plural vodyanye.

Voserka: The three-faced goddess worshipped by the Stranniki, often depicted with a blacksmith’s hammer. It is said that she smithed the first humans at the hearth of creation, and that the Unclean Force rose from the cinders left over. Some believe the Three Sisters and the goddess Voserka to be manifestations of the same divine being, though heresy accusations have been raised over less.

Voyna: The goddess of war and retribution, and one of the Three Sisters of creation. Considered the patron of bogatyri, it isn’t unusual for soldiers to wear travel icons of her into battle. Her sigils are the sovnya and balance scales.

Yezmirny: A large and powerful kingdom separated from the Kosa Empire by the Black Steppe, it is at the vanguard of the continent’s technological revolution. It is an open secret that the import of Yezmirskiy tanks and dirigibles was as much responsible for Kosa’s victory over Groznaya as the belated deployment of the empire’s bogatyr regiments. So far, Yezmirny has remained a neutral observer in Kosa’s civil war, intervening only to assist in humanitarian efforts and arrange evacuations of Yezmirskiy diplomats.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Without the help and support of the people below, this novel wouldn’t have been possible.

First of all, I would like to thank my literary agent, Thao Le, whose strong advocacy for my work allowed this book to reach the wonderful people at Inkyard Press.

I would also like to thank my editor, Stephanie Cohen, who deeply understood the story I was trying to tell here and helped me find and draw out its soul. Stephanie’s invaluable insight allowed me to build the Kosa Empire into a fully formed world and bring my characters to life on the page.

I would also like to thank everyone at Inkyard Press for their hard work and dedication in getting this book out into the world. In particular, I would like to thank Brittany Mitchell, Justine Sha, and Bess Braswell.

In addition, I would like to thank my critique partners, Laura Samotin, Laura Creedle, Brenda Marie Smith, Sonya Doernberg, Alexandra Gill, Kathryn Donovan, and Cassandra Farrin, whose notes and critiques were vital in shaping this book to be the best work possible.

As this book is inspired by specific cultures, time periods, and locations, during the drafting process, it was important for me to do as much as I could to ensure that I was properly honoring these influences. Special thanks goes out to Tamara Atoian, who provided Russian sensitivity reads both during the early drafting process and the final proofreading, Sonya Doernberg and Alexandra Gill, who further helped with Russian lexicology and cultural details, and Cyrus McGoldrick and Burcu Kocakurt, who provided Turkish sensitivity reads.

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