Kushiel's Justice - Jacqueline Carey [1]
Leodan mab Nonna—lord of Briclaedh
Nehailah Ansout—priestess of Elua
Milcis—beekeeper
Girard—D'Angeline chirurgeon
Corcan—captain of the Cruarch's flagship
Skaldia
Adelmar of the Frisii—ruler of Maarten's Crossing
Yoel—Yeshuite pilgrim
Halla—innkeeper
Ernst—wool-merchant
Ortwin—harbor-master of Norstock
Ditmarus and Ermegart—members of the Unseen Guild
Vralia
Iosef—trade-ship's captain
Ravi, Yuri, Ruslan—sailors
Micah ben Ximon—commander of Vralian army
Tadeuz Vral—Grand Prince of Vralia
Fedor Vral—Tadeuz' brother; rebel
Jergens—fur-trader
Ethan and Galia of Ommsmeer, son Adam—Yeshuite pilgrims
Kebek—Tatar horse-thief
Avraham ben David—Rebbe of Miroslas
Skovik—seal-hunting boat's captain
Others
Lelahiah Valais—Queen Ysandre's chirurgeon
Emile—proprietor of the Cockerel
Quintilius Rousse—Royal Admiral, father of Eamonn
Favrielle nó Eglantine—couturiere
Bérèngere of Namarre—head of Naamah's Order
Amarante of Namarre—daughter of Bérèngere
Morit—woman of Saba, astronomer
Eleazar ben Enokh—Yeshuite mystic
Raphael Murain—priest of Naamah
Diokles Agallon—Ephesian ambassador; member of the Unseen Guild
Tibault de Toluard—Marquis de Toluard (Siovale)
Isembart—steward of the Shahrizai hunting manor
Lucius Tadius da Lucca—friend of Imriel's
Claudia Fulvia—Lucius' sister; member of the Unseen Guild
Domenico Martelli (deceased)—Duke of Valpetra
Canis (deceased)—member of the Unseen Guild; emissary of Melisande
Historical Figures
Benedicte de la Courcel (deceased)—great-uncle of Ysandre; Imriel's father
Baudoin de Trevalion (deceased)—cousin of Ysandre; executed for treason
Isidore d'Aiglemort (deceased)—noble; traitor turned hero (Camlach)
Waldemar Selig (deceased)—Skaldic warlord; invaded Terre d'Ange
Necthana (deceased)—mother of Drustan
The Mahrkagir (deceased)—mad ruler of Drujan; lord of Daršanga
Jagun (deceased)—chief of the Kereyit Tatars
Gallus Tadius (deceased)—great-grandfather of Lucius
Cinhil Ru (deceased)—legendary leader of the Cruithne
Donnchadh (deceased)—legendary magician of the Maghuin Dhonn
Chapter One
By the time I was eighteen years of age—almost nineteen— I'd been many things. I'd been an orphan, a goatherd, and a slave. I'd been a missing prince, lost and found. I'd been a traitor's son and a heroine's. I'd been a scholar, a lover, and a soldier.
All of these were true, more or less.
Betimes it seemed impossible that one person's mere flesh could contain so many selves. Mine did, though. I was Prince Imriel de la Courcel, third in line for the throne of Terre d'Ange, betrothed to wed a princess of Alba and beget heirs to that kingdom with her. And, too, I was Imriel nó Montrève, adopted son of Comtesse Phèdre nó Delaunay de Montrève and her consort, Joscelin Verreuil.
Imriel. Imri, to a few.
When I gained my age of majority, eighteen, I tried to flee myself. My selves. I went to the University of Tiberium in Caerdicca Unitas, where no one knew me, and played at being a scholar. There I found friendship, passion, and intrigue. I found myself targeted by an enemy not of my making, and I dealt with it on my own terms. I found myself caught on the wrong side of a siege, and learned of grief, courage, and loyalty. I discovered that few people are wholly good or bad, and all is not always as it seems, including the very ground beneath our feet.
And somewhere along the way, I found a little bit of healing. It wasn't enough to undo all of the damage done to me when I was a child; that, I think, cuts too deep. But enough. Enough to lend me a little bit of wisdom and compassion. Enough to face the responsibilities of my birthright like a man. Enough to let me come home, even if it was only for a while.
Enough to face one last self.
My mother's son.
My cousin Mavros claims we must all face two mirrors, the bright and the dark. Perhaps it is true. I never thought I would confront the mirror of my mother's legacy. When I was fourteen years of age, she vanished from the temple in La Serenissima where she had claimed sanctuary for long