Glossary for 7^th of 12 book series – Some of the people, foods, places and things  mentioned in this glossary will be found in other books in the series. Some will not. Some are merely mentioned in passing and have no important part in story, however, I included all characters, including animals, into this glossary. Some will go on to be important in future books, but since they aren’t yet, they’ve been listed in the minor category column.

Characters:

Main Characters:

Angus McAllister – Fiona’s Uncle – her father’s older brother – age 50, lives in Inveralba. Light brown hair with gray, blue eyes. Lives in a croft and has lots of cats.

Callum McAllister – 10 years old, brown eyes, dark brown hair, cousin to Fiona and Elspet

Elspet McAllister – 10 years old, reddish hair and blue eyes, cousin to Fiona and Callum, artistic, draws

Fiona Isabella McAllister – 11 years old, blonde hair, green eyes, lives in Inveralba and is a descendant of King Kegan and King Dugan.

Mairi Anna Ferguson McAllister – Fiona’s mum, makes honey from heather and bluebell and thistle.  Sells it in the shops to tourists and also sends it off to Edinburgh and Glasgow. She also is a good cook and works part time at McKenzie’s bakery in town.  Age 35, brown hair and fern green eyes

Drayton Steele – Descendant of King Dugan and Princess Isabella and owner of the necklace stolen from King Kegan – Age 19. Son of Shardow Steele and Penelope McAllister.

Jack Thomson/ Artur - Pearl – Pretending to be a brother of Johnny. He is actually Artur, one of King Kegan’s 12 men and hid the 3^rd jewel, the pearl, in Seychelles. He is from Arabia with dark hair and eyes, about 32 years old.

Jared Thomson/Chessa – Amber – One of the 12 men, who hid the 7^th stone, amber, in Mexico. From Burell in Arabia, with dark brown hair, Oriental looking dark brown eyes. He is 28 years old.

Jason Thomson/Buntabi – Ruby – One of the 12 men, who hid the 6^th stone, the ruby, in Jordan. From Burell in Arabia, with African heritage, so he has short, curly black hair, brown eyes, and dark brown skin. He is 31 years old.

Jeffrey Thomson/ Kitar -  Emerald – One of the 12 men, who hid the 4^th stone, the emerald, in Yukon. From Burell in Arabia, but with Germanic descent, so has blond hair and blue eyes. His mother was Arabic, but his father was of Germanic blood who came to that land. He is 39, the oldest of the 12 men.

Jesse Thomson/ Pond - Spinel -  One of the 12 men, who hid the 2^nd jewel, spinel in Iceland. From Burell in Arabia so he has dark hair and brown eyes. His is 27 years old

Jimmy Thomson/Cowan – Black Obsidian -Pretending to be the brother of Johnny. Is actually Cowan, one of King Kegan’s 12 most trusted me and he hid the 1^st jewel in Hydra, Greece. He is from Arabia – so he has dark hair and eyes.

Johnny Thomson/ Alroy Cathmore - Posing as a tourist from London, come to Inveralba to fish and hunt – Age 37 – He has light brown hair and brown eyes – his ancestry is Persian. King Kegan’s scribe and author of the book the children found.

Julian Thomson/ Edwi – Topaz – Hid the jewel in Tasmania, one of the 12 men who hid the 5^th stone, Topaz– has black hair and dark brown eyes and is 28 years old

Minor Characters:

Abindah – 6 year old son of Lephimah, in training to become a wizard

Agnes - A waitress from the café just outside of Inveralba

Aluxob- The little people of the Yucatan -- with a pronounced fondness for honey liquor, along with their atole. (In this respect they are very much like their cousins, the leprechauns from across the pond.) To this day there are quite a few people who swear they've spotted an Alux. When personal items get lost, it's often attributed to Aluxob letting the household know they are not getting enough attention -- or honey liquor. The items always seem to show up once their appetites are appeased...

Ampitzel – Tlaloc’s donkey

Asma – a new kitten Angus gets from Jesse for his birthday

Chaac – Tlaloc’s pet hummingbird

Cloudwaltzer - Dragon that belonged to Lehimna, Zerahemna and Lephimah, black.

Colin Campbell – bagpiper who plays at Angus’s birthday party

Cortez - Hernán(do) Cortés, marqués del Valle de Oaxaca (1485–December 2, 1547) was the conquistador who conquered Mexico for Spain. He was known as Hernando or Fernando Cortés during his lifetime and signed all his letters Fernán Cortés.

Nellie McAllister Crawford – Fiona’s great aunt on her father’s side, age 72, sister to Catriona and Penelope, oldest of the 3 sisters. Aunt of Drayton Steele

Dorigon – A sluagh. Phelan takes control of its body by possessing it.

Ebb – A dolphin in Mexico

King Dugan -Descendant of King Bartolf, evil king, who lived in Burill on the Arabian Peninsula and later moved with family and loyal servants to Scotland and built Castle Athdara. Father of Ithgar and Jorbi (birth father).

Hechicera - A beautiful woman, with black eyes, gypsy skin, a wizard that dominates to the man with his you will dance with the hips. A princess who nobody headdress, a wizard, a seducer, ever searching for her lost love, Hupuncha. She lures men with her beauty.

Hun-Cane- A demonic lord of Mayan Hell
 

Hupuncha – dead lover of Hechicera, a witch
 

Itzel – Tlaloc’s baby sister, ten months old

King Kegan - Descendant of King Rolfin – good king, he lived in Burill and left, taking his family to Scotland and built Castle Athdara. Married to Queen Sarmantha, Father of Isabella, Anna, Cerdic, Gelis, Rayad and Gilian. Married to Queen Sarmantha. Died at age 43. Son of King Abbasan and his wife, Queen Nadia.

Wizard Lephimah - Son of Zerahemna, lives in Xilia and is now caretaker of Cloudwaltzer, the black dragon.

Marissa- 10 year old daughter of Lephimah in training to be a wizardess

Marona- 8 year old daughter of Lephimah in training to be a wizardess

Mayans - The Maya civilization is a historical Mesoamerican civilization, which extended throughout the northern Central American region which includes the present-day nations of Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras and El Salvador, as well as the southern Mexican states of Chiapas, Tabasco, and the Yucatán peninsula states of Quintana Roo, Campeche and Yucatán. Within this region, elements associated with the Maya civilization have been found which date back to approximately 1000 BC. The region had however been inhabited since at least the 10th millennium BC, and the point at which distinctive Maya-like characteristics first arose is not well-defined. By the period known to archaeologists as the mid-Preclassic (or mid-Formative, around 600 BC), some of the earliest Maya complexes had been constructed. The later Classic period (c. 250 - 900) witnessed the peak of widespread urban center construction and the recording of monumental inscriptions, particularly in the southern lowland regions. For reasons which are still much debated, many of these sites were abandoned in the Terminal phase of this period (the so-called "Terminal collapse"), although in several places these activities continued, particularly in northern Yucatán. Detailed monumental inscriptions all but disappeared. During the succeeding Post-Classic period (to the early 16th century), development in the northern centers persisted, characterised by an increasing diversity of external influences; however by the time of the Spanish arrival in 1519 most of these centers had substantively declined. The Maya civilization shared many features with other Mesoamerican civilizations, for there was a high degree of interaction and cultural diffusion throughout the region. Although aspects such as writing and the calendar (see Maya calendar) did not originate with the Maya, their civilization developed these to their fullest extent. Maya influences can be detected as far afield as central Mexico, more than 1000 km from their homelands. Equally, many external influences are to be found in Maya art and architecture, particularly in the Post-Classic period; these are thought to be mainly a result of trade and cultural exchange, rather than direct external conquest. Many different Mayan languages are still spoken as their primary language.

Alastair McAllister – Younger brother of Elspet, 3 years old, brown hair, brown eyes

Anne McGregor McAllister – Callum’s mother - knits gloves and sweaters, uses Elspet’s mum’s wool and sells the things she knits to tourists that pass through and stop in the village shops. 36 years old, brown eyes, mousy brown hair

Catriona McKenzie McAllister – Elspet’s mother. She has a spinning wheel and spins wool from their sheered sheep. Spins it into wool, cards it, and then she sells the wool to knitters etc. She knits things for her own family Age 29,  red hair, blue eyes

Elsie McAllister - Runs McDougal’s B&B
 

Jamie McAllister – Elspet’s father. He herds sheep and a few highland cows. Age 32

John and Susan McAllister - live in Inveralba, close relatives of Callum McAllister. Drayton trashed their home.

Malcolm McAllister – Callum’s father – is a gillie. When people come to the highlands to shoot grouse, partridge, or hunt a deer, or want to go fishing, he takes them and shows them where the best places are. He has a few hounds that he uses to scare out the grouse. He often brings home fish he’s caught in the loch and streams for his family and also venison. Age 38, brown hair, brown eyes

Malcolm McAllister – Younger brother of Elspet, 6 yrs old, red hair, blue eyes, also called Wee Malcolm

Murdoch McAllister – Callum’s younger brother, age 5, dark brown hair, brown eyes
 

Shona McAllister – Callum’s sister, age 2, fair hair, brown eyes
 

Andy McKay- Husband of Cindy McKay
 

Cindy McKay- Had car stolen by Drayton in front of Crowther’s Fish and Chip Shop. Wife of David.
 

Mulacca – high priest of underworld who does sacrifices in pyramid/temple of Camaxpotichli
 

Chief Wizard Nahimena of Xilia- Current Chief Wizard of Xilia
 

Pedro –Tlaloc’s father

Wizard Phelan – King Dugan’s evil wizard, wizard of Xilia

Reef  - A dolphin in Mexico

King Rolfin - Owner of the original orb – good king, brother of Bartolf. Lived originally in Hadrumetum, near Carthage, but fled and moved to Burill on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula(Yemen)

Rosita –Tlaloc’s mother
 

Samothi – Was chief wizard of Xilia

Seaweed – A dolphin in Mexico

Penelope McAllister Steele – Drayton’s mother and wife of Shardow Steele, who is now dead, age 51. Youngest of the 3 sisters, Nellie McAllister Crawford and Catriona McAllister McAllister
 

Shardow Steele – Drayton’s father – dead, killed by Gnarlfi- a redcap possessed by Phelan
 

Tlaloc- Mayan boy Fiona and friends meet in Mexico, helps them with their tasks
 

Vucub Caqix- Mayan demon

Whitecap – A dolphin in Mexico

Wizard Zerahemna – King Kegan’s wizard, from Xilia, long nose, eyes sparkle like diamonds, but his iris are white, long dark brown hair that hangs down his back, wears purple hat and robe decorated with symbols from Xilia. Lehimna’s son.

Xecotcovach – A demon god of Metnail (Hell)

Xibalba – A demon god from hell

Xquiq – A demon god of Metnail (Hell)

Places:

Castle Athdara - Built by King Kegan on the shores of Loch Doon near today’s Inveralba

Burill - name of King Rolfin’s kingdom in the Arabian peninsula after he moved from Hadrumetum

Camaxpotichli- Ancient city ruins they first arrive in Mexico

Cenote- A water-filled limestone sinkhole of the Yucatán.

Crowther’s Fish and Chip Shop
 

Inveralba - Village where Fiona and her family and friends live in the highlands of Scotland
 

Loch Doon - a loch (lake) near Inveralba, Scotland

Metnail – Mayan word for hell

Mexico – Country south of the United States, in Central America

Quetzitita – Village where Tlaloc and his family live in Mexico

Rainforest - A dense evergreen forest occupying a tropical region with an annual rainfall of at least 100 inches.

Scottish Lowlands - Those parts of Scotland not referred to as the Highlands (or Gàidhealtachd), that is, everywhere due south and east of a line (the Highland Boundary Fault) between Stonehaven and Helensburgh (on the Firth of Clyde). Confusingly, some parts of the Lowlands, such as the Southern Uplands are not physically "low", and some sections of the Highlands, such as Islay are low-lying.

Truro, Cornwall, England - The bustling cathedral city of Truro is a city for all seasons and for all interests. From the flowing rivers to the picturesque Georgian streets, the 18th and 19th century town houses and the magnificent Victorian Cathedral that dominates the city there is something for everyone. Truro derives its name from the Cornish Tri-veru, meaning three rivers, and developed as a tin port between the Truro River and the rivers Kenwyn and Allen. There has been a town here since the 12th century when Richard Lucy, Chief Justice of England in the reign of Henry II, built a castle at the top of what is now Castle Street. Remains of the castle were found during excavations for the cattle market that was held there until recent years. It is now the site of the Courts of Justice, the County Courts for Cornwall. By the 14th century Truro was an important inland port and one of the five stannary towns in Cornwall. Copper and tin were assayed and stamped here twice a year and then shipped from the port. The Black Death arrived in the late 14th century and with death and a mass exodus the town was neglected. In both the 17th and 18th centuries Truro was quite industrialised with tin smelting, an iron foundry, pottery, a tannery and carpet and wool making. The rivers were essential to all this industry, and it would have been a busy place. It was in the 18th and 19th centuries that Truro flourished. Tin prices increased and wealthy mine owners built elegant town houses. Truro was called the London of Cornwall and the Assembly Rooms on High Cross, with a theatre as well, were the centre of this high society. Queen Victoria granted Truro city status in 1877, three years before the laying of the cathedral's foundation stones. The cathedral was built on the site of the 16th century parish church. Xibalba-The Popol Vuh, creation myth of the highland Quiché Maya, tells of an underground realm called Xibalbá ("Place of Fear").  The hero-twins Hun-Hunapú and Vukub-Hunapú were lured to Xibalbá by a challenge to a ball-game, then grotesquely tricked and slaughtered by its demonic inhabitants and their two kings Hun-Camé and Vukub-Camé.  However, the twins were avenged by Hun-Hunapú's sons Hunapú and Xbalanqué, posthumously conceived on Xquiq, a passing demon princess. 

Xilia - Kingdom where the wizards come from.  The rivers look like gold when the sun shines because they are filled with tiny bubbles of air. The leaves are perfect shaped and no insects eat them. The flowers are brilliant and the birds sing perfect melodies. All animals live with the wizards in peace and harmony and it is a land of fruit and honey on every table.

Yucatan, Mexico-The states of Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo comprise the Yucatan Peninsula. The landscape varies as much as the attractions, offering vast expanses of green jungle, white sandy beaches, coral reefs, swamps and hills. This vibrant peninsula is one of the most ecologically important regions in the world - the home to species not found anywhere else on Earth. Colonial cities like Merida and Valladolid represent the Spanish influence; exotic resorts of Cancun, Cozumel and Playa del Carmen offer modern luxuries; and once wondrous cities, like Chichen-Itza, Uxmal and Edzna now stand as monuments to the great Mayan civilization. Culturally, the Yucatan Peninsula is a country within a country. Most Yucatecans still speak the clipped, rhythmic Mayan language and their distinctive facial features silently attest to their ancestral heritage.

Food

Bridies - Traditional Scottish turnovers filled with ground lamb

Cacao – tree that grows pods full of beans of chocolate

Ceiba – a sacred tree, the tree of life

Chips – The British word for French fries

Coatmundi - The Coati also known as the coatmundi. A coatmundi is a mammal resembling the raccoon. They have a long tail and a flexible snout. The snout is very useful for grubbing in the soil to get insects and other small animals. They can climb trees to eat birds and animal eggs. They also climb trees to get fruit if it is available. There is a group called the band there are about four to twenty Coatis that travel with their young. The Coati band spends most of it's day searching for food. The Coati grooms itself by a companion nibbling on their fur.

Cornish pasties - The traditional filling is, of course, beef and potato, usually with slices of onion and swede mixed in as well, but the humble pasty can also be found in a number of other guises. Popular fillings down the years have included Egg and Bacon, Rabbit, Apples, Figs, Jam, and Egg and Currants. A hearty meal wrapped in a pastry casing made for a very practical lunch (or "croust", as they used to call it) down in the dark and damp tunnels of the mine. Some mines even built huge ovens on the surface to keep the miner's pasties hot until it was time to eat. Tradition has it that the original pasties contained meat and vegetables in one end and jam or fruit in the other end, in order to give the hard-working men 'two courses'. Cornish housewives also marked their husband's initials on the left-hand side of the pastry xasing, in order to avoid confusion at lunchtime.

Flamingo - Any of several large gregarious wading birds of the family Phoenicopteridae of tropical regions, having reddish or pinkish plumage, long legs, a long flexible neck, and a bill turned downward at the tip. Moderate reddish orange.

Great Curassow - Any of several long-tailed, crested South and Central American game birds of the family Cracidae, related to the pheasants and domestic fowl.

Guacamole - A thick paste of mashed avocado, often combined with citrus juice, onion, and seasonings and usually served as a dip or in salads.

Haggis - A Scottish dish consisting of a mixture of the minced heart, lungs, and liver of a sheep or calf mixed with suet, onions, oatmeal, and seasonings and boiled in the stomach of the slaughtered animal.

Howler monkey – The loudest of the land animals

Iguana - Any of various large tropical American lizards of the family Iguanidae, often having spiny projections along the back

Jaguar - A large feline mammal (Panthera onca) of Central and South America, closely related to the leopard and having a tawny coat spotted with black rosettes.

Kinkajou - An arboreal mammal (Potos flavus) of Central and South America, having brownish fur and a long, prehensile tail. Also called honey bear.

Macaw - Any of various parrots of the genera Ara and Anodorhynchus of Central and South America, including the largest parrots and characterized by long saber-shaped tails, curved powerful bills, and usually brilliant plumage.

Maize - A light yellow to moderate orange yellow corn

Marzipan - A confection made of ground almonds or almond paste, egg whites, and sugar, often molded into decorative shapes.

Mince and tatties  - Minced beef cooked with onion, carrots, swede, and peas; thickened with oatmeal and served with boiled or, if preferred, mashed potatoes.

Neeps – Scottish word for turnips

Quetzal bird - A Central American bird (Pharomachrus mocino) that has brilliant bronze-green and red plumage and, in the male, long flowing tail feathers.

Shortbread - Shortbread is a type of biscuit (US: cookie) which is traditionally made from one part sugar, two parts butter and three parts flour, although other ingredients like ground rice or cornflour (US: cornstarch) are sometimes added to alter the texture. It is baked at a low temperature to avoid browning; when cooked it should be white or a light golden brown. Shortbread is generally associated with Scotland although it is also made in Denmark and in other countries. Shortbread is typically formed into one of three shapes: one large circle, which is divided into segments as soon as it is taken out of the oven ("Petticoat Tails"); individual round biscuts ("Shortbread Rounds"); or a thick (¾" or 2 cm) rectangular slab which is cut into "fingers." It is made from a stiff dough which retains its shape well during cooking. The biscuits are often patterned, especially with the prongs of a fork before cooking, then sprinkled with more sugar while cooling. Shortbread biscuits are often associated with normal, or egg-based biscuits, but they hold their shape under pressure, making them ideal for packed meals. Shortbread is often found in biscuit selections, or made by hand and given as a gift. It has a sweet, buttery taste, and a firm but crumbly texture, and is suitable for dunking. Shortbread and tablet (a type of crumbly fudge) can be found in every tourist shop in Scotland, and is just as popular with the locals.Shortbread is not to be confused with shortcake, which is similar to shortbread but made using vegetable fat instead of butter, giving it a different texture.

Stovies - Are a traditional Scottish dish, similar to corned beef hash. Recipes and ingredients vary widely between regions, and even families, but the dish usually consists of tatties (potatoes) and onions and some form of cold meat (especially corned beef, sausages or leftover roast.) The potatoes are cooked by stewing with fat and a little water, stove being the old Scots word for stewing. A regional variation is to serve the stovies with oatcakes.

Yaxche tree – The tree of life to the Mayans, and its branches support the heavens.

Animals –

Armadillo - Any of several omnivorous, burrowing, edentate mammals (family Dasypodidae), native to southern North America and South America and characterized by an armorlike covering consisting of jointed bony plates.

Badger- Any of several carnivorous burrowing mammals of the family Mustelidae, such as Meles meles of Eurasia or Taxidea taxus of North America, having short legs, long claws on the front feet, and a heavy grizzled coat.
 

Black howler monkey-
 

Coatimundi-  omnivorous mammal of Central America and South America

Crocodile- Any of various large aquatic reptiles, chiefly of the genus Crocodylus, native to tropical and subtropical regions and having thick, armorlike skin and long tapering jaws.

Flamingo- Any of several large gregarious wading birds of the family Phoenicopteridae of tropical regions, having reddish or pinkish plumage, long legs, a long flexible neck, and a bill turned downward at the tip.

Great Curassow- Any of several long-tailed, crested South and Central American game birds of the family Cracidae, related to the pheasants and domestic fowl.

Hummingbird - Any of numerous New World birds of the family Trochilidae, usually very small in size and having brilliant iridescent plumage, a long slender bill, and wings capable of beating very rapidly, thereby enabling the bird to hover. 

Ibis- Any of various storklike wading birds of the family Threskiornithidae of temperate and tropical regions, having a long, slender, downward-curving bill.

Iguana- Any of various large tropical American lizards of the family Iguanidae, often having spiny projections along the back.

Jaguar- A large feline mammal (Panthera onca) of Central and South America, closely related to the leopard and having a tawny coat spotted with black rosettes.

Kinkajou- An arboreal mammal (Potos flavus) of Central and South America, having brownish fur and a long, prehensile tail. Also called honey bear.

Leeches- Any of various chiefly aquatic bloodsucking or carnivorous annelid worms of the class Hirudinea, of which one species (Hirudo medicinalis) was formerly used by physicians to bleed patients and is now sometimes used as a temporary aid to circulation during surgical reattachment of a body part.

Macaw- Any of various parrots of the genera Ara and Anodorhynchus of Central and South America, including the largest parrots and characterized by long saber-shaped tails, curved powerful bills, and usually brilliant plumage.

Parrot- Any of numerous tropical and semitropical birds of the order Psittaciformes, characterized by a short hooked bill, brightly colored plumage, and, in some species, the ability to mimic human speech or other sounds.

Python- Any of various nonvenomous snakes of the family Pythonidae, found chiefly in Asia, Africa, and Australia, that coil around and suffocate their prey. Pythons often attain lengths of 6 meters (20 feet) or more.

Quail- Any of various Old World chickenlike birds of the genus Coturnix, especially C. coturnix, small in size and having mottled brown plumage and a short tail.

Quetzal-A Central American bird (Pharomachrus mocino) that has brilliant bronze-green and red plumage and, in the male, long flowing tail feathers.

Stork-Any one of several species of large wading birds of the family Ciconid[ae], having long legs and a long, pointed bill. They are found both in the Old World and in America, and belong to Ciconia and several allied genera. The European white stork (Ciconia alba) is the best known. It commonly makes its nests on the top of a building, a chimney, a church spire, or a pillar. The black stork (C. nigra) is native of Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Tapir-Any of several large, chiefly nocturnal, odd-toed ungulates of the genus Tapirus of tropical America, the Malay Peninsula, and Sumatra, related to the horse and the rhinoceros, and having a heavy body, short legs, and a long, fleshy, flexible upper lip.