Dave Smeds: The Schemes of Dragons

Lerina

Mother of Alemar and Elenya.

Miranda

Sister of Alemar Dragonslayer; inventor of the airmaker; co-founder of Elandris.

modhiv

The warrior caste within the southern and central Vanihr tribes of the Wood. Plural: modhiv.

mong

A huge, man-eating fish indigenous to the River Sha.

Motherworld

The gas giant planet around which Tanagaran revolves.

New Kingdoms

The countries which were part of the Calinin frontier at the time of its greatest expansion, including Irigion, Numaron, Rhada, Rhida, and Moin.

oeikani (wah-kah-nee)

A large, herbivorous mammal found throughout Tanagaran, used as a saddle and pack beast, and occasionally as a source of food. Plural: oeikani.

Ogshiel

A Vanihr tribe of the northern Wood, bordering the River Sha. Legendary enemies of the Shagas.

Old Kingdoms

The northern continent monarchies conquered early by the Calinin, consisting of Riannehn, Neith, Sirithrea, Tiandria, and Serthe.

opsha

The military leader of the Zyraii nation. Until Lonal's ascendancy, it was considered a mythical title, because of internecine rivalry among the various tribes.

Po-no-pha (Po-no-fa)

The warrior class among the Zyraii, distinguished by their white clothing.

Retreat

A ritual hermitage observed by Hab-no-ken in order to recuperate from overuse of their powers.

the Ril

Gloroc's elite cadre of sorcerers.

Serpent Moon

A moon of Motherworld, original home of dragons and shagas.

Shaga

A race of lesser dragons, roughly man-size, that came from the Serpent Moon. They built a great civilization along the River Sha, which thrived until overrun by Ijitians from the north and Vanihr from the south. The refugees relocated in the Valley of Serpents.

Shahera

A prophet who lived at the height of the Calinin Empire, a century before the founding of Elandris. Considered the greatest master of the Sight ever to have lived, her auguries often dealt with the fate of nations and entire peoples. Her declaration that the Calinin Empire had already reached its maximum extent earned her the wrath of the emperor, who had her executed.

the Sister

Achird's orange companion star, visible from Tanagaran even in daylight.

Tanagaran

The world. Fifth moon of Motherworld.

thrijish

A type of coral whose proximity negates a dragon's ability to absorb sorcerous power from water.

T'lil

The second largest tribe of modern Zyraii, descended from Cadra's seventh son, Lil. Lonal's tribe.

Triss

Female of the pair of dragons that once ruled the Dragon Sea.

Urthey

Smallest major moon of Motherworld.

Vanihr

A golden-skinned, blond-haired race inhabiting the Wood, the archipelagoes, and much of the Far Western Lands. Disdaining large-scale agriculture and deeply devoted to traditional ways of life, the Vanihr have remained a Stone Age culture, separated into many small tribes. Plural: Vanihr.

vartham

A transparent, incredibly strong substance created by Miranda and Alemar the Great, used to form the domes that enclose the underwater cities. Like the airmakers, the secret of its creation was lost with the two great sorcerers.

Xais

1. Capital of the Calinin Empire. 2. Ancient capital of Aleoth. 3. Former northern capital of the Ijitian Empire; its conquest by the Calinin drastically altered the balance of power in the regions surrounding the inner sea.

Yent

A province in central Cilendrodel.

Yetem

A false name used by Elenya during her years in the Eastern Deserts.

Zee-no-ken

Monastic sect of the Zyraii priesthood, uninvolved in political and social life, often hermits. Many are skilled sorcerers.

Zyraii

1. A nomad nation of the Eastern Deserts. 2. The people or language of the Zyraii nation.

This book would not have been the same without the contributions of the following people.

For material and financial support: Connie Willeford Smeds; Bob Fleming amp; Cherie Kushner; Alfred, Josephine, Fred, and Paula Smeds.

For commentary on the manuscript: First of all, to the Spellbinders, Inc.: Deborah L. Sweitzer, Shirley Johnston, Brian Crist, Bob Fleming, Marian Gibbons, Pras Stillman, Cherie Kushner, P.M.S. Faught, Jonathan Sachs, Walter Sauers, Lucy Buss, Dinaan McClure, Ken Macklin, Steve Swenston, Marge Windus, Jon James, Hank Roberts, James D. Hudnall, James Ellison. And to the others: Connie Willeford Smeds, Rebecca Priest, Paul Avellar, Jim Musto, Sheri Cohen, Robbyn Fenster, Kathy Payne, Sasha Miller, Joel Fruchtman, Obert Sonsten, Jamie Willeford.

For the cartography, astronomy, and some of the place names: John Gast.

About the Author

Dave Smeds is a Nebula Award finalist, and author of books such as Piper In The Night, X-Men: Law Of The Jungle, Martial Arts Masters: Chuck Norris, as well as The War of the Dragons trilogy. His short fiction has appeared in magazines, including Asimov's Science Fiction, Realms of Fantasy, and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and anthologies, including In the Field of Fire, Full Spectrum IV, Peter S. Beagle's Immortal Unicorn, and the erotic fantasy anthology Sirens and Other Demon Lovers. His writing has been translated into more that a dozen languages. Dave holds a black belt in goju-ryu Karate, and when he's not writing he can often be found teaching martial arts. The Sorcery Within, Book One of The War of the Dragons, is also published by Scorpius.

Photo by Shel Waggener

An Excerpt from The Sorcery Within

Book One of The War of the Dragons

under the sword lifted high

There is hell making you tremble;

But go ahead

And you have the land of bliss.

Musashi Miyamoto (1582-1645)

THE WATER HOLE WAS A TINY POOL virtually hidden in the rocks, an unexpected blessing in the middle of tracts of scoured hardpan and powder-dry arroyos. The lichen growing on the stone at the water's edge was the only green growth they had seen for two days. In the far west, barely visible as early morning sun illuminated their slopes, the Ahrahikte Mountains lay across their rearward trail.

Alemar dipped his fingers into the water and brushed them tentatively against his lips. The feel of liquid was almost alien, a cool, soft sensation that vanished almost immediately, absorbed into the cracks and dust on his skin. He took a small sip. It was gone within moments, without ever reaching his throat.

"It's good," he said hoarsely.

Elenya stooped beside her brother, away from her sentry position. Leaning to the water's surface, she relieved her swollen lips. Alemar sprinkled drops on his face and stayed back, as there was no room for two. Anywhere else, the water would have been brackish and unworthy of consuming. He didn't complain. Elenya filled her mouth, held it, and sat back. She pulled the cowl and veil around her face again, blocking out the glare.

They drank by turns, relearning how to swallow. After a small amount, Alemar felt dizzy, and lay back against the rock that shadowed the pool. As his head settled onto the rough surface, he felt vibrations.

Hoofbeats.

He rolled to the side. Two daggers landed heavily on the spot he had just vacated. Elenya flipped over the water hole, already reaching for her rapier. Another knife narrowly missed her.

The attackers were three desert riders, clad in loose white robes and veils much the same as the twins' own, mounted on oeikani. They bore down at a gallop, drawing long, slightly curved blades.

Alemar flung himself flat. A blade snipped a seam in his cowl, just touching his hair. A second rider was on him before he could draw a weapon. He sprang to the balls of his feet, and as the scimitar came down, he sidestepped it, grabbed the man's wrist, and pulled down. The oeikani galloped past, while its surprised rider plunged headlong into the rock, uttering a sharp expletive in an unfamiliar tongue. Alemar kept his grip on the arm through the tumble, hearing and feeling it snap. He took the weapon.