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“A bezoar,” she said for my benefit. “The mark of every daeva. This creature is called an akvan, and its bezoar can sense all known magic. But it does not explain you here in my domain.”
I was born in Knightscross, one of the smallest villages that dotted the kingdom of Odalia, surrounded by a lovely forest on three sides and rolling plains on the other.
Lilac was a Water witch; she was tall and stagnant, like a deep pool. She was fond of donning veils, telling merry fortunes, and occasionally finding lost trinkets, often by accident.
daeva—strange and terrible monsters, maimed creatures assembled from scale-slicked bodies and yellowed fangs and spined limbs and horns.
the daeva are the False Prince’s final curse on the world, and the Faceless are said to command them.
you cannot bind dead folk without their consent, and you cannot make them stay. That is the first rule of the Dark.
There are only two types of people you cannot raise from the dead: those with silver heartsglass like ours and those who are not willing. And your brother is very willing.”
It is the law: if you do not serve the kingdoms, then the Faceless shall seek you out.
gold spun into intricate leaves winding through the glass on all sides. Small stones of ruby and beryl balanced out its paleness.
Tea's Heartglass from Mykaela
Murkwick’s runeberries sprouted overnight from tiny budding shoots to slender stalks of unopened blossoms heavy with potential.
pattern: the sickly were green hued, family members’ blue with worry. There was orange for disinterest, yellow for fear, and red if their owners were healthy and happy.
Heartsglasses
The first are performing asha, known for their dancing and their singing, though their magic may be weaker than others. The second are fighting asha, known for their magic and their prowess, though they may not be the most gracious of hosts. The third are Dark asha like us, the strongest of them all.”
Asha means two things in old Runic. The first is ‘truth’; the second, ‘spellbinder.’
Usij leads the southern faction—he makes a fortress out of the mountains in Daanoris and calls himself king, but he is all bark and bluster. Druj is wilier—he sows his discord in the west, and all city-states in Yadosha would pay a dear amount of money for his head. And as for Aenah, the last leader…” She pauses. A curious, bitter smile is on her lips. “Not much is known about her save that she originally hailed from Tresea.”
Faceless leaders
Lady Mykaela was telling me the reason bone witches were feared: not because we could control daeva but because daeva were not the only ones we could choose to compel.
The city rich are not like bees in a hive that work together to share honey for all. The city rich are like the jungle apes; they show off their red bottoms and beat their chests because they fear to be culled from the herd if they show weakness.
royal family crest along its edges: a lion’s silhouette emblazoned against the sun.
“The average asha makes only two visits to the temple during her time as an apprentice,” she said, sensing my next question. “The first to present herself when she comes to take up residence at the Willows, and the second when she is about to debut as a full-fledged asha.
The houses here were not as small and as square as most of the city but longer and more rectangular in form, the size of two or three average Ankyon houses. The walls facing the street were made of thick adobe and white brick, plain and devoid of any other design. “We call this the Willows,” Lady Mykaela said, “home to the greatest asha in all the kingdoms.”
When people cut us, we are expected to do only two things: smile and bleed.”
Valerian, means ‘of an accommodating nature.’
Hawkweed is for quick sightedness.
Calla means ‘magnificen...
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Lilac means ‘the first stirrings of love’—and
Marigold was a happy, bouncy girl, though her name meant ‘despair.’
Rose meant ‘beauty,’ but she was the homelies...
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“There are many different kinds of daisies. A garden daisy means ‘I share in your sentiment.’ A wild daisy means ‘I make no promises.’ A Michaelmas daisy is to be an afterthought. And the common daisy means innocence.
The first asha-ka to come into existence was the House Imperial. It was founded by the legendary asha Vernasha of the Roses, also known as one of the Five Great Heroes, who made her home in Ankyo, in the then-newly-established kingdom of Kion. She was a noblewoman of the Tresean court and taught her novices the arts of dancing, singing, and etiquette. The most skilled of these she sent to work as entertainers at royal assemblies and by keeping an ear out for court intrigues was able to extend her influence into the other kingdoms.
the cha-khana, the “tea places,” small teahouses where asha entertained their patrons.
The more daeva she summons, the faster she’ll die.
There is no greater strength than the ability to understand and accept your own flaws.”
People will never be what you make of them, but at least your own heart stays yours and true.”
Choosing which spells to wear is like playing a game, except you are forced to decide your moves without knowing what your opponent might bring to the fight.”
the Deathseekers’ main headquarters, and most served the Kion empress.
darashi oyun, the most popular dance in Ankyo, performed during the spring equinox, which is around the same time most kingdoms conduct their heartsglass ceremonies.
“Then perhaps we should carve a world one day where the strength lies in who you are rather than in what they expect you to be.”
Cha-khanas’ most distinguishing feature are their gardens, and the Dawnbreak’s most arresting character was its miniature, interconnected waterfalls that flowed down into the center of the enclosure.
short tunic and very thin pants my instructor called a sirwal,
Some runes do more damage but take longer to create.
Breeding isn’t what you were born as; breeding is what you grow to be.
“Everyone is believed to have two faces—one they show to the public and one they wear in private. The first face is their shaxsiat, or their honor. The second face is their ehteram, their dignity.
Yadoshans sulk and get bored easily when you do not share in their revelry.
Treseans are superstitious and like to get straight to the point in discussions but drink even harder than the Yadoshans.
“Everyone is a puzzle, Tea, made of interlocking tiles you must piece together to form a picture of their souls.
The Gorvekai were an unsmiling tribe whose men and women shaved their heads and wore fur that draped loosely about their persons, yet also muffled the contours of their bodies at the same time.
“Colder, without feeling; grayer, without seeing. Alive but without aim. Hunger without flavor.”
Lady Shadi wore an eye mask of unparalleled beauty, with tiny diamonds that encircled her eyes and golden agates that rounded out the corners of the cloth, set in stone along a profusion of sapphires and rubies. But the greatest of her treasures was a brilliant diamond around her neck, set inside a heartsglass case.
