Spike with the previous Talon, RavenCrest SunSoar and his wife, BrightFeather. While
SpikeFeather had been able to persuade the majority of the Icarii to flee the mountain before
Gorgrael set his Gryphon to its inevitable attack, RavenCrest and BrightFeather and many of the
Elders had elected to remain.
They had all died, torn to pieces by the ravening Gryphon. Then, expecting to find tens of
thousands of Icarii secreted within the shafts and winding passages of the mountain, the Gryphon
had sunk ever deeper into the mountain‘s enchanted defences, seeking, seeking, seeking.
They had sunk to the very bowels of the mountain (although they did not find the
entrance to the Underworld, which the Ferryman had hidden). They had almost sunk to the
chambers that had been excavated many thousands of years earlier to hide the mountain‘s
population from an attack such as this.
Of course, now they hid no Icarii.
But that which the chambers did hide, which was neither feathered nor strictly alive, was
kept safe from the incursion of Gorgrael‘s creatures, although the sense that there was something
there, something tasty, drove the Gryphon almost insane with rage.
And when the Gryphon finally crawled exhausted from the mountain, the object
remained as safe—and as lonely—as it had been for countless thousands of generations.
Star Finger was as lacking in enchantment as were the Minaret Peaks, but the mountain
also housed far less Icarii than did the southern city, and they had managed to remain relatively
comfortable. The corridors were gloomy and cold, but the chambers that were needed could be
lit adequately for those who required them.
From the entrance in the eastern wall of the mountain, Adamon and Xanon led Axis,
Azhure and a Caelum now rested enough to walk into one of the apartment complexes close to
the peak of Star Finger. Here natural light filtering through thickened glass lit the chambers and
coal-fired braziers warmed the air.
Two healers waited, and led Caelum and Azhure to benches so the healers could inspect
their wounds and stitch those that needed it. Azhure was clearly impatient, but Caelum appeared
very calm, almost cheerful, and the others put it down to the relative safety of Star Finger.
Azhure grimaced at the bite of the stitching needle, but managed a smile for Axis. ―I have
not endured a wound since the Skraelings scored my ribs in Hsingard.‖
Axis tried to return her smile, but found himself unable to. He‘d never been able to regard
the sight of Azhure bleeding, whether in field or childbirth battle, with equanimity, and he could
not now.
So he touched her cheek, knowing she understood his concern, and turned to the healer
attending Caelum. Only two of the wounds needed any stitching, and all were clean and healthy;
Xanon‘s attentions at the cave had saved both Caelum and Azhure any lasting harm.
A movement caught his eye. Sicarius, moving among his pack, which was now lying
close-grouped against a far wall. He was licking the wounds of the several hounds who had also
been wounded in the fight with the Hawkchilds. Among them was FortHeart, who had a severe
wound running down the left side of her skull. It oozed yellow effluent, leaving the pale fur of
her neck and shoulder stained and fetid, and she bit off a yelp as Sicarius tried to clean it for her.
As Axis watched, Sicarius raised his head and stared at him. His golden eyes were flat
and hard, and the corner of one lip raised very, very slightly, exposing the gleam of a fang.
Help her.
Axis jumped, stunned at the distinct request—nay, not a request, more a command. It had
not sounded as voice, nor in the same way as the mind voice which all Icarii Enchanters had
once been able to employ, but more as sheer emotion seething across the space between them.
Help her!
―FeatherTouch,‖ Axis said quietly to one of the healers assisting with Azhure, ―will you
and another see to the hounds?‖
―Yes, StarMan.‖
Again Sicarius‘ lip curled, but after a moment he dropped his head, and continued
cleaning FortHeart‘s wound until FeatherTouch arrived. Then, having satisfied himself that the
other members of his pack would receive attention in due course, he sank down to the floor, his
head on his forepaws, and watched Axis steadily.
Axis tore his gaze away—damn those hounds! If they hadn‘t aided in repelling the
Hawkchilds then he may have tried to persuade Azhure to have them placed under close guard in cells. He no longer trusted them, and knew that they no longer trusted him.
―Azhure,‖ he murmured, and leaned back to her side.
Sicarius watched the activities of the Icarii, gods and SunSoars. He no longer felt at home
with them, no longer wanted to be with them, although he did not feel animosity towards them as
such. More than ever before in his life he felt the roar of the bear in his veins, and all he wanted
to do was run with his true master.
When? When? When?
A movement in the open doorway caught his eyes. Sicarius pricked his ears, and every
muscle in his body tensed. Then he relaxed, his lips almost seeming to grin, and his tail wagged
once in a barely discernible movement.
There. Another of his pack.
In a manner of speaking.
The blue-feathered lizard flared its emerald and scarlet crest, then scuttled back into the
shadows.
Sicarius slid his eyes back to Caelum, who sat with his eyes closed as he patiently bore
the ministrations of the healer. Sicarius could sense the change in the man, sense the
understanding, and as far as the leader of the Alaunt was concerned, that made Caelum an
honorary member of the pack.
Caelum opened his eyes and caught Sicarius‘ stare.
He nodded slightly, and Sicarius‘ tail gave a single thump.
―You must rest!‖ Adamon threw up his hands in frustration, but Axis and Azhure would
have none of his patience.
―You cannot say to us, ‗I have found something‘, with such high excitement,‖ Axis said,
―and then expect us to sleep quietly and spend an hour or two at leisurely supper while
Tencendor decays about us. Tell us!‖
Adamon glanced at Caelum, who merely smiled and nodded his head.
He shrugged. ―Xanon, will you fetch the others?‖
She nodded and walked to the door. ―Come,‖ she called softly, and Pors, Silton, Narcis,
Flulia, and Zest entered. They had previously greeted Axis, Azhure and their son, and now sat
quietly on chairs scattered about the chamber.
Several of the hounds moved to make room for the gods, but most remained still and
watchful. Even though their interest and hope lay elsewhere, they still held a respect for the
Circle entire.
Two Elder Icarii also entered. Axis knew them well, for they were the senior scholars of
the Star Finger complex, respected for their wisdom and learning. Their names had long lost any
importance, and they were addressed only by their titles.
―Respected Preceptor,‖ Axis said, and inclined his head. ―Respected Historian.‖
Azhure and Caelum also murmured a greeting, and the Preceptor and Historian sat
together on a couch close by the brazier. They were dressed in plain white robes, and their bodies
were unadorned with any of the finery Icarii usually adored. Even their wing feathers seemed
oddly dulled, as if the two scholars assiduously bleached away their luminescence upon rising
each morning.
Adamon, the only one who remained standing, inclined his head at those gathered, and
then spoke.
―I, as my companions,‖ he glanced at the other Star Gods, ―returned to Star Finger in the
hope that the accumulated knowledge of tens of thousands of years held in its libraries might
contain an answer to our current lack of effectiveness against the TimeKeeper Demons.
―Caelum StarSon must be the one to meet them…but how? How? If all his power, as all
our powers, have disappeared with the Star Dance? When at first we returned, we had no luck,‖
Adamon continued. ―Even with the aid of all the respected scholars in Star Finger, we could find
no hint of a solution to the problem. And yet where else could lie the answer to Caelum‘s dire
need?‖
Adamon‘s voice was tight with the frustration and anger of his initial lack of success. He
sighed, and visibly relaxed his muscles.
―Then the Respected Historian came to me, and said there was an inconsistency.
Historian, will you speak.‖
―Star Finger, once Talon Spike, has been used by the Icarii since their conception by the
great Enchantress fifteen thousand years ago,‖ the Historian said. His voice was rich and
melodious, and Axis knew how he could hold a class, as any audience, enthralled for many
hours. ―The mountain has been burrowed into and hollowed out for fifteen thousand years. It
holds fifteen thousand years of memories—and fifteen thousand years of secrets. In the very
roots of the mountains lie secret basements, basements thick with enchantment.‖