Winter's Orphans
Elaine Corvidae
NovelBooks, 10/2001
ISBN: 1931696934
At the dawn of the Industrial Age, the kingdom of Niune is ruled by the Seelie
Court--half-human faelings descended from seelie fae.
Sworn to the forces of light, the
Seelie Court is dedicated to the destruction of all who bear the taint of unseelie fae blood.
And for one young mill-worker in the process of discovering her dark heritage, the struggle
to make a living is about to become the struggle simply to survive.
Winter's Orphans
Dramatis Personae
Mina Cole: Mina is a factory slave--an indentured worker who wears an iron
collar as proof of her servitude. The illegitimate daughter of a prostitute, Mina was
raised in an orphanage that now holds her Contract of Indenture. Now, at age
twenty-four, Mina is an angry, bitter young woman. Her daylight hours consist of
grueling 12-hour shifts in a textile mill, while her evenings are consumed with drink.
As far as she can tell, there is no reason to believe that her life will ever be any
different--until the day when she discovers the frightening power within herself.
Physical description: Due to poor nutrition, Mina is short and thin, with little in the way of breasts and
hips. Her pale blonde hair is cut short and spiky, and contrasts sharply with her black eyebrows and
dark eyes. Her face is sharp and pointy, and perhaps just a little inhuman. She dresses in a man's shirt,
suspenders, and trousers, and sometimes wears a bowler hat.
Duncan RiDahn: Thirty-five years ago, Duncan lost the use of his legs during a
battle with the Seelie Court, and has been confined to a wheelchair ever since. His
lover, Aerin, died in the same conflict, and Duncan has lived haunted by guilt over
her death. In an attempt to atone for his mistakes, he has devoted his life to teaching
other unseelie faelings how to avoid detection by the Court.
Physical description: Were he not confined to the chair, Duncan would be very tall. His upper torso is
muscular from using his arms to get around, but his legs have wasted away into skeletal thinness.
Duncan wears his hair long, and its brown is becoming more and more heavily streaked with gray with
every passing year. He also wears earrings and spectacles.
Bryan Shopper is Duncan's sidekick. When Bryan's faeling father died before fully
explaining their heritage to his son, Duncan took Bryan on as a student. Although
Duncan often seems cross with Bryan--and Bryan appears to ignore Duncan's
snappishness--they in fact have a deep friendship and respect for one another.
Abigail Newsfarne, aka Abby, is Mina's friend, roommate, and fellow factory
slave.
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