Enchanter: Book Two of the Axis Trilogy. Sara Douglass

      Azhure stepped over and lifted another arrow from the quiver on SpikeFeather’s back. He flinched a little as her hand brushed the downy red feathers on the back of his neck.

      “No fluke,” she said, her eyes unexpectedly dark as she stared into SpikeFeather’s face. “If I miss this time then I will return the bow. But if I hit the target, then you will not only fashion me the quiver to sling across my back, but fletch the arrows to go in it with your own flight feathers, SpikeFeather TrueSong. Dyed the same blue as my eyes, I think.”

      Then, in a movement almost as elegant as SpikeFeather’s, Azhure notched the arrow, raised the bow, sighted, and loosed the arrow. This time it struck the target true, the solid thunk as it penetrated deep into the golden orb audible around the chamber.

      “The Wolven is mine,” Azhure said into the utter silence. “I think it likes me. It felt easier the second time.”

      SpikeFeather dropped his eyes to Azhure, then bowed deep before her, his wings sweeping a wide arc on the floor behind him. When he straightened, his eyes were solemn. “The Wolven is yours, Azhure. I will fashion you a quiver to hold arrows fletched with feathers from my own wings. You are an archer-born, Azhure, and I will welcome you whenever you wish to train with my Wing.”

      “Yes,” Azhure said to the handsome birdman. “I would like to return and train with your command, SpikeFeather TrueSong.”

      “Then make sure that when the time arrives, you deal death with the Wolven, Azhure. That is why it was crafted.”

      Later, the muscles in her back, arms and chest burning with the effort required to use the bow, Azhure mounted the ladder, the bow slung across her back. SpikeFeather caught her arm. “Azhure, you speak to Axis SunSoar more than most. When will he visit the Strike Force? When?”

      Azhure stepped down from the ladder and turned to face him. “I do not know, SpikeFeather. He is consumed by his need for his father now, and by his need to discover what lies beneath his surface. Wait. He will come.”

       4

       Learning the Star Dance

      MorningStar took a deep breath to calm herself and turned back to StarDrifter. He had been a late child, born when MorningStar was already close to four hundred years old. Because he was so unexpected – and had inherited his mothers Enchanter powers at that – both MorningStar and her husband, RushCloud, had spoiled him abominably. And whereas her eldest son, RavenCrest, had been groomed from birth to inherit the mantle of Talon, leader of all the Icarii, the much younger StarDrifter had been indulged. At least, MorningStar sighed, StarDrifter’s lack of discipline had got him a son who might well prove the last hope of the SunSoars, if not the Icarii race as a whole.

      She glanced over at Axis, sitting calmly on a stool in the small, unadorned chamber, StarDrifter pacing irritably about him. He had learned well since arriving in Talon Spike – far better than either MorningStar or StarDrifter had thought possible. Who could have imagined that an Enchanter, left without training for thirty years, could grasp the intricacies of the Star Dance so quickly and easily?

      As Axis’ father, StarDrifter had borne the major burden of his son’s training, but MorningStar helped, and that was at the heart of their current troubles. Although an Enchanter was usually trained by his or her parent – the one who had bequeathed the Enchanter blood – another Enchanter of the same House, or family, could also act as an instructor. The closer the blood link, the easier the teaching. MorningStar was only one generation removed from Axis, so the blood link was strong, and she wanted to help.

      But StarDrifter, having been separated from his son for so long, found it hard to share him with anyone, even his mother. MorningStar could understand that, but there were some things that MorningStar knew she could teach Axis better than StarDrifter.

      And that is what they were fighting about now.

      “StarDrifter,” MorningStar said reasonably, “you are so good using the power of the Star Dance in conjunction with the elements of fire, earth and air. In those areas you are by far the most powerful we have seen in generations, and you pass your skills to your son well. But if you have a weakness, it is with the element of water. Since I have skill in that area, it only makes sense that I take charge of Axis’ training when it comes to the water music.”

      StarDrifter stopped his pacing. “I have more power,” he snapped.

      “Yes, you have more power,” she agreed. “But the element of water does not need power so much as subtlety, and you are often too impatient for such subtlety.”

      StarDrifter glared at her, then suddenly backed down. “Then teach!” he snarled.

      Axis felt MorningStar’s hand rest lightly on his shoulder. “Good,” she said quietly and moved around to face him. Their relationship was still awkward, and neither knew quite what to think of the other. Axis was aware that his grandmother vaguely disapproved of him. He knew she’d have preferred the StarMan to be of full Icarii blood, and he suspected that she, like StarDrifter, was just a little resentful of the extent of his power.

      MorningStar was a determined and forceful woman who wielded enormous power within Talon Spike – not only as a senior Enchanter, but also as the widow of the previous Talon. Axis still found it difficult to come to terms with MorningStar’s age. She approached the limit of her life, five hundred years, but she looked no older than himself. She had the same colouring as StarDrifter, short curly golden hair, pale blue eyes, and luminous white feathered wings. Only the vast experience evident in her eyes and the assurance of her manner gave some indication of her age.

      MorningStar closed her eyes as she ran a prayer to Flulia, the Goddess of Water, through her mind. Then she took Axis’ head between her hands and closed his eyes with her thumbs. “Hear the Star Dance,” she said softly.

      The first thing StarDrifter had taught Axis was to hear the Star Dance – the music that the Stars made as they whirled through the universe, and the source of power for all Icarii Enchanters. The music of the Star Dance was of astounding beauty, and when Axis first heard it, he had burst into tears at its unexpected splendour. Although the music was not particularly loud it pervaded every aspect of life. Now its faint melodies surrounded Axis through every moment, in the beat of his heart, in the conversations about him, in the sound of feathers rustling in the wind, in the shadows of his dreams.

      Icarii Enchanters harnessed the power of the Stars by manipulating the music of the Star Dance. From the Dance they wove a melody that served as a conduit for the power of the Stars. For each purpose, a melody. Enchanters spent their developing years learning all the different melodies, or Songs, and the purpose of each. Once they had learned a Song – no mean feat – to use it they ran its melody through their minds, sometimes physically giving voice to the music they manipulated. The more powerful the Enchanter, the more complex the Song they could manipulate. For thousands of years Icarii Enchanters had debated the possibility that one day an Enchanter might learn to use the entire Star Dance, rather than lifting more manageable fragments of melody. The debate had finally been solved seventeen hundred years previously when one Enchanter had tried to grapple with the power of the entire Star Dance – he had died so horribly, warped out of existence, that no-one had been tempted to try it again.

      Axis had learned so quickly because he had the remarkable gift of remembering a melody after only one hearing. Usually Icarii Enchanters had to have a Song repeated to them scores of times before they could use it effectively. It was one of the many ways in which the depth and extent of Axis’ ability constantly astounded MorningStar and StarDrifter.

      “Listen,” MorningStar said, and began to sing for her grandson the Songs which were particularly effective for manipulating the element of water and of all matter associated with water. Before she sang each Song, MorningStar whispered its purpose.

      StarDrifter