Tempt the Devil (The Devil of Ponong series #3) (36 page)

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard.
His back pushed against the wall as she tugged at his buttons.

“You like my idea, I take it.”

He didn’t want to let her go when she backed out of his
arms until he saw the glint in her eye. She unbuttoned her blouse and dropped
it on the floor. Her sarong left an undulating trail across the floor as she
unwound it. He followed the green and gold silk path to her.

He covered her mouth with his. She pushed his jacket from
his shoulders as he pulled off his boots.

“It will take a while for my plan to work. As soon as it
does, I’m coming after you. Leave a trail of crumbs for me to follow.”

“We’ll make it a game.”

“Don’t you always?”

“You like that. How about if I–” she purred as she
caressed him.

He wrapped his arms around her and rolled them over. His
hands slid to her thighs. “But first…”

QuiTai’s contented sigh was all the encouragement he
needed.

Kyam knew
before
he opened his eyes that she was gone. Still, he slowed his breath
and listened carefully. He could have jumped out of the bed, thrown on his clothes,
and dashed about calling her name, but he knew it wouldn’t do any good.

His arm stretched across the sheets. There was no
lingering warmth. She’d been gone a while.

Was she the type to leave a note? Probably not. But she’d
promised to leave behind a trail. It might take him months to figure out what
it was, but he had time. He had to make his escape. There was a lot of work
ahead of him, and he had to be smart about it.

He dressed slowly as he moved around the house. Nothing
looked like a clue left by her. He’d have to stay alert so he’d recognize a
trail when he saw it.

LiHoun was
squatting by the moon gate when he stepped outside. Kyam helped the old cat man
slide the timber grass bridge across the chasm to the road.

He wasn’t
given a blindfold for the hike back to town. That made it official. She’d never
return to that house again.

Kyam and
LiHoun crossed the Jupoli Gorge Bridge together, but LiHoun stopped at the
crumbling apartments at the outer edge of Levapur.

“She says, ‘You have a trial to plan, Governor.’” LiHoun
laughed, showing teeth like the monolith stones in the harbor – singular
and crooked. “You’re going to be a pariah in this town if you give a Ponongese
a fair trial.”

Kyam nodded. “That’s the plan, uncle. May your rice bowl
always be full.” He bowed then headed downslope, hands in his pockets,
shoulders square. Grandfather was going to howl. So were a lot of people. The
corner of his mouth curved into a sardonic smile. This was going to be fun.

<<<<>>>>

The next section is an extensive glossary of names
and terms from the entire
Devil of Ponong
series. We hope you
enjoy browsing through it.

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Tempt the Devil
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Foreign Words,
Terms, and Cultural Notes

ahmni
–
Ponongese word for Mama.

ambrosia fruit
– Thampurian. Honey-scented with a pink interior. They are bitter and
woody unless eaten at the peak of ripeness.

ambush spiders
– Spiders that weave a web between their longer legs. When prey come by
their hiding place, they leap out and ‘throw’ the web over the victim and then
drag it in.

anmau
– Thampurian. A liver-eating demon that punishes the wicked.

anoin
(
seeds
) – Ponongese. Fragrant
seeds used to flavor dishes.

articles of
transport
– Permission to leave/enter a country.

auntie / uncle
– Ponongese. A term of respect, showing deference to their experience or
skill. May be used to address someone younger. Not necessarily a relative.

biolock
– A lock theoretically keyed to only one person. When the fingertips come
in contact with the copper plate, a slight electrical charge unique to that
person unlocks the device.

black lotus
– Black tar made from fermented, roasted roots.
It is usually smoked (
taking the vapors
),
but it can be ingested in other ways. Medicinally, its primary use is to
relieve pain, although its use is punishable by death in most countries on the
continent to because of its highly addictive qualities. Recreational users seek
the dream state it induces.

compound
– A walled area around a family home. Wealthier families often have
several houses around an inner courtyard, which are used by different
generations or branches of the family. In Levapur, the kitchen is never in the
same building as the living quarters; but in Thampur, it is.

conduit
– A person who shares his or her visions with the Qui while under the
influence of red tar or black lotus.

cutting
a fine burial cloth
– Thampurian. Praising the dead in such a way
that the truth is completely ignored.

Day of the Spirits
– The most holy day for the Ponongese,
when the clans gather to remember and honor their dead.

dirt
Thampurian
– The lowest castes, including butchers, tanners, and
morticians, as well as addicts or anyone who has been shunned by their family.

downslope
– Toward the ocean/downhill.

dreamers
– Users of black lotus.

ear poison
– Words that seep into your brain and eat at your soul.

fantasies
– Scale working models of mechanical devices, used for education or to
entice investors to a project. The term can also be used for a full-sized piece
of technology that is small enough for a person to pick up and use. As most of
these are created by Ingosolians, they are usually works of art in and of
themselves.

farwriter
– Thampurian. A radio that conveys typed messages to a receiver tuned to
the same frequency.

feeling
your rum
 
– A Thampurian
saying. Disgracefully drunk, as a Thampurian would never stoop to drinking rum.

festoon gates
– The highly decorated columns and archway separating the outer courtyard
of a Thampurian family compound from the inner courtyard.

Flying Dragon
– The oldest
junk in the Zul fleet.

Full Moon Massacre, the
– The night Petrof and his werewolves
killed and ate the members of the Qui clan living in Levapur, all except QuiTai
who survived by a quirk of fate. In retaliation, she paralyzed the werewolves
she was told were responsible for the deaths of her daughter, mother, aunt, and
father (among others) and left them in the town square for the mob to rip into
pieces while they were still alive. Petrof was paid to slaughter the Qui by
Cuulon and Turyat, on the orders of their Ravidian masters.

funiculars
– There are four funiculars on Ponong. The main one runs from the harbor
to Levapur. The other three are on the other side of the Jupoli Gorge, where
the mountainside aqua plantations took over the Ponongese agricultural terraces
carved into the mountains.

Golden Barracuda
– Under
command of Hadre Zul, this prototype junk can sail by wind or engine power. It
also had a rudimentary navigational computer.

grandmother/grandfather
– Elderly person or someone you greatly admire.

green jellyfish
(
medusazoa
) – Ponong.
Freshwater jellyfish that feed off the algae that grow in their bodies in a
symbiotic relationship. The algae, not the jellyfish, are bioluminescent, and
emit a greenish light much fainter than the white light jellies. However,
because their food source is incorporated into their bodies, they survive much
longer in jellylanterns than do the white light jellies that must have an
outside food source.

gregru
– Ponong. Jungle birds known for their lavish nests that the males
decorate with shells, rocks, and anything they can steal from another male’s
nest. They will fight to the death over a shiny bit of decoration.

hitouh
root
– Ponongese. Used to bring down fevers.

huwewe
– Ponongese. Fruit with spikes. Only the gelatinous pulp surrounding the
seeds is edible.

in dream
– Under the influence of black lotus.

jellylantern
– A sealed glass tube filled with live bioluminescent jellyfish. Used for
lighting. The ones that glow green only thrive on the island of Ponong in fresh
water pools and live off the algae in their bodies as a symbiotic relationship.
White light jellyfish must have salt water and eat fish, so they don’t live
nearly as long, but the light they give off is stronger.

jikal
root
– Ponongese. A starchy, purple root roasted and then pounded to
the consistency of mashed potatoes.
 
The dried buds are used in medicinal teas and are said to strengthen the
blood.

juam
nut
(
oil
) – Li. Juam nuts
are a source of oil used in spirit lamps and engines as well as for cooking.
The trees only grow on the Li Islands.

juikoo
– Ponongese. A succulent plant. The interior of the leaves is used in
medicines and as a topical ointment for burns or abraded skin.

jungle fowl
– Ponong. Gold, blue, and red pheasants

Kinertate
(
the Saga of
) – a
traditional Ingosolian pantomime. It was made into one of their first motion
pictures.

krith amaci
–
Ingosolian. Lover, but literally, ‘tasty snack.’

kur
– Ponongese. A widely used drug that temporarily invigorates the user.
Most often smoked.

kuriwei
–
Ponong. Colorful fish about the length of an adult’s hand. Reef dwellers.

little sister
– Ponongese. Someone younger or less of an expert. Can be an insult, but
can also be used to tease someone.

maishun
– Ponongese. Shy jungle spirits that take the form of people. They
usually flee when seen. They’re said to be the gardeners of the jungle.

moon
mad
– The state of a Rujick feeling the effects of the moon.
Figuratively, anyone who is uncontrollably violent.

night
spirit moths
– Ponong. Small white moths that live around banana
trees. Thought to be another form the maishun spirits take.

Oin
Affair, the
– Under orders from his grandfather, Theram Zul, Kyam Zul
leaked information about a top secret mission he was on for His Majesty’s
Intelligence Service while he was an officer. Theram Zul profited from the
inside information. There was an investigation and Kyam was found guilty, but
his superiors were willing to overlook it since the secret never went beyond
his grandfather. Theram Zul, however, demanded that his grandson be exiled to
Ponong in disgrace.

pillow
sister/brother
– A lover who is also your best friend.

pui
– Ponongese. Money, coins.

queltumonz
–
Ingosolian. A passionate affair
that burns out quickly due to its intensity.

red
tar
– The poisonous psychoactive drug used by the Qui clan to evoke
the Oracle.

rice-and-eggs
– Thampurian, but common across the continent and in Ponong. Comfort food
made from leftover rice and any meat or vegetables on hand. Scrambled with eggs
and fried in juam nut oil quickly over high heat.

ring-tailed lizards
– Ponong. Large lizards with banded black
and green tails several feet long.

sea
wasps
– Te’Am Ocean. Jellyfish with extremely painful, often lethal,
stings.

smoke wraith
– Several countries. City spirits related to
maishun spirits, but not as shy, and not as kind.

surkraim
– Thampurian. A vengeful spirit that appears as a drowned woman. If she
catches you in the water in your human form, she will drag you under the
surface and drown you too.

sweet seed oil
– Ponongese. Oil derived from
anoin seeds
.