Zachary Jernigan - No Return

The Steps of Stol—An earthwork monument created by high elder magic. It begins in the fertile southern plains of Stol, extending some eighty miles to the coast and more than four hundred along it. Ascending to a height of twelve thousand feet in seventeen evenly spaced, gently sloping rises, the Steps stop abruptly at the ocean. Most of Stol’s elder corpse reserves are buried within it.

Stol—One of Knoori’s nations, a kingdom having Adrashism as its official state religion. The capitol of Tansot, located on the eastern shore of Lake Ten, is its largest city. Moderate Adrashism is the general rule and all Anadrashi sects are allowed to live peaceably within the kingdom’s borders, though they suffer persecution in the central valleys. After Knos Min, Stol is the most magically advanced nation of Knoori, possessing roughly forty percent of the continent’s elder corpse reserves. The only state with a known outbound mage program, the strength of the military relies much upon magical developments from the Academy of Applied Magics. Stoli people vary widely in appearance, but are generally light skinned. Geographically, Stol is generally hilly in the north, descending into fertile valleys in the central region, and rising to great heights on the Steps of Stol in the south.

Tamer—A mage who specializes in taming and controlling large, exotic, and hybrid animals. Their lore is far more esoteric and difficult to master than the many readily available spells used to help control draft animals, entertainment animals, and pets. In rare cases, the tamer achieves a type of telepathic bond with his or her animal. In Casta and Stol, the most daring and specialized type of tamer exists: the hybrid wyrm tamer.

Tan-Ten—The island at the center of Lake Ten. Oasena is its only city. The people of Tan-Ten have never shown interest in power or political maneuvering, but have on many occasions successfully defended their island from invaders.

Thaumaturgical Engine—A construct used to create kinetic force. Unlike constructs that mimic biological creatures, an engine is rarely imbued with more than the most basic intelligence needed to follow simple directions. Due to the expense of creating and maintaining engines, those produced are most often used in barges or other large transport vehicles.

Toma—One of Knoori’s nations, a kingdom having Anadrashism as its official state religion. The capitol of Demn, located on the southern coast, is its largest city. Possibly the most religiously militant of all the people of Knoori, Tomen nonetheless value the personal, non-dogmatic expression of Anadrashism more than any other. The people vary considerably in build, but are generally dusky skinned and rust-haired. Toma is the most arid nation of Knoori and, but for the Wie Desert in the southwest, the hilliest.

The Tournament of Danoor—The decennial tournament between Knoori’s White Suit and Black Suit orders, which occurs on the last day of every decade. A fighter is chosen from every town numbering more than 2000 souls. He or she then travels to Danoor and is allowed to fight in the tournament. In the end, one Black and one White remain. Accordingly, along the way fighters will inevitably have to fight brothers and sisters of their own faith. The New Year celebration starts after the tournament champion’s speech, wherein he or she typically extols listeners to convert to the winning faith. Usually, secular fighting tournaments begin the next day.

Ustert—A goddess whose worshippers form a relatively large minority in Casta and Knos Min. A loosely organized sororal community of mages and apothecaries (often referred to as witches, though this term is widely used even in Adrashi and Anadrashi contexts), Usterti profess a variety of beliefs, bound only by the understanding that the goddess governs all existence. Due to this ambiguity, a great deal of mystery surrounds the community.

The Void—Near-Jeroun orbit and outer space.

White Suits—A martial order of Adrashi prevalent in all nations of Knoori except Toma. Marked by their white elder-cloth suits, their primary goal as an institution is to fight Black Suits and win converts to the Adrashi faith. By doing so, White Suits believe they encourage Adrash to redeem Jeroun sooner. Orders are relatively uncommon and secretive outside southern Nos Ulom, Dareth Hlum, and Knos Min.

Wyrm—A dragon of immense size. Highly intelligent and extremely temperamental, they do not come into contact with men often. This is due mostly to the fact that most food is taken from the open ocean. Only a small minority of dragons hunt large prey on the continent. Hybrid wyrms are not common, but do exist in Stol and Casta.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This list used to be much longer, but I realized at three pages that including everyone I feel grateful for just isn’t practical, especially since I’ve forgotten some of their names. So, if you’re not specifically listed but you did indeed talk with me about my writing—on the internet, during a van ride from Sedona to Phoenix, at a convention, etc.—please know that I appreciate your interest and advice.

As to the people I can’t possibly not name...

Thank you, Amy Martin. I wouldn’t have completed this book without your support. I know that sounds trite, but it’s true and it’s important you know how much it means to me. Because of you, I’ve achieved a dream that for years I was scared of even admitting.

Thank you, Winter Martin, for being the muse for the little ghost I never intended to write.

Thank you, Mom. I love you—more. I hope you realize that any courage I’ve displayed in life (and this includes writing a book, I think) is due to your example.

Thank you, Dad. I’m more like you every year, but still not enough.

Thank you, Josh Jernigan, Amy Jernigan, and—of course—Benjamin Calvin Jernigan. If everyone proves a quarter as enthusiastic about my book as you guys are, I’ll sell a billion copies.

Thank you, Ashly Jernigan, for taking chances. You may not know this, but when you moved to New York by yourself it inspired me to start taking some of my own chances.

Thank you, Brennan Jernigan. No Return is, at least in part, a story about a man learning to do the right thing. You, more than anyone else, are responsible for this emphasis on morality.

Thank you, Elizabeth Hand. I wish you could be my first reader every time.

Thank you, David Anthony Durham. I appreciate your advice, your advocacy, and especially your friendship. There are scenes in this book I didn’t want to write, but I wrote them because you put the worm of doubt in my mind. The work is better for it, I think.

Thank you, James Patrick Kelly, for pushing me when I needed some pushing. I revise things now, which should make you happy.

Thank you, J. M. McDermott. Not only did you recommend this novel to Night Shade, you’ve continued to be one of my most vocal advocates.

Thank you, Benjamin Turner, Keith Potempa, Allister Timms, Adam Mills, and Scott Wolven. I’m indebted to you all for reading large portions of No Return and offering comments.

Thank you, Whiskey Swim Club: Paul Kirsch, C. Liddle (Caspian Gray), Asher Ellis, and Ben Burgis. I don’t really like any of you under normal circumstances—and I certainly don’t respect you—but there’s nobody in the world I like being drunk in a pool with more.

Thank you, Justin Tribble, Brett Wilson, Angela Still, Will Ludwigsen, Tarver Nova, Catherynne Valente, Ian Withrow, Michael Kimball, Jenn Brissett, Taylor Preston, Nancy Holder, Robert Stutts, Evan Dicken, Dina Milum, Ashley Bernard, Marty Halpern, Richard Cambridge, Desiree Ducharme, Angi Zollinger Christiansen, assorted cousins and aunts and uncles, and the cast and crew of the Stonecoast MFA program. Your counsel and encouragement have been invaluable.