Half Discovered Wings (61 page)

PIRENE:
(pi-
ren
)
noun
, A small town to the mid-east
of South America. Adherents of modern history have noted
similarities with the city of
Shianti
, most significantly how the
cultures of each settlement centre on their respective craters from
the years of the
Conflict
.

PLAINS, THE:
(pleyns)
noun
, A vast tract of
desert wilderness between the cities of
Iilyani
and
Ponta Pora
and the jungle on
northern edge of the South American continent.

PLASTIPLEX:
(
plast
-ee plecks)
noun,
Originally a trade name for a
particularly strong form of plastic compound made prior to
the
Conflict
:
highly durable, but prone to scratching. The phrase fell into
common usage at the start of the 21
^st
Century.

PONTA PORA:
(
pon
-tah
powr
-ah)
noun
, A large city north-east of
the
Lual
, viewed
by many as a counterpart of
Goya
. The city is best known for its
vibrancy and acceptance of other cultures, faiths, sexualities and
other personal choices. It openly accepts
errants
and, conversely, is also
said to provide sanctuary for outcast
Caballeros
.

RESTING PLACE, THE:
(
res
-ting
pleys)
noun
, A
large area of baked earth between
Iilyani
and
the Plains
. Beneath the solid
topsoil is softer earth, which is why the area is used as a burial
ground for resident settlements. It is often choked with suspended
sand, or mist caused by evaporated moisture from the border of the
neighbouring semi-tropical woodland.

RUSALKI:
(ruhs-
al
-kee)
noun, plural,
Errant
humans reportedly dwelling at the centre of the
Great Lake
Lual
.
Several versions of urban legends originating from the borders of
the lake pertain to deformed women who may sometimes appear in
spirit form to drown townspeople. There are probable connections
with the
rusalka
of Slavic mythology.

SANGUILAC:
(
sang
-gwi-lak)
noun, singular; plural
SANGUISUGA
(Sang-gwi-
soo
-g
ah
)
Believed to be an errant breed of
human or animal, corrupted by the methods of destruction used in
the
Conflict
.
Several faiths teach that the sanguisuga are demonic spirits in
possession of deceased flesh. Sanguisuga must feed regularly on
animal or human plasma to counter organic degeneration, and are
reputed to be photosensitive. All breeds are nocturnal, and said to
draw heat from the reflected light emanating from the moon, and
therefore stronger during the fuller phases of the lunar
cycle.

SÃO JANTUO:
(sou
han-
too
-oh)
noun
,
A city, known for its large size and population and its use of
archaic methods of transport, judiciary system and faux monarchy.
It is built amidst the ruins of large pre-
Conflict
dwellings.

SCATHAC:
(
skath
-ak)
noun,
A man or woman with mystic
or
Errant
-based
skills relating specifically to the arts of battle and
assassination. The name is thought to be derived from
Scáthach of Lethra
, a
Celtic warrior and teacher of pre-
Conflict
legend.

SCY-STAFF:
(
sahy
-staf)
noun,
A weapon with a curved
scythe-blade at one end of a long wooden or metal staff. The other
end may have a similar curved blade, or a sharp metal
point.

“
SEA MONKEY
”: (
see
muhng
-
kee)
noun
,
Goyan term for a member of the
simaniatri
family.

SHIANTI:
(shee-
an
-tee)
noun
, Also know as “Hermeticia” due
to the xenophobic nature of its small populace. It was created
inside a large impact crater from the
Conflict
, the walls of which protect
it from foreigners. Its citizens are renowned for their proficiency
in medicine as well as skilled individuals specialising in
maintenance of pre-Conflict technology.

SHILI:
(
shil
-
lee
)
noun
, A small animal found in large
groups, of simian or rodent appearance, often placed in the
Sciuridae
family due to
its furred, long-tailed body.

SIMANIATRI:
(sim-an-ee-
ah
r-tree)
noun
, Diminutive multi-cellular organisms often found in the
deeper waters of the
Lual
. They have gelatinous bodies
and recognisable faces, but although they are frequently
anthropomorphic in shape, they just as often appear in shell-,
serpent- or “blob”-like form. The sometimes-human appearance of
simaniatris leant them their name and their nickname,
“
sea monkeys
”.

THERIOPE:
(th-
air
-ee-ope)
noun
,
A man
or woman who, through a highly transmutable virus, is forced in
theriomorphic transmutation. This is often coupled with savagery
and bloodlust. Although this transformation is said to follow the
phases of the moon, observations suggest a regular, but not
lunar-based, cycle. The virus itself may be transmitted only via
bodily fluids in either blood, spittle, urine or sexual ejaculate.
The physical characteristics of “weres” vary, but hosts may alter
in both size and general shape during a transformation, and often
sprout thick hair or spines.

TRANSITWAY:
(
tran
-zit wey)
noun
, A high speed rail-based cargo
transport from before the
Conflict
. Some Transitways extend up
to 1,200 kilometres (760 miles) beneath the American and European
continents.

“
WERE”:
(
wee
-er)
noun
, See “Theriope”.

ABOUT THE
AUTHOR

David Brookes is a writer and editor currently living in the
UK, from where he runs his editing firm
The St. Paul’s Literary
Service
.

He has stories
published in many magazines including Electric Spec, Pantechnicon,
Bewildering Stories, Whispering Spirits, Morpheus Tales, The Cynic
and Aphelion.

His fiction
has appeared in printed anthologies, most recently 'Skull &
Crossbones' from Bedazzled Inc.

His first
novel, 'Half Discovered Wings', was published internationally by
Libros International in 2009, and was newly updated and re-released
in e-book format in 2015.

Read more about his work at his website,
STPediting.wordpress.com
,
or
send an e-mail
to sign up for updates and offers.