that preyed on the poor and the homeless, the lost souls that Melorra and her sisters were supposed to protect.

Still, it was not something she would hurry back and tell her lady about. Wicked as it was, she would inform her after the funeral, after she had recovered from her departed husband's loss. She fingered through the spice packets, reached the wooden bottom, and realized no other secrets hid within this chest.

Another chest had dried emergency provisions. Yet another contained Lady Lysandra's cosmetics. Then another, positioned in the corner, beckoned to her. She hesitated, wondering if she served Lady Anthea in the way that she wanted. But she bit her lip, overcame her inhibition, and walked over, unclasping the iron hinges.

After a cloth layer, a pile of papersmagi.

Atman: A god of fertility, the male counterpart to Issa. His highest-ranking priests are called the Godlings.

Augusts: The higher of the two ruling classes (the other being Knights). They are the descendants of the original Peregothian families through the male line, and are the only people allowed to serve within the upper tier of the government.

Anthans: (1) Another name for Imperial City. (2) Anthans the Great, the last of the Sea Kings and the first emperor (having achieved the title with the ceding of Anthania).

Brilium: A lumbering town north of Bregantium. In the native tongue of Northern Gad, "Brill."

Cataphract: An order of heavy cavalry, originating in Fharas and—to some extent—mimicked in Eloesus. With the invention of the stirrup several hundred years ago, they became the padisha's favored shock