottlieb of Trident Media.
My Dark Editorial Overlord, Steve Saffel of Titan Books.
Alice Nightingale, again, for initially acquiring The Dragon’s Legacy and applauding my every success.
Nick Landau, Vivian Cheung, Paul Gill, George Sandison, Joanna Harwood, Hayley Shepherd, Julia Lloyd, Chris McLane, Lydia Gittins, Katharine Carroll, and Polly Grice of Titan Books, for believing in my story.
My high-school English teacher, Deane O’Dell, who against all odds kindled the love of literature in the heart of an ungrateful young barbarian.
Finally, I would very much like to thank the members of a certain speculative fiction authors’ cabal, but I cannot— because such a cabal does not exist.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Deborah A. Wolf was born in a barn and raised on wildlife refuges, which explains a lot. As a child, whether she was wandering down the beach of an otherwise deserted island or exploring the hidden secrets of bush Alaska with her faithful dog Sitka, she always had a book at hand. She opened the forbidden door, and set foot upon the tangled path, and never looked back.
She attended any college that couldn’t outrun her and has accumulated a handful of degrees, the most recent of which is a Master of
Science in Information Systems Management from Ferris State University. Among other gigs, she has worked as an underwater photographer, Arabic linguist, and grumbling wage slave. Throughout it all, Deborah has held onto one true and passionate love: the love of storytelling.
Deborah currently lives in northern Michigan with her kids (some of whom are grown and all of whom are exceptional), an assortment of dogs and horses, and two cats, one of whom she suspects is possessed by a demon.
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