SONG OF RECREATION: one of the most powerful Icarii enchantments which can literally recreate life in the dying. It cannot, however, make the dead rise again. Only the most powerful Enchanters can sing this Song.
SORCERY: see “Magic”.
SPIKEFEATHER TRUESONG: once a member of the Strike Force. SpikeFeather is now Orr’s apprentice, since offering his life to the Ferryman as payment for safe passage for the Icarii children he rescued from Talon Spike.
SPIREDORE: one of the magical Keeps of Tencendor. Azhure’s tower.
STAR DANCE: the source from which the Icarii Enchanters derive their power. It is the music made by the stars in their eternal dance through the heavens.
STARDRIFTER: an Icarii Enchanter, father to Gorgrael, Axis and EvenSong. He now lives on the Island of Mist and Memory.
STARFEVER HIGHCREST: Master Secretary of Talon FreeFall’s palace in the Minaret Peaks.
STAR FINGER: the tallest mountain in the Icescarp Alps, dedicated to study and worship. Formerly called Talon Spike.
STAR GATE: one of the sacred sites of the Icarii people, situated underneath the Ancient Barrows. It is a portal through to the universe.
STAR GODS: the nine gods of the Icarii. See separate entries under Axis, Azhure, Adamon, Xanon, Narcis, Flulia, Pors, Zest and Silton.
STARLAUGHTER SUNSOAR: wife of WolfStar, murdered and thrown through the Star Gate four thousand years before current events.
STARMAN, The: Axis SunSoar.
STARS, HOUSE of the: Axis’ personal House.
STARSON: the title Axis gave to Caelum.
STRAUM ISLAND: a large island off the coast of Ichtar and inhabited by sealers.
STRIKE FORCE: the military force of the Icarii.
SUNSOAR, HOUSE of: the ruling House of the Icarii for many thousands of years.
TAILEM BEND: the great bend in the River Nordra where it turns from its westerly direction and flows south towards Nordmuth and the Sea of Tyrre.
TALON: the hereditary ruler of the Icarii people (and once over all of the peoples of Tencendor). Generally of the House of SunSoar.
TALON SPIKE: the former name of Star Finger.
TARANTAISE: a rather poor southern province of Achar. Relies on trade for its income.
TARE: small trading town in northern Tarantaise.
TARE, PLAINS of: the plains that lie between Tare and Grail Lake.
TEKAWAI: the preferred tea of the Ravensbund people, made from the dried seaweed of the Icebear Coast. It is always brewed and served ceremonially.
TEMPLE MOUNT: the plateau on the top of the massive mountain in the south-east corner of the Island of Mist and Memory. It houses the Temple Complex.
TEMPLE OF THE STARS: one of the Icarii sacred sites, located on the Island of Mist and Memory.
TENCENDOR: once the ancient name for the continent of Achar before the Wars of the Axe, and, under Axis’s and now Caelum’s leadership, the reforged nation of the Acharites, Avar and Icarii.
THREE BROTHERS LAKES, The: three minor lakes in southern Aldeni.
THEOD, Duke of Aldeni: grandson of Duke Roland who aided Axis in his struggle to unite Tencendor. Friend of Prince Zared.
TIME OF THE PROPHECY OF THE DESTROYER: the time that began with the birth of the Destroyer and the StarMan and ended with the death of Gorgrael.
TREE FRIEND: a role Faraday played during the time of the Prophecy. She was instrumental in bringing the forests behind Axis.
TREE SONG: whatever Song the trees choose to sing you. Many times they will sing the future, other times they will sing love and protection. The trees can also sing death.
TYRRE, SEA of: the ocean off the south-west coast of Achar.
UNIT: see “Military Terms”.
UR: an old woman who lives in the Enchanted Woods. For aeons she guarded the transformed souls of the Avar female Banes.
URBETH: an immortal bear of the northern wastes.
URQHART HILLS: a minor crescent-shaped range of mountains in central Ichtar. The hills cradle Sigholt.
VEREMUND: one of the Sentinels, brother to Ogden.
WARS OF THE AXE: the wars during which the Acharites, under the direction of the Seneschal and the Axe-Wielders, drove the Icarii and the Avar from the land of Tencendor and penned them behind the Fortress Ranges. Lasting several decades, the wars were extraordinarily violent and bloody. They took place one thousand years before current events.
WAY OF THE HORN: a general term sometimes used to describe the lifestyle of the Avar people.
WAY OF THE PLOUGH: the religious obedience and way of life as taught by the Seneschal. The Way of the Plough was centred about the Plough and cultivation of the land. It was all about order, and about the earth and nature subjected to the order of mankind. Some of the Icarii and Avar fear that many Acharites still long for life as it was lived according to the Way of the Plough.
WAY OF THE WING: a general term sometimes used to describe the lifestyle of the Icarii.
WESTERN MOUNTAINS: the central Acharite mountain range that stretches west from the River Nordra to the Andeis Sea.
WHITE STAG, The: when Raum transformed during the time of Prophecy, he transformed into a magnificent White Stag instead of a Horned One. The White Stag is the most sacred of the creatures of the forest.
WIDEWALL BAY: a large bay that lies between Achar and Coroleas. Its calm waters provide excellent fishing.
WIDOWMAKER SEA: vast ocean to the east of Achar. From the unknown islands and lands across the Widowmaker Sea come the sea raiders that harass Coroleas.
WILDDOG PLAINS, The: plains that stretch from northern Ichtar to the River Nordra and are bounded by the Fortress Ranges and the Urqhart Hills. Named after the packs of roving dogs that inhabit the area.
WING: the smallest unit in the Icarii Strike Force consisting of fourteen Icarii (male and female).
WING-LEADER: the commander of an Icarii Wing.
WINGRIDGE CURLCLAW: Captain of the Lake Guard.
WOLFSTAR SUNSOAR: the ninth and most powerful of the Enchanter-Talons. He was assassinated early in his reign, but came back through the Star Gate three thousand years ago. Father to Azhure.
WOLVEN, The: a bow that once belonged to WolfStar SunSoar and was used by Azhure when she rode to the hunt.
XANON: one of the nine Icarii Star Gods, Xanon is the Goddess of the Firmament, wife to Adamon.
YLLGAINE, PRINCE: Prince of Nor, son of Ysgryff.
YR: one of the Sentinels.
YSBADD: capital city of Nor.
YULETIDE: see “Festivals”.
ZARED: Prince of the North, son of Rivkah and Magariz.
ZEHERAH: one of the Sentinels, wife of Jack.
ZENITH: youngest daughter of Axis and Azhure.
ZEST: one of the nine Icarii Star Gods, Zest is the Goddess of Earth.
The Axis Trilogy
Epic fantasy in the tradition of David Eddings, Janny Wurts and Robert Jordan.
BOOK ONE
BATTLEAXE
ISBN 978 0 7322 5865 8
The Sentinels walk the land, the TreeFriend has been found, and the people of the Plough, the Wing and the Horn must set aside their differences and unite under one leader against the evil rising in the north…
BOOK TWO
ENCHANTER
ISBN 978 0 7322 5129 1
Winner of the 1996 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel The spellbinding sequel to BattleAxe, returning us to a world in the grip of prophecy and war…
BOOK THREE
STARMAN
ISBN 978 0 7322 5159 8
As the Prophecy of the Destroyer hurtles towards fulfilment, Azhure and StarDrifter unravel the mysteries of the Island of Mist and Memory, where they finally confront WolfStar;
Faraday moves east to replant the ancient forests of Tencendor; and the Sentinels begin a lonely journey planned for them thousands years ago…
The Wayfarer Redeption
It’s forty years since Axis defeated Gorgrael and created a new, pe
aceful Tencendor…
BOOK ONE
SINNER
ISBN 978 0 7322 5939 6
Caelum SunSoar has succeeded Axis as supreme ruler of Tencendor, but simmering tensions threaten to tear his country apart.
BOOK TWO
PILGRIM
ISBN 978 0 7322 5956 3
Qeteb waits, as he has waited tens of thousands of years, for the StarSon…for revenge…for the hunt through the
Maze. Death lurks in every twist of the Maze, but only those who have the courage to endure death can learn the secrets of the ancient Enemy.
BOOK THREE
CRUSADER
ISBN 978 0 7322 6529 8
The Star Dance has picked Tencendor as the final battleground and DragonStar as the last weapon it can throw against the Demons.
Qeteb rages, and Tecendor’s peoples huddle in sanctuary. But are they safe?
Threshold
ISBN 978 0 7322 5749 1
A shadow is looming over the great hot southern land of Ashdod. It is the shadow of Threshold, the pyramid which the Magi of Ashdod are building to propel them into Infinity.
But something is waiting in Infinity. Waiting for the final glass plate to be laid, waiting for the capstone to be cemented in blood…waiting to use Threshold to step from Infinity into Ashdod!
Praise for Sara Douglass
‘BattleAxe is the best Australian fantasy novel I’ve experienced to date.’
MARTIN LIVINGS, EIDOLON
‘There is a heart to BattleAxe and more happens in it than the average Wurts novel.’
BILL CONGREVE, AUREALIS
‘Enchanter is utterly enthralling and unputdownable.’
‘Sinner secures Douglass’ standing as Australia’s finest fantasy novelist…a breathless rollercoaster of a read.’
‘Douglass has again produced a novel [Pilgrim] of epic and fantastical proportions…this tale has it all: adventure, romance, horror, humour and pathos.’
DR KAREN BROOKS, OZLIT
About the Author
Sara Douglass was born in Penola, South Australia and moved to Adelaide when she was seven. She spent her early working life as a nurse before completing three degrees at the University of Adelaide. After receiving a PhD in early modern English history, Sara worked as a Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at La Trobe University, Bendigo, until 2000.
Sara’s first novel, BattleAxe, was published in 1995 and she has been writing and publishing ever since. Three of her novels are winners of the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy.
Sara now lives in Hobart, Tasmania.
Visit Sara’s website at: www.saradou.glass.com
Visit the Voyager website: www.voyageronline.com.au
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Books by Sara Douglass
Threshold
Beyond the Hanging Wall
THE AXIS TRILOGY
BattleAxe (I)
Enchanter (2)
StarMan (3)
THE WAYFARER REDEMPTION
Sinner (I)
Pilgrim (2)
Crusader (3)
THE CRUCIBLE
The Nameless Day (I)
The Wounded Hawk (2)
The Crippled Angel (3)
THE TROY GAME
Hades’ Daughter (I)
God’s Concubine (2)
Darkwitch Rising (3)
Druid’s Sword (4)
DARKGLASS MOUNTAIN
The Serpent Bride (I)
Copyright
HarperVoyager
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, Australia
First published in Australia in 1997
This edition published in 2010
This edition first published in 1998
by HarperCollinsPublishers Australia Pty Limited
ABN 36 009 913 517
www.harpercollins.com.au
Copyright © Sara Douglass 1997
The right of Sara Douglass to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000.
This work is copyright.
Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
HarperCollinsPublishers
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10 East 53rd Street, New York NY 10022, United States of America
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:
Douglass, Sara.
Sinner.
ISBN 978 0 7322 5939 6 (pbk.)
ISBN 978 0 7304 9199 6 (ePub)
I. Title.
A823.3
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
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United Kingdom
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http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk
United States
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Table of Contents
Prologue
Books by Sara Douglass
Cover Page
Epigraph
Map
Fire-Night
1 West and North
2 Master Goldman’s Soiree
3 StarSon Caelum
4 Beggars on the Floor, Travellers O’er the Bridge
5 Speaking Treason
6 The SunSoars at Home
7 Disturbing Arrivals
8 Maze Gate
9 WolfStar’s Explanation
10 Pastry Magics
11 Niah’s Legacy
12 Council of the Five Families
13 The Throne of Achar
14 A Moot Point
15 Murder!
16 SunSoar Justice
17 The Lake Guard on Duty
18 Hunting Drago
19 The Fugitive
20 Icebear Coast Camp
21 Travelling Home
22 Impatient Love
23 Minstrelsea
24 StarDrifter
25 DragonStar
26 The Sack (1)
27 Niah Triumphant
28 River Crossing
29 The Ancient Barrows
30 The Rainbow Sceptre
31 New Existences
32 The Questors
33 StarLaughter
34 Of What Is Lost
35 SpikeFeather’s Search
36 Kastaleon
37 The Leap
38 Zenith Lost
39 The Maze
40 The Maze Gate’s Message
41 A Town Gained, a Sceptre Lost
42 ForestFligh’s Betrayal
43 Faraday’s Lie
44…And Sixty-Nine Fat Pigs
45 The Enemy
46 The TimeKeepers
47 Niah’s Grove
49 Caelum Amid the Ruins
50 The Shadow-Lands
51 The King of Achar
52 Voices in the Night
53 An Army for the Asking
54 Journeying through the Night
55 The Blighted Beacon
56 Discussing Salvation
57 While WolfStar Lay Sleeping
58 As Clear as a Temple Bell
59 Zenith
60 Old Friends
Sinner Page 54