INCARNATE | Book 3 of the Spirits' War Trilogy [excerpt]

PRONUNCIATION & CHARACTERS

Soundtrack: Darkest Part by Red

***

A directory of the various spirits – some you have encountered and some you have yet to meet – is provided at the end of this book for your reference.

You are welcome to say these words however you wish, but for those who'd like to learn some languages from around the world, here are a few pronunciations and translations:

***

Lìog Airgid – LEEG aTAIR-gitch (Scottish Gaelic for 'silver league')

Mac Tíre – MOKH CHEED-uh (Irish Gaelic for 'wolf'; literally 'son of the land')

Nwyfre – NOO-iv-ruh (Welsh for 'sky'; a Druidic concept referring to a person's life and consciousness; 'life force'. Nwyfre's physical representation is the red dragon on the Welsh flag)

teine – CHIH-nuh (Scottish Gaelic for 'fire')

adhair – EYE-er (Scottish Gaelic for 'air'; pronounced 'ire'). Also the name of Aelshen's sword.

uisge – USH-ka (Scottish Gaelic for 'water')

talamh – TAL-uv (Scottish Gaelic for 'earth')

spiorad – SPID-ud (Scottish Gaelic for 'spirit')

dealanaich – JA-lan-eekh (Scottish Gaelic for 'lightning')

sgrios – SKDISS (Scottish Gaelic for 'destroy')

Mo chreach – MAW HD-akh (Scottish Gaelic exclamation meaning 'goodness' or 'alas'; literally 'my ruin')

Tha cuimhne agam – HA KOOEY-nuh AK-am (Scottish Gaelic for 'I remember')

ddraig – THRA-eeg (Welsh for 'dragon'). Plural ddreigiau (THRA-eeg-eeAI). Y Ddraig Goch – The Red Dragon (of Wales)

Posta Breve – POST-a bDEV-ay (Italian for 'short guard'; breve = short)

Serpiente — SER-pee-EN-tay (Spanish for 'snake' or 'serpent'); plural Serpientes (SER-pee-EN-tes)

Apu — AH-pooh (Quechua for 'superior'); Peruvian mountain spirits; plural apukuna (AH-pooh-KOO-na)

khunpa — KOON-pa (Quechua for 'friend')

Uturunku — OOH-too-ROON-koo (Quechua for 'jaguar'); a mountain in the Andes range in Peru

Yacumama — YAK-ooh-MAMA (Quechua for 'Mother of the Water')

shén — shun (Mandarin Chinese for 'god/deity/spirit'; same whether singular or plural)

Zhōng Yīn Shēn – JONG yin SHUN (Chinese for "intermediate yinbody"; refers to a spirit in a transition state between death and , which generally lasts 49 days; derived from )

***

Skye Matthews

Image: Karen Gillan