That knowledge was emphasised by the entrance of the entire Strike Force, fully armed, all the
Crest-Leaders and many of the Strike Force with both underwings and wingbacks dyed in the
ebony of war.
Azhure watched silently from just underneath one of the arches of the encircling pillars at
the very top of the Chamber. Raum stood beside her. Both were dressed in softly draped
floor-length robes, soft grey for Azhure, dark green for Raum.
The Elders, Enchanters and members of the House of SunSoar entered last, filing silently
into their seats from a small door secreted away in the bottom rows of tiers. RavenCrest and his
son FreeFall were both draped in violet and ivory; RavenCrest had a jewelled torc about his neck
like those worn by the lifeless statues. BrightFeather, RavenCrest‘s wife, followed dressed in a
paler shade of violet. Close behind came MorningStar, RavenCrest and StarDrifter‘s Enchanter
mother. Last of all came StarDrifter, draped in a crimson and gold toga embroidered across his
chest with the motif of a blazing sun. All had bare feet.
It was a mark of his status as both a SunSoar and the most powerful Enchanter present
that StarDrifter opened proceedings. The Assembly hushed as he halted in the centre of the
golden floor. StarDrifter circled the Chamber with his pale eyes, then he abruptly bowed to the
assembled Icarii, his eyes downcast, both arms and wings swept low in a gesture both of respect
and of abasement, swinging in a slow full circle so that all were included in his bow. The
feathers of his almost healed wings swept the floor behind him and all could see the vivid scars
among the feathers.
Azhure took a quick yet deep intake of breath; StarDrifter‘s salute to the Assembly was
one of the most graceful and courtly gestures she had ever seen performed.
As he straightened out of his bow the Enchanter started to sing, very softly at first,
although each word could be heard at the very topmost tier of seats, then gradually his voice
strengthened and grew in passion until it soared to the very bronze mirrors of the domed roof.
Again StarDrifter sang in the alien ancient language. Again Azhure found she had no
difficulty understanding his words—indeed the exotic intonation of the words and phrases made
her blood sing.
He sang of the Icarii origins, of the time when the Icarii had finally learned the art of
flight and of the day when they had first discovered the sun and the stars. He sang of their proud
heritage, of their leadership of Tencendor, of the dances and the songs they had performed high
in the summer sky above the magic lakes and forests of their homeland. He sang of a time when
the Icarii could soar and drift the thermals from the Icescarp Alps to the Sea of Tyrre, a time
when their children learning the Way of the Wing did not have to be guarded against deadly
arrows loosed from below. He sang of their downfall, of their inability to realise that the
Groundwalkers feared and resented their beautiful cousins, and of their inability to realise that this fear and resentment would eventually prove fertile ground for the whisperings of the
Seneschal.
Tears rolled down many faces as the Icarii remembered what they had lost. Azhure found
she wept with them.
StarDrifter sang of the Wars of the Axe, those dreadful decades when their ancestors had
lost all they had gained, when the Groundwalkers had taken the axe to both feather and forest,
when the Icarii had fled in the night with the Avar to huddle, senseless with grief, behind the
Fortress Ranges. StarDrifter paid more attention to this part of the Song than he had the previous
verses, describing in detail both what the Icarii had lost and how they had been unable to counter
both the wicked lies of the Seneschal and the axes of the Groundwalkers who rallied to the
Brotherhood. His voice was indescribably beautiful, yet so sad and haunting, so full of death and
fear, that Azhure‘s tears turned from sadness and loss to shame and humiliation. Her people had
driven these creatures of such incredible beauty and gifts from Tencendor?
StarDrifter sang of the new home the Icarii had built for themselves in the desolate yet
welcome isolation of Talon Spike, of the ingenuity with which they had transformed their
mountain home into both beauty and comfort. He sang of their years spent in peace here, of the
mysteries they had unravelled, and the unparalleled vision of the Stars they had from the peak of
Talon Spike. Then, lest the Icarii be lulled into thinking that they did not mind that they had lost
so much of Tencendor, StarDrifter sang of the wonders and the sacred sites they had lost to the
Groundwalkers—the larger part of the Avarinheim and the enchanted glades that it had
contained, now ravaged under the deep bite of the Plough; the Sacred Lakes, dying through lack
of love; the Enchanted Keeps, most of which had been destroyed or defiled with the touch of the
Seneschal; the enigmatic Spiredore. The Island of Mist and Memory, where the Gods lay trapped
by filthy and diseased pirates. The Nine High Priestesses of the Order of the Stars, doubtless
raped and forced to bear the children of their captors. The Sepulchre of the Moon, bricked up and
dark. The Ancient Barrows, now crumbling. Star Gate. Lost.
As one the Icarii moaned and wrung their hands, and Raum turned in surprise as a small
moan escaped Azhure. Why did she weep? Had she understood StarDrifter? It had taken Raum
many years of close study to be able to grasp the general meaning of the Icarii sacred
tongue—yet here was Azhure weeping as if she had understood every nuance of StarDrifter‘s
song. Puzzled, Raum turned back to watch StarDrifter.
―Now,‖ StarDrifter whispered, abruptly switching to a speaking voice. ―There is a chance
that you can regain all of this.‖ He paused, closed his eyes, folded his hands upon his breast and
began to sing again.
This time he sang the Prophecy of the Destroyer. The first two verses only, for all knew
that the third verse was the province of the StarMan alone, but StarDrifter hummed that verse,
his voice so rich and with so many complicated strands interwoven into the underlying music
that it sounded as if a whole choir were singing a song whose words were only slightly out of
focus. Raum grasped Azhure‘s hand, overcome by the splendour and power of StarDrifter‘s
talent. Neither the Bane nor Azhure had ever come close to seeing the true extent of StarDrifter‘s
gift, and even now they did not realise that they heard only a minute fraction of what he was
capable of.
After StarDrifter‘s voice had faded the Chamber remained totally silent for a full five
minutes. StarDrifter had reminded them, more vividly than ever before, that they were a race
who were mere shadows of their former selves. Talon Spike, no matter how beautiful and
comfortable, could never replace what they had lost. StarDrifter had shown them how they could perhaps regain it. The Prophecy of the Destroyer was also, perhaps, a Prophecy of Hope.
StarDrifter stood with his head bowed, arms folded across his chest, listening to the
silence. Rivkah stared at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. She had never loved him more
than she did at this moment. Finally StarDrifter took a deep breath and raised his head. His
movement broke the spell in the Assembly and a sound of whispering arose. StarDrifter let his
hands fall from his breast and walked quietly over to the bench to sit between Rivkah and
EvenSong, smiling at each of them. He folded his hands in his lap, although Rivkah desperately
wanted him to reach out and hold her hand.
RavenCrest stood up and took the floor, the spare material of his toga draped over his left
arm, his torc shining brilliantly in the light. ―My fellow Icarii,‖ he began, his voice clear and
strong. ―You all know of the events of the previous ten days, so I will not bore you with a
repetition. You know that the Prophecy has awakened and walks the earth, so I will not try your
patience with repeating the details that have circulated among you for the past week. You know
that Tree Friend walks and that Earth Tree Sings. You know that we face Gorgrael and that he is
the son of StarDrifter SunSoar and the Avar woman Ameld of the FarWalk Clan.‖ StarDrifter
hung his head, but RavenCrest did not look at him. ―You know also that the StarMan is the
BattleAxe of the Seneschal, and that he is Axis, son of StarDrifter SunSoar and Rivkah, Princess
of Achar. What we must decide today is whether we go to his aid in Gorkenfort and whether we
can accept the BattleAxe of the Seneschal among us as the true StarMan.‖