Bhotta's Tears: Book Two of the Black Bead Chronicles (32 page)

Choosingday:
The day three year old girls must prove their psi abilities.
 

click:
The distance a human man can walk in an hour.
 

Coven:
The First Mother and all her wives.
 

com sphere:
A machine made of bloodstones and crystal brains attached to the inside of a gold sphere that acts as an antenna which, in turn, acts as an extension of an Ear’s psi
abilities.
 

Dragons Spine:
The range of mountains that separate the High Reaches from the northern ice fields.
 

Drover:
A mother learned in the art of riding and managing the herd animals of the dome.
 

Ear:
A psi adept female member of a Pack.
 

East Trail:
Road leading out the East Gate.
 

Eiocha:
The largest moon.
 

Elder:
Tribal member over the age of sixteen.
 

Epona:
The smallest moon.
 

Escarpment:
The southern boundary of tribal lands.
 

fenelk:
A horned and tusked antelope from the southern forests, it is the largest herbivore in the High Reaches. Domesticated and used as beasts of burden by the domes in the caravans to move goods between domes.
 

First Mother:
The penultimate Mother in the Dome hierarchy, responsible for all life in and around the Dome.
 

First Prime:
First Husband of the First Mother and her Coven. Penultimate Father in the Dome hierarchy.
 

foray form:
The detailed topographic map of the area around the dome updated daily by the elders to include current threats used by the foray packs to plan their expeditions.
 

High Mother:
The leader of all the domes in the High Reaches, voted into office by the First Mothers of each dome.
 

Little Father:
The formal title of boys who have not reached their majority.
 

Little Mother:
The formal title of girls who have not reached their majority.
 

Lowlands:
The land below the Escarpment.
 

Lowlander:
Those humans who live in the Lowlands.
 

Maker of the Living Thread:
Master Geneticist.
 

Natalmother:
Mother who is impregnated by the Maker of the Living Thread and who bears the risk of gestating a child to full term.
 

Nestmother:
The Mother in charge of rearing a group of children between the ages of three and seven (if male), and three and eight (if female). After the age of seven boys are traded, and after the age of eight girls join Packs.
 

North Fork Trail:
The northern trail that splits from East Trail to run along the top of the cliffs and skree slopes.
 

omeh:
A plasteel and bloodstone necklace woven whole around the necks of every child not long after their birth which contains twenty three threads containing the record of their genetic patterns. The color of the beads and the arrangement of knots is unique to each dome.
 

Orchard Road:
The north road leading past the orchards into the north paddocks.
 

Orchard Trail:
The road leading out the North Gate.
 

Orson’s Sea:
The southern shallow sea between the continent and the Ten Thousand Islands.
 

Pack Hall:
Residence where the declared Packs reside in communal dorm rooms.
 

Pack:
A group formed by children, it is the requirement of any who want to leave the dome. To Pack is enter into a formal binding contract with a chosen few. Upon reaching majority,
these ties are permanent, the members considered Husbands and Wives.
 

Pantry:
The dome’s communal food storage.
 

Psi:
S
hort for psionic. The genetically bred abilities of dome women to perceive the world using super-psychic means.
 

red tag:
The foray tag for outside travel used to track all outside activities.
 

Son of the Flesh:
Boys born of the dome in which they reside.
 

Son of the Heart:
Boys traded in Trade Fairs as future Husbands to the Mothers of the
recipient domes.
 

South Road:
The road that splits from the North Fork Trail and goes south to run along the southern edges of the bogs.
 

Trade Fair:
The semi-annual events hosted by rotating host domes. The abundance and overstock of goods is traded amongst the domes and the seven year old boys are traded as future husbands to other domes to ensure genetic diversity.
 

Treebear:
A man-tall, clawed marsupial.
 

Truemother:
A term of deep respect and honor given to the Mother whose egg is used to conceive a child. Even after minor genetic manipulation, she is still considered the Truemother.
 

underager:
Children under the age of eight.
 

Waterfall Trail:
The road leading out the South Gate.
 

West Road:
The road leading out the West Gate.
 

White Dragon Peak:
The tallest mountain in the Dragons Spine mountain range due north from Windfall Dome.
 

wrangler:
Father in charge of caring for the animals of the domes.
 

yellow tag:
Apprenticeship tag for those who do long term study outside the dome.
 

Rank & Dome Affiliation

Blackwind Pack

Cheobawn:
B
orn in Windfall Dome, Mora is her truemother, nestmother, and natalmother. A Black Bead in Blackwind Pack, a rankless Omega Ear.
 

Megan:
Born in Windfall Dome. Amabel is her truemother. Rank – alpha Ear of Blackwind Pack.
 

Tam:
B
orn in Waterwall Dome, Alpha male of Blackwind Pack.
 

Alain:
B
orn in Firewalker Dome, Tam’s Second. Beta male of Blackwind Pack.
 

Connor:
Tam’s truebrother. born in Waterwall Dome, Tam’s Third, omega male of Blackwind Pack.
 

House of the First Mother of Windfall Dome

Mora:
First Mother to Windfall Dome, Alpha Ear of the Coven. High Mother to all the High Reach Domes. Truemother of Cheobawn.
 

Hayrald:
First Prime, Mora’s Fist Husband, Husband to the Coven, titular head of the Fathers of Windfall Dome.
 

Amabel:
Mora’s Second Wife. Master Geneticist, Master Maker of the Living Thread, Megan’s truemother.
 

Sybille:
Mora’s Third in command. Brilliant warrior, mathematician, chief liaison with Fathers.
 

Menolly:
High Priestess to Windfall Dome, Mora’s Fourth Wife.
 

Brigit:
Mora’s Fifth wife. A Nursery Mother.
 

Raddoc:
Second Prime, and Hayrald’s Second. Security Chief and Crystalline Mind expert.
 

Wissen:
Hayrald’s Fourth, Husband to the Coven.
 

Phillius:
Hayrald’s Third, Husband to the Coven, Head Pack Liaison.
 

Ramhorn Pack:
Windfall Dome.

Sigrid:
Alpha male in Ramhorn Pack.
 

Erin:
Ramhorn’s Alpha Ear.
 

Soral:
Ramhorn Pack’s Beta Ear.
 

Breyden:
Sigrid’s Second. Ramhorn Pack’s strategical thinker.
 

Meshel:
Sigrid’s Third.
 

Iroc:
Sigrid’s Fourth.
 

Windfall Dome

Zeff:
P
ackless oldpa, he runs the boarhounds, Lady and Prince.
 

Finn:
Master Mechanic and Tinkerer. Brilliant engineer.
 

Gudu:
Finn’s apprentice.
 

Nedella:
Master Chef, Mother in charge of the communal kitchens and food storage.
 

Brindle:
A
n oldpa who occasionally stands light duty at the South Gate into the stables.
 

The Stables

Vinara:
Master drover.
 

Druda:
Vinara’s Alpha wrangler.
 

Spacers

Colonel Bohea:
A
gent of the royal hegemony, titular head of the CPC forces arrayed around Cheobawn’s planet, Tearmann.
 

CPC:
Central Planets Consortium, the political body that oversees the governance of all
human space and collects the taxes and conscripts the men to wage war against the Spiders. Headed by a Prince of the royal family, appointed by the CPC.
 

Scerrons: A
species of psi adepts used by the humans as pilots to drag their ships through pan-dimensional hyperspace.
 

Samwell Wheelwright:
Lowlander, born of a wealthy merchant family, college dropout, former CPC conscript, survivor of the Spider Wars.
 

Sargent Garro:
Spider Wars veteran, mercenary, agent of the star fleet commanded by Bohea.
 

Cheobawn’s Adventure Continues in the Black Bead Chronicles:

Black Bead: Book One

Bhotta’s Tears: Book Two

Spider Wars: Book Three

Trade Fair: Book Four

Dunauken: Book Five

Available for Pre-Order on Kindle

Spider Wars:

Book Three of the Black Bead Chronicles

Winter is a time of quiet industry under the domes — at least it
should
be. Calamity is stalking the tribes of the high forests. The storms have killed too many of them, man and animal alike, and now the bennelk warn of a new threat coming at them from out of the Wastes.
 

The epic adventure that began with
Black Bead
and
Bhotta’s Tears
continues in
Spider Wars
.  Journey along with Cheobawn, Megan, Tam, Connor, and Alain as they use their wits and their Luck to explore the wild world in which they live.
 

Click here to find out more about
Spider Wars
 

About the Author

J.D. Lakey was born and raised on the high plains of Montana under an endless sky and as far from civilization as anyone in the twentieth century could get. There she explored the finer nuances of silence and the endless possibilities of the imagination. The stories were always there. The shifting of fortunes finally granted her the time to gather all the stories and give them flesh. An avid reader of science fiction and comics, she currently lives in San Diego, California where she divides her time between her writing, commuting on the I-5, and spending time with her delightful grandchildren.

 
Read more short stories at
JDLakey.com
 

As a writer there is nothing that gives me more pleasure than to have my books read and to enjoyed by you - the reader! I’d love to hear from you, wether it’s just to say hello, to answer a question, or to give some feedback. So I invite you to visit me online at JDLakey.com where I post updates

You can also email me directly at:
[email protected]