Sara Douglass – The Axis Trilogy 2 – Enchanter

Her mind drifted, wondering what it would feel like to hold her baby for the first time, what it would feel like to have a child love and trust her and come to her for comfort and laughter. Axis’ child would surely be wondrous. She smiled. Would it be golden-haired like Axis? Or would it inherit her dark hair and pale skin? How Icarii would it be, and how human?

She looked about her, and quickly realised that the sun was already well above the horizon. If she did not hurry, the entire garrison might come searching for her. Azhure shot to her feet and grabbed Belaguez’s reins, making the horse toss his head in alarm.

“Damn,” Azhure muttered feelingly as she mounted the restless stallion. He would have to forgo his run down HoldHard Pass this morning. Was Belial already waiting for her in the stable?

He was.

Belial smiled at Azhure and took the stallion’s reins from her. Azhure busied herself with unsaddling Belaguez.

As she undid the girth, Belial stepped up behind her and touched the back of her neck with his fingers. “Azhure, I hope you did not misunderstand me last night. I meant marriage, not simply a casual affair. I do not want you simply for a night, but for my life.”

“I know,” Azhure whispered, then closed her eyes as he gently kissed her neck, then her cheek, and then slipped his arms about her. He would make a good father for my children, thought Azhure. My dreams of heroes were so childish. What woman could ask for anything more than a good, solid man to support her?

“And your answer?” he said, his mouth in her hair now.

“Belial,” she took his hands where they rested against her waist and slid them gently over her stomach. “Belial, I am pregnant. I cannot accept.”

She felt his breathing falter and closed her eyes as she felt his pain. He did not deserve this.

“Axis,” he said woodenly.

Azhure hesitated, then nodded. “Yes.”

“Do you love him?”

“Yes,” she said, and at her answer Belial tore himself away from her and thumped the stable wall in frustration and anger. Belaguez jumped sideways, startled, his ears laid back along his skull.

“Damn him,” Belial seethed. “I have never, never, envied him his women until now!” He turned to face Azhure again. “Azhure, I love you. I want you whether you are pregnant or not. Whether you love Axis or not. You know that you have no life with him! You know that we could build a good life together!” Why couldn’t Axis have left her alone? Had the man no conscience? No self control? What of Faraday?

Azhure started to cry silently. “Belial. You must know more than anyone how it would hurt Axis to know that a child of his would be raised without true knowledge of its parentage. Do I know that I have no future with him? Yes, I do, Belial. But until Axis returns and the child is born I can make no decisions. None.”

Belial looked away again, his eyes dull now. “When?”

“Early Raven-month next year. The child was conceived at Beltide. The first day of Flower-month.” She looked down at her hands. “It was just that once.”

Belial laughed sourly. “Once? That was all he needed?” Azhure nodded, knowing that Belial was angry at Axis rather than at her. She wiped away some of her tears.

Belial shook his head in disbelief. “Axis should have bastards littered across half of Achar if once was all he needed. to get a woman with his child. Why you, Azhure? Why you?”

He reached out and cradled Azhure against his body, certain that this would be the last time he held her. He could not compete with Axis. “Azhure, if you had not been pregnant, would you have come to me?”

Azhure did not hesitate. “Yes, I would have been honoured to do so.”

For a long time they stood there quietly in the stable, listening to Sigholt wake up about them.

Rivkah had been up an hour when Azhure came back to change. Rivkah knew immediately she saw her that something was very wrong.

“Azhure? What is it?”

Azhure could say nothing as tears streamed down her face, and Rivkah hurried across the room and folded her in her arms. She hugged the younger woman and rocked her a little.

“Azhure, I know that you are pregnant.” She smiled, trying to cheer Azhure up. “This will be my first grandchild.”

“Belial asked me to marry him last night, and I cannot. Not carrying Axis’ child.”

“Ah.” Rivkah began to see. Azhure had wanted to walk away from the inevitable pain of Axis. Belial would have provided the perfect escape for her. But Azhure had not walked far enough nor quickly enough. And Axis was not likely to let a child of his go, especially if it was an Enchanter.

Rivkah led Azhure to the bed and held her while the woman cried herself out. Like Belial, Rivkah wondered at the fact that Axis had left no children behind him to this day, despite a string of lovers. Azhure s child would be his first.

Unlike Belial, Rivkah knew the reason why. Male Enchanters — indeed, Icarii birdmen generally — found it difficult to father children. And once they had managed it with one woman, they were as reluctant to let that woman go as they were to let the child go. In fact, Icarii often did not formally marry until the couple were expecting their first child — and sometimes a marriage would never take place if a child was not conceived. The couple would simply separate and reform partnerships with other people. A large part of the reason StarDrifter had been so fascinated with Rivkah, a large part of his love for her, had been her ability to bear him children. Now she was too old for a pregnancy, and StarDrifter still had the majority of his life to find another woman to bear him more children.

Rivkah rocked Azhure in her arms. After only one night, Azhure had fallen pregnant to Axis. No matter what the bond between Axis and Faraday, Azhure’s simple fecundity would weld him tightly to her. Had Azhure left it too late to walk? Yes. Azhure could run as far as she liked now, but Axis would hunt her down. He would be unable to help himself.

The Enchantress’ RingThey sat in a flat-bottomed boat in the centre of a vast violet lake. Above them soared a massive domed roof of multifaceted crystals.

The Ferryman’s eyes reflected the violet of the lake. “Your mother won for you the right to ask me for assistance. You ask to be taught. I will do that. But I have a condition.”

“What?” Axis’ voice was wary. Both StarDrifter and Rivkah had warned him that the Ferryman was a cunning bargainer — and one who spoke in riddles.

“I will teach you whatever you ask. But of you I will ask one thing. Whatever I teach you is for your use and the use of your issue only. When you return to the OverWorld, you will not teach StarDrifter, or any other Icani Enchanter, what you have learned down here. My teaching is for you and your children only. Do you agree?” “Why?”

The Ferryman’s eyes glinted. “My purpose is not your concern. Do you agree? Or would you like me to return you to the OverWorld?”

“Agreed. I will teach none but my children.”

“Good. What do you wish to know?”

“Your name.”

“My name was once Orr, and you may call me that. Whatnext?”

Axis looked about him. The massive lake was completely deserted except for the boat they sat in, and Axis had seen no-one else in the waterways they had travelled. “Where are the other Charonites?”

“/ am the Charonites, Axis SunSoar. Not simply the last one left alive, but I am myself the complete race. We all reside in here.” Orr tapped himself on the chest.

Axis looked at him strangely, but decided to let it pass. “Orr, what are the waterways?”

Orr actually chuckled, surprising Axis. “The waterways are far less mysterious than most suppose. It is simply that they are hidden so far from sight and so deep in memory, that whenever anyone from the OverWorld thinks of them, they think of them in shadows of mystery.”

“Then tell me.”

“You are impatient, Axis. That is your father in you.”

Axis had already learned that Orr did not think very much of StarDrifter. “Don’t waste my time in riddles, Orr.”

Orr sighed and meticulously adjusted his ruby-red cloak. “You have learned of the Star Dance?”

“Yes. I hear it about me every moment I am awake, and at night it rustles through my dreams.”

“Axis, as you know the Icarii Enchanters use music to mirror the patterns of the Star Dance. The waterways do the same thing, except the pattern is laid down in a physical form. To travel the waterways is literally to move through the patterns of the particular ‘Song’ you wish.”