The Outlands.

That evening, Isaiah, Axis and Inardle gathered at the boundary of the Isembaardian camp. Isaiah had been busy all day and neither of the other two had had a chance to talk with him. Now they were full of questions.

"Enough!" Isaiah said, raising his hands in self-defence. He was looking his majestic best. His long black hair had been washed and rebraided with hundreds of glittering crystal beads (it would not have surprised Axis to have learned they were diamonds) that jingled whenever he moved his head. He had abandoned his usual riding attire of leather trousers and jerkin for an all-black close-fitting ensemble that highlighted his musculature and strength.

From somewhere, possibly Lamiah who may have liberated it from one of Isaiah's original invading supply wagons, Isaiah had found one of his extraordinary jewelled collars. It hung about his upper chest and draped over his shoulders in a blaze of diamonds, sapphires and emeralds, which, along with the jewels in his braids, caught every glint of light.

Axis thought the Skraelings would be salivating in envy.

Isaiah sighed, thinking about what he could, or wanted, to say. "All I want to say for now is that when we talk with the Skraelings, I will probably take us back to almost the beginning of time when this world was very new. I lived then, as did Lister, and we each had many adventures and made many decisions that have long, long been forgotten.

"At least, I thought they had been forgotten. When I touched you yesterday, Inardle, one of those decisions, one of my ancient secrets, reared up and told me in no uncertain tones that it still lived, and that the consequences of a rash action tens of thousands of years ago have now come back to haunt me." He paused. "As they have haunted you, Axis, and this land. I made a grave mistake many, many aeons ago, and I had no idea . . . no idea at all ."

He managed a small smile. "Perhaps that mistake can be revealed, and maybe I can have a chance to make right for the future a wrong that is anciently old. Maybe the Skraelings can have a chance, too. And, Axis," Isaiah's smile grew a little broader, a little more genuine, "maybe you will understand why the Skraelings loathe water so much. G.o.ds, that alone should have given it away to me . . . oh, well, no matter now. Are you ready?"

That little speech hadn't enlightened either Axis or Inardle, and it had made Axis feel a great deal more uneasy. He wasn't happy at all about walking toward a throng of millions of Skraelings, even with Isaiah at his side, and from what Isaiah was saying .

"Come, Axis," Isaiah said. "It will be an adventure, and you like adventures."

"I gave up admiring adventures a long time ago," Axis muttered, but Isaiah pretended not to hear him, and together the three began the journey across the no-man's land between the two armies.

The juit birds had preferred to make their roost elsewhere this night.

They walked in silence toward the Skraeling ma.s.s which opened up as they approached, forming an avenue toward their centre.

Axis began to feel very nervous . . . he had expected to meet with a delegation somewhere other than surrounded by several million Skraelings.

It will be all right, Axis, Isaiah said, and with that Axis had to content himself.

He glanced at Inardle. She was walking to his side, outwardly calm, but he could tell by the way she held her wings and the tight skin about her eyes that she was also very tense.

Isaiah strode without hesitation into the midst of the Skraelings, Axis and Inardle a half step behind him.

None of the Skraeling had eyes for any other than Isaiah, and Axis thought that whatever Isaiah had said to Ozll earlier had so impressed or otherwise astounded the Skraelings they could now completely ignore the fact the StarMan walked within their midst.

Under any other circ.u.mstances Axis thought they would not have hesitated to tear him to pieces.

The entire ma.s.s was utterly silent, staring at Isaiah.

The man glittered as he walked. Axis had to admire his sense of style -- something Axis had never really exploited when he was StarMan. Isaiah strode forth as if he owned the very ground on which he walked, radiating majesty and serenity and confidence, and everyone either stared silently or followed meekly.

Eventually Isaiah, Axis and Inardle came to a small circular area, delineated by the standing, crammed Skraelings. In the centre of this circle stood Ozll and two other Skraelings, both as hideously malformed as Ozll.

Isaiah walked to within three paces of them, then sat cross-legged in one graceful, elegant move.

He gestured to Axis and Inardle to do likewise (who managed it smoothly if not with as much elegance as Isaiah), then spoke to the Skraelings. "You may sit, also."

He had, in an instant, taken total command of the meeting.

"You know me as Isaiah," he said, "and you likely all know my companion, Axis SunSoar, StarMan, and perhaps even Inardle, who as a Lealfast has been a companion to many of you. I know I address Ozll, but I wonder who else sits with you, Ozll. How may I call them?"

Ozll hesitated.

"Their mystery names, I think," Isaiah said, "for this grand parley."

Another slight hesitation, then the two Skraeling spoke in turn.

"Mallx," said one.

"Pannh," said the other. Then, "How did you know of Veldmr?"

"The question is," Isaiah said, "how do you know of him? But, we'll get to that. May I begin? There are many things we need to discuss, and the night promises to be cold, and I and my friends would like to return to my campfire as soon as we may.

"Now, here is the situation as I understand it. I am leading this army toward Elcho Falling so that I may a.s.sist my friends within to dislodge their besiegers, the Lealfast led by Eleanon. Eleanon may or may not -- I have no intelligence on this -- be allied with my former general, Kezial, and his army. You, on the other hand, are allied with the One, and are marching behind us with an uncertain purpose in mind. I don't suppose you would care to elaborate?"

None of the three Skraelings spoke, and Isaiah continued.

"Ah, well, then, perhaps we can cover that later. The One has an uncertain location at the moment . . . you don't wish to disclose this . . . no? Perhaps you don't actually know? Well, never mind, we can leave that for later, as well. Now, to my purpose in meeting with you. I propose an alliance between you," a wave of the hand indicated all the Skraelings, "and I, against the Lealfast and against the One."

Ozll sn.i.g.g.e.red and a low wave of laughter twittered through the ranks of the Skraelings. Axis thought it sounded like an axe being grated slowly over a flagstoned floor.

Isaiah smiled slowly. "You ask yourselves why . . . well, may I relate to you something I have learned over the past day?"

"We are hungry," Ozll said. "It has been a long time since our last eating. I hope you make this story a short one."

The threat was clear, but Isaiah ignored it. "I shall make this story an entertaining one," he said, "and revealing. Indeed, eventually I shall reveal to you how you came by your mystery names and what purpose they serve."

"Speak no more of our mystery names!" Mallx said. "You have no --"

"I have every right," Isaiah said, and now the threat had moved to his voice. Then he softened his tone. "And I am going to talk about water -- a great deal. This also is my right. But first .

"Inardle here, whom you know, was injured recently. I had cause to examine her wounds. She had been attacked by her fellow Lealfast . . . well, not quite fellows, as they -- as you -- had been altered by their a.s.sociation with the One. Inardle's attackers had tipped their arrows with poison, so that even if the strike did not kill her, the poison surely would within the day.

"At first, when I came to examine her, I thought I could do little for Inardle. But then . . . then . . . tell me, Ozll, you do know who I am . . . yes?"

Ozll stared at him. "You're a G.o.d. Was . . . until the One stripped you of your powers."

"Am a G.o.d," Isaiah said, holding Ozll's gaze, "for even the One could not strip me of my power permanently."

Ozll's thin strip of a mouth -- as those of his companions -- began to lift in a sneer, but Isaiah moved his hand over the ground between them.

It changed into a small pool of green water.

Ozll, Mallx and Pannh all leaped to their feet, stumbling backward, their faces contorted in horror, and the entire ma.s.s of Skraelings hissed and shifted.

Isaiah waved his hand again and the water vanished.

"I am water," he said. "I am the essence of this element. Call me a G.o.d if you wish. But whatever you call me, I must be everything you hate and fear most."

"Be rid of him!" someone hissed from the surrounding ma.s.s of Skraelings, and the cry was taken up among the mult.i.tude.

Be rid of him! Be rid of him!

Axis tensed, glancing at Inardle, and wondering if they would survive long if they made a run for it. d.a.m.n Isaiah! What was he doing!

"Raise one finger against me or my two companions," Isaiah said quietly, "and I swear to the very heavens I will turn the ground beneath you into water."

The Skraelings quietened, although they still moved restlessly.

And I would do it, Isaiah said to Axis, keeping the thought closed to all others, and if I did you would be astounded at what would happen, Axis.

Isaiah -- Trust me, Axis. When we leave here -- If we leave here.

-- I will explain all. Just wait.

"Sit," Isaiah said to the three leading Skraelings, and, very warily, they once again sat before Isaiah, Axis and Inardle.

"I was talking about Inardle," Isaiah said. "I need to explain this to you, so please be patient. The sooner I can say what I need to, the sooner I can go home and eat. So . . . I was examining Inardle, thinking I could do nothing for her, when I realised that Inardle was quite special. She has much water within her. Not physical water as such, but the spiritual manifestation of water. Water has somehow been at the very essence of her creation -- far, far back in time, through many tens of thousands of generations. So, as Water itself, I was able to heal her. I used the essence of water deep within Inardle to remove the poison from her body.

"Inardle is a very special woman. Very mystical, very magical. Axis, tell our a.s.sembled friends just how special."

Axis wasted a moment gaping at Isaiah, then collected himself enough to speak.

"Isaiah is right," he said, carefully not looking at Inardle. "Inardle is very special. She . . . she flows"

To one side Isaiah gave a small smile, and nodded.

"Inardle, like all Lealfast, can flow through the air," Axis continued. "Almost become one with it. Vaporous. She frosts," now he did glance at Inardle, "when she is in pain or when she is, ah, excited. Water coats her flesh in ice crystals. She has magic that I cannot understand. It does not come from the Icarii."

"No," said Isaiah. "What makes Inardle so very, very special does not come from her Icarii heritage, but from her Skraeling heritage. From you."

Now the Skraelings stared at Isaiah, puzzled, their malformed faces creased by lines of doubt. They could not fathom that Isaiah might be about to make some positive statement about them.

No one ever did that.

"It is why you have mystery names," Isaiah said, "from your mystery past. Tell me, my friends, from where did the Skraelings originate?"

"From the frozen northern wastes," Pannh said.

"But from whom?" Isaiah said. "Who were the ancestors of the Skraelings? The Icarii boast a sparrow," Isaiah threw a smile at Axis, "and the Lealfast can say that they resulted from a mating between an Icarii and a Skraeling, but from whom did you spring?"

"I am certain you must think it was something hateful," Mallx said.

Then Isaiah spoke, and it was in a language that Axis had never heard before. It was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard issue from someone's mouth -- liquid, lilting phrases that were almost, but not quite, the sound of woodland songbirds at dawn.

It absolutely captivated every last single Skraeling. The entire ma.s.s froze solid in surprise, or perhaps yearning.

Axis glanced at Inardle, to share his wonder with her, and was stunned to see the same astonishment, almost hunger, on her face as on the Skraelings'.

"Did you know what I just said?" Isaiah said.

Every Skraeling, as well as Inardle, shook their heads slowly. Axis had no idea what was happening, but he had never, in all his time, seen Skraelings so still and so captivated as he did now. He thought that if he had known whatever it was that Isaiah had just said, and spake it to the Skraeling hordes who had invaded and destroyed so much of Tencendor, then he could have stilled an entire army of them in an instant.

"Isaiah?" Inardle said, and there was deep hunger in her voice.

"I said, 'Welcome home, my friends.' I spoke in one of the most ancient languages of our world. Water."

"What do you want?" Ozll almost growled. "Why do you taunt us?"

"I do not taunt you," said Isaiah. "I am currently sitting here feeling the weight of aeons of guilt piling about my shoulders, because once I did you a great wrong, and it was simply that I forgot about you. I am going to right that wrong today, if you will allow me."

"You owe us something?" Ozll said, more puzzled than ever.

"Yes," Isaiah said. "I owe you something. Now, do not be afraid, for I am going to cast over everyone here a mild enchantment which will enable you to see back into the distant past. Do not fear. I do not mean to entrap you. Any of you can leave the enchantment at any time, by simply uttering a word. Any word, but it will still be enough to break the enchantment. Would you like to proceed?"

"It will not harm us?" Ozll said, and Isaiah shook his head, making his braids ripple in light and sound.

Axis thought the Skraeling would ask for more rea.s.surance, but Ozll merely nodded.

"Go ahead," he said.

"Imagine," Isaiah said, "a time before there were any men or any Icarii or any Skraelings."

His voice was soft, rea.s.suring, though commanding, and Axis found himself looking into a landscape so foreign it appeared to be of a different world. Every Skraeling had vanished, and instead he saw a land of gently rolling low hills stretching into the horizon. The hills were carpeted in deep green moss, broken here and there with huddles of tiny cream and pink flowers. Breaking up this verdant landscape were myriad streams and rivers, glinting silver in the soft light.

"There were no trees in this early world," Isaiah continued, his voice flowing softly, hypnotically, through everyone's mind. "No great herds of beasts as we know them now. No cities, no towns, no quests, no wars. Just peace. You see that there were many creatures --"

And Axis did see that this land of emerald-carpeted hills was dotted here and there with small animals, not one of them much larger than a hare, and all grazing the moss and occasional stand of low plants. They were many and varied in shape and hue, but they all moved peaceably with each other and about the landscape.

"-- but they lived in harmony and contentment. Such is the way, always, in the beginning of new worlds. Now, let us look in the streams and rivers. No, do not fret, I shall not drop you in. Be still my friends, we shall just peer, briefly."

Axis found his vision being drawn down to a small river, tumbling its way along a rocky bed. For a moment he saw nothing in the water, then he gasped, and heard everyone about him gasp, as a face floated up from the river bottom and stared at them.

The face almost had no features at all -- just eyes, the hint of a nose and mouth, and the ethereal shape of cheek and forehead -- for all was distorted by the water. There was a body there, too, but Axis could barely make it out.

All he knew was that, firstly, this was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in his life, and, secondly, it was among the most magical.

The creature spoke, its words lifting from the water, and it spoke in the language Isaiah had used earlier.

Water.

"She is a River Angel," Isaiah said. "See how glorious she is?"

He paused, allowing everyone to drink their fill of the beautiful creature, then he drew their vision back once more until they overlooked the wider landscape.