artists’ lofts, split equally between human and nonhuman creatives.
There’s more than one way to have your world destroyed, and you certainly don’t need to open a portal to the Infernal Region to create hell on earth. All it takes is for those who can make a difference to do nothing. And after all I and my family have gone through to protect these few city blocks, and all the blood that was shed to keep it and those who call it home safe, I’ll be damned if I’m going to stand by and let a bunch of greedy real estate developers do what hordes of demons could not.
“Sorry I missed the big unveiling,” Hexe said as he entered the courtyard. He was carrying our three- month-old son in a Snugli strapped to his chest and walking Beanie at the same time. “But someone needed a last-minute diaper change.”
“There’s my boys!” I laughed, kissing two and petting one. “So—is Operation: Date Night a go?”
“Ashley will be at the house by six o’clock to babysit,” Hexe replied. “I thought we would start off with drinks at the Calf, then cab over to Lorelei’s for dinner and a show, and then top it off by going dancing at the Golden Bough.”
“Sounds positively delightful!” I smiled. “What do
I keep thinking about what Mr. Manto said about it being the dawn of a new world. Sometimes I wish I could still turn to him for counsel, but he and Clarence live in Fiji now. Yeah, that’s right. Clarence and Mr. Manto are shacked up. Talk about a September-February romance. Clarence hired Chorea’s husband, Faro the Mover, to teleport them halfway around the world, so he didn’t worry about travel sickness. At least Clarence can finally strut his Hawaiian shirts. I still believe Mr. Manto’s prophecy was a true one. It’s already a new era for Golgotham now that it’s truly rid of the Maladanti once and for all and it’s elected its first non-Kymeran mayor, not to mention the emergence of a new class of human artisan-wizards such as myself and Bartho. And then there’s the small matter of the first half-human member of the Royal Family to take into account. Of course, change is never easy, and I don’t doubt there will be plenty of opposition from both Kymeran and human society. But all that truly matters to me is that the Golgotham that emerges will be better, not worse, than the one I have come to love.
And as for my son, Tymm, he may never be able to work magic the way his ancestors did—but that doesn’t matter to me or his father. That’s because we’re planning to raise him to be an artist, not a warlock.
My mother will be thrilled.
Golgotham Glossary
Abdabs: The frights/terrors; any number of creatures known for harassing/frightening humans. Used in Kymeran slang to connote annoyance, as in “Bloody abdabs!”
Ambi: Someone who practices both Right and Left Hand disciplines.
Artifex, pl. Artifices: A type of Kymeran wizard, usually found within the Crafter class, who specialized in the domestication and “sculpting” of the amoebalike symbiotic organism known as living glass. Most artifices died during the drowning of Kymera, along with the living glass they tended. The last known artifex was Lady Ursa, consort to Lord Arum, who managed to save the last sample of living glass in the world. There has not been another artifex born in ten thousand years.
Bastet: A shape-shifting race taking the form of different big cats, such as tiger, lion, and panther. Also known as the Children of Bast.
Berskir: A race of shape-shifters taking the form of various species of bear, such as grizzly, black bears, and polar bears.
Centauride: A female centaur; also known as a centauress.
Charmer: A wizard who creates charms for a living.
Chuff/Chuffing/Chuffed: Euphemism for sexual intercourse.
Come Hither: A spell that calls a man or woman against his or her will, often during sleep or in an altered state of consciousness. Because of this, the subjects of Come Hithers rarely have any memory of what happened to them once the spell is lifted. This spell is a favorite of date rapists and stalkers.
Client: Humans who pay to consult Kymeran witches and warlocks for any number of reasons.
Croggy: A subordinate or acolyte.
Crossed: Also known as cursed, afflicted, hexed, jinxed.
Dexter/Dexie: Someone who practices Right Hand magic, such as lifting curses and curing ailments. Right Hand magic is protective/defensive, as opposed to Left Hand magic, which is malicious/offensive.
Dowser: A psychic who specializes in finding lost things or locating fresh water.
Dunderwhelp: A stupid or unwanted child.
Dysmorphophilia: An inflicted preference for ugly sexual partners. A favorite curse among ex-wives whose former husbands have dumped them for a younger woman. Considered a nuisance curse.
Fecker: A contemptible person.
Glad Eye: The opposite of the Evil Eye. A charm that casts good fortune and success, especially in love and business.
Hamadryad: A shy, seldom-seen nature-spirit who lives inside one particular tree, such as an oak, birch, ash, or sycamore. Because of the urban nature of New York City, only a handful of hamadryads live in Golgotham.
Hamble: To cripple an animal, supernatural or not, by cutting out the balls of its feet for the purpose of fighting. This mutilation guarantees that the animal cannot physically back down from a fight because it lacks the ability to move backward without falling.
Hambler: One who specializes in crippling animals for the fighting pit.
Heavy Lifter: A well-regarded banisher; one who can lift malignant curses.
Hedger: Short for “hedgewitch” or “hedge doctor”; a wizard specializing in herbal treatments of various illnesses.
Huldra: Female member of the huldrefolk, one of the supernatural races living in Golgotham. They resemble beautiful young women, except for the cow tails growing from the base of their spines. The males of their kind, known as huldu, appear as handsome men, except for the tails of bulls growing from the base of their spines.
Inflicted: The state of having an illness or spate of misfortune supernatural in origin.
Inflictions: A number of spiteful/socially embarrassing medical illnesses and physical conditions that are the result of supernatural agents. These curses mimic genuine physical and mental illnesses, such as cancer or schizophrenia, and require a diagnosis by a Kymeran healer. If the illness is natural in origin, the client is referred to a doctor. Also referred to as afflictions.
Ipotane: One of the supernatural races found in Golgotham. Humans from the waist up, they are horses from the waist down. Unlike centaurs, they have only two legs. They are often mistaken for satyrs, much to their disgust.
Juggler: Someone who is known as a competent practitioner of both Right and Left Hand magic.
Lifter: A witch or warlock who specializes in lifting curses.
Ligature: Magical binding using knotted cords that prevents someone from physically doing something.
Maenads: One of the supernatural races living in Golgotham. Maenads are female followers of Dionysius, the Greek god of wine. They go into ecstatic frenzies during which they lose all self-control and engage in sexual orgies, ritualistically hunt down wild animals (and occasionally men and children), tear them to pieces, and devour the raw flesh.
Misanthrope: An antihuman bigot.
