The Burning Kingdoms - Sally Green Page 0,135

even thousands, but eventually, somebody will fall into the smoke and the world will begin again.” She looked at the lake. “Probably happen sooner than you catch a fish.”

At that moment, the float bobbed down and Geratan struck. Tash yelped with excitement and ran to get the net.

That night they cooked fish over the fire and slept beneath the stars. They’d have a few weeks living up here before winter hit, then move south. Tash wanted to travel to Illast and Savaant, perhaps even farther. The smoke had moved to find a new home, and perhaps she would too. But the Northern Plateau would always be here, and she could come back whenever she needed.

PLACES AND CHARACTERS

BRIGANT

A war-hawkish country.

BRIGANE: the capital

FIELDING: a small village on the northwest coast, where Ambrose found the boy army training

NORWEND: a region in the north of Brigant

Aloysius: king of Brigant.

Isabella: queen of Brigant.

Boris: Aloysius’s first-born son. Killed by his sister, Princess Catherine.

Harold: Aloysius’s second-born son and, with Boris’s death, heir to the crown of Brigant. Fourteen years old.

The Marquess of Norwend: a nobleman, father to Sir Ambrose Norwend.

Tarquin: the Marquess of Norwend’s first-born son, tortured and killed as a traitor.

Lady Anne: the Marquess of Norwend’s daughter; executed as a traitor

Noyes: spymaster for Aloysius.

Holywell: now deceased, worked for Aloysius as a fixer, spy, killer; Abask by birth.

Thornlees: a lord and leader of one section of the Brigantine army.

Pullman: a commander reporting to Lord Thornlees.

March: an Abask. Once servant to Thelonius, and lover to Edyon. Exiled to Brigant.

Sam: homeless Brigantine boy who joins the boy army.

Rashford: leader of the Bull Brigade of the boy army.

Killen: second in command of the Bull Brigade.

Frank, Fitz: Bulls.

Broderick: a Hawk.

Gaskett: leader of the Stags.

Tiff: leader of the Wasps.

Curtis: leader of the Hawks.

CALIDOR

A small country to the south of Brigant.

CALIA: the capital.

ABASK: a small mountainous region, laid waste during the war between Calidor and Brigant, where the people were known for their ice-blue eyes.

Thelonius: Prince of Calidor, younger brother of King Aloysius of Brigant.

Castor, Argentus: deceased, legitimate sons of Thelonius.

Edyon: illegitimate son of Thelonius, seventeen years old.

Regan: a powerful lord of Calidor and close friend to Thelonius.

Byron: a young nobleman, friend to Edyon.

Ellis: a young nobleman of Calidor.

Talin: personal servant to Edyon.

Bruntwood: a senior lord and chancellor of Calidor.

Hunt, Birtwistle, Grantham, Haydeen, Brook: lords of Calidor.

PITORIA

A large, wealthy country known for its dancing, where men dye their hair to show their allegiances. The wissun is a white flower that grows wild throughout Pitoria.

TORNIA: the capital.

THE NORTHERN PLATEAU: a cold, forbidden region.

ROSSARB: a northern port with a small castle.

Tzsayn: following his father’s death he is now king of Pitoria. Betrothed to Catherine. Twenty-three years old.

Catherine: Aloysius’s daughter, Queen of Pitoria, and believed by most to be married to Tzsayn. Seventeen years old.

Sir Ambrose: son of a Brigantine lord, personal guard to Catherine.

Arell: Tzsayn’s father, now dead.

Tanya: Catherine’s maid, promoted to the role of dresser.

General Davyon: dresser and most trusted aide to Tzsayn.

Geratan: a white-hair loyal to Catherine.

Rafyon: a white-hair, killed protecting Catherine.

Savage: personal doctor to Tzsayn.

Ffyn: general, head of the Pitorian army

Hanov: senior general, head of spies in Pitorian forces.

Farrow: a powerful lord, who betrayed Catherine to herfather.

Anlax, Harrison: soldiers, members of the Demon Troop.

Lord Darby: Calidorian lord heading the delegation to Pitoria.

Albert Aves: assistant to Lord Darby.

THE DEMON WORLD

An area below the Northern Plateau of stone and tunnels, where the air is hot and red and communication is by thought.

Tash: a demon hunter. Thirteen or fourteen years old.

Gravell: Tash’s demon hunter friend, killed in the battle of Rossarb.

Twist: a demon, whom Tash and Geratan saved.

Frost: an Abask slave girl familiar with the demon world, working for the Brigantines.

Fallon: Brigantine army commander, working with Frost.

ILLAST

A neighboring country to Pitoria, where women have more equality, being able to own property and businesses.

Valeria: Queen of Illast.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I was listening to an ultra-running podcast the other day and one of the subjects being discussed was adventure racing. This is where a team has to navigate an unmarked course across challenging terrain, requiring the use of different sporting disciplines such as running, cycling, climbing, and swimming, and possibly much more obscure skills like roller-blading, rafting, rappelling, and riding (horses or camels!). The races can last hours, days, or even weeks. It sounds difficult, fun, and slightly bonkers. Which brings me to writing books. Writing a book is a marathon, not a sprint, and writing a trilogy is, perhaps, closer to an adventure race requiring a multidisciplinary team navigating across an unchartered wilderness. I’m not a planner of my writing, and my other team members, particularly my editors, Ben Horslen and Leila Sales, need to have huge trust in my ability to find my way to the finish line. Actually, my writing is less like a wilderness and more like a jungle of ideas, and I cannot thank them enough for their advice and support in helping me to find a way through the tangle—they are expert navigators, showing true professionalism, advising where I need to cut through and where I can afford a little detour. And most importantly they are always calm, supportive, and considered, even on the rare occasions I don’t go the way they advise and hack off in my own direction.

My heartfelt thanks to all the other members of the team throughout this adventure, in particular to my agent, Claire Wilson of RCW Literary Agents (she’d also be a great asset if the course required skating, and I suspect she has other secret skills and wouldn’t be surprised if she was a dab hand at camel riding). My thanks also to my wonderful copyeditor Wendy Shakespeare and her team of proofreaders, Ben Hughes and his team in design, Roy McMillan in audio production, and all the Penguin Random House staff in sales, rights, marketing, and PR. I would also like to express my gratitude to all the fantastic publishers of the Smoke Thieves trilogy around the world, to their enthusiastic staff and to the incredibly talented translators who work with them.

I’m also grateful to my family, friends, and fans, who have supported me in so many ways along my writing journey, keeping me going during the dark nights and helping me celebrate when things were going well.

As I write this in March 2020, I am working from home, like many members of the team, because of restrictions due to COVID-19. I hope that we can celebrate the publication of The Burning Kingdoms together at some future date, and I wish them and my supporters, readers, booksellers, fans, and friends all around the world the best in these uncertain times.

Thanks and love to you all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sally Green lives in Cheshire, England. She has had various jobs from her first paper-round to a career as an accountant, but in 2010 she started writing a novel and that changed her life. She still runs most days despite several attempts to give it up. Follow her on Twitter @Sa11eGreen.

What’s next on

your reading list?

Discover your next

great read!

Get personalized book picks and up-to-date news about this author.

Sign up now.