The Veiled Throne, page 1
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For my grandfather, who lived a life grander than any story I could tell
A NOTE ON PRONUNCIATION, TRANSLITERATION, AND TRANSLATION
Many names in Dara are derived from Classical Ano. The transliteration for Classical Ano in this book does not use vowel digraphs; each vowel is pronounced separately. For example, “Réfiroa” has four distinct syllables: “Ré-fi-ro-a.” Similarly, “Na-aroénna” has five syllables: “Na-a-ro-én-na.”
The i is always pronounced like the i in English “mill.”
The o is always pronounced like the o in English “code.”
The ü is always pronounced like the umlauted form in German or Chinese pinyin.
Other names have different origins and contain sounds that do not appear in Classical Ano, such as the xa in “Xana” or the ha in “Haan.” In such cases, however, each vowel is still pronounced separately. Thus, “Haan” also contains two syllables.
* * *
The notion that Classical Ano is one fixed language, unaltered for millennia, is attractive and commonly held among the less erudite in Dara. It is, however, false. As the (primarily) literary language of learning and officialdom, “Classical” Ano has continued to evolve, influencing and influenced by the vernacular as well as contact with new peoples, new ideas, new practices.
Scribes and poets create neologisms based on Classical Ano roots, along with new logograms to write them with, and even novel grammatical forms, at first deemed solecisms, become accepted over time as stylists adopt them with little regard to the carping of Moralist grammarians.
The changes in Classical Ano are most readily seen in the logograms themselves. However, it’s possible to see some of the changes even through transliterations (we leave aside, for now, the problem of how even the way Classical Ano is spoken has changed over time). The Classical Ano in which Kon Fiji wrote most of his observations is not the same language in which Vocu Firna wrote his poems.
To emphasize the different register that the language evokes for the people of Dara, Classical Ano words and phrases are always italicized in the text.
* * *
The representation of Lyucu and Agon names and words presents a different problem. As we come to know them through the people(s) and language(s) of Dara, the scrubland words given in this work are doubly mediated. Just as English speakers who write down Chinese names and words they hear with Latin letters will achieve only a rough approximation of the original sounds, so with the Dara transliteration of Lyucu and Agon.
Lyucu and Agon do not pluralize nouns in the manner of English. For the benefit of the anglophone reader, certain words, such as “pékyu” and “garinafin,” are pluralized in this book as though they have become “naturalized” English words. On the other hand, other words and phrases, less common, retain the character of their non-English origins.
“Dara,” “Lyucu,” and “Agon” can refer to a language, the people who speak that language, the culture of that people, or even a single individual of that culture—a practice closer to the way these languages represent such concepts natively.
Also, in contrast to Classical Ano, Lyucu and Agon words and phrases are not (with very few exceptions) italicized in the text. For the people who speak the language(s), they are not foreign.
Like most matters involving translation, transliteration, assimilation, adaptation, and migration, these practices represent an imperfect compromise, which, given the nature of the tale re-remembered here, is perhaps appropriate.
LIST OF MAJOR CHARACTERS
THE CHRYSANTHEMUM AND THE DANDELION
KUNI GARU: Emperor Ragin of Dara, who died during the Battle of Zathin Gulf, though his body was never recovered.
MATA ZYNDU: deceased Hegemon of Dara, worshipped by some cults in Tunoa and among the common soldiers as the pinnacle of martial prowess and honor.
THE DANDELION COURT
JIA MATIZA: Empress and Regent of Dara; a skilled herbalist.
RISANA: an illusionist and accomplished musician; posthumously given the title Empress of Dara.
KADO GARU: Kuni’s elder brother; holds the title of King of Dasu without the substance; father of Prince Gimoto.
COGO YELU: Prime Minister of Dara; one of the longest-serving officials at the Dandelion Court.
ZOMI KIDOSU: Farsight Secretary; prized student of Luan Zyaji and a noted inventor in her own right; Princess Théra’s lover; daughter of a Dasu farming-fishing family (Oga and Aki Kidosu).
GIN MAZOTI: Marshal of Dara and Queen of Géjira; the greatest battlefield tactician of her time; posthumous victor at the Battle of Zathin Gulf; Aya Mazoti is her daughter.
THAN CARUCONO: First General of the Cavalry and First Admiral of the Navy.
PUMA YEMU: Marquess of Porin; noted practitioner of raiding tactics.
SOTO ZYNDU: Jia’s confidante and adviser; aunt of Mata Zyndu.
WI: leader of the Dyran Fins, who serve Empress Jia.
SHIDO: a Dyran Fin.
LADY RAGI: an orphaned girl raised by Jia; serves the empress on special missions.
GORI RUTHI: nephew of the late Imperial Tutor Zato Ruthi and husband of Lady Ragi; a noted Moralist scholar.
CHILDREN OF THE HOUSE OF DANDELION
PRINCE TIMU (NURSING NAME: TOTO-TIKA): Emperor Thaké of Ukyu-taasa; Kuni’s firstborn; consort of Tanvanaki; son of Empress Jia.
PRINCESS THÉRA (NURSING NAME: RATA-TIKA): named by Kuni as his successor and once known as Empress Üna of Dara; yielded the throne to her younger brother Phyro in order to journey to Ukyu-Gondé to war with the Lyucu; daughter of Empress Jia.
PRINCE PHYRO (NURSING NAME: HUDO-TIKA): Emperor Monadétu of Dara; son of Empress Risana.
PRINCESS FARA (NURSING NAME: ADA-TIKA): an artist and collector of folktales; youngest of Kuni’s children; daughter of Consort Fina, who died in childbirth.
PRINCESS AYA: daughter of Gin Mazoti and Luan Zyaji; given the title of Imperial Princess by Empress Jia to honor the sacrifices of her mother.
PRINCE GIMOTO: son of Kado Garu, Kuni’s elder brother.
SCHOLARS OF DARA
LUAN ZYAJI: Kuni’s chief strategist; Gin Mazoti’s lover; he journeyed to Ukyu-Gondé and discovered the secret of the periodic openings in the Wall of Storms; known during life as Luan Zya.
ZATO RUTHI: Imperial Tutor; leading Moralist of modern times.
KON FIJI: ancient Ano philosopher; founder of the Moralist school.
POTI MAJI: ancient Ano philosopher; the most accomplished student of Kon Fiji.
RA OJI: ancient Ano epigrammatist; founder of the Fluxist school.
ÜSHIN PIDAJI: ancient Ano philosopher; the most renowned student of Ra Oji.
NA MOJI: ancient Xana engineer who studied the flights of birds; founder of the Patternist school.
GI ANJI: modern philosopher of the Tiro states era; founder of the Incentivist school.
MIZA CRUN: renowned scholar of the silkmotic force; once a street magician.
UKYU-TAASA
TENRYO ROATAN: seized position of Pékyu of the Lyucu by murdering his father, Toluroru; conqueror of the scrublands; leader of the Lyucu invasion of Dara; died at the Battle of Zathin Gulf.
VADYU ROATAN (NICKNAMED “TANVANAKI”): the best garinafin pilot and current pékyu of Ukyu-taasa; daughter of Tenryo.
TODYU ROATAN (NURSING NAME: DYU-TIKA): son of Timu and Tanvanaki.
DYANA ROATAN (NURSING NAME: ZAZA-TIKA): daughter of Timu and Tanvanaki.
VOCU FIRNA: a thane close to Timu; a poet.
CUTANROVO AGA: a prominent thane, commander of the Capital Security Forces.
GOZTAN RYOTO: a prominent thane; rival of Cutanrovo.
SAVO RYOTO: Goztan’s son; also known by the Dara name Kinri Rito.
NAZU TEI: a scholar; teacher of Savo.
NODA MI: a minister at the court of Tanvanaki and Timu; betrayed Gin Mazoti at the Battle of Zathin Gulf.
WIRA PIN: a minister at the court of Tanvanaki and Timu; once tried to persuade Prince Timu to surrender to the Lyucu under Pékyu Tenryo.
OFLURO: a skilled garinafin rider.
LADY SUCA: one of the few non-Lyucu to learn to ride a garinafin; wife of Ofluro.
THE SPLENDID URN AND THE BLOSSOM GANG
RATI YERA: leader of the Blossom Gang; an illiterate inventor of ingenious machines.
MOTA KIPHI: member of the Blossom Gang; a man rivaling Mata Zyndu in pure strength; survivor of the Battle of Zathin Gulf.
ARONA TARÉ: member of the Blossom Gang; an actress.
WIDI TUCRU: member of the Blossom Gang; a paid litigator.
WIDOW WASU: head of the Wasu clan; she knew Kuni Garu as a youth.
MATI PHY: sous-chef at the Splendid Urn.
LODAN THO: head waitress at the Splendid Urn; Mati’s wife.
TIPHAN HUTO: the youngest son of the Huto clan, rival of the Wasu clan.
MOZO MU: a young chef employed by Tiphan Huto; granddaughter of Suda Mu, legendary cook in the time of the Tiro kings.
LOLOTIKA TUNÉ: Head girl of the Aviary, Ginpen’s leading indigo house.
KITA THU: head of the Imperial laboratories in Ginpen; once led the effort to discover the secret of garinafin fire breath during the war against the Lyucu.
SÉCA THU: a scholar; nephew of Kita Thu.
DARA AT LARGE
ABBOTT SHATTERED AXE: head of the Temple of Still and Flowing Waters in the mountains of Rima.
ZEN-KARA: a scholar; daughter of Chief Kyzen of Tan Adü.
RÉZA MüI: a troublemaker.
ÉGI AND ASULU: a pair of soldiers in the city garrison of Pan.
KISLI PÉRO: a researcher at one of the Imperial laboratories.
THE CREW OF DISSOLVER OF SORROWS
RAZUTANA PON: a scholar of the Cultivationism school.
ÇAMI PHITHADAPU: a Golden Carp scholar; an expert on whales.
MITU ROSO: an admiral, commander-in-chief of the expedition to Ukyu-Gondé.
NMÉJI GON: captain of Dissolver of Sorrows.
TIPO THO: former air ship officer; commander of the marines aboard Dissolver of Sorrows.
THORYO: a mysterious stowaway.
THE LYUCU
TOLURORU ROATAN: unifier of the Lyucu.
CUDYU ROATAN: leader of the Lyucu; son of Tenryo; grandson of Toluroru.
TOVO TASARICU: Cudyu’s most trusted thane.
TOOF: a garinafin pilot.
RADIA: a garinafin rider.
THE AGON
NOBO ARAGOZ: unifier of the Agon.
SOULIYAN ARAGOZ: youngest daughter of Nobo Aragoz; mother of Takval.
VOLYU ARAGOZ: youngest son of Nobo Aragoz; Chief of the Agon.
TAKVAL ARAGOZ: pékyu-taasa of the Agon; husband of Théra.
TANTO GARU ARAGOZ (NURSING NAME: KUNILU-TIKA): eldest son of Théra and Takval.
ROKIRI GARU ARAGOZ (NURSING NAME: JIAN-TIKA): second son of Théra and Takval.
VARA RONALEK: an old thane who refuses to give up riding garinafins into battle.
GOZOFIN: a warrior, skilled in the crafting of arucuro tocua.
NALU: Gozofin’s son.
ADYULEK: an aged shaman, skilled in the taking of spirit portraits.
SATAARI: a young shaman.
ARATEN: a thane trusted by Takval.
THE GODS OF DARA
KIJI: patron of Xana; Lord of the Air; god of wind, flight, and birds; his pawi is the Mingén falcon; favors a white traveling cloak; in Ukyu-taasa he is identified with Péa, the god who gave the gift of garinafins to the people.
TUTUTIKA: patron of Amu; youngest of the gods; goddess of agriculture, beauty, and fresh water; her pawi is the golden carp; in Ukyu-taasa she is identified with Aluro, the Lady of a Thousand Streams.
KANA AND RAPA: twin patrons of Cocru; Kana is the goddess of fire, ash, cremation, and death; Rapa is the goddess of ice, snow, glaciers, and sleep; their pawi are twin ravens: one black, one white; in Ukyu-taasa they are identified with Cudyufin, the Well of Daylight, and Nalyufin, the Pillar of Ice and the hate-hearted.
RUFIZO: patron of Faça; Divine Healer; his pawi is the dove; in Ukyu-taasa he is identified with Toryoana, the long-haired bull who watches over cattle and sheep.
TAZU: patron of Gan; unpredictable, chaotic, delighting in chance; god of sea currents, tsunamis, and sunken treasures; his pawi is the shark; in Ukyu-taasa both he and Lutho are identified with Péten, the god of trappers and hunters.
LUTHO: patron of Haan; god of fishermen, divination, mathematics, and knowledge; his pawi is the sea turtle; missing from Dara when he became mortal to hitch a ride on Dissolver of Sorrows.
FITHOWÉO: patron of Rima; god of war, the hunt, and the forge; his pawi is the wolf; in Ukyu-taasa he is identified with the goddess Diasa, the she-wolf club-maiden.
PART ONE BURIED SEEDS
CHAPTER ONE A NIGHT RUN
TATEN, THE SEAT OF THE PÉKYU OF THE LYUCU IN UKYU-GONDÉ: THE FIFTH MONTH IN THE TWELFTH YEAR AFTER STRANGERS FROM AFAR ARRIVED IN THEIR CITY-SHIPS, CLAIMING TO SERVE SOMEONE NAMED “MAPIDÉRÉ” (BY DARA RECKONING, THIS IS THE FIFTH MONTH IN THE FIRST YEAR IN THE REIGN OF FOUR PLACID SEAS, WHEN KUNI GARU PROCLAIMED HIMSELF EMPEROR RAGIN AND ESTABLISHED HIS CAPITAL IN REBUILT PAN).
The stars pulsed in the firmament like glowing jellies in a dark sea. The eternal surf sighed in the distance as the almost-full moon’s pale light illuminated a field of tents as far as the eye could see, each as white as the belly of a corpse-plucker crab.
Goztan Ryoto staggered out of one of the larger tents, a thin pelt tunic draped over her shoulders and a skull helmet dangling from her hand. The tent’s garinafin-hide flap fell back heavily against the frame, muffling the angry curses and din of clashing bone clubs inside. She swayed on her feet as she tried to regain her balance.
“Steady, votan!” One of the two guards standing by the tent opening rushed up to support her lord. Casting a glance back at the tent flap, the guard asked, “Do you want us to—”
Goztan shoved her away. “No. Let ’em fight. I’ve had enough of them slinging insults at each other over dinner like children—can’t even have a drink in peace.” She struggled to pull the skull helmet over her clean-shaven head.
“I’m guessing you won’t summon any of them to your bed tonight?” asked the other guard. “It’s too bad. Kitan took a bath earlier today”—she lifted her eyebrows suggestively—“and he made sure we knew it.”
Both guards laughed.
Goztan glared at them through the eye sockets of the skull helmet. “I’d love to see either of you try maintaining a peaceful household with four husbands.”
Something crashed to the ground inside the tent; a furious howl of pain followed.
The guards looked at each other but remained where they were.
Goztan shook her head in exasperation. The cool breeze had cleared her head of kyoffir-haze, and after a moment, she said, “I’m taking a walk. The audience with the pékyu is first thing tomorrow, and I need to plan out what I want to say. Keep an eye on them; intervene only if Kitan’s head is about to be bashed in.”
“It is a very handsome head,” said one of the guards.
They lifted the tent flap and ducked in, eager to witness the domestic drama among the chief’s consorts.
* * *
Goztan strode aimlessly through the wide avenues between the tent-halls of Taten, her face flushed from rage and embarrassment. Despite the bright moonlight and the cool breeze, few of the thanes and warriors gathered in the Thanes’ Quarter were walking about, for evening was a time reserved for the fire pit and ancestral portraits, for family and kyoffir. For a tiger-thane like Goztan, the chief of the Five Tribes of the Antler, roaming alone through the tent-city at this hour instead of spending time with her spouses was a choice bound to rouse gossip. Although the skull helmet covered her face, it was still too distinctive to make her completely anonymous.
Goztan was beyond caring.
She began to run, her legs pumping faster as her breath deepened and steadied. The skull helmet isolated her from the world at large, and her breathing resonated in her ears like the crash of the distant surf. At twenty-nine, she was in prime fighting shape, stronger and deadlier than she had been during the years when she had fought most of her battles. The sensation of boundless strength coursing through her limbs and the rhythmic slapping of her bare, calloused feet against the ground calmed her until, gradually, she fell into a trancelike state. She imagined herself soaring freely through the air on the back of a garinafin—instead of being stuck here on the ground, plodding through a morass of competing obligations that threatened to trip her with every step.
