The girl had a slack and vacant look on her face, as if her soul was elsewhere.
Faraday fought through a sea of pulsing emerald light, pulled by such a feeling of pure
need that she could not resist. She had never feared the light previously, but now it was so
strong, so angry, that she quailed. Faraday realised that the light was not angry with her, but with
something else. She frowned. It was angry but it did not know how to strike.
A voice spoke to her. A low, musical voice, full of magical shadowed cadences.
―Faraday?‖
―Yes,‖ she whispered, turning slowly through the pulsing light, trying to find the source
of the voice.
Another voice spoke, and this one she knew. Raum.
―Faraday. We need your help.‖
―Raum!‖ she cried, her voice full of joy.
―Faraday. Listen to StarDrifter.‖
―Faraday.‖ The voice spoke again, very close now. Beside her stood the most beautiful
winged man, so pale skinned and feathered that he glowed almost silver in this emerald light. He
was smiling and holding out his hand to her, his pale blue eyes compelling her to trust him. She
could not resist. She took his hand.
―Tree Friend,‖ he said ―Will you help your Icarii and Avar neighbours in their hour of
need? Will you sing to the trees and ask them to live?‖
―Gladly,‖ she whispered. She would have laid down before the Skraeling host to have her
throat torn out had he asked her.
His wings beat gently and she could feel him pulling her down a long spiralling tunnel of
green and silver that swirled about them. They spiralled further and further until they were
hovering over a huge glade; a massive tree stood at the centre, surrounded by a flaming circle of
stone. About the rest of the glade there was a battle going on, but Faraday could not see it very
well, all but the tree and the circle of fiery stone was a blur.
―Faraday,‖ said the Enchanter, StarDrifter. ―This is Earth Tree. She is very powerful,
very vital. To her is connected the life of the Forest Avarinheim. If she dies, or even if she
remains indifferent, the Avarinheim will die. Faraday, will you sing to her? Will you wake her
out of her indifferent slumber? Will you ask her to protect those who love her and who depend
on her for their survival? Gorgrael strikes into the heart of the Avarinheim, Tree Friend. Will you
try to save it?‖
―Gladly,‖ Faraday answered again. She could deny this Enchanter nothing.
They landed softly at the base of the tree. There she saw three dim figures, a woman
crouched behind another of the Icarii, an Avar male holding the hand of the Icarii. Both the Icarii
and the Avar had their hands on the tree and were concentrating on it with all their might. They
paid her no attention, although the woman looked up, wonder on her face. Faraday smiled
reassuringly at her, instinctively knowing she would like this woman.
―Come with me,‖ StarDrifter said gently. ―Come with me and touch the Tree.‖
Faraday laid her hand on the Tree, the Enchanter‘s hand warm on hers. ―Sing,‖ he
commanded. ―If you do not wake her with your song then all will die.‖
Faraday sang. She did not know where the song came from, but she could feel herself
drawing on the power the Mother had given her in the garden. StarDrifter began to sing beside
her, his voice weaving in and out of hers until they created wondrous patterns with their voices,
patterns that hung about in the air between them, patterns that penetrated deep into Earth Tree.
Earth Tree had waited thousands of years with no-one to sing this song to her. It was her
own song, the song she had composed in her youth and then given to the Mother for
safe-keeping. She sighed, caught deep in the memories the song evoked, memories of when the
Avarinheim was young, when all was hope, all was joy. Then she slowly, reluctantly, let go of
the great mysteries she had been contemplating and started to rise to awareness. The closer she
rose to the surface, the further distant from the great caverns of the centre of the earth into which
her roots hung, the more she realised that something was wrong. The Avarinheim was under
cruel attack, had been for centuries, and was now under even worse. Loathsome creatures
swarmed in the very glade she called home.
Earth Tree screamed in fury.
Faraday almost lost contact with the Tree and her song faltered, but StarDrifter‘s hand
kept hers pressed close to the Tree, and his voice missed not a beat, encouraging her to keep
singing as the Earth Tree‘s scream of rage reverberated about them. Faraday realised that it was
imperative that the Earth Tree not lose control to the point where she would use her fury to
destroy friends as well as foe. The only way Faraday could do that was to speak to her with
Song, speak to her with enchanted music. Her voice strengthened.
StarDrifter‘s song started to alter, first only a note here and there, but then entire phrases.
Faraday altered her own song to support his, and, in the space of one incredible heartbeat, Earth
Tree joined them, her thunderous voice lifting over the entire northern Avarinheim. As she
caught the song StarDrifter and Faraday fell silent, awed by the majesty and power of the Earth
Tree as she sang her Song. The Song of her Making.
The entire Earth Tree Grove was blanketed by the awesome sound. All movement
stopped, and then, as one, the Skraeling mass broke apart. Skulls burst, eyes popped, hands fell
from arms, and torsos smashed to the ground as legs broke asunder. The two SkraeBolds who
were whole dragged their stricken companion, still with the arrow protruding from his neck, back
from the circle of fire, screaming defiance at the Tree, yet totally unable to challenge it. Gorgrael
had not given them the power for this. With a final scream of defiance they vanished.
Those that were left among the Avar and Icarii scrambled to their feet and turned to the
tree, their weary faces filled with awe and wonder.
―She sings, beautiful woman,‖ StarDrifter whispered and turned to Faraday. ―Thank you,
Faraday. Between us we brought both the music of the Stars and the music of the Mother to
wake the Earth Tree. She sings now, and she will ward the Avarinheim with the strength of her
protection. Gorgrael will not have such an easy route south as he had hoped.‖
Faraday touched his face with gentle fingers. ―You are StarDrifter, Axis‘ father. He looks
for you, Enchanter. He needs you. Will you come to help him?‖
―You know him?‖
Faraday‘s beautiful smile spread across her face and she laughed innocently, still
unaware of the power her smile could have on a man. ―I love him, Enchanter. You have a
beautiful son.‖ But suddenly she felt the power fading, felt herself losing her grip on
StarDrifter‘s hand. She spiralled gently upwards into the green and silver tunnel. ―Help him,
StarDrifter,‖ she called desperately. ―Help your son!‖
―Help him, StarDrifter,‖ Faraday mumbled, twisting in Yr‘s arms. ―Help your son!‖ Then
she gasped, her eyes flying open into Yr‘s, and fainted dead away.
50
THE STREETS OF GORKENTOWN
Axis spent a desperate night rallying his forces about the five roughly semicircular lines
of defences radiating out from the fort‘s gates. He lost the larger portion of his men at the point
when he ordered the evacuation of the walls and a retreat to the first line of defence. He‘d
desperately hung on to the battlements for as long as he could, watching more and more of his
men die, until he realised that if they did not fall back soon then the growing numbers of
Skraelings vomiting forth from the IceWorms could cut them off from their lines of retreat. As
they fell back entire units died under the weight and teeth of wraiths who clambered onto their
backs. More died falling from ladders in their desperation to escape. Axis and Belial, and all the
remaining unit commanders, fought desperately to keep the men under some sort of discipline,
fought to keep them obedient to orders.
As men faltered and died, more wraiths surged forward, newly confident. They had been
afraid of the nasty golden man, but nothing would stop them this time. Not even the man with his
power.
Axis remained on the walls until it would have been death to stay. Finally Belial dragged
him towards one of the remaining ladders left standing.
―Axis! You can do no more here, and you will be less than useless to those left if you die
in a futile stand on the battlements. Come!‖ Belial grabbed Axis‘ arm and hauled him towards
the ladder. As they reached it Axis turned one last time to watch the slaughter of those still