The Cike
*Altan Trengsin: a Speerly, formerly the commander of the Cike
*Ramsa: a former prisoner at Baghra, munitions expert
*Baji: a shaman who calls on the Boar God
*Suni: a shaman who calls on the Monkey God
Chaghan Suren: a shaman of the Naimad clan and the twin brother of Qara
*Qara Suren: a sharpshooter, speaker to birds, and the twin sister of Chaghan
*Aratsha: a shaman who calls on a river god
*Deceased
Acknowledgments
Four years, three books, and countless memories. We started this journey when I was nineteen and now, at twenty-three, I can’t quite believe that we actually did it. Rin’s story, and this chapter of my publishing career, are finished. I’ve got a lot of people to thank for getting me here.
I’m so grateful to the team at Harper Voyager who’ve done such a fantastic job publishing these books—David Pomerico, Natasha Bardon, Mireya Chiriboga, Jack Renninson, Pamela Jaffee, and Angela Craft. Jung Shan Ink keeps dazzling me with the loveliest illustrations a writer could ask for. Hannah Bowman, the best and sharpest agent in the business, had faith in what this trilogy could be from the start, even when I didn’t. Havis Dawson, Joanne Fallert, and the rest of the team at Liza Dawson Associates have continued to bring my books to the rest of the world. Thank you all for seeing me through to the end.
To all my teachers, mentors, and professors: Jeanne Cavelos, Kij Johnson, Ken Liu, Fonda Lee, Mary Robinette Kowal, Adam Mortara, Howard Spendelow, Carol Benedict, John McNeill, James Millward, Hans van de Ven, Heather Inwood, and Aaron Timmons—thank you for guiding me to become a person who can, in the way I think, write, and treat others, be a little bit more like you.
To friends and family who helped me feel like a real human being and encouraged me to keep writing until the very last page: Mom, Dad, James, Grace, Jack-Jack, Tiffany, Ben, Christine, Chris, Coco, Farah, Josh, Linden, and Pablo—thank you for your constant love and support.
To the Marshfam and beyond: Joani, Martin, Kobi, Kevin, Nancy, Katie, Aksha, Sarah, Julius, Taylor, Noam, Ben, Rhea, and David—thank you for lighting up my life, and for giving me two years in England full of laughter, home-cooked creations, and board games.
To Magdalene College, Cambridge, and University College, Oxford: thank you for being such magical places to write, and places I was lucky to call home.
To the Vaults & Garden Café: more characters were killed under your roof than you will ever know. Thanks for the scones.
And to Bennett, who’s been on this ride from the start: I can’t wait to see where we go next, together.