Sinner by Sara Douglass. Book One of The Wayfarer Redemption

Azhure had the grace to look uncomfortable. “I suspected, Faraday, but I did not tell her.”

“Why not?” StarDrifter cried out in frustration.

“Because I did not know when, if ever, Niah would claim ascendancy, StarDrifter. There was no point in speaking until then.”

“Well, it has happened,” Faraday said softly. “Zenith has been consumed by Niah’s spirit. Azhure, don’t you care for your daughter?”

“You know nothing!” Azhure snapped, angered. “Zenith was always Niah. If anything, I am glad she has attained her true identity.”

StarDrifter, already tight and anxious over the news Axis had revealed, lost his temper. He couldn’t believe the indifference Axis and Azhure showed to Zenith’s pain and struggle. “Zenith was ever her own woman,” he said. “What exists in that body now is so different to Zenith that I cannot imagine you can claim that Zenith was always Niah. Zenith is lost! Your daughter is lost! How can you stand there and say you are glad?”

“StarDrifter, you cannot understand, or you would share my gladness,” Azhure said. “Niah was promised rebirth – you read the letter yourself.”

“But not at the expense of my granddaughter!” StarDrifter shouted.

“I sincerely hope you are not making Niah’s welcome a difficult one, StarDrifter.” Her voice was very stiff.

Faraday put a warning hand on StarDrifter’s arm. “We are doing everything in our power to ensure she receives the appropriate hospitality,” she said.

Azhure looked at them carefully. “Do not meddle in what you do not understand,” she said very slowly. “I forbid it.”

There was commanding power and stinging rebuke in that last phrase, and StarDrifter knew that if it had not been for Faraday’s hand on his arm he would not have been able to resist it. As it was, he was incapable of speech, and was glad when Faraday answered.

“We will only ever do what is best for Tencendor,” she said. “Believe that.”

There was uncomfortable silence between the four of them, then Axis finally spoke.

“StarDrifter, I will call on you once we know how best to resist the Demons. Faraday, I wish you well.”

And then they were both gone, and Faraday and StarDrifter were left alone before the blighted beacon.

“Faraday,” StarDrifter said, “was it true what they said about Drago?”

“No,” Faraday said softly. “Drago is as lost as Zenith is.” She paused. “Zenith is not the only SunSoar child in need of some assistance.”

She turned and took StarDrifter’s hand “Will you trust me? More importantly, will you trust the faith I have in Drago?”

fi , he said finally. “If you ask it.

Drago lay under the gently swaying tree, so consumed by agony he could barely draw breath. He had stumbled blindly out here after the leap, not sure what kind of world he was walking into, and had fallen only when he’d walked straight into the coarse-barked tree.

He was aware that somewhere a sun shone, and that warmth bathed his right leg where it extended from the shadow of the tree. He was aware there was a gentle breeze, for the branches of the tree rustled and swayed above him. This world also had a rather pleasant scent about it. But everything else was lost in the sea of pain.

Sheol had patted him once they were done, pleased, and said that only one more leap remained.

And then they would be at the Star Gate.

One more leap, and then one to get through the Star Gate.

But Drago was certain that he would not survive another leap, and he was not even sure if he would manage to survive the effects of this one.

In the distance he heard soft laughter, and an excited voice. One of the Questors, and then StarLaughter’s husky tones. Kind souls that they were, the Questors would give him time to rest. Recuperate. Enjoy the sun.

Drago would have laughed had he the strength. He knew they would drain him into a useless, dead hulk. They would consume his power, and then they would consume his life.

Quite. Do you know what you aid, Drago? Drago really didn’t care at this precise moment. He wished the Sentinels would go away. He wished he had never stolen the Sceptre. He wished he had died when he threw himself into the Star Gate.

But still his hand stole to the sack at his belt. It never left him now. Even at night it lay within easy reach. Do you know what you aid, Drago’? Drago hated the persistence of the voice. Over past days and nights he’d occasionally heard the five Sentinels nattering between themselves. Now it was the leader of the group, Jack, who spoke to him. Drago, do you know –

“I care not!” he whispered fiercely. “Leave me alone!” Demons, Drago. Demons who will devour Tencendor. Drago was silent. He didn’t want to hear it. Imagine, you are the agent by which such destruction will be visited on Tencendor. “Go away.”

There was a rustle behind him, and a movement, then a brief wind and shadow as the flock of Hawkchilds rushed past and then disappeared again among the trees. You are in danger, Drago.

Drago amost laughed, but could not find the energy. “Tell me something I do not know.”

They have hurt you already. That was the voice belonging to the older woman, Zeherah. Drago felt a soothing warmth spread through his body, partially alleviating the pain.

He gasped, and straightened a little. “Will you help me? I do not want to die.”

Why do you think we should help you?

“Because if I die, then you will fall into the hands of the Questors. So you must save me to save yourselves.”

They burst into loud merriment. We are saved! cried Zeherah. We have no need of your assistance!

“You will if you want to get back through the Star Gate.”

We do not want to go back. An older male voice, perhaps Ogden or Veremund.

“What? You must go back. You are the Rainbow -”

No, we are not. True, our physical forms once went into its making and we resided in it for long years, but we have been freed from it now. You did that for us, Drago. By jumping through the Star Gate with the Sceptre you freed us. Now we can wander the stars if we choose.

“Then why are you still here?”

Because we regard you benignly and because we want to ask you a question.

“What?”

Are you prepared to aid Tencendor and your brother Caelum?

Drago was silent long minutes before he replied. “I realised,” he finally said, “how alike StarLaughter and I are, how alike the Hawkchilds and I are. We have all been disinherited, our lives and heritages destroyed. My friends, I did not like the comparison. I do not want to be like them. Yet… yet at the same time I cannot ignore the harm Caelum has’ done me. I did not kill RiverStar, and yet he would not believe my denial. He wanted me dead, and so he found me guilty. Help Caelum? I don’t know.”

There was a silence, then Jack spoke sadly. See how you have harmed Caelum, Drago SunSoar.

Drago found himself caught up in a vision – someone else’s vision. He was staring through a child’s eyes, staring at the sky above Sigholt.

Do you know with whose eyes you see, Drago? No, no! he cried in his mind. Yes! Who is he, Drago? Caelum. I see through Caelum’s eyes. Yes. Watch and feel with Caelum, Drago, as your infant malevolence strikes home.

With Caelum, Drago found his eyes locked onto a nightmarish creature plunging out of the sky. Gorgrael! He heard a shriek of primeval terror, and realised it came from Caelum. He felt despair sweep through Caelum; despair and horror as the boy realised that Gorgrael had come because DragonStar wanted him dead.

Betrayed by his own brother, betrayed to this horrifying creature.

There was a sudden movement, and Drago felt Caelum’s nurse, Imibe, snatch him. She turned away, trying to protect Caelum with her body, but Gorgrael had capered across the roof.

“Fool!” Gorgrael hissed, and raked his talons down Imibe’s face.

Caelum did not feel those talons, but his despair darkened and ran rampant until Drago thought the boy would surely die from it.

Warm blood – Imibe’s blood – trickled down his body. There was a flood of foul breath, and a flurry of movement, and Imibe was torn to shreds by Gorgrael’s claws.

And through all this blood and death and despair, Drago could feel one overriding emotion – triumph. His triumph. His infant, malevolent triumph, surging across the rooftop from where he was bundled in Cazna’s arms.

And Caelum felt it, too. Caelum felt it and his whole worJd broke apart, because brothers should not do this to each other. All he’d ever wanted to do was love DragonStar, play with him, explore the world with him, grow into adulthood with him, and yet all DragonStar wanted to do was see him torn apart, see him die, and for that purpose DragonStar had allied himself with the most hated creature in Tencendor.