House of Pounding Hearts

Contents Lucin Glossary Crow Glossary Historical Timeline Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Epilogue What to Read Next Read as I write… Acknowledgments Also by Olivia Wildenstein About the Author Lucin Glossary Altezza – Your Highness bibbina(o) – baby buondia – good day / good morning buonotte – goodnight buonsera – good evening Caldrone – Cauldron carina - sweetie castagnole – fried dough rolled in sugar corvo – crow cuggo – cousin cuori – heart dolcca – honey dolto/a – fool furia – fury generali – general Goccolina – Raindrop grazi – thank you -ina/o – affectionate ending to first names Maezza – Your Majesty mamma – mom mare – sea mareserpens – sea serpent merda – shit micaro/a – my dear mi cuori – my heart nonna – grandma nonno – grandpa pappa – dad pefavare – please picolino/a – little one piccolo – little princci/sa – prince / princess santo/a – holy scazzo/a – street urchin scusa – sorry serpens – serpent soldato/i – soldier/s tare – land tiuamo – I love you tiudevo – I owe you zia – aunt Crow Glossary adh (aw) – sky ah’khar (uh-kawr) – beloved ag – and álo – hello bahdéach (bahdock) – beautiful beinnfrhal (benfrol) – mountain berry behach (bey-ock) – little bilbh (beehlb) – dumb bìdh (bye) – food chréach (kreyock) – crow cúoco (coowocko) – coconut Dádhi (daji) – Dad dalich (daleh) – sorry dréasich (dreesseh) – dress éan (een) – bird fás – not yet fihladh (feelaw) – leave fìn (fion) – wine fios – know focá – fuck guhlaèr (guhlair) – okay ha – I ha’rovh béhya an ha théach’thu, ha’raì béih (haroff beya an ha thock thoo, haray beh) – I wasn’t living until I met you, merely alive. Ionnh (yon) – Miss ínon (eenon) – daughter khrá (kraw) – love leath’cinn (lehken) – half-Crow Mádhi (maji) – Mom mars’adh (marsaw) – please mo bahdéach moannan (mo badock meanan) – my beautiful mate moannan (monan) – mate Mórrgaht (mawr-got) – Your Majesty mo – my moath (mof) – north murgadh (murrgaw) – market né (neh) – no o ach thati – oh but you do ríkhda gos m’hádr og matáeich lé – much longer and I may kill him. rí (ree) – king rahnach (rawnock) – kingdom rih bi’adh (reebyaw) – King of the Sky sí (see) – she siorkahd (shuhrkaw) – circle siér (siuhr) – sister sé’bhédha (shehveha) – you’re welcome tà (taw) – yes tàin (tawhhn) – ass tach (tock) – the Tach ahd a’feithahm thu, mo Chréach (tok add a faytham thoo, mo kreyock) – The sky awaits you, my Crows. tapath (tapoff) – thank you thábhain (hawben) – tavern thu (too) – you thu leámsa (too leh-awmsa) – you are mine tuiladh (twilaw) – more uhlbheist (ulbeeheist) – monster Historical Timeline MAGNABELLUM Great War waged 522 years ago between the Kingdom of Luce and the Queendom of Shabbe. Costa Regio wins the war and becomes the first Fae King of Luce. * * * PRIMANIVI Battle waged 22 years ago between the Crows and the Fae. Costa’s son, Andrea, who has ruled over Luce for the last century, is killed. Although his death is attributed to the Crows, he was murdered by his own son, Marco. Marco threatens to kill humans to force Lore to surrender, thus winning the battle. He is crowned King of Luce. One “The captor became the captive. The gatherer, the gathered. The—” “Aren’t you being a tad dramatic, Picolina?” Phoebus flops down beside me in my Sky Kingdom cell. “Gods, this mattress.” “It’s too soft.” “No such thing as too soft. Unless we’re discussing penises.” “Which we’re not. We’re discussing the man-faced harpy who’s imprisoned me in his stone nest.” Phoebus flexes his lips into a smile. “Man-faced harpy. Cute.” “It’s not meant to be cute. It’s meant to be slanderous.” I glower at the ceiling that I’ve glowered at for the last three days. I’m surprised my incendiary gaze hasn’t transformed the wooden rafters to sawdust or pulverized the stone roof beyond. My friend’s smile only increases. “Although I’d love to discuss your sexy jailer, I’ve come on a mission.” “Horrible people aren’t sexy. As for your mission, if it’s to get me to come out of this room, my answer is a resounding no.” Phoebus stretches his ridiculously long limbs and yawns. “He takes all his meals in his private chambers, so you won’t cross paths with him in any of the taverns.” Of course, Lorcan Reebyaw doesn’t dine with his people. Kings never do. I still cannot believe I brought him back to life. Although I’m the maker of my own misfortune, I will never forgive Bronwen for misleading me with her stupid prophecy. Yes, I should probably have questioned it instead of jumping feetfirst into the mission like I jumped feetfirst into the canal the night Ptolemy Timeus threatened my serpent, Minimus. Any jumping I do from now on will be thoroughly thought-out. “Tell Syb and Gia to come over with a barrel of wine. Oh, and tell them to bring Antoni, Mattia, and Riccio.” “Not going to happen, sweets. I’m the only man allowed inside your bedchamber.” I fling my glower on Phoebus.