Sara Douglass – The Axis Trilogy 2 – Enchanter

Kenricke nodded. “I understand.”

Axis turned his eyes to Spiredore. “Jayme?”

Kenricke grinned sourly. “The Brother-Leader, his advisers and most of the senior Brothers fled to Carlon days past, Axis. The Tower of…Spiredore is inhabited by a few old men and young novices. They ask only that you leave them their lives.”

Axis thought about it for a moment. “Can I speak to the most senior of them?”

Kenricke nodded and waved at one of the Axe-Wielders in the rear of the formation. The Axe-Wielder tapped on the white door set into the centre of the nearest side of the tower, and after a moment it opened, an elderly Brother scurrying out.

“Brother Boroleas,” Axis said, recognising the man. As Kenricke had taught him skill in arms, Boroleas had largely taught him his letters. “I have come to reclaim Spiredore.”

“I have come to plead with you for our lives,” Boroleas said stiffly.

“You shall have them,” Axis replied.

“And our freedom?” Boroleas asked.

“You shall have an escort of twenty armed men to Nord-muth, Boroleas, where you will board a ship for Coroleas.”

“And our books?” Boroleas pressed, hardly daring to hope.

Axis killed the hope immediately. “I have granted you your lives, Boroleas. Do not ask for your books as well. You leave now, and you leave everything behind you. Kenricke, will you supervise the Brothers’ evacuation?”

Kenricke nodded, and Axis turned back to Spiredore. It was his.

MorningStar

Three days after the Battle of Bedwyr Fort Axis’ camp had spread along the eastern shore of Grail Lake. Tents, gaily pennoned with the standards of the individual commanders within Axis’ combined force, or, increasingly, with miniature versions of Axis’ personal golden standard, spread along virtually the entire shore. Men rested and recovered in the early autumn sunshine. Carlon was left alone as Axis’ army concentrated on recovering its strength after the battle. Ships from Nor had resupplied the force, and the Carlonese, running out of fresh supplies, had to put up with watching Axis’ men feast on new breads and freshly-picked fruits. They also watched the Ravensbundmen play a rough and sometimes deadly game of football from horseback, and the Icarii drift about the skies and camp in a flurry of wings.

MorningStar and StarDrifter shared a tent in the northern part of the camp, and on this third day Axis stood with them, going over some of the books the Icarii had recovered from Spiredore. All of the Brotherhood’s works Axis and StarDrifter had ordered burned, but StarDrifter and MorningStar, to their delight, had discovered hundreds of ancient Icarii texts secreted away in locked cupboards and chests.

“What did the Seneschal do with them?” MorningStar muttered, her head bent over one of the latest finds. “Not read them, surely?”

Axis shrugged. “I have no idea why they kept them. Perhaps they simply did not understand what they had found. Perhaps when they moved into Spiredore they packed these books up, or stuffed them into back bookcases, and completely forgot they were there.”

StarDrifter shared his mother’s excitement. “Axis! So many of these texts we thought completely lost! And now to have recovered them! See, mother!” he pointed to a small book he had just unpacked from a crate, “The History of the Lakes – I thought this book was only legend!”

MorningStar gasped in astonishment and picked the book up. “The History of the Lakes,” she breathed. “Oh, Axis, thank you for all you have done for the Icarii!”

Axis smiled. Now, with most of the sacred sites of the Icarii opened to her and her brethren, Axis was seeing a side of his grandmother he had not known existed. Only this morning Axis had seen her laughing and chatting with Azhure as she took Caelum for a walk in the morning sunshine. Apparently MorningStar had put her deep suspicion of Azhure to one side.

MorningStar reluctantly put down the book. There would be plenty of time to read these at her leisure. “Is there anything left in Spiredore?”

StarDrifter shook his head. “No. We have removed everything that belonged to the Seneschal – burned most of it. Underneath the wooden panelling on the walls we have found the original carvings in the white stone – very much like the carvings that encircled the well leading down to the UnderWorld, Axis.”

Axis nodded, recalling the beautiful carvings of women and children dancing hand in hand in the UnderWorld. He could not wait to see what those in Spiredore looked like restored.

“When will you be able to reconsecrate Spiredore?” he asked his father.

“Tomorrow night, Axis. The moon will be full – Spire-dore shares a special harmony with the moon.”

“Oh,” MorningStar muttered. “What is that girl doing?”

Axis and StarDrifter stared at her, but MorningStar was gazing out the open tent flap. “Imibe is supposed to be watching Caelum as he has his afternoon nap. Now, here she is running off to watch her husband at his horse games again. I’d better go and watch over the boy — Azhure is visiting some of the wounded in the physician’s tents this afternoon.”

“I’ll go, MorningStar,” Axis offered. “I know how much you want to examine these books, and you know how much I enjoy spending time with my son.”

“But StarDrifter needs to talk with you about tomorrow night’s ceremony, and I have many years ahead of me to enjoy these texts. And, Axis,” she grinned, “/ enjoy spending time with Caelum as much as you do.”

Axis gave in without further argument. Later his decision would return to haunt his dreams. What would have happened if he had walked into his tent that fine afternoon to check on his son?

MorningStar smiled at her son and grandson – and walked out of the tent and into Prophecy.

MorningStar knew something was badly wrong the instant she walked into the tent that Axis shared with Azhure and Caelum. Caelum s cot was in the far corner, lost in shadows, and a darkly cloaked figure was bent over the cot, reaching down to the baby.

“Who are you?” MorningStar began, her voice hard, and the figure whipped about.

“Oh,” MorningStar whispered, her hand creeping to her throat in horror, feeling the dark power seep across the space between them and encircle her.

Dark power. Dark Music. MorningStar could do nothing against it.

“WolfStar,” she murmured. “I had always wondered what disguise you wore.”

“MorningStar,” WolfStar said, moving towards her, a hard smile across the face he wore. Then his disguise faltered and faded, and MorningStar saw the real person beneath.

WolfStar was incredibly beautiful underneath the hood of his black cloak. He had the violet eyes of so many of the Sun-Soars, but dark coppery hair. His entire face was alive with power, strange power that MorningStar assumed he had brought back from the universe beyond. How would Axis deal with this, she thought frantically as WolfStar stepped close to her and took her chin in his hand, how mil Axis deal with this?

“Axis will deal with me when he finds me, my sweet,” WolfStar said softly. “But I do not intend that he should find me yet. I still have much work to do in my current disguise.”

“I will not tell,” MorningStar whispered.

“Sweet MorningStar SunSoar. How could you not tell? Your knowledge will shine out of your eyes, and either Axis or StarDrifter will eventually force the knowledge from you. My sweet, you have seen me in my everyday disguise, and for that you must pay.”

MorningStar whimpered.

“Ah,” WolfStar said, “you are afraid.” He wrapped both his hands about her head and pulled her to him, kissing her gently, kissing her goodbye.

MorningStar moaned, her hands and power hanging limp by her side.

WolfStar lifted his head. “Goodbye, my lovely,” he whispered, then his hands abruptly tightened about her head, crushing it as easily as a child would an egg it held in its hands.

As WolfStar carefully lowered MorningStar’s body to the ground, Caelum began to scream in terror.

Only at that point did the five Alaunt who had been resting quietly in the tent, and who had shown no signs of distress as WolfStar murdered MorningStar, rise to their feet and encircle the cot protectively.

“How strange,” StarDrifter said, raising his head from the text he was showing Axis. “I feel a loss, an emptiness, but of what I cannot tell.”

Axis looked at him, but after a moment StarDrifter shook himself and continued to explain the text to Axis.

WolfStar hurried through the ranks of tents, upset to have been discovered – and even a little upset that he had been forced to dispose of MorningStar. She was a SunSoar woman, and WolfStar had not liked to kill her.

WolfStar was so upset that for a crucial minute he forgot to recloak himself in his usual disguise.

Not even thinking to look where he was going, disturbed by Caelum’s screams so close behind him, WolfStar turned a corner and walked straight into Jack.