SEDRIC MELDAR: Secretary and former lover to Hest Finbok, and friends with Alise since childhood. Bonded with the copper queen dragon RELPDA. Partnered with Carson Lupskip.

REDDING: Hest’s current paramour and Sedric’s replacement. Greedy Bingtown Trader stock.

TRADER FINBOK: Hest’s father, a very successful Bington Trader. Married to Sealia Finbok.

THE CREW OF THE TARMAN

BELLIN: Deckhand. Married to Swarge.

BIG EIDER: Deckhand. A large, powerful man of simple thoughts.

CARSON LUPSKIP: Hunter for the expedition. Leftrin’s old friend. Keeper of SPIT, a small, temperamental, and dangerous silver dragon. Partnered with Sedric.

DAVVIE: Apprentice hunter to Carson Lupskip. About fifteen years old. Bonded to KALO, the largest blue-black dragon, after the death of Greft, Kalo’s previous keeper. Partnered with Lecter.

GRIGSBY: Ship’s cat. Orange and obnoxious.

HENNESEY: First mate on the Tarman and something of a ladies’ man.

JESS: Hired hunter for the expedition and traitor. Lost his life on the journey upriver.

LEFTRIN: Captain. Robust build, gray eyes, brown hair.

SKELLY: Deckhand. Leftrin’s niece and presumed heir. Infatuated with Alum but has a fiancé in Trehaug.

SWARGE: Tillerman. He has been with the Tarman for more than fifteen years. Married to Bellin.

TARMAN: A river barge, long and low. Oldest existing liveship. Home port Trehaug.

MISCELLANEOUS CHARACTERS

ALTHEA VESTRIT: First mate, Paragon out of Bingtown. Aunt to Malta Khuprus (also appears in the Liveship Traders trilogy).

BEGASTI CORED: Chalcedean merchant; bald, rich trading partner of Hest Finbok.

BRASHEN TRELL: Captain of the Paragon out of Bingtown (also appears in the Liveship Traders trilogy).

CHASSIM: Daughter of the Duke of Chalced. Widowed several times and still part of the Duke’s household.

DETOZI: Keeper of the messenger birds at Trehaug. Engaged to Erek.

DUKE OF CHALCED: Chalced’s dictator, elderly and ailing.

ELLIK: Chancellor to the Duke of Chalced, and his “sword arm.”

EREK: Keeper of the messenger birds at Bingtown.

JANI KHUPRUS: Rain Wild Trader and mother of Reyn Khuprus and Tillamon.

KIM: Keeper of the Birds, Cassarick. A Tattooed, a former slave who came to the Rain Wilds seeking a better life.

MALTA KHUPRUS: The Elderling “queen,” resides in Trehaug. Married to Reyn Khuprus. Changed to an Elderling by the dragon Tintaglia (also appears in the Liveship Traders trilogy).

PARAGON: A liveship. Helped escort the sea serpents up the river to the cocooning grounds. Not completely stable (also appears in Mad Ship).

REYN KHUPRUS: Younger son of a powerful Rain Wild Trader family. Changed to an Elderling by the dragon Tintaglia. Married to Malta (also appears in the Liveship Traders trilogy).

SELDEN VESTRIT: A young Elderling; Malta’s brother and Althea’s nephew. Missing for some time after setting out on a mission to search for other surviving dragons (also appears in the Liveship Traders trilogy).

SINAD ARICH: Chalcedean merchant who strikes a deal with Leftrin, via blackmail.

THE CHALCEDEAN: Hest’s nemesis. A Chalcedean nobleman, willing to do anything to obtain dragon parts for the Duke.

TILLAMON: Sister to Reyn, heavily marked by the Rain Wilds. Older than Reyn; unwed and likely to remain so.