Kushiel's Mercy - Jacqueline Carey [1]
ARAGONIA
Roderico de Aragon—King of Aragonia
Justina—member of the Unseen Guild
Esme—bath-house attendant
Nicola L’Envers y Aragon—noble; kin to Queen Ysandre
Ramiro Zornín y Aragon—noble; kin to King Roderico
Serafin L’Envers y Aragon—son of Nicola and Ramiro
Rachel—D’Angeline chirurgeon
Liberio—army general
Aureliano—army captain
Marmion Shahrizai—D’Angeline exile
Paskal—guide
Leopoldo—Duke of Tibado
EUSKERRIA
Janpier Iturralde—ambassador
Bixenta—keeper of the guesthouse
Nuno Agirre—messenger
Gaskon, Miquel—soldiers
OTHERS
Brother Thomas Jubert—Priest of Elua
Claude de Monluc—Captain of the Dauphine’s Guard
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
Diokles Agallon—Ephesian ambassador; member of the Unseen Guild
Jean Le Blanc—noble
Tibault de Toluard—Marquis of Toluard (Siovale)
Roxanne de Mereliot—Lady of Marsilikos
Jeanne de Mereliot—daughter of Roxanne; chirurgeon
Oppius da Lippi—captain of the Aeolia
Lucius Tadius da Lucca—friend of Imriel’s
Claudia Fulvia—Lucius’ sister; member of the Unseen Guild
Maslin de Lombelon—former lieutenant in the Dauphine’s Guard
Henri Voisin—captain in the D’Angeline Navy
Marc Faucon—lieutenant in the D’Angeline Navy
Gilbert Dumel—D’Angeline barge captain
Antonio Peruggi—Caerdicci trader
Isabel de Bretel—Baronesse of Bretel
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)—Skaldi warlord; invaded Terre d’Ange
Necthana (deceased)—mother of Drustan
The Mahrkagir (deceased)—mad ruler of Drujan; lord of Darˆsanga
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
One
There are people in my country who have never travelled beyond the boundaries of Terre d’Ange. Indeed, there are many who have never left the province in which they were born; contented crofters tilling the land, tending orchards, or raising sheep, never venturing farther than the nearest market.
Betimes, I envy them.
Already, as a young man, I have gone farther than I could have imagined as a boy daydreaming in the Sanctuary of Elua where I was raised. It did not begin by choice—as all the world knows, I was abducted by Carthaginian slave-traders, sold into slavery in Menekhet, and from thence taken to the land of Drujan, ruled by a madman who consorted with a dark and ancient god.
It was a short time ago as historians reckon such things, but a long time ago in my life. I will never bear those memories lightly, but I have learned to bear them. Since that time, since I was rescued and restored, I have ventured as far south as Jebe-Barkal and lost Saba; and as far north as Vralia, an unlikely kingdom arising in the harsh glory of the cold north.
I have been wed and widowed.
I have become a father, almost.
And I have fallen in love, which is somewhat altogether different. It was not with my wife, Dorelei, although she was worthy of such devotion and in the end I did come to love her. Love of my wife is what drove me to Vralia, seeking justice on her behalf. I found it, too, although it was not entirely what I expected. Still, the man who killed her is dead, and his skull lies buried beneath her feet in Alba.
But there is a difference between loving and being in love—that maddening passion that expands the heart and exalts the soul, that shakes the heavens and roils the depths of hell. That, I have known but once. Betimes I wish it was with Dorelei and her thoughtful, gentle ways. Betimes I wish it was with anyone, anyone else. A crofter’s daughter, a merchant’s son. Anyone whose station in