YEAR 4373: The Vath are now entrenched on the coastline, mass starvation and famine are rampant throughout the planet, and the planet is under imperial blockade.

YEAR 4374: A peace treaty is signed between Queen Najat and Emperor Mathis. They are married and the blockade is lifted. Maram and Amani are conceived this year. Idris is two years old.

YEAR 4380: The Bani Salihi, Wattasis, key members of the Banu Ziyad, the Masmuda, and others withdraw from the capital and assemble forces against the Vath. (Maram and Amani are five, Idris is seven.)

YEAR 4381: The loyalist forces begin negotiations. Najat dies suddenly. Itou is expelled from the Ziyaana to Gibra after a coup is attempted by Furat’s family. They are all put to the sword. (Maram and Amani are six, Idris is eight.)

YEAR 4384: Loyalists surrender.

YEAR 4385: Many of the loyalist elders and supporters are executed without warning, including the leading members of the Bani Salih, what remain of the Wattasis, and the dissidents among the Banu Ziyad. (Maram and Amani are eight, Idris is ten.)

YEAR 4393: Amani is kidnapped to the Ziyaana. Our story begins.

KEY TERMS

Cagir: a term that denotes common or low status among the Vath as part of the last name; always precedes the person’s father’s name.

Daan: tattoos signifying lineage and faith, a practice common among the tribal confederations of the main continent. Largely outlawed among the makhzen.

Dihya: the god of the majority religion on Andala, most commonly practiced by the aforementioned ethnic groups.

Makhzen: the upper echelons of indigenous Andalaan nobility, largely absorbed into the Vathek imperial structure. Many of the makhzen coming of age now were hostages of the Vathek regime in the early days of its rule and expected to be loyal servants of the state.

Tesleet: a holy bird and the servant and messenger of Dihya. Long thought extinct.

Vak: a term that denotes high and pureblooded status among the Vath as part of the last name; always precedes the person’s father’s name.

Ziyaana: the imperial palace in the capital city of Andala.

Also by Somaiya Daud

ALSO BY SOMAIYA DAUD

mirage

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SOMAIYA DAUD is the author of Mirage and a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Washington. A former bookseller in the children’s department at Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C., Somaiya is passionate about Arabic poetry and the cosmos. You can sign up for email updates here.

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