"Sara Douglass - The Axis Trilogy 3 - StarMan" - читать интересную книгу автора (Douglass Sara)

blood, whether they were Enchanters or not.

Axis remembered how Azhure had tried to join in the songs about the campfire on their trip down
through the Icescarp Alps for the Beltide festivities. Then her voice had also been as completely toneless,
as gratingly harsh, but Axis had felt sure that now that the block concealing Azhure's true identity and
power had been removed her musical ability would naturally surface.

But apparently that was not to be. If Azhure had any power at all then obviously she would be unable
to use the conduit of Song to manipulate it.

Unnoticed, Caelum tottered on unsteady baby legs to his parents' couch.

"Mama," he said, startling the other three. "Simple. See?"

And he hummed the Song for Drying Clothes as beautifully as Axis had.

Azhure opened her eyes, stared at her son, and burst into tears.

Axis glared the boy into silence and gathered Azhure into his arms. "Shush, sweedieart. I'm sure that
-"

"No!" Azhure cried. "It's hopeless. I'll never be able to learn."

"Axis," StarDrifter said gently. "Perhaps the trouble is that, while Azhure is of SunSoar blood, the
blood link is too far removed from either of us for us to be able to teach her."

The gift and powers of the Icarii Enchanters were passed on only through blood, from parent to child,
and Enchanters could

be trained only by one of their own House, or family, and usually only by someone of close blood
relation. Normally it was a parent who trained a new Enchanter, although someone else of close blood
link within the family could also assist. Thus Axis' grandmother, MorningStar, had been able to assist her
son StarDrifter teach his son, Axis.

But WolfStar came from a generation of SunSoars four thousand years old. He had died, been
entombed, walked through the Star Gate, and had then come back for purposes that neither Axis nor
StarDrifter could yet fathom.

Axis stared at his father, then looked at his wife. "Azhure, StarDrifter could be right."

Azhure sat back. "Yet WolfStar could train both you and Gorgrael, Axis. You are as far removed
from him in blood as I am from you."

"None of us knows how powerful WolfStar has become," StarDrifter said. "He obviously has the
power to use whatever blood link there is, while neither Axis nor I can do that."

"Then perhaps Caelum can train me," Azhure said. "See how easilyhe has learned the Song for Drying
Clothes!" Oh, how much it stung that she could not learn even a ridiculously mundane Song while a child
less than a year old could do so! "And he is as closely blood linked to me as WolfStar."