The Flood Dragon's Sacrifice Read online

  Inari, the rice goddess

  Honou, Sakami’s fox-familiar

  Kurika, a fire god

  Prince Shiohiru, the White Tide Dragon of Ebb

  Prince Shiomitsu, the Blue Tide Dragon of Flood

  TIDE DRAGONS

  GLOSSARY

  adzuki

  red, sweet beans

  biwa

  short-necked four-stringed lute, often used to accompany narrative songs

  dojo

  a place where training in martial arts takes place

  hakama

  traditional garment worn by men (and miko)

  itadori

  knotweed, used to make a healing infusion

  jutsu

  technique, skill, or spell

  kami

  deity or spirit

  katana

  sword with a slender, curved blade

  kekkai

  invisible shield or barrier

  kunai

  sharp, leaf-bladed tool often used as a knife by shinobi

  maku

  curtained enclosure to mark a military field headquarters

  menko

  card game

  miko

  female shrine attendant

  naginata

  weapon similar to a glaive: a wooden pole with a curved blade on the end, traditionally wielded by warrior monks

  obi

  sash worn over a kimono worn by a man or woman

  onmyōdō

  yin and yang magic

  onmyōji

  a specialist in magic and divination (a wielder of onmyōdō)

  sake

  fermented alcohol made from rice

  sekihan

  red rice; rice boiled with adzuki beans and served at celebrations

  seppuku

  ritual suicide

  shakuhachi

  bamboo end-blown flute, traditionally tuned to the pentatonic minor scale

  shikigami

  spirit conjured and controlled by an onmyōji (sometimes with paper charms)

  shinobi

  another term for a ninja, or covert agent engaged in espionage

  shō

  wind instrument made of bamboo pipes

  shuriken

  metal throwing star, a weapon used by shinobi

  tanuki

  raccoon

  torii

  gateway to a shrine (the boundary between the mortal world and the world of spirits)

  tsubaki mochi

  camellia rice cake

  wagashi

  traditional sweet served with tea

  yamabushi

  mountain holy man

  yōkai

  supernatural creature, ghost, or monster (not necessarily evil or ugly)

  yukata

  light, informal summer kimono, worn by both men and women

  HONORIFICS

  -chan

  affectionate term used toward children, girls, close friends, and family

  -kun

  address used when speaking to a younger boy or man

  -sama

  term of respect

  -sensei

  title and honorific, used for anyone expert in a certain field (i.e. medicine, teaching, etc.)

  Acknowledgments

  My thanks to:

  Nancy Webber, my wonderful and inspiring editor

  Marcelle Natisin, my talented cover and frontispiece artist

  Ladonrick Powell, for the cover lettering

  John Richard Parker, my agent for many years

  Diana Horner, Heather Debling, and all at eBookPartnership

  My husband Michael

  Also by Sarah Ash

  www.sarah-ash.com

  Moths to a Flame

  Songspinners

  The Lost Child

  The Tears of Artamon Trilogy

  1/ Lord of Snow and Shadows

  2/Prisoner of the Iron Tower

  3/Children of the Serpent Gate

  Alchymist’s Legacy

  1/ Tracing the Shadow

  2/Flight into Darkness