Dire Sparks (Song of the Aura, Book Five) (25 page)

Against all reason, Elia threw back her head and laughed out loud.

“
Yes,” Lauro said, staring down at his father’s body, “I did… didn’t I?”

But he did not laugh.

CAST of CHARACTERS in
SONG OF THE AURA

Allfar:
One of the legendary Aura. Not much is known of him, but he is commonly associated with Wind and Sky elements, in the old rites.
Spectansis
is his Nymphtongue name.

Alwene:
Mother of Gramling and Gramlen, wife of Gram. She died in the first burning of the Gray Cathedral.

Amarand:
The cleric of the Zain tribe, and master to Variand, the Zain scribe.

Argoz Greenwood:
The Cleric of Ymeer. Also succeeded Ymorio Highfast as the Dunelord of Ymeer. When Ymeer fell in the Last War, he led his people to the Grymclaw in pursuit of the Brown Aura’s protective Grove.

Arlin:
Leader of the northern rangers, who lost both his legs below the knee in a skirmish with the M’tant. His wife is Daslite, one of the women rangers. After recalling his rangers from the Blackwood, he acted as their general in the Battle of the Gray Cathedral.

Armir:
One of the elder rangers under Arlin’s command, and a sometime companion of Gribly.

Aura, The:
Eleven ancient spirits sung into being by the Creator when he fashioned the world. They are the guardians of the many races inhabiting Vast and the lands beyond. However, in recent days belief in their existence has wavered. They now rarely show themselves to mortals, and only three have been reported to still frequent Vast at all: The Gray Aura, the Brown Aura, and the Red Aura.

Automo:
The Red Aura. While the Gray Aura is known for his control over dreams, and the Brown Aura for his love of growing things, the Red Aura is known for his mastery of machines and artifice. His hideous betrayal of the rest of the Aura has led some to suspect he is actually one of the Legion, though according to the old beliefs such a thing is theologically impossible. His defeat at the Battle of the Gray Cathedral leaves his fate ultimately unknown. To assume that he has died would be too optimistic, though his mortal form was certainly destroyed, at least for a time.

Avarine:
Daughter of the Tannarch (ruler of the M’tant nymphs). She is an outcast in her own society, partially because of her rare, scarlet hair, inherited from her human mother. She is a Spirit Strider of no small talent, and utilizes poisoned weapons to hunt. She makes no pretense of the fact that she is attracted to Lauro Vale, nor does he deny his own mutual feelings. She is the heir to the throne of Mortenhine, a position she intends to exert on the heels of her father’s recent death.

Avarine Hallifar:
Mother of Avarine, bearing the same name as her daughter. As one of the Tannarch’s mistresses, she was totally ostracized from Wood Nymph society. She bears the same last name as the fabled Byornleo Hallifar, though their exact relation is not known.

Avtar:
A silverguard of Ymeer, who accompanies Gribly and Lauro on their journey to the Inkwell. Presumably killed in a Sea Demon attack.

Bernarl:
A Zain ship’s captain and former pirate, once an ally of the mysterious King Gram, the Lord of Rogues. Possibly the only exception to the general lacking among the Zain of a Second Form. Commonly called “Berne” by his friends and allies. He wields an anchorblade in combat and has survived many “deaths” due to his quick thinking and survival instincts. He fought with the rogues in the Battle of the Gray Cathedral.

Bonedale:
A dark falconhorse, raised in the pits of Blast.

Bwether:
Master of the Haedi working under Wanderwillow at the
Swaying Willow
inn. He was presumably killed when the inn burned to the ground.

Byornleo “Byorne” Hallifar:
One of the oldest and deadliest rangers, and a friend to Old Murie. He frequented the fight pits of Ymeer, where he was known as “Longstrider.” His fighting prowess put him at the top of the pack, and in a perfect position to spy for Vastion. He was killed by Gramling, the Pit Strider.

Calloway:
Also known as “Cal.” He is a young boy of the Grymclaw’s South Village, who gave vital aid to Gribly and Elia in their time of need. After the Golden Nation invaded the Grymclaw, he and his village fled north to Wanderwillow’s Grove, with aid from the fleeing Reethe and Zain. There he discovered a latent affinity for Stone Striding.

Cramner:
A young boy of South Village, and friend of Calloway. He is one of the few Grymclaw villagers to survive the flight to the Grove.

Creator, The:
The God of all worlds, Who is responsible for the world of Sceptre and everything in it: Vast, Realm, Rune, Nation, and all the lands beyond.

Crutus:
A bouncer at the Old Pickpocket’s wine-shop, who also deals in the slave trade. He is the brother of Shele, a fight pit contestant.

Danner Waterpike:
A southern sea-rogue lord who has now sworn allegiance to King Gram, Lord of Rogues. He narrowly escaped the massacre on the Giant’s Isle, and fought among the rogue force during the Battle of the Gray Cathedral.

Daslite:
One of the few women rangers, and Arlin’s extremely devoted wife.

Donovan:
An Elder of South Village.

Elia:
A Sea Nymph female of the Treele Tribe. She is an incredibly powerful Sea Strider, with a unique ability: she can Stride Flame as well. During her captivity in the Golden Nation, she mastered some elements of both Pit and Spirit Striding, revealing the dual-nature of both. She discovered a latent ability to use Sea Striding to “see” her surroundings, even without regular eyesight.

Gando:
One of the more violent rangers under Arlin’s command.

Golden One, The:
Master of Pit Striders. Confirmed to be an escaped member of the Legion. He is responsible for the enslavement of the Kinn race, and many other atrocities. The Kinn now worship him as a false deity.

Gram:
Self-styled Pirate King of South Vast, also known as the Lord of Rogues. He is the father of Gribly and Gramling, two of the most powerful Striders in the world. He is the founder and ruler of the Alliance, a loosely-bound brotherhood of miscreants spread throughout Vast. His Stone Striding is increased tenfold with the use of his mighty war hammer, which was forged by the Red Aura himself. He commanded the rogue force in the Battle of the Gray Cathedral.

Gramling:
A Pit Strider, and brother to Gribly. His master, the mysterious Golden One, originally tasked him with either converting or killing the young thief. When he failed to do this, he was brought back to the Golden Nation to oversee Elia’s breaking, questioning, and subsequent training as a Pit Strider. He has developed feelings for her, similar to his twin brother’s, though the extent of these feelings is not known fully, even to him.

Gribly:
A street thief, formerly of Ymeer. He has manifested extraordinary abilities in Stone Striding, and is rumored to be the Prophet of the Aura. He is revealed to have originally been named Gramlen by his mother, Alwene, and his father, Gram. He is one of the few beings in all history able to Stride Spirit in addition to his natural World Element.

Kalzikir:
The M’tant cleric. Due to his failure in converting the wood-nymphs, the nymph man suffers from deep depression and melancholy, leading many to suspect he has lost his mind. His control over the element of Spirit is very weak as a consequence.

Karanel Winter:
The youngest Windmaster in Vastion’s army. Later referred to as “Karanel One-hand,” she eventually takes on a leading role in the Vastic Remnant. She is also present at the Battle of the Gray Cathedral, fighting with her brother Marvol’s White Wind troop.

Karmidigan:
A prodigiously powerful Reethe Frost Strider.

Kell:
A silverguard of Ymeer, who accompanies Gribly and Lauro on their journey to the Inkwell. Presumably killed in a Sea Demon attack.

Kinn, The:
The black-skinned inhabitants of Nation, the continent where the Golden Nation holds sway. They seem to speak a similar language to the Nymphtongue, and many know the Commontongue, yet they are of neither men nor nymphs. Among them, Pit Striding is much more common than any other kind of Striding. Next is Stone; Sea and Sky are almost totally absent.

Kite S’wrath:
One of the few female pirate captains to gain influence with the Alliance.

Larion Vale:
King of Vastion, the last surviving kingdom in Vast. With the advent of increasing Strider power everywhere, he has begun to thrive as none before him… however, it is rumored that this has also caused a lack of sanity in his leadership and personal behavior.

Lauro Vale:
Prince of Vastion, and Gribly’s uneasy friend. He was exiled for refusing to execute a prisoner, and is entirely focused on winning back the honor his father feels he has lost. With the finding of the Midnight Sword, he may have succeeded in his quest… but only a confrontation with his father will decide the matter permanently.

Leafly:
A Haedus in Wanderwillow’s entourage at the
Swaying Willow
inn.

Legion, The:
Nine Archdemons bound in the underworld of Kerbus at the beginning of time. They were once Aura, but became corrupted with pride in their own power. They wished to rule the world, and were banished for it.

Lithric:
The nymph cleric of Mythigrad.

M’tant, The:
A mysterious tribe of Wood Nymphs residing in the Blackwood, Northeast of the Grymclaw. Avarine eventually takes her father’s place as Tannarch of the M’tant.

Magnin:
One of the craftiest, most experienced rangers under Arlin’s command.

Margry:
A female Elder of South Village.

Marlo the Fool:
A rogue lord from the South, and a master of disguise. He is somewhat crazed, but a cunning leader nonetheless.

Marmat:
A silverguard of Ymeer, who accompanies Gribly and Lauro on their journey to the Inkwell. Presumably killed in a Sea Demon attack.

Marvol Winter:
Brother to Karanel Winter, and Lord of the White Wind, King Larion Vale’s personal bodyguard force.

Medlore Hallifar Silverpaw:
Also called simply “Mudlo,” he is one of the youngest rangers in Vastion’s force. He also bears the name Hallifar, though his relation to Byornleo Hallifar and/or Avarine Hallifar is distant, if it really exists at all. He is not the most serious person, unless under combat stress, in which case he can be deadly. Currently he is presumed dead after a ferocious fight with Steamclaw in the Red Aura’s forge.

Morr:
A sly ranger under Arlin’s command; formerly a bandit. He is also one of the older rangers, and extremely skilled with his fire-hurler.

Murie:
A Vastic Ranger stationed in Ymeer. Called “Old Murie” by most of the inhabitants, she disguised herself as a gypsy to blend in, allowing her to care for and protect Gribly as he grew older and learned to use his gift. She was killed by Gramling.