her body and mind. She let her thoughts drift with the power, felt its energy start to carry her into
realms beyond that of the physical. She felt tremendously alive, as though her normal existence
was only a pale shadow of the reality that existed beyond. Rapture started to grow within
her—this was, she realised, the equivalent of the Star Gate. The Mother was a Gate as well.
Faraday prepared to step through.
There was a knock at the door. ―Faraday?‖ Timozel‘s voice called out.
Yr leaped forwards and tipped the water out of the bowl. The emerald glow died
instantly. Faraday opened her eyes with a start, feeling the loss of power keenly. ―What?‖
―Quiet!‖ Yr hissed, throwing a cloak over the naked girl‘s shoulders. ―Timozel is at the
door.‖
Faraday, dazed, only blinked at Yr who had opened the door a crack. ―What is it?‖Yr
asked, furious with Timozel‘s interruption.
Timozel tried to peer through the narrow crack. ―I just wanted to see if you were
comfortable, Faraday.‖
Faraday nodded curtly. ―I‘m fine, Timozel.‖ He had prevented her from stepping through
the Gate.
―Well, all right then,‖ Timozel grumbled. ―Sleep well.‖
Yr slammed the door closed. ―Damn fool!‖ She turned back to Faraday. ―A lesson
well-learnt, my sweet. The next time you bond with the Mother, make sure you won‘t be
interrupted. Imagine what would have happened if Timozel had seen that…or if Borneheld were
to see it.‖
Faraday nodded, sobered by the thought, but pleased beyond measure that she had
managed even so brief a contact with the Mother; even now she felt renewed. The bowl was a
wonderful thing. In her heart she sent a silent apology to the Mother for having so rudely broken
the contact. ―Yr? What will I learn from the Mother?‖
Yr smiled and stroked the girl‘s cheek. ―I do not know, lovely lady. The bowl is an
unusual gift. The Horned Ones have never let it out of the Sacred Grove before. It is enchanted
wood, and what enchantments are woven into its making I do not know. Now, perhaps it would
be best if you got some sleep. The seamstresses will worry you beyond measure in the morning.‖
Faraday returned Yr‘s smile and kissed her cheek. ―Goodnight Yr. I hope you sleep well
in your bed tonight.‖
When Yr opened the door to her room she found Gautier stretched out naked upon her
bed. She smiled and closed the door behind her.
38
SIGHOLT
Axis stood on the flat roof of the Keep at the garrison of Sigholt and let the wind ruffle
through his hair. He rested his hands on the ancient stone parapets of the Keep and gazed north,
his eyes narrowed against the wind. On the horizon he could just see a faint smudge of
purple—the Icescarp Alps. Cold as it was, the air was invigorating and Axis closed his eyes and
filled his lungs. He had never been further north than Aldeni previously—Jayme had always kept
him south of Ichtar—and the sight of the distant Icescarp Alps exhilarated him.
―The Princess loved to stand here, just as you do now,‖ a soft voice said behind him. Axis
opened his eyes, and turned to the old man behind him. They were alone on the roof of the Keep.
Reinald, retired chief cook of the garrison, was old and infirm. Rheumy eyes watered in
the wind, and his all but bald pate shone in what weak late autumn sunlight managed to struggle
through the clouds. He grinned amiably at the BattleAxe. Most of his teeth had gone.
―I was undercook then, BattleAxe, and one of my tasks was to supervise the Princess‘
meals. She would spend most of her time up here during the summer and the early autumn, and I
and the kitchen hands would have to climb the steep stairs balancing hot bowls, sharp knives and
fine china and crystal. Three times a day.‖
Axis smiled at the old man. ―You must have cursed her.‖
―Ah,‖ Reinald remembered, ―‘twas hard to curse your mother, BattleAxe.‖ Reinald was
the only person Axis had met, apart from Faraday, who was comfortable with the fact that
Rivkah was Axis‘ mother. ―She would smile so prettily, and apologise for all the trouble she had
caused, and then she would turn to the view and invite us to see what it was that had enthralled
her.‖
―And that was?‖ Axis prompted.
Reinald stepped up to the parapets with Axis. ―Why, the Icescarp Alps, BattleAxe. She
used to tease us. Ralf, the youngest of the kitchen boys, had no head for heights and would often
turn green with dizziness. Princess Rivkah would laugh, and say that one day she would fly away
to the Alps and no-one would ever see her again. I like to think that is what her soul did,
BattleAxe, when she died during your birth. I have always comforted myself with the thought
that finally she was free to visit the mountains she had always wanted to see. She was closer to
the Alps then, you see, when you were born.‖
Axis could not say anything for a moment; sometimes garciousness and comfort could be
offered from the most unexpected of places. ―Thank you, Reinald,‖ he managed finally. He
turned his eys back to the faint smudge on the horizon. ―It is hard to see them from this
distance.‖
―Oh, during the summer, on a clear day, they stand out as if there‘s only a league or two
between here and there.‖
―She must have been very unhappy here,‖ Axis said quietly, ―if she wanted to fly away.‖
Reinald thought hard about what to say. ―She was unhappy when Searlas was here, but
when he was absent, then she would laugh.‖
―When my father was here?‖ Axis asked.
Reinald remained quiet for a very long time, staring out towards the Icescarp Alps. He
remembered the terrible weeks when Duke Searlas had returned home from Gorkenfort to find
his year-long absence had left Rivkah eight months pregnant. Without thinking he looked down
at his own hands. His fingernails had never grown well again after Searlas had personally pulled
them out one by one with a pair of rusted kitchen tongs, trying to find out what the undercook
knew about the father.
Reinald, despite the pain, or perhaps because of it, had never told. In his own way he had
loved Rivkah and if he could help her by remaining silent, then he would do so with the joy that
he could in fact serve her.
Axis remained quiet, leaving the man to think. He would tell, or he would not. Either way
Axis was glad that he had found this old man. Through his memories he could reach the mother
he had never known.
―Searlas was so…so hard. Rivkah came here as a young bride, still a girl. Above all else
she needed love and laughter, the two things Searlas could not give her.‖ The man paused again
for long minutes. ―I learned to wait at the door to the roof, learned not to disturb your mother
until she called. Sometimes I waited long hours, the food turning to a cold congealed mess about
me. I would send the kitchen boys away.‖ Reinald turned to face Axis. ―I never saw your father,
BattleAxe. But I heard him speak, and I heard him sing. He had a voice that one could listen to
for hours.‖ The old man smiled at the memory. ―He gave her both love and laughter, BattleAxe.
For close to eight months he came almost every day and stayed for hours. Who was he? I do not
know. How did he reach the roof ? No-one ever passed me on the stairs.‖
Axis nodded absently, his mind drifting. This would be a lovely spot in summer with the
green Urqhart hills in the foreground and the purple Icescarp Alps far away in the distance. Over
the past few days Ogden had told him far more about the winged Icarii. Had the Icarii Enchanter
flown each day from the Alps? Or did he have a haunt in the Urqhart Hills themselves? Axis
relaxed as he thought of his mother and her Enchanter lover. A lilting melody ran through his
head, and without thinking he started to hum it, enjoying the way it ran about his mouth. He
closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the summer warmth upon his face, smelling the climbing
roses that in summer crept up the Keep to its very roof. He did not see Reinald‘s face drop in
stunned amazement.
―StarDrifter!‖ A young woman called, love deepening her already low voice, and Axis
opened his eyes. The roof was bathed in sunshine and across from him a lovely young woman
stood, laughing in the sun, holding out her arms to him. ―StarDrifter! You said you would not
come today.‖ She was barefoot under a loose gown of lavender linen, and Axis could see that her