the one law: The rule that the human population of the First Emanation must not be allowed to discover the existence of the Second Emanation. Agreed upon in 1956 by a gathering of the major powers, the one law prompted the development of Nolanders as quasi-police forces to help keep the secret under wraps.

Pete’s Eats: A coffee shop in Dorf.

power: An essence-worker with sufficient capacity to open a strait between the Emanations. The strongest of powers are known as “great powers.” Powers are born among all species of plants and animals, not just humans.

quirk: A derogatory name for a gift that strikes people as silly, useless, or weird.

Rib Mountain: A four-mile-long quartzite ridge southwest of Wausau, Wisconsin.

Second: A person, animal, or other entity native to the Second Emanation.

the Second Emanation: A multi-layered parallel world, connected to the familiar world by passageways called straits. The Second Emanation (Nolanders tend to call it the “S-Em”) was created over eons by makers of many different species. A particular maker’s creation is known as a “stratum.” Strata are connected to one another by ligatures.

seeing through: The moment when a person who can work essence first becomes sensitive to workings and that person’s continued ability to perceive them. Seeing through half-workings means recognizing the reality beneath a disguise. Seeing through full workings means recognizing that a working is present. Seeing through marks entry into the first caste. The weakest workers — individuals such as Madisyn Ryder — will never do more than see through. Workers usually see through when about two-thirds of their total capacity has developed. Thus, the later a worker sees through, the more powerful they will be.

the silence: A mysterious space Ghosteater can visit. He usually keeps his feet there.

stipend: Cordus pays Beth Ryder the basic Nolander salary of $32,000 per annum, from which monthly room and board of $2,000 is deducted. As one of the more powerful members of his organization, she could receive much more, but she would have to ask for it, which she has chosen not to do.

strait: A passageway connecting a place in one Emanation to a place in the other. The natural state of a strait is to be closed, and it takes a great deal of power to open one up. Most straits connect two fixed places. A few are only fixed on one end and are able to connect to several different locations on the other; the strait Limu opened to send the green man to Dorf was an example of this second kind.

stratum: A discrete portion of the Second Emanation (the plural is “strata”). Strata have been created since the earliest life arose on Earth. Many strata are not conducive to human existence. Most preserve landmasses and geological features that no longer exist in the First Emanation. Countless species no longer extant on Earth persist in various strata of the S-Em.

Suzanne Dreisbach: Beth Ryder’s next-door neighbor in Dorf, Wisconsin.