The Winds of Khalakovo - Bradley P. Beaulieu [0]
Night Shade Books
San Francisco
The Winds of Khalakovo © 2011 by Bradley P. Beaulieu
This edition of The Winds of Khalakovo
© 2011 by Night Shade Books
Cover art by Adam Paquette
Cover design by Rebecca Silvers
Maps by William McAusland
Author photo by Joanne M. Beaulieu
Edited by Ross E. Lockhart
All rights reserved
First Edition
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-59780-218-5
E-ISBN: 978-1-59780-306-9
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For Joanne, who was with me every step of the way.
Thank you, dear friend, my lovely wife. I couldn’t have done it without you.
Dramatis Personæ
Prince Nikandr Iaroslov Khalakovo
- youngest son of the Duke and Duchess of Khalakovo.
Princess Atiana Radieva Vostroma
- daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Vostroma.
Nikandr’s betrothed. Rehada Ulan al Shineshka
- an Aramahn woman. Nikandr’s lover in Volgorod.
The Duchy of Khalakovo
The Duke and Duchess
Duke Iaros Aleksov Khalakovo
Duchess Saphia Mishkeva Khalakovo
Their children
Prince Ranos Iaroslov Khalakovo — eldest son.
Princess Victania Saphieva Khalakovo — only daughter, middle child.
Others
Yvanna Antoneva Khalakovo — Ranos’s wife.
Gravlos Antinov — a shipwright. Oversaw the design and construction of the Gorovna.
Isaak Ylafslov — the seneschal of Palotza Radiskoye.
The Duchy of Vostroma
The Duke and Duchess
Duke Zhabyn Olegov Vostroma
Duchess Radia Anastasiyeva Vostroma
Their children
Prince Borund Zhabynov Vostroma — eldest child and only son.
Princess Mileva Radieva Vostroma — daughter, sister to Atiana.
Princess Ishkyna Radieva Vostroma — daughter, sister to Atiana.
Others
Katerina Vostroma — a Matra of Vostroma — Zhabyn’s sister.
Nataliya Iyaneva Bolgravya — wife of Borund.
The Duchy of Bolgravya
The Grand Duke and Duchess of Anuskaya
Grand Duke Stasa Olegov Bolgravya
Grand Duchess Alesya Zaveta Bolgravya
Their children
Konstantin Stasayev Bolgravya — the first son.
Grigory Stasayev Bolgravya — the fourth son.
The Royalty of the Other Duchies
Duke Leonid Roaldov Dhalingrad
Duchess Iyana Klarieva Dhalingrad
Duke Yegor Nikolov Nodhvyansk
Duchess Kseniya Zoyeva Nodhvyansk
Duke Yevgeny Krazhnegov Mirkotsk
Duchess Polina Anayev Mirkotsk
Duke Andreyo Sergeyov Rhavanki
Duchess Ekaterina Margeva Rhavanki
Duke Heodor Yaroslov Lhudansk
Duchess Rosa Oriseva Lhudansk
Duke Aleg Ganevov Khazabyirsk
Duchess Zanaida Lariseva Khazabyirsk
The Aramahn and the Maharraht
Ashan Kida al Ahrumea — one of the arqesh (master of all disciplines) among the Aramahn.
Nasim an Ashan — an orphan boy with strange powers.
Jahalan Atman al Mitra — Nikandr’s havaqiram (wind master).
Udra Amir al Rasa — Nikandr’s dhosaqiram (master of the stuff of life).
Fahroz Bashar al Lilliah — a mahtar in the village of Iramanshah.
Soroush Wahad al Gatha — leader of the northern sect of the Maharraht.
Ahya Soroush al Rehada — deceased daughter of Rehada and Soroush. Died on the shores of Bolgravya.
Bersuq Wahad al Gatha — Soroush’s brother and second in command.
Muwas Umar al Mariyah — a gifted jalaqiram.
PART I
CHAPTER 1
In a modest home in the center of Volgorod, Nikandr Iaroslov Khalakovo sat in a simple wooden chair, considering the woman sleeping on the bed nearby. Dawn was breaking, ivory light filtering in through the small round window fixed high into the opposite wall. His woolen cherkesska lay across his lap, ready for him to slip into. His boots were already on.
The rumpled bedcovers left half of Rehada’s form uncovered. His eyes traced the curve of her shoulders, the soft valley of her spine, the arch at the small of her back. Her dark skin blended with the blanket and sheets—cocoa against crimson and cream. The air inside the room was chill, but Rehada would be warm, and he wanted nothing more than to slip beneath the covers, to return to her arms, however foolish it might be considering the family that had landed on the island the night before and the events of the coming