The Shining City

ALSO BY KATE FORSYTH

RHIANNON’S RIDE

The Tower of Ravens

The Pool of Two Moons

The Cursed Towers

The Forbidden Land

The Skull of the World

The Fathomless Caves

acolytes
: students of witchcraft who have not yet passed their Second Test of Powers; usually aged between eight and sixteen

ahdayeh
: a series of exercises used as meditation in motion. Derived from the Khan‟cohban art of fighting

apprentice-witch
: a student of witchcraft who has passed the Second Test of Powers, usually undertaken at the age of sixteen

arak
: a small, monkeylike creature

Arran
: southeast land of Eileanan, ruled by the MacFóghnan clan

Aslinn
: deeply forested land ruled by the MacAislin clan

banprionnsa
: princess or duchess

banrìgh
: queen

Beltane
: May Day; the first day of summer

Ben Eyrie
: third highest mountain in Eileanan; part of the Broken Ring of Dubhslain
blaygird
: evil, awful

Blèssem
: rich farmland south of Rionnagan, ruled by the MacThanach clan

Blue Guards
: the Yeomen of the Guard, the Rìgh‟s own elite company of soldiers. They act as his personal bodyguard, both on the battlefield and in peacetime

Brann the Raven
: one of the First Coven of Witches. Known for probing the darker mysteries of magic and for fascination with machinery and technology

Broken Ring of Dubhslain
: mountains that curve in a crescent around the highlands of Ravenshaw

Bronwen NicCuinn
: daughter of former Rìgh Jaspar MacCuinn and Maya the Ensorcellor; she was named Banrìgh of Eileanan by her father on his deathbed but ruled for just six hours as a newborn baby, before Lachlan the Winged wrested the throne from her.

Candlemas
: the end of winter and beginning of spring

Carraig
: land of the sea-witches; the northernmost land of Eileanan, ruled by the MacSeinn clan
Celestines
: race of faery creatures renowned for empathic abilities and knowledge of stars and prophecy

Clachan
: the southernmost land of Eileanan, a province of Rionnagan ruled by the MacCuinn clan

claymore
: a heavy, two-edged sword, often as tall as a man

cluricaun
: a small woodland faery

Connor
: a Yeoman of the Guard. Was once a beggar boy in Lucescere and member of the League of the Healing Hand

corrigan
: a mountain faery with the power of assuming the look of a boulder. The most powerful can cast other illusions

Coven of Witches
: the central ruling body for witches in Eileanan, led by the Keybearer and a council of twelve other sorcerers and sorceresses called the Circle. The Coven administers all rites and rituals in the worship of the universal life force witches call Eà, runs schools and hospitals, and advises the Crown.

Craft
: applications of the One Power through spells, incantations and magical objects
Cripple, The
: the leader of the rebellion against the rule of Jaspar and Maya

Cuinn Lionheart
: the leader of the First Coven of Witches; his descendants are called MacCuinn.

Cunning
: applications of the One Power through will and desire

cunning man
: a village wise man or warlock

cursehags
: a wicked faery race, prone to curses and evil spells. Known for their filthy personal habits

dai-dein
: father

Day of Betrayal
: the day Jaspar the Ensorcelled turned on the witches, exiling or executing them and burning the Witch Towers

Dedrie
: a healer at Fettercairn Castle; was formerly nursemaid to Rory, the young son of Lord Falkner MacFerris

Dide the Juggler
: a jongleur who was rewarded for his part in Lachlan the Winged‟s successful rebellion by being made Didier Laverock, Earl of Caerlaverock. Is often called the Rìgh‟s minstrel.

Dillon of the Joyous Sword
: Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard. Was once a beggar boy and Captain of the League of the Healing Hand

Donncan Feargus MacCuinn
: eldest son of Lachlan MacCuinn and Iseult NicFaghan. Has wings like a bird and can fly. Was named for Lachlan‟s two brothers, who were transformed into blackbirds by Maya the Ensorcellor

Dughall MacBrann
: the Prionnsa of Ravenshaw and cousin to the Rìgh

Eà
: the Great Life Spirit, mother and father of all

Eileanan
: largest island in the archipelago called the Far Islands

Elemental Powers
: the forces of air, earth, fire, water, and spirit that together make up the One Power

Enit Silverthroat
: grandmother of Dide and Nina; died at the Battle of Bonnyblair
equinox
: a time when day and night are of equal length, occurring twice a year
Fairge; Fairgean
: faery creatures who need both sea and land to live

Falkner MacFerris
: former lord of Fettercairn Castle

Fettercairn Castle
: a fortress guarding the pass into the highlands of Ravenshaw and the Tower of Ravens. Owned by the MacFerris clan

Finn the Cat
: nickname of Fionnghal NicRuraich

Fionnghal NicRuraich:
eldest daughter of Anghus MacRuraich of Rurach; was once a beggar girl in Lucescere and Lieutenant of the League of the Healing Hand.

First Coven of Witches
: thirteen witches who fled persecution in their own land, invoking an ancient spell that folded the fabric of the universe and brought them and all their followers to Eileanan in a journey called the Great Crossing. The eleven great clans of Eileanan are all descended from the First Coven, with the MacCuinn clan being the greatest of the eleven. The thirteen witches were Cuinn Lionheart, his son Owein of the Longbow, Ahearn Horse-laird, Aislinna the Dreamer, Berhtilde the Bright Warrior-Maid, Fóghnan the Thistle, Rùraich the Searcher, Seinneadair the Singer, Sian the Storm-Rider, Tuathanach the Farmer, Brann the Raven, Faodhagan the Red, and his twin sister Sorcha the Bright (now called the Murderess).

Gearradh
: goddess of death; of the Three Spinners, Gearradh is she who cuts the thread.

gillie
: personal servant

gillie-coise
: bodyguard

Gladrielle the Blue
: the smaller of the two moons, lavender-blue in color

gravenings
: ravenous creatures that nest and swarm together, steal lambs and chickens from farmers, and have been known to steal babies and young children. Will eat anything they can carry away in their claws. Collective noun is “screech.”

Greycloaks
: the Rìgh‟s army, so called because of their camouflaging cloaks

Hogmanay
: New Year‟s Eve; an important celebration in the culture of Eileanan

Horned Ones
: another name for the satyricorns, a race of fierce horned faeries
Irving
: seneschal at Fettercairn Castle

Isabeau the Shapechanger
: Keybearer of the Coven; twin sister of the Banrìgh Iseult NicFaghan
Iseult of the Snows
: twin sister of Isabeau NicFaghan; Banrìgh of Eileanan by marriage to Lachlan the Winged

Iven Yellowbeard
: a jongleur and courier in the service of Lachlan the Winged; was formerly a Yeoman of the Guard; married to Nina the Nightingale and father to Roden.

Jaspar MacCuinn
: former Rìgh of Eileanan, often called Jaspar the Ensorcelled. Was married to Maya the Ensorcellor

Jay the Fiddler
: a minstrel in the service of Lachlan the Winged. Was once a beggar boy in Lucescere and member of the League of the Healing Hand

Johanna
: a healer. Was once a beggar girl in Lucescere and member of the League of the Healing Hand

jongleur
: a traveling minstrel, juggler, conjurer

journeywitch
: a traveling witch who performs rites for villages that do not have a witch and seeks out children with magical powers who can be taken on as acolytes

Keybearer
: the leader of the Coven of Witches

Khan’cohbans
: a faery race of warlike, snow-skimming nomads who live on the high mountains of the Spine of the World

Lachlan the Winged
: Rìgh of Eileanan

League of the Healing Hand
: a band of beggar children who were instrumental in helping Lachlan the Winged win his throne

leannan
: sweetheart

Lewen
: an apprentice-witch and squire to Lachlan; son of Lilanthe of the Forest and Niall the Bear

Lilanthe of the Forest
: a tree-shifter; married to Niall the Bear, and mother to Lewen and Meriel
loch; lochan (pl)
: lake

Lucescere
: ancient city built on an island above the Shining Waters; the traditional home of the MacCuinns and the Tower of Two Moons

Mac
: son of

MacAhern
: one of the eleven great clans; descendants of Ahearn Horse-laird

MacBrann
: one of the eleven great clans; descendants of Brann the Raven

MacCuinn
: one of the eleven great clans, descendants of Cuinn Lionheart

Magnysson the Red
: the larger of the two moons, crimson red in color, commonly thought of as a symbol of war and conflict. Old tales describe him as a thwarted lover, chasing his lost love, Gladrielle, across the sky.

Malvern MacFerris
: lord of Fettercairn Castle; brother of former lord Falkner MacFerris
Maya the Ensorcellor
: former Banrìgh of Eileanan, wife of Jaspar and mother of Bronwen; now known as Maya the Mute

moonbane
: a hallucinogenic drug distilled from the moonflower plant

necromancy
: the forbidden art of resurrecting the dead

Niall the Bear
: formerly a Yeoman of the Guard; now married to Lilanthe of the Forest, and father to Lewen and Meriel
Nic
: daughter of

Nila
: king of the Fairgean; half brother of Maya the Ensorcellor

Nina the Nightingale
: jongleur and sorceress of the Coven; sister to Didier Laverock, earl of Caerlaverock, and granddaughter of Enit Silverthroat
nisse
: a small woodland faery
Olwynne NicCuinn
: daughter of Lachlan MacCuinn and Iseult NicFaghan; twin sister of Owein
One Power
: the life-energy that is contained in all things. Witches draw upon the One Power to perform their acts of magic. The One Power contains all the elemental forces of air, earth, water, fire and spirit, and witches are usually more powerful in one force than others.

Owein MacCuinn
: second son of Lachlan MacCuinn and Iseult NicFaghan; twin brother of Olwynne. Has wings like a bird

prionnsa; prionnsachan (pl)
: prince, duke.

Ravenscraig
: estate of the MacBrann clan. Once their hunting castle, but they moved their home there after Rhyssmadill fell into ruin

Ravenshaw
: the deeply forested land west of Rionnagan, ruled by the MacBrann clan, descendants of Brann, one of the First Coven of Witches

Razor’s Edge
: a dangerous path through the mountains of the Broken Ring of Dubhslain, only used in times of great need
Red Guards
: soldiers in service to Maya the Ensorcellor during her reign as Banrìgh

Rhiannon
: a half-satyricorn; daughter of One-Horn and a captured human

Rhyssmadill
: the Rìgh‟s castle by the sea, once owned by the MacBrann clan
rìgh; rìghrean (pl):
king

Rionnagan
: together with Clachan and Blèssem, the richest lands in Eileanan. Ruled by MacCuinns, descendants of Cuinn Lionheart, leader of the First Coven of Witches

Roden
: son of Nina the Nightingale and Iven Yellow-beard; Viscount Laverock of Caerlaverock
Rory
: deceased son of Lord Falkner MacFerris of Fettercairn and Lady Evaline NicKinney
Rurach
: wild mountainous land lying between Tìreich and Siantan, and ruled by the MacRuraich clan