Roberson, Jennifer - Cheysuli 08 (58 page)

           
And then the others came: one by one
by one—Cheysuli, Ihlini, Homanan—to pay homage to the heir, to the son, to the
Firstborn, while on the dais behind the child, where Deirdre's tapestry hung,
the Lion of Homana guarded his newborn lir.

           
The "Chronicles of the Cheysuli"
was not originally intended as a series, but a single book only, titled The
Shapechangers. It was my first foray into written fantasy, although I'd been
reading it for many years; I'd written other (unpublished) novels, but no fantasy,
because I was afraid. I loved the genre too much, and feared I couldn't do it
justice.

           
But my favorite authors—Marion
Zimmer Bradley, C.J. Cherryh, Katherine Kurtz, Patricia McKillip. Anne
McCaffrey, etc.—simply didn't write fast enough to suit my reading addiction; I
decided the only way to survive was to manufacture a "fix" by writing
my own novel.

           
And so I concocted a plot about a
race of shapechangers and their animal familiars, and a girl bom of a mundane
culture being absorbed into a magical one.

           
But plots always require thickening
... I added royalty, a prophecy, created the Ihlini. And then one day,
immediately following a cultural anthro-pology class in which we'd spent fifty
minutes drawing triangles and circles as a generational exercise, I decided to
apply my newfound knowledge to my stand-alone fantasy novel.

           
A trilogy was born.

           
More triangles and circles got added
to the chart. The trilogy became a seven-book series- And when I realized seven
didn't quite cover everything, I added another and brought it to eight,
whereupon I promised myself to end it. Finis.

           
Twelve years later, it's ended. The
prophecy is complete.

           
No author likes to turn her back on
a world and its people after spending so much time creating them; Homana's
root, after all, is home. But she does it, at least for a while, because to
linger longer is to risk creative stagnation.

           
The "Chronicles of the
Cheysuli" have covered approximately 100 years in the history of Homana
and her races, blessed and unblessed alike. It's my belief Cynric, child of
prophecy—the final result of centuries of genetic manipulation—had his own
share of adventures. It's also my conceit to wonder about the five undocumented
years Finn and Carillon spent in exile; the boyhoods of Duncan and Finn; the
adventures facing Keely, Hart, and Corin after leaving Homana; the true account
of the love between Hale and Lindir and the events that touched off the
qumahlin (although a "prequel" novelette, "Of Honor and the
Lion," appeared in DAW'S 1988 anthology, Spell Singers.)

           
In a history so vast, there are
stories left to be told. Maybe someday I'll tell them.

           
—J.R.

           
Chandler, Arizona

           
1999

           
CHEYSULI/OID TONGUE

           
GLOSSARY

           
(with pronunciation guide)

           
a'saii (uh-SIGH)—Cheysuli zealots
dedicated to pure line of descent.

           
bu'lasa (boo-LAH-suh)—grandson

           
bu'sala (boo-SAH-luh)—foster-son

           
cheysu (chay-SOO)—man/woman; neuter;
used within phrases.

           
cheysul (chay-SOOL)—husband

           
cheysula (chay-SOO-luh)—wife

           
cheysuli (chay-SOO-lee)—(literal
translation): children of the gods-

           
Cheysuli i'halla shansu
(chay-SOO-lee i-HALLA shan-SOO)—(lit.): May there be Cheysuli peace upon you.

           
godfire (god-fire)—common
manifestation of Ihlini power; cold, lurid flame; purple tones.

           
harana (huh-RAH-na)—niece

           
harani (huh-RAH-nee)—nephew

           
homana (ho-MAH-na)—(literal
translation): of all blood.

           
i'halla (ih-HALL-uh)—upon you: used
within phrases.

           
i'toshaa-ni (ih-tosha-NEE)—Cheysuli
cleansing ceremony; atonement ritual.

           
ja'hai ([French ;']
zshuh-HIGH)—accept

           
ja 'hai-na (zshuh-HIGH-nuh)—accepted

           
jehan (zsheh-HAHN)—father

           
jehana (zsheh-HAH-na)—mother

           
kureshtin (koo-RESH-tin)—epithet;
name-calling leijharm tu'sai (lay-HAHN-uh too-SIGH)—(to.): thank you very much.

           
lir (leer)—magical animal(s) linked
to individual Cheysuli; title used indiscriminately between lir and
warriors-meijha (MEE-hah)—Cheysuli; light woman; (lit.): mistress.

           
meijhana (mee-HAH-na)—slang: pretty
one

           
Mujhar (moo-HAR)—king

           
qu'mahlin (koo-MAH-lin)—purge;
extermination Resh'ta-ni (resh-tah-NEE)—(lit.): As you would have it.

           
rujho (ROO-ho)—slang: brother
(diminutive) rujhoUa (roo-HALL-uh)—sister (formal)

           
rujholli (roo-HALL-ee)—brother
(formal)

           
ru'maii (roo-MY-ee)—(lit.): in the
name of Ru'shalla-tu (roo-SHAWL-uh T00)-~(lit.) May it be so,

           
Seker (Sek-AIR)—formal title: god of
the netherworld.

           
shansu (shan-SOO)—peace

           
shar tahl (shar
TAHL)—priest-historian; keeper of the prophecy.

           
shu'maii (shoo-MY-ee)—sponsor

           
su'fala (soo-FALL-uh)—aunt

           
su'fali (soo-FALL-ee)—uncle

           
sul'harai (sool-hah-RYE)—moment of
greatest satisfaction in union of man and woman; describes shapechange,

           
tahlmorra (tall-MORE-uh)—fate;
destiny; kismet.

           
Tahlmorra lujhala mei wiccan, cheysu
(tall-MORE-uh loo-HALLA may WICK-un, chay-SOO)-—

           
(lit.): The fate of a man rests
always within the hands of the gods.

           
tetsu (tet-SOO)—poisonous root given
to allay great pain; addictive, eventually fatal.

           
tu'halla dei (too-HALLA-day-EE)—(lit.):
Lord to liege man.

           
usca (OOlS-kuh)—powerful liquor from
the Steppes.

           
y'jahai (EE-zshuh-HIGH)—(^.): I
accept.