Letters from 12-Down

Usage examples of xis.

Palace of Seclusion and run in terror of death through the dark streets of Great Xis, every moment of this day would still be alive inside her a day that had begun like many others, with her friend Duny poking her out of bed in the darkness before sunrise.

The might of the Autarch, the god-king of Xis on the southern continent, is growing.

He understands that we all have a common enemy, and thus should be seeking ways to draw our two countries together as twin bulwarks against the threat of the greedy lord of Xis, rather than squabbling over reparations.

Twelve to fifteen steps at most, depending on how quickly the leading girl was marching, but it was the only chance Qinnitan had to see below her the magnificent city of Great Xis, a city in which she had once, if not exactly run free, at least lived at street level, among people that spoke in normal tones of voice In the Hive scarcely anyone ever spoke above a whisperalthough sometimes the whispers could be as intrusive as shouts.

Great Xis itself, and Qinnitan one of so many hundreds of Hive Sister acolytes that it was doubtful even the priestess in charge of her living quarters knew more than a few of their names.

One of Qinnitans aunts had told her that Xis was so big that a bird could live its entire life while flying from one side of the city to the other, perching along the way to sleep, eat, and perhaps even start a family.

Orchard Palace, just as the palace itself took up a large portion of Great Xis, Mother of Cities In truth, the Seclusions share was proportionately larger than other sections of the ancient and monstrous sprawl of buildings formally known as Palace of the Flowering Spring Orchard, because those who lived and worked in other parts of the great palace could share gardens and dining halls and kitchens, but the Seclusion must be kept separate and protected, and so each function had to be carefully reproduced within its walls and staffed only with women or Favored.

Because of the famous sacrifice of Habbili, son of Nushash, Xis had always been a kingdom in which the castrated were held in some esteem it was almost as established a route to the corridors of power as the priesthood In fact, the Favored ruled not just the Seclusion, but many of the bureaucracies of the Orchard Palace, so that the more daring soldiers of the autarchs army sometimes sourly jokedin private, of coursethat real men werent wanted in most of the palace, and would only be welcomed in the one place they were absolutely barred, the Seclusion.

Nakedness itself did not bother her, even that of a grown man she had often seen her father and brothers bathe themselves, and the people of Great Xis did not wear much even when they were walking in the crowded, sun-blasted streetsand the autarchs golden-brown limbs although long and thin were by no means ugly.

But you did not know that his family was one of the first to welcome the Autarch into Ulos, the first conquest of Xis in our lands of Eion.

All the continent of Xand above the great White Desert has fallen under the sway of Xis, and while his father and grandfather were content merely to conquer and exact tribute, this newest Autarch is not a gentle ruler to these subjects.

He was born Sulepis, third youngest of twenty-six brothers in the royal family of Xisa nest of vipers that became legendary even in troubled Xis, which has never had any shortage of savagery and murder among its ruling clans.

He was a mute slave taken in one of the wars of Xis, an infant at his capture, perhaps.

And just as the son of the great god went down from the mountains and his enemies and onto the boat that brought him wounded to Xis so we will sail to freedom.

One of the other brides, youngest daughter of the king of some tiny desert land on the southern edge of Xis, had loaned her a beautifully illustrated book of poetry by the famous Bazu Jev Qinnitan had read some of it and enjoyed it very muchhis descriptions of sheepherders in the and mountains who lived so close to the sky they called themselves Cloud People spoke of a freedom and simplicity that seemed achingly attractive to her.