Prologue

A guide to pronunciation

In 'The Khartshma Legacy', there are some words that are hard to pronounce. I am not very good at phonetic spelling, so I'm going to improvise a bit. I hope this guide will make the story more enjoyable.

Khartshma
KHART-shma
The 'KH' is pronounced like the CH in CHUTZPAH. The SH is pronounced just as it is in English, MA is like one's mother is one's MA.

Hetsiuib
het-SEE-oo-ib
HET is like BET, OO, like in BOO, and IB like in BIB

Nefersekhemkhet
nef-er-SEC-hem-khet
SEC like in SECOND, the KH in KHET is the same as above. The ET in KHET is the same as in BET

Grimir
GRI-mear
Just like it is spelled

Yggdrasil
yig-DRA-zil
YIG sounds like GIG, DRA as in DRAW, ZIL sounds like pill

Ysdrad
YIZ-drod

Grinweir
GRIN-weer
WEER is like LEER

Niflheim
Nif-LE-heyem
The first two syllables sound like SNIFFLE. The EI in HEIM sounds like EYE

Muspelheim
mus-PEL-heyem
MUS as in MUST, PEL sounds like BELL, HEIM is as above

Alfheim
ALF-heyem
ALF like the TV character, HEIM as above

Dokalfar
DOCK-al-far
AL as in the boy's name

Liosalfar
lie-OS-al-far
OS like in GHOST

As more words come up, I'll expand the guide.

Prologue

1549 BC
The Aegean Sea
South of the Isle of Thera

It had seemed a good deal back in the safety of Tyre. Five thousand debens of gold and one thousand debens of jasper seemed a fair price, and then some, to transport a woman, her retainers, and twenty slaves to Thera. The crew had been reluctant to approach the cursed island, but the rich price had overcome their fear.

Now, as the sun began to set, and Thera at last came into view, the gold and gems began to look less appealing. Where there once had been a beautiful, green island with a thriving seaport, there was now a scarred and blackened rock about half as big. One year before, the volcano on Thera had erupted. No living thing had survived the wrath of whatever god the Therans had angered. The whole of the Aegean was devastated by the blast, including the isle of Crete, fifty miles away. A proud civilization was wrecked.

"Make for the eastern end of the island," the cloaked and hooded woman commanded. "Increase your speed, I wish to be ashore before sunset." She was a mystery to the crew she had hired. Her clothing was Hittite; the dagger she wore was Mycenaean, and her accent was vaguely Egyptian.

"We would need a stronger wind to reach the island by sunset, Noble One." The captain said respectfully. The woman turned to face the captain. He lowered his eyes in respect and fear.

"Then wind you shall have." The woman made a slight gesture with her right hand and a gale struck from the south without warning. One of the woman's Syrian retainers was taken by surprise and fell overboard. "Leave him!" the woman snarled, preempting any rescue attempt. "I must reach the island before sunset.

Khartshma gave no more thought to her drowning retainer than she would give to an old pair of sandals. Her three surviving retainers would be able to handle the slaves she had brought with her. The slaves themselves were the crucial component of her plan. She had carefully selected each one, and until she was through with them, she would let no harm befall them. Khartshma's plan would grant her great power, and revenge.

Khartshma was a mage and sorceress. She was a Hyksos, but she had traveled the known world in the search of knowledge. Khartshma had been away in the Indus valley when Ahmose had led an Egyptian rebellion against the Hyksos.

Ahmose won many victories and offered peace to the Hyksos. He promised to spare them and make no more war upon them, if they left Egypt. The Hyksos accepted his terms and left the land of the Nile for Canaan.

Chapter 1 »