Jacqueline Carey - Kushiel’s Dart

Thank you to my parents, Marty and Rob, for a lifetime of love and encouragement, and to Julie, whose belief never wavered. To my great-aunt Harriett, a very special mahalo for all her stalwart support.

Anafiel Delaunay-noble

Alcuin nó Delaunay-Delaunay’s pupil

Phèdre nó Delaunay-Delaunay’s pupil

Guy-Delaunay’s man

Joscelin Verreuil-Cassiline Brother (Siovale)

Ganelon de la Courcel-King of Terre d’Ange

Genevieve de la Courcel-Queen of Terre d’Ange ( deceased )

Isabel L’Envers de la Courcel-wife of Rolande; Princess-Consort ( deceased )

Rolande de la Courcel-son of Ganelon and Genevieve; Dauphin ( deceased )

Ysandre de la Courcel-daughter of Rolande and Isable; Dauphine

Barquiel L’Envers-brother of Isabel; Duc L’Envers (Namarre)

Bandoin de Trevalion-son of Lyonette and Marc; Prince of the Blood

Bernadette de Trevalion-daughter of Lyonette and Marc; Princess of the Blood

Benedicte de la Courcel-brother of Ganelon; Prince of the Blood

Maria Stregazza de la Courcel-wife of Benedicte

Dominic Stregazza-husband of Thérèse; cousin of the Doge of La Serenissima

Marie-Celeste de la Courcel Stregazza-daughter of Benedicte and Maria; Princess of the Blood; wed to Doge of La Serenissima’s son

Thérèse de la Courcel Stregazza-daughter of Benedicte and Maria; Princess of the Blood

Isidore d’Aiglemort-son of Maslin; Duc d’Aiglemort (Camlach)

Maslin d’Aiglemort-Duc d’Aiglemort (Camlach)

Marquise Solaine Belfours-noble; secretary of the Privy Seal

Rogier Clavel-noble; member of L’Envers entourage

Childric d’Essoms-noble; member of Court of Chancery

Cecilie Laveau-Perrin-wife of Chevalier Perrin ( deceased ); former adept of Cereus House; tutor to Phèdre and Alcuin

Roxanne de Mereliot-Lady of Marsilikos (Eisande)

Quincel de Morhban-Duc de Morhban (Kusheth)

Lord Rinforte-Prefect of the Cassiline Brotherhood

Edmée de Rocaille-betrothed of Rolande ( deceased )

Melisande Shahrizai-noble (Kusheth)

(Tabor, Sacriphant, Persia, Marmion, Fanchone-members of House Shahrizai; Melisande’s kin)

Ghislain de Somerville-son of Percy

Percy de Somerville-Comte de Somerville (L’Agnace); Prince of the Blood; Royal Commander

Tibault de Toluard-Comte de Toluard (Siovale)

Gaspar Trevalion-Comte de Forcay (Azzalle) cousin to Marc

Luc and Mahieu Verreuil-sons of Millard; Joscelin’s brothers

Millard Verreuil-Chevalier Verreuil; Joscelin’s father (Siovale)

Liliane de Souverain-adept of Jasmine House; mother of Phèdre

Miriam Bouscevre-Dowayne of Cereus House

Juliette, Ellyn, Etienne, Calantia, Jacinthe, Donatien-apprentices of Cereus House

Brother Louvel-priest of Elua

Jareth Moran-Second of Cereus House

Suriah-adept of Cereus House

Didier Vascon-Second of Valerian House

Ailsa-woman in Gunter’s steading

Gunter Arnlaugson-head of steading

Evrard the Sharp-tongued-thane in Gunter’s steading

Gerde-woman in Selig’s steading

Harald the Beardless-thane in Gunters' steading

Hedwig-woman in Gunter’s steading

Kolbjorn of the Manni-one of Selig’s warleaders

Knud-thane in Gunter’s steading

Lodur the One-Eyed-priest of Odhinn

Waldemar Selig-head of steading; warlord

Trygve-member of the White Brethren

White Brethren-Selig’s thanes

Abhirati-grandmother of Anasztaizia

Anasztaizia-mother of Hyacinthe

Csavin-nephew of Manoj

Gisella-wife of Neci

Hyacinthe-friend to Phèdre; "Prince of Travellers"

Manoj-father of Anasztaizia; King of the Tsingani

Neci-headman of a kumpania

Breidaia-eldest daughter of Necthana

Brennan-son of Grainne

Cruarch of Alba-King of the Picti

Drustan mab Necthana-son of Necthana; Prince of the Picti

Eamonn mac Conor-Lord of the Dalriada

Foclaidha-wife of the Cruarch

Grainne mac Conor-sister of Eamonn; Lady of the Dalriada

Maelcon-son of the Cruarch and Foclaidha

Moiread-youngest daughter of Necthana

Necthana-sister of the Cruarch

Sibeal-middle daughter of Necthana

Gildas-servant of the Master of the Straits

Master of the Straits-controls the seas between Alba and Terre d’Ange

Tilian-servant of the Master of the Straits

Vitale Bouvarre-merchant; Stregazza ally

Pierre Cantrel-merchant; father of Phèdre

Camilo-apprentice of Gonzago de Escabares

Danele-wife of Taavi; dyer

Emile-member of Hyacinthe’s crew

Maestro Gonzago de Escabares-Aragonian historian; former teacher to Delaunay

Fortun-sailor; one of Phèdre’s Boys

Gavin Friote-seneschal of Perrinwolde

Heloise Friote-wife of Gavin

Purnelle Friote-son of Gavin

Richeline Friote-wife of Purnelle

Aelric Leithe-sailor

Jean Marchand-second in command to Rouse

Thelesis de Mornay-King’s Poet

Mierette nó Orchis-former adept at Orchis House

Remy- sailor; one of Phèdre’s Boys

Quintilius Rousse-Royal Admiral

Taavi-Yeshuite weaver

(Maia and Rena-daughters of Taavi and Denele)

Master Robert Tielhard-marquist

Ti-Philippe-sailor; one of Phèdre’s Boys

Lelahiah Valais-chirurgeon (Eisande)

Japheth nó Eglantine-Vardennes-playwright

Seth ben Yavin-Yeshuite scholar

Lest anyone should suppose that I am a cuckoo’s child, got on the wrong side of the blanket by lusty peasant stock and sold into indenture in a shortfallen season, I may say that I am House-born and reared in the Night Court proper, for all the good it did me.

It is hard for me to resent my parents, although I envy them their naiveté. No one even told them, when I was born, that they gifted me with an ill-luck name. Phèdre, they called me, neither one knowing that it is a Hellene name, and cursed.

When I was born, I daresay they still had reason for hope. My eyes, scarce open, were yet of indeterminate color, and the appearance of a newborn babe is a fluid thing, changing from week to week. Blonde wisps may give way to curls of jet, the pallor of birth deepen to a richness like amber, and so on. But when my series of amniotic sea-changes were done, the thing was obvious.

I was flawed.

It is not, of course, that I lacked beauty, even as a babe. I am a D’Angeline, after all, and ever since Blessed Elua set foot on the soil of our fair nation and called it home, the world has known what it means to be D’Angeline. My soft features echoed my mother’s, carved in miniature perfection. My skin, too fair for the canon of Jasmine House, was nonetheless a perfectly acceptable shade of ivory. My hair, which grew to curl in charming profusion, was the color of sable-in-shadows, reckoned a coup in some of the Houses. My limbs were straight and supple, my bones a marvel of delicate strength.

No, the problem was elsewhere.

To be sure, it was my eyes; and not even the pair of them, but merely the one.

Such a small thing on which to hinge such a fate. Nothing more than a mote, a fleck, a mere speck of color. If it had been any other hue, perhaps, it would have been a different story. My eyes, when they settled, were that color the poets call bistre, a deep and lustrous darkness, like a forest pool under the shade of ancient oaks. Outside Terre d’Ange, perhaps, one might call it brown, but the language spoke outside our nation’s bounds is a pitiful thing when it comes to describing beauty. Bistre, then, rich and liquid-dark; save for the left eye, where in the iris that ringed the black pupil, a fleck of color shone.