“Why, sir?” asked Isande, which was evidently the desired question.
“Because Chimele has determined a vaikkaupon Tashavodhthat the Orithanhe and its ban cannot deny her.” The iduve grinned despite himself. “Kharxanen’s m’melakhiafor a bond with the dynasty of Ashanomeis of long standing—indeed, the origin of all these matters. It will go frustrated. The Orithanhe itself has compelled Kharxanen and Tejef to deny they are srato each other; so Kharxanen cannot claim any bond at all when Chimele chooses Tejef for the kataberiheof Ashanome.Purifications will begin. One child will there be; and then this nasTejef will have a ship and as many of the okkitani-asand kamethi as Chimele chooses to send with him.”
“She is creating a vra-nasul?” asked Isande, amazed. “After all the grief he has caused?” Resentment flared in her, stifled by Daniel’s gladness; and Aiela fended one from the other.
“They are takkhe,” said Rakhi. “ M’metane,I know your minds somewhat. You have long memories for anger. But we are not a spiteful folk; we fight no wars. Chimele has taken vaikka,for his sraas a vra-nasulwill serve Ashanomeforever; but the srashe will take from him under her own name as her heir will forever be greater than the dynasty he will found. Vra-nasulin mating can put no bond on orith-nasul.So Tejef will make submission and both will keep their honor. It is a reasonable solution—one of your own working, m’metanei.So I advise you keep secret that small vaikkaof yours lest Chimele be compelled to notice it. She is amused by your chanokhia:she has struggled greatly to attain that attitude—for if you know us, you know that we are frequently of a loss to determine any rationality for your behavior. We make an effort. We have acquired the wisdom to observe and wait upon what we do not understand: it is an antidote for the discord of impulses which govern our various species. I recommend the practice to you too, kamethi.”
And with a nod of his head he went his way, mounted into the lift, and vanished from sight.
Aiela,came Isande’s thought, Chimele sent him.
We have been honored,he replied, and expected argument from Daniel.
But Daniel’s consciousness when it returned to them dismissed all thoughts but his own for the moment, for he had suddenly recognized across the concourse a human child and a red-haired woman.
He began, quickly, to thread his way through the traffic; his asuthi in this moment gave him his privacy.
Glossary of Foreign Terms
I
THE KALLIRAN LANGUAGE: like human speech in its division of noun and verb concepts. There is, however, a fossilized Ethical from the time of the Orithain Domination. Although the Ethical corresponds to the Verb of Orithain speech, it has been made an Adjective in the kalliran language.
II
THE IDUVE LANGUAGE: differs from both kalliran and human speech to such a degree that translation cannot be made literally if it is to be understandable. Paraphrase is the best that can be done.
First, there is no clear distinction between the concepts of noun and verb, between solid and action. Reality consists instead of the situational combination of Tangibles and Ethicals; but an Ethical may be converted to a Tangible and vice versa. Most ideas are grammatically complete in two words: an Ethical is affixed to the Tangible. Meanings may be altered or augmented by Prefix, Infix, or Suffix upon either Ethical or Tangible. The nature of these added particles may be: Negative, Intensitive, Honorific, Hypothetical, Interrogative, Imperative, Directional, Futuritive or Historical, Relational or Descriptive.
Second: the language has only scant designation of gender. It is impossible to distinguish sex save by adding the male Honorific -tojor the female Honorific -takto the word in question. Concepts which would seem to make gender distinction inevitable (man, woman, mother, father, brother, sister, husband, wife) exist only as artificial constructs in the iduve language.
In the pronunciations given below, an asterisk (*) indicates a guttural sibilant produced by -kk or -kh-: a throat-sounded hiss resembling a soft kh.
III
THE AMAUT LANGUAGE: similar to kalliran speech in structure, with many kalliran words appropriated into the language, and showing much tendency to imitate the elaborate politeness styles of the iduve. The alphabet is native, but literature as such dates from first contact with the iduve.
DAW Titles by
C.J. CHERRYH
THE FOREIGNER UNIVERSE
FOREIGNER
INVADER
INHERITOR
PRECURSOR
DEFENDER
EXPLORER
THE ALLIANCE-UNION UNIVERSE
DOWNBELOW STATION
MERCHANTER’S LUCK
FORTY THOUSAND IN GEHENNA
SERPENT’S REACH
BROTHERS OF EARTH
HUNTER OF WORLDS
THE FADED SUN Omnibus:
Kesrith| Shon’jir| Kutath
The Chanur Novels
THE CHANUR SAGA Omnibus:
The Pride Of Chanur| Chanur’s Venture| The Kif Strike Back
CHANUR’S HOMECOMING
CHANUR’S LEGACY
THE MORGAINE CYCLE
THE MORGAINE SAGA Omnibus:
Gate of Ivrel| Well of Shiuan| Fires of Azeroth
EXILE’S GATE
OTHER WORKS:
THE DREAMING TREE Omnibus:
The Tree of Swords and Jewels| The Dreamstone
ALTERNATE REALITIES Omnibus:
Port Eternity| Wave Without a Shore| Voyager in Night
ANGEL WITH THE SWORD
CUCKOO’S EGG
VISIBLE LIGHT
SUNFALL