Gene Wolfe: Lake of the Long Sun

N.B. In Viron, biochemical males are named for animals or animal products: Auk, Blood, Crane, Musk, and Silk bear names of this type. Biochemical females are named for plants (most frequently flowers) or plant products: Chenille, Mint, Orchid, Rose. Chemical persons, both male and female, are named for metals or minerals: Hammerstone, Marble, Sand, Schist.

Aquila, a young eagle being trained by Musk.

Arolla, a woman who has left Orchid's.

Auk, a housebreaker, a friend of Silk's, devoted to Mint, a large and powerful man with a heavy jaw and prominent ears. Called "Hackum" by Chenille.

Bass, the bully who maintains order at Orchid's.

Bellflower, one of the women at Orchid's. Maytera Betel, once one of the sibyls at the manteion on Sun Street, now deceased.

Bittersweet, a member of Incus's circle of black mechanics.

Blood, a crime lord, the de facto owner of Silk's manteion and Orchid's yellow house. Tall, heavy, balding, and red-faced; about fifty-five.

Chenille, one of the women at Orchid's. She is probably nineteen, is tall and athletic, and has dyed her hair the fiery shade of her name-flower. Called "Jugs" by Auk.

Chervil, a young middle-class woman from Viron, wife of Coypu.

Coypu, a young middle-class man from Viron, husband of Chervil.

Chiquito, a parrot once owned by Mamelta's parents.

Doctor Crane, Blood's private physician, a small, fussy man with an iron-gray beard.

Dreoilin, Iolar's favorite daughter.

Echidna, a major goddess, consort of Pas, mother of the gods, and chief goddess of fertility. Particularly associated with snakes, mice, and other crawling creatures.

Feather, a small boy at Silk's palaestra.

Fulmar, a member of Incus's circle of black mechanics.

Councillor Galago, a member of the Ayuntamiento and its expert on diplomacy and foreign affairs. Gib, the big man who maintains order in the Cock. A friend of Auk's.

Patera Gulo, a young augur.

Corporal Hammerstone, a soldier in Viron's army.

Hare, Musk's assistant.

Hierax, a major god, the god of death and patron of the fourth day of the week. Particularly associated with canon birds, jackals, and (like Tartaros) with black animals of every kind.

Hoppy, a derogatory name for a Guardsman.

Horn, the leader of the older boys at Silk's palaestra.

Hyacinth, a beautiful courtesan- controlled by Blood.

Patera Incus, Remora's prothonotary, a small, sly man with buck teeth. His hobby is black mechanics.

Iolar, a Flier.

Kalan, a thief killed by Auk.

Kit, a small boy who attends Silk's palaestra.

Kypris, a minor goddess, the goddess of love. Particularly associated with rabbits and doves.

Councillor Lemur, the Secretary of the Ayuntamiento and thus the de facto ruler of Viron.

Councillor Loris, a member of the Ayuntamiento, its presiding officer in Lemur's absence.

Mamelta, a sleeper wakened by Mucor and freed by Silk.

Maytera Marble, now a sibyl of Silk's manteion, junior to Rose but senior to Mint; she is over three hundred years old, and nearly worn out.

Marrow, a greengrocer.

Maytera Mint, the junior sibyl at Silk's manteion.

Moipe, a major goddess, the goddess of music, dancing, and art, of the winds and of all light things, patroness of the second day of the week. She is particularly associated with songbirds and butterflies.

Mucor, Blood's adopted daughter; she is about fifteen, capable of asomatous travel, and something akin to a devil.

Musk, Blood's steward and lover.

Nettle, Horn's sweetheart.

Olive, a sleeper.

Colonel Oosik, the commander of the Third Brigade of the Civil Guard of Viron.

Orchid, madame of the yellow house on Lamp Street.

Orpine's mother.

Oreb, Silk's pet night chough, a large black bird with scarlet legs and a crimson beak.

Orpine, Orchid's daughter, stabbed by Chenille.

The Outsider, the minor god who enlightened Silk.

Pas, the father of the gods and ruler of the Whorl, which he built. The god of sun and rain, of mechanisms and much else, pictured with two heads. He is particularly associated with cattle and birds of prey.

Phaea, a major goddess, the goddess of food and healing and patroness of the sixth day of the week. She is particularly associated with swine.

Patera Pike, an augur, Silk's predecessor at the manteion on Sun Street, now deceased.

Poppy, one of the women at Orchid's, small, dark, and pretty.

Councillor Potto, a member of the Ayuntamiento and its expert on law enforcement and espionage, round-faced and deceptively cheerful-looking.

Patera Quetzal, the Prolocutor of Viron and as such the head of the Chapter. Addressed as "Your Cognizance."

Patera Remora, coadjutor to Quetzal. Tall and thin, with a long, sallow face and lank black hair. Addressed as "Your Eminence."

Maytera Rose, the senior sibyl at Silk's manteion, largely a collection of prosthetic parts. Over ninety.

Sargeant Sand, a soldier in the army of Viron.

Private Schist, a soldier in the army of Viron.

Scleroderma, the butcher's wife. She sells meat scraps as food for pets and is sometimes called "the cats' meat woman." Short and very fat.

Scylla, a major goddess, the goddess of lakes and rivers, and the patroness of the first day of the week and of Silk's native city of Viron; particularly associated with horses, camels, and fish; pictured with eight, ten, or twelve arms.

Patera Silk, augur of the old manteion on Sun Street; he is twenty-three, tall and slender, with disorderly yellow hair.

Commissioner Simuliid, a key bureaucrat in the government of Viron, tall and very fat, with a thick black mustache.

Sphigx, a major goddess, the goddess of war and courage, and the patroness of the seventh day of the week; particularly associated with lions and other felines.

Councillor Tarsier, a member of the Ayuntamiento and its expert on architecture and engineering.

Tartaros, a major god, the god of night, crime, and commerce, and the patron of the third day of the week; particularly associated with owls, bats, and moles, and (like Hierax) with black animals of every kind.

Teasel, a girl at Silk's palaestra.

Thelxiepeia, a major goddess, the goddess of magic, mysticism, and poisons, and the patroness of the fifth day of the week; particularly associated with poultry, deer, apes, and monkeys.

Villus, a small boy at Silk's palaestra.

Vulpes, an advocate of Limna.

Silence fell, abrupt as a shouted command, when Patera Silk opened the door of the old, three-sided manse at the slanted intersection where Suri Street met Silver. Horn, the tallest boy in the palaestra, was sitting bolt upright in the least comfortable chair in the musty little sellaria; Silk felt sure he had dropped into it hastily when he heard the rattle of the latch.

The night chough (Silk had stepped inside and shut the door behind him before he remembered that he had named the night chough Oreb) was perched on the high, tapestried back of the stiff "visitor's" chair.

" 'Lo, Silk," Oreb croaked. "Good Silk!"

"And good evening to you. A good evening to you both. Tartaros bless you."

Horn had risen as Silk entered; Silk motioned for him to sit again. "I apologize. I'm terribly sorry, Horn. I truly am. Maytera Rose told me she meant to send you to talk to me this evening, but I forgot all about it. So much has been-O Sphigx! Stabbing Sphigx, have pity on me!"

This last had been in response to sudden, lancing pain in his ankle. As he limped to the room's sole comfortable chair, the one in which he sat to read, it occurred to him that its seat was probably still warm; he considered feeling the cushion to make sure, rejected the idea as embarrassing to Horn, then (propping himself with Blood's lioness-headed walking stick) laid his free hand on the seat anyway out of sheer curiosity. It was.