Sara Douglass - Enchanter - Book Two of the Axis Trilogy

SARA DOUGLASS

Enchanter

Book Two of The Axis Trilogy

HarperVoyager An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers 1998

This novel is entirely a work of fiction.

The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

www.voyager-books.co.uk

Copyright © Sara Douglass 1996

The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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Source ISBN: 9780006511076

Ebook Edition © SEPTEMBER 2011 ISBN:9780007381364

Version: 2015-03-04

HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication.

The Axis trilogy continues for Lynne, Tim and

Frances, with a nod and a smile for Pachelbel,

whose haunting Canon in D provided the

background for the writing of Enchanter.

Enchanter is the axis, and it remembers Elinor, who died when she and I were far too young.

Courage my Soul, now learn to wield

The weight of thine immortal Shield.

Close on thy Head thy Helmet bright.

Ballance thy Sword against the Fight.

See where an Army, strong as fair,

With silken Banners spreads the air.

Now, if thou bee’st that thing Divine,

In this day’s Combat let it shine:

And shew that Nature wants an Art

To conquer one resolved Heart.

ANDREW MARVELL,

“A Dialogue Between The Resolved Soul, and Created Pleasure”

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

The Prophecy of the Destroyer

Prologue: The Ruins of Gorkenfort

1. Jervois Landing – Arrivals

2. Talon Spike

3. The Wolven

4. Learning the Star Dance

5. The Rebel Army

6. New Responsibilities, Old Friends

7. Dark Man, Dear Man

8. The Brother-Leader Plans

9. The Blood-Red Sun

10. Propositions and Endings

11. “Are You True?” Asketh the Bridge

12. “I Will Lead You Back into Tencendor!”

13. Dinner at the Tired Seagull

14. Through the Mountain Passes

15. Beltide

16. A Parting of Ways

17. The Audience

18. Through the Fortress Ranges

19. The Alaunt

20. Arrival at Sigholt

21. Long Live the King!

22. Azhure’s Dilemma

23. The Enchantress’ Ring

24. The Patrol

25. Star Gate

26. Gorgrael Makes a New Friend

27. The Strike Force Lands

28. The GateKeeper

29. Caelum

30. “Let Fly the Standard!”

31. WolfStar’s Story

32. Winter Approaches

33. Forgotten Vows

34. Parley

35. Carlon and Beyond

36. Gundealga Ford

37. Yuletide

38. The Nursery

39. Skraelings and SkraeBolds

40. “Woe! Woe!”

41. EvenSong’s Memory

42. In the Bleak Mid-Winter …

43. The Skraeling Nest

44. “It is Time to Reforge Tencendor”

45. Bad News

46. Contemplations of a Rag Doll

47. Carlon

48. Axis’ Salutary Lesson

49. Baron Ysgryff’s Surprise

50. The Silent Woman Dream

51. Then it is War, Brother?

52. Battle Eve

53. The Battle of Bedwyr Fort

54. The Aftermath

55. MorningStar

56. One Nors Woman Wins, Another Loses

57. The Chamber of the Moons

58. Transformations

59. Shattered Vows

60. Tencendor on the Shores of Grail Lake

61. Betrayal Confronted

62. Into Spiredore

63. From Out of the Dawning Sun …

64 Azhure (1)

65 Azhure (2)

66 Enchantress

Keep Reading

Glossary

About the Author

By Sara Douglass

About the Publisher

A day will come when born will be

Two babes whose blood will tie them.

That born to Wing and Horn will hate

The one they call the StarMan.

Destroyer! rises in the north

And drives his Ghostmen south;

Defenceless lie both flesh and field

Before Gorgrael’s ice.

To meet this threat you must release

The StarMan from his lies,

Revive Tencendor, fast and sure

Forget the ancient war,

For if Plough, Wing and Horn can’t find

The bridge to understanding,

Then will Gorgrael earn his name

And bring Destruction hither.

StarMan, listen, heed me well,

Your power will destroy you

If you should wield it in the fray

’Ere these prophecies are met:

The Sentinels will walk abroad

’Til power corrupt their hearts;

A child will turn her head and cry

Revealing ancient arts;

A wife will hold in joy at night

The slayer of her husband;

Age-old souls, long in cribs,

Will sing o’er mortal land;

The remade dead, fat with child

Will birth abomination;

A darker power will prove to be

The father of salvation.

Then waters will release bright eyes

To form the Rainbow Sceptre.

StarMan, listen, for I know

That you can wield the sceptre

To bring Gorgrael to his knees

And break the ice asunder.

But even with the power in hand

Your pathway is not sure:

A Traitor from within your camp

Will seek and plot to harm you;

Let not your Lover’s pain distract

For this will mean your death;

Destroyer’s might lies in his hate

Yet you must never follow;

Forgiveness is the thing assured

To save Tencendor’s soul.

Gorgrael stood in the deserted bedchamber of Gorkenfort Keep, his breath frosting about his tusks in the frigid atmosphere. His bright silver eyes narrowed as he absorbed the lingering memories and emotions of the room. Bending, he scraped a hand across the bed, catching and tearing the bed linen with his hooked claws. Hate and desire, pain and satisfaction lingered here. He snatched a handful of the material to his nostrils, crushing it between his powerful claws. She had been here, had slept here, had laughed and cried here. Gorgrael abruptly arched his body back, his muscles rigid, and shrieked his anger, frustration and desire. He hated and wanted this woman almost as much as he hated and wanted Axis.

Outside the Keep’s walls the Skraelings stilled and fell silent as they heard their master’s voice echo about the frozen wastes. As suddenly as he had given vent to his anger and desire Gorgrael stopped, straightening and relaxing his body. He dropped the fragment of sheet to the floor, and glanced around the ruined chamber. This had been her chamber, hers and that pitiful fool’s, Borneheld. He was of no account; Gorgrael would brush him aside at the first possible opportunity. But the woman … she was the key.