Characters

  (And how on Mani you’re supposed to pronounce them)

  Adullus Ta (uh-DOOL-us TAH)—A famous High Mage credited with creating the modern classifications of magic in the year 782.

  Aldyr Tolruin (ALL-deer TOLL-roo-in)—Syneria’s elder sister, engaged to Ethas of House Gandel.

  Alfred—A mage dwelling in the town of Snowbell in Fircas, whose talents are employed to facilitate a certain stunt.

  Andra—Mydia’s former handmaiden.

  Bart, Big—His real name is Bartimaeus. One of the leaders of the Underground in Nytaea.

  Bddo (b-DOE)—???

  Ben—Called Uncle Ben by most, he is Oliver’s uncle and a member of the Scathii Council.

  Berta—A hearty young woman who eventually, with a certain young woman’s help, fulfilled her dream of starting an orphanage.

  Betty—The maid who shows Lyn the ways of the Palace maid.

  Carth—A veteran sky sailor who doesn’t take quickly to mainlanders.

  Ccal (KAL)—???

  Chara (CARE-uh)—Mydia’s middle-aged handmaiden. She has watched over the princess for many years now. Squat and stuffy, always busy with something. Disliked by Mydia.

  Charta (CHAR-tuh)—A bear-like, good-natured sky sailor.

  Christoff—A lieutenant in the Nemental military.

  Cort Flanning—A senior student at the Nytaean Mage Academy who is chosen by Rhidea to study at Randhorn. Thin and blond, he wears stylish attire typical of his noble family.

  Domon, Archlord (ARK-lord DOME-uhn)—Archlord (emperor) of Kystrea, long feared for his magical strength and his ruthlessness, despite being a fair ruler overall.

  Dudley—Duke of Halstar, popular and just.

  Eivael Badon-Kalceron (AY-ih-vale BAY-duhn)—Mydia’s late mother, and previous wife of Lord Kalceron. After her death eight years ago, he remarried to a sorceress named Lieda. [See Kalceron]

  Ethas Gandel (EETH-us GAN-del)—Heir of his house, Ethas is 20 years old, tall and blond. He can’t help being a bit better than most people, much like his fiancée, Aldyr Tolruin.

  Feln—A sky sailor.

  Fenwel—King of Nemental. He is aged and wise, possessing a keen wit and a good sense of humor. His hair and beard are white but not thin, his frame still strong, and he has some innate magic, though only a bit. Possesses the Perception-based gift of Truthseeing.

  Fraid—A deranged fire mage and murderer, leader of a thieving band in Nytaea—the same who burned down Lentha’s orphanage.

  Gaela (GAY-luh)—A noblewoman who leads the Underground along with Mydia and a few others. She is tall, her blonde hair streaked with white, and her mild temperament conceals dark anger underneath. Very skilled at keeping a straight face.

  Gendric—Master of the Nytaean Mage Academy. Old and wise, respected by Rhidea and feared by Lord Kalceron. Gendric despises the way Lord Kalceron rules Nytaea but tries to stay out of it. He once led a band of mage mercenaries who worked for whichever Kystrean State would hire them for the most money, then the Archlord offered to build him his own school in Nytaea if he would teach aspiring magicians the art of war magic so that Kystrea could build an army of mage soldiers. Gendric slowly came to detest the idea of using something as wondrous as magic for killing men. He made the school into a great academy where one could study all manner of magical arts, and only pursue a soldier’s career if one so chose.

  Glenidar—King of Ti’Vaeth until Lord Domon rose up and killed him in a duel, naming himself Archlord of Ti’Vaeth and setting out to conquer the other Kystrean city-states.

  Gorman Sedler—A servant in the employ of Lord Kalceron who secures Kaen and Lyn a position among the staff at the Palace.

  Hamia (HAY-mee-uh)—A maid in the employ of the Palace who shared a bunk with Lyn for a while. Both stocky and chubby, she has large hands, coming from a line of rural farmers.

  Harcost—A carpenter working in the city of Nytaea, for whom Lyn and Kaen often do manual labor.

  Harold—A corporal in Archlord Domon’s palace guard.

  Hespian—Captain of the Nytaean Mage Guard, answering to Lord Kalceron himself. Despite his air of joviality, he can be quite cunning.

  Humphret—A nobleman of some standing in Ti’Vaeth. His main hobbies include pestering the Archlord and eating.

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  Inno—A soldier who joined the Queensguard in order to protect Nytaea’s new ruler.

  Jinna—A scholar friend of Eivael Kalceron. She died tragically in a magical experiment, prompting the queen to abandon her alchemical experiments.

  Julia—A handmaiden to Princess Mydia, about the same age as Lyn, though she’s been in her position for years now. She came from a poor home to the Palace to pay off her father’s debts, but Lord Kalceron had them killed off a year ago, stranding her in service to House Kalceron.

  Kaen (KANE)—Lyn’s longtime friend from Lentha’s orphanage. Mandrie is his little sister. When Kaen infiltrates the Palace with Lyn to try to free Mandrie and Phoebe from the inside, he assumes the name of Roger. He has curly dark hair and intense expressions, and, despite his 17 years, carries himself like someone who has been through rough times and learned to harden himself against the world around him.

  Kalceron, Edrius (EE-dree-us KAL-sir-on)—Governor of Nytaea, known for being crueler than the Archlord of Kystrea himself. His daughter is Princess Mydia. She and his firstborn son, Kallyn, were born to him of Lady Eivael Kalceron, his late wife. He remarried eight years back to a sorceress called Lieda. It is said that his first wife, Eivael, kept the worst of him in check, while his second, Lieda, only fostered that dark side.

  Kallyn Kalceron—Son of Lord Kalceron and heir to the throne of Nytaea, Mydia’s brother Kallyn disappeared fifteen years back and was presumed dead.

  Keuda (KYU-duh)—Royal secretary of Nytaea.

  Kyal (KYAHL)—Lord of the province of Imdek.

  Kymhar (kih-MAHR)—An enigmatic member of the Dalim, the lethal servants of the Archlord. Dresses in dark leathers with many layers and keeps knives and kunai everywhere on his person. Trained in stealth, assassination and martial arts.

  Kath—A fire mage soldier who joined the Queensguard in order to protect Nytaea’s new ruler.

  Lentha—The kind woman who raised Lyn from a small child, along with many other orphans.

  Lester, Little—One of the leaders of the Nytaean Underground. His real name is Tomas.

  Lhiard (lee-ARD)—Lord of the city-state of Uphel.

  Lieda (LEE-duh)—The magician noblewoman to whom Lord Kalceron remarried eight years back, following the mysterious and sudden death of his former wife, Eivael. . . . Lieda is not well liked by Mydia, nor by the people of Nytaea. She is as much a thorn in the city’s side as her husband. Hates Mydia and the sight of blood.

  Lina—One of the senior Palace maids.

  Lorta—A caustic, vulpine mage lieutenant who works closely with Captain Hespian in Lord Kalceron’s Mage Guard.

  Lyn (Lynchazel II)—A young woman with white hair and inexplicable strength. Said to have been brought by her destitute mother to Lentha’s orphanage, where she was raised. Lyn barely remembers her real name, Lynchazel, for Lentha stopped using it early on when the other children at the orphanage picked on her for its ‘noble’ sound.

  Lynchazel I (LINK-uh-zel)—???

  Mandrie—Kaen’s younger sister, who gets abducted by Captain Hespian of the Mage Guard.

  Mydia Kalceron (MID-ee-uh)—Sole daughter of Lord Kalceron, heir of Nytaea ever since her brother Kallyn died fifteen years back (or . . . went missing). Her mother, Lady Eivael, died eight years ago of a disease. Mydia’s hair is jet black, her form a bit padded from her pampered life, her skin a pasty white. She is shy but very talkative when encouraged, and has a mischievous side. Mydia possesses illusionary magic as well as green magic. Inherited from her mother, the latter is a type of water magic which includes accelerated growth and renewal of plants/trees/flowers, as well as healing.

  Oliver—A twelve-year-old boy, sandy haired and freckled, who lives in the village on the eastern Isle of Scathii. He is an orphan and a rebel who loves to fly, characterized by his daring and cleverness.

  Phoebe—a friend of Kaen and Lyn from back at the orphanage. She is sixteen years old and has brown hair that hangs down just past her shoulders, expressionless eyes and a beaklike, hooked nose. Phoebe dreams of having a family someday in a better Nytaea, but is also an incurable pessimist. No one knows the exact details of how she came to the orphanage, but she holds bitterness against someone close to her in her past.

  Podda—A common girl’s name that Lyn uses as an alias in the Palace.

  Rhidea, Cae (KYE rye-DAY-uh)—A traveling magician, tall with deep red hair, once High Magister to King Fenwel of Randhorn. Now, she wanders about from place to place, seeking a solution to the dwindling magic of the world. She carries herself with confidence and addresses everyone equally, often as ‘child.’ Her features are beautiful but hard, her hazel eyes focused. Rhidea is also the most powerful mage to be seen in many decades. As a High Mage, she is versed in many branches of magic, but one of her specialties is gravitational control.

  Rodessa—A young woman working at the Imperial Archives in the Ti’Vaeth citadel. She is a contact of Rhidea’s.

  Roger—Kaen’s alias in the Palace.

  Ruel (ROOL)—A soldier who joined the Queensguard in order to protect Nytaea’s new ruler.

  Sam, Skinny—One of the leaders of the Underground in Nytaea.

  Shanagel (shuh-NAY-guhl)—A very strange sky sailor.

  Sor the Lark—A scholar of an unknown era, author of the book Secrets of Mani.

  Syneria Tolruin (sih-NEER-ee-uh TOLL-roo-in)—A talented student at the Mage Academy, best friends with Cort Flanning. Syneria is sixteen years of age, with shoulder-length golden locks and blazing blue eyes. She comes from the wealthy House Tolruin, and thus carries a heavy chip on her shoulder.

  Teli (TEL-ee)—A young girl among the Palace maids who was sentenced to a harsh whipping by Lord Kalceron for dropping a plate while serving. Beaten by her mother as a girl, she learned to be timid and cringe frequently. Lyn later helps secure a better position for her.

  Thames—A scholar friend of Eivael Kalceron.

  Tom, Tall—One of the leaders of the Underground in Nytaea. His real name is Dossam.

  Tommy—A young boy from Lentha’s orphanage whom Lyn and her friends remember fondly . . . and with deep sorrow.

  Trevias Lhordes (TREV-ee-us LORE-deez)—A famed general of Ti’Vaeth who fought for High King Glenidar along with a coalition of city-states to repel the invading Torlegans. Credited with bringing an end to the war and driving them over the Styrite Mountains for good in 794.

  Tyiv (TEEV)—Lord of the southern Nytaean city-state of Dotham, and a member of the Umbra Council.

  White—A small, pale-skinned girl whom Lyn sees in her visions. Lyn gave her the nickname after encountering her multiple times, having no other name by which to call her.

  Zent—???