Retribution (36 page)

Stroke of Midnight

My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding

Love at First Bite

Dead After Dark

MANGA

The Dark-Hunters, Volume 1

The Dark-Hunters, Volume 2

Dark-Hunter Companion

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

R
ETRIBUTION
. Copyright © 2011 by Sherrilyn Kenyon. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

www.stmartins.com

e-ISBN 9781429987608

First Edition: August 2011

Author’s Note

As a woman of mixed Tsalagi (Cherokee) heritage, I’ve always been fascinated by the beliefs and legends of all the Native American Nations. I spent untold hours as a child, combing through the library, reading any and everything I could find that would give me insight into that part of my family history as well as listening to countless stories told to me by my family, all of whom wove great magic with their words.

When I first started writing the Dark-Hunter series back in college, I decided to base it around Greek mythology with one notable exception. The Daimons. A cursed vampire-like demon that wasn’t immortal and rather than feed from blood, they fed from something a little more … robust.

The human soul.

While I created the curse and the mythos around the Atlanteans, Apollites and Daimons from my own mind, there was one thing I did borrow from my ancestors. Part of the tsi-noo (chenoo) legend.

When I was a child, the tsi-noo was the bogeyman my mother would threaten me with if I didn’t behave (she also used the Manitou, but that’s another story).

A Wabanaki legend, the tsi-noo began life as a human who was either possessed by an evil demon or one who committed some atrocious crime (usually cannibalism) that caused his heart to turn to ice. Also known as an Ice Cannibal, the tsi-noo stayed alive and grew stronger by consuming humans, especially their souls. This was why my mother told me it was imperative to say my prayers at night and to ask God to keep my soul safe while I slept. If I failed to do so, one could slip into my bed (or my dreams) and steal it away from me … because everyone knew that a child’s soul was the most coveted by the tsi-noo and if you weren’t careful, you could easily give your soul to one. I’m pretty sure all of that last bit was made up by my mother for the sheer fear factor of it as I haven’t been able to find any corroborating story about it.

But as a little girl, the idea of having my soul stolen or being able to lock one up fascinated me and as an adult, I decided to borrow it for my Daimons.

I also incorporated the tsi-noo, as well as several other monsters, into this book. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time. I introduced Sunshine Runningwolf into the series at the beginning (she was the heroine of the second published Dark-Hunter novel,
Night Embrace
). A woman of mixed Native American heritage, she, like me, treasures both sides of her ancestry. And from the moment, I completed that novel, I’ve been aching to return to my roots and explore them more.

Finally, in this book, I was able to pay homage to many different Native American legends and beliefs, including those of my family, and to explore them more fully.

That being said, I’ve also created my own Native American history for the purpose of the book. The original tribes/clans, creators and Guardians I’ve used, as well as some of the monsters, are not taken from any Native American belief system or religion. This was done out of respect and on purpose.

As a very spiritual person who comes from a mixed religious background, I have a deep and abiding love and respect for all religions and points of view. I would never intentionally insult or otherwise offend anyone.

The Time Untime is a real Cherokee belief that I couldn’t resist borrowing a bit from and it was another story I grew up with. However, I have tweaked it a bit and will continue it on in the 2012 Dark-Hunter novel that will follow this one.

I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed my foray into another pantheon. I knew when I sat down to start Jess’s story that it would grab my heart and make me laugh and cry. It did both many times.

As with all of my books, I’m very proud of this one and I hope you enjoy taking this journey with me. Now I must get back to the voices in my head who, I pray, will never leave me alone and who will sing their songs to me for many years to come.

But before I go, I’d like to leave you with the first words my uncle taught me to say in Tsalagi.
Wa-do
(wah doe). Thank you.