Sinner by Sara Douglass. Book One of The Wayfarer Redemption

“Caelum,” Zenith interrupted, shaking off Leagh’s hand and standing. “You are correct in saying that Drago might have seen the true murderer. If so, then any one of the SunSoar Enchanters can easily solve this mystery. Yet he says he cannot remember. How easily this can be solved! We could employ the Song of Recall to see what happened with Drago’s own eyes. Witness with him.”

“You would witness your own sister’s death?” Caelum took a horrified step back.

“If it would reveal her true murderer, then yes,” Zenith said.

Caelum stared at her. “You are right,” he said eventually, “the Song of Recall will clearly show whether Drago is lying or not.” His tone clearly indicated which one he thought it would be.

Zenith shot Drago a smile of encouragement as she sat down. He returned her look, but his face was unreadable.

“Drago!” Caelum stepped down from the Throne of the Stars and moved forward, within a pace of Drago. “Drago,” he said more softly, “attend my power!”

A hint of music brushed through the air. Leagh knew what was happening, Caelum was using a thread of music from the Star Dance to create a Song of Recall. She could barely hear it herself, but knew the Song must be thundering through every Enchanter in the Hall.

Zenith trembled at her side, and Leagh glanced at her. Zenith seemed alright, her eyes fixed on Drago, and Leagh turned back to look.

Drago had stiffened. His eyes slowly closed, and then his head snapped back.

Caelum half stepped forward, a hand outstretched. Leagh noticed with some bewilderment that his face was contorted as if with massive effort; Leagh had been about Enchanters all her life and knew this Song should be an easy one for Caelum to manipulate.

Caelum’s breath hissed out between his teeth, and Drago jerked and shuddered.

Caelum seemed to put more effort into his enchantment. A gleam of sweat appeared on his brow, and his outstretched hand trembled.

“It is of no use!” he cried suddenly. “I cannot retrieve it! He has placed a block over his memory.”

“A block?” Zenith murmured at Leagh’s side. “A block? No-one can do that, surely, and least of all Drago, who has no Enchanter powers left!”

“Let me try!” a voice rang out above them, and Zenith uttered a small cry and clutched at Leagh’s arm.

“WolfStar!” she whispered, and Leagh was horrified to see stark terror in Zenith’s eyes.

She looked up, as did everyone else in the Hall.

From the roof beams far overhead an Icarü birdman was slowly spiralling down. Leagh caught her breath – he was so beautiful! His wings were gold, reflecting the sunlight, his hair seemed almost to be on fire, and his face… his face was rippling with power and sensuality.

If Leagh was breathless with admiration, then Zenith was nauseous with shock and horror. As if a light flickered, she first saw WolfStar spiralling down from the roof of the Hall, and then saw him descending from the roof of the Dome. One part of her wanted to flee, another wanted to rush forward into his arms.

“Let me try,” WolfStar repeated as he alighted on the floor by Caelum.

Caelum, although he looked startled, stepped aside immediately. “Gladly, WolfStar. I bow to your greater power. Retrieve the murderer’s memory for us.”

And Caelum shot Drago a look of pure triumph.

WolfStar stepped close to Drago, but did not outstretch his hand as Caelum had. He just stood there, a slight smile on his face, his eyes fixed on Drago, his wings slowly relaxing onto the flagstones behind him.

Zenith trembled, and clutched at Leagh. “Is he the murderer, do you think?” she whispered, so low Leagh could hardly hear her. “Is he RiverStar’s SunSoar lover?”

Leagh could not take her eyes off WolfStar. He radiated power so potent she could feel her very bones vibrate with it. Stars alone knew what it was doing to Drago.

The man had his eyes still bravely fixed on WolfStar’s, but his entire body was shaking; Leagh assumed only WolfStar’s power was holding him upright, because otherwise she could not see how Drago’s legs could possibly hold him.

Then WolfStar whispered.

“No-one bests me, manling!”

And everyone in the Hall heard that whisper, felt it, and felt (if not heard) the Star Dance surge through the windows and stones and seemingly coalesce on WolfStar.

The Enchanter’s hands clenched into fists by his side. “No-one bests me!” he screamed, and then Drago screamed also, his arms flailing at his side, and in the space behind him a grey mist materialised, and in this grey mist formed horror.

A ghostly Drago, stepping into RiverStar’s chamber. She turned, and spoke, taunted. Drago shouted back, and raised a fist. RiverStar laughed, spoke again, and turned her back dismissively. Drago reached into his robe and withdrew a kitchen knife. He stepped across the space between them and plunged it into RiverStar’s back. She half collapsed, screaming, and then Drago had her by the hair, turning her half about, plunging the knife into her flanks, her breasts, her belly. RiverStar’s hands beat futilely; nothing could stop Drago’s murderous frenzy. Eventually she slipped to the floor, her eyes wide, her mouth opening and closing in the shock of her agonising dying. Drago let her go and stood above her, panting. His face wore a malicious expression of triumph. He watched her die. He laughed.

Leagh herself was gasping after the horror of the vision, and she only dimly realised that someone was screaming.

She blinked, clearing her eyes and mind.

It was Drago. “No! No! No! No!” WolfStar had released him from his enchantment, and the man had slumped to the floor. But still he screamed. “No! No! No!”

Zenith burst into tears, and Leagh realised she was crying as well.

Before them, both Caelum and WolfStar relaxed.

Time to do away with this murderous canker in our family, WolfStar? Caelum used his mind voice so that only WolfStar could hear it. So consumed was he by his fear of Drago, Caelum would have allied himself with the most loathsome demon if it meant he’d finally see the last of his brother.

Far more than time. That block was… robust. Where did he get the power for that? Yes, definitely time to dispose of him. Azhure should have done it forty years ago. Now, StarSon, you can march into the future with confidence. Forget the horrors of the past.

And face the trial which is ahead of you, WolfStar thought, screening it from Caelum. For that, it is definitely best that Drago be dead.

Caelum had resumed the Throne of the Stars, and WolfStar stepped to the side so that the StarSon could pass judgment on his brother, still kneeling before him.

“Drago, your memory, once so conveniently blank, has admitted to your sister’s murder, and you must suffer the sentence imposed on all murderers.”

“No!” Drago cried hoarsely, “that ‘memory’ was a phantasm of someone else’s imagination. ,’ did not kill RiverStar!”

“The Song of Recall never lies,” Caelum said very calmly. “You are sentenced to death, Drago SunSoar. An arrow to the heart as the sun rises in the morning. Thus I speak, thus shall it be so.” He paused, and gestured to the four guards from the Strike Force. “Take him away.”

As Caelum stepped down from the dais and Drago was led from the Hall, the Lake Guard snapped to attention, swords to foreheads.

The Lake Guard on Duty Zenith sank down onto the floor by her bed and rubbed her head. “Go away, go away, go away,” she murmured.

But Niah refused to go. She had been buried in Zenith since birth, content until now with sending only the odd memory bubbling to the surface of Zenith’s conscious mind, and enjoying the occasional excursion in something like control of Zenith’s mind. But since WolfStar’s kiss, since his insistence, Niah was prepared to fight for supremacy.

All the tales Zenith had heard of Niah were of a sweet-natured woman who had willingly given her life for Azhure. But this presence she felt within her was anything but sweet-natured. Had death done this to Niah?

Whatever Caelum had said, Zenith knew in the very pits of her soul – her soul, dammit! – that the Niah presence was a very different being to herself. There were two of them, not one.

I am not Niah! she thought, and then cried aloud as the Niah voice responded, biting like fire into her mind.

,’ am you – do either of us have any choice?

“I am not you and I have every choice, damn you!”

You want what I want. You always have.

“Has all my life thus far been a lie?” Zenith cried to the empty room. “Have none of my decisions been my own, only what this Niah-voice has whispered to me?”

Who could help her against this insistent voice? And even if someone wanted to help, then what could they do? Over the past few days Zenith had tried everything she could, used every one of her not inconsiderable powers, and yet nothing had dampened Niah’s insistence – or curbed her growing strength. And if Zenith could not repress her… who could? Caelum, maybe, but Caelum believed that accepting Niah was Zenith’s destiny. That she would just have to “adjust”.