Trudi Canavan - The Novice

mind —hide (minds his business/I’ll mind that for you)

mug —mouth (as in vessel for bol)

out for —looking for

pick —recognize/understand

punt —smuggler

right-sided —trustworthy/heart in the right place

rope —freedom

rub —trouble (got into some rub over it)

shine —attraction (got a shine for him)

show —introduce

space —allowances/permission

squimp —someone who double-crosses the Thieves

style —manner of performing business

tag —recognize (also means a spy, usually undercover)

thief —leader of a criminal group

watcher —posted to observe something or someone

wild —difficult

visitor —burglar

Animals

aga moths —pests that eat clothing

anyi —sea mammals with short spines

ceryni —small rodent

enka —horned domestic animal, bred for meat

eyoma —sea leeches

faren —general term for arachnids

gorin —large domestic animal used for food and to haul boats and wagons

harrel —small domestic animal bred for meat

limek —wild predatory dog

mullook —wild nocturnal bird

rassook —domestic bird used for meat and feathers

ravi —rodent, larger than ceryni

reber —domestic animal, bred for wool and meat

sapfly —woodland insect

sevli —poisonous lizard

squimp —squirrel-like creature that steals food

zill —small, intelligent mammal sometimes kept as a pet

Plants/Food

anivope vines —plant sensitive to mental projection

bol —(also means “river scum”) strong liquor made from tugors

brasi —green leafy vegetable with small buds

chebol sauce —rich meat sauce made from bol

crots —large, purple beans

curem —smooth, nutty spice

curren —coarse grain with robust flavor

dall —long fruit with tart orange, seedy flesh

gan-gan —flowering bush from Lan

iker —stimulating drug, reputed to have aphrodisiac properties

jerras —long yellow beans

kreppa —foul-smelling medicinal herb

marin —red citrus fruit

monyo —bulb

myk —mind-affecting drug

nalar —pungent root

nemmin —sleep-inducing drug

pachi —crisp, sweet fruit

papea —pepper-like spice

piorres —small, bell-shaped fruit

raka/suka —stimulating drink made from roasted beans, originally from Sachaka

sumi —bitter drink

telk —seed from which an oil is extracted

tenn —grain that can be cooked as is, broken into small pieces, or ground to make a flour

tugor —parsnip-like root

vare —berries from which most wine is produced

Clothing and Weaponry

incal —square symbol, not unlike a family shield, sewn onto sleeve or cuff

kebin —iron bar with hook for catching attacker’s knife, carried by guards

longcoat —ankle-length coat

Public Houses

bathhouse —establishment selling bathing facilities and other grooming services

bolhouse —establishment selling bol and short-term accommodation

brewhouse —bol manufacturer

stayhouse —rented building, a family to a room

Peoples of the Allied Lands

Elyne —closest to Kyralia in position and culture, enjoys a milder climate

Kyralia —home of the Guild

Lan —a mountainous land peopled by warrior tribes

Lonmar —a desert land home to the strict Mahga religion

Vin —an island nation known for its seamanship

Other Terms

cap —coins threaded on a stick to the value of the next highest denomination

dawnfeast —breakfast

midbreak —lunch

simba mats —mats woven from reeds

In addition to those people I acknowledged in The Magicians’ Guild, I would like to extend an extra thank you to:

The friends and family who generously gave their time to read and critique this book at short notice: Mum and Dad, Yvonne Hardingham, Paul Marshall, Anthony Mauriks, Donna Johansen, Jenny Powell, Sara Creasy, Paul Potiki.

Jack Dann, for launching The Magicians’ Guild with such flair and enthusiasm. Justin Ackroyd for letting me take over his bookshop, and Julian Warner and the staff at Slow Glass Books for their assistance.

Fran Bryson, my agent and hero. And the publishing team at HarperCollins for turning my stories into such lovely, attractive books.

The first half of The Novice was written during a residency at Varuna Writers’ Centre, granted by the Eleanor Dark Foundation. Thank you to Peter Bishop and the Varuna team for an inspiring and productive three weeks.

And finally, thank you to everyone who has emailed me with praise for The Magicians’ Guild! Knowing I gave you all a few hours enjoyment and escape makes it all worthwhile.

TRUDI CANAVAN lives in a little house on a hillside, near a forest, in the Melbourne suburb of Ferntree Gully in Australia. She has been making up stories about things that don’t exist for as long as she can remember and was amazed when her first published story received an Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Story in 1999. A freelance illustrator and designer, she also works as the designer and Art Director of Aurealis, a magazine of Australian fantasy and science fiction. You can e-mail her at trudi@spin.net.au or find out more about Kyralia and the Magicians’ Guild at www.spin.net.au/~trudi.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

THE NOVICE. Copyright © 2002 by Trudi Canavan. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Microsoft Reader November 2006 ISBN 978-0-06-134213-4