Eleanon and the five Lealfast with him circled high above the reed beds. It was just on dawn, and they could easily make out Axis and Inardle lying together by the dish of coals in the midst of the reed bed.

Eleanon thought they must have come back from the dead minus their wits.

“He is the StarMan,” one the Lealfast said. “We should be careful.”

“We will be careful,” Eleanon said, “but remember also that we are at one with Infinity as well as controlling the Star Dance. He has nothing — look, a mere dagger. He may try and hide . . . but he cannot harm us.”

“And Inardle?”

Eleanon made a dismissive gesture. “She has always been weak. Come, it is time.”

Axis woke slowly, using these early waking moments to remember the night and to smile as he stretched along Inardle’s body.

Then he opened his eyes, and saw Eleanon and five other Lealfast standing on the other side of the fire, and adrenalin rushed through his system. He gave Inardle a shake, then rose to his feet, glancing at the pile of his and Inardle’s jumbled clothes lying a few paces away.

Eleanon gave a cold smile, moved his hand, and the clothing burst into flames.

“How did you get Inardle out?” Eleanon said.

She was on her feet, too, standing close to Axis.

“He dragged me out through sheer force of love,” she said. “You wouldn’t understand it.”

“Oh, what trite words you spout these days, Inardle!” Eleanon said. “I was always wary of sending you to Axis’ side, but, oh no, you said you were strong enough. Well, you weren’t, Inardle. You were weak. So tell me, and this time I demand it, how did you get her out alive, Axis?”

“I didn’t,” Axis said. “I got her out dead. It was what happened after that was the interesting bit.”

Eleanon frowned. Neither of them appeared particularly worried. Both stood, relaxed, confident. “And that was . . . ?”

Axis waggled a hand. “A little bit of water, a little bit of heart, a little bit of eagle, and a little bit of —”

“Take them,” Eleanon snapped, gesturing to his five companions as he lost patience.

The five fanned out, moving around the fire on both sides toward Axis and Inardle.

“Stand back,” she murmured, and Axis felt a frisson of excitement in his belly as he took two steps back.

The moment he moved, so the five rushed them, but Inardle was faster.

She changed in an instant, losing her form of a winged woman to become what Axis could only describe later as a column of water with a vague humanoid shape.

I could see a head, he was later to say to Isaiah, and I could see shoulders and two appendages that must have been arms, but there were no other features. Just a thick winding column of blue-white water the height of a woman.

Axis took a moment to glance at Eleanon’s face. The Lealfast man was astounded.

As well he might be, for he would have no idea of his own River Angel heritage.

The five Lealfast had been very close when Inardle changed. Before they could stand back, or lift into the air, she leaned forward and the two arm-like appendages swept out before her, lengthening until they were three or four times their original length.

First one, then two, then all five were swept up. Axis, watching, didn’t know quite what happened, but one moment they were taken and the next moment they were lying dismembered in the nearby water.

Inardle took a step toward Eleanon, but he was already gone, lifting high into the sky.

“Later,” Inardle said, returning to her fleshed form. Then she looked at their pile of smouldering clothes. “I can see I need to make us both some new attire.”

Axis just stood, looking at her. He almost could not believe what he had just witnessed.

Inardle smiled, her eyes cold.

The guard assigned to keep an eye on Axis and Inardle was standing, staring open-mouthed at the scene.

He, too, could not believe his eyes.

He turned to the balcony doorway which led to a short corridor off a main passageway, trying to catch the attention of one of the soldiers hurrying to and fro.

Isaiah needed to know about what he’d just seen!

It took the guard long minutes to attract anyone’s attention with his calls — unable to desert his post lest anything else noteworthy occurred on the reed bank — and when someone finally did appear, it was a flustered sergeant-at-arms who was none too pleased that a more lowly ranked guard wanted him to take a message to Isaiah.

“I have better things to do than run messages to the damned Tyrant,” the sergeant said.

“It is important!” the balcony guard said.

“You want me to tell him that the woman Inardle turned into a murderous column of water and slaughtered five Lealfast?”

The guard nodded.

“For the love of the gods!” the sergeant said. “We have a full-blown crisis happening inside and you want me to tell the Tyrant that —”

He stopped, looking at the guard’s face. “Oh, very well. But I am going to have your balls if the Tyrant snaps at me for wasting his time.”

The guard thanked him, then turned to look at the reed bank.

Axis and Inardle had vanished.