Catherine Fisher

The Archon vows to lead a pilgrimage to the Well of Songs to seek peace with the Rain Queen and save the land from the terrible drought. Argelin follows behind with his heart set on the riches to be found. They must face the Great Desolation and the monstrous animals outlined on the desert floor, animals with mythical powers.

It is 1900, and Sarah Trevelyan, a pupil-teacher, is desperate to reclaim her family home, Darkwater Hall. Lost by her grandfather in a gambling wager, its present owner, John Azrael, is a mysterious man who draws her into a bizarre bargain ... the fulfilment of her dreams ... if she will only give up her soul. In 2000, Darkwater Hall is a private school for boys. Tom Hughes longs for the education found within its walls, but instead goes to the local school and has trouble with unpleasant bullies. His twin brother, Simon, who died at birth, is his constant companion, unseen or heard by anyone else. When Tom meets the strange girl Sarah, and a new teacher, Azrael, he finds himself embroiled in their deadly deal ...

In the distant land of deserts and islands, the servants of the god rule the land, his wishes conveyed through the Oracle and interpreted by the High Priestess. Mirany is the new Bearer, afraid of her perilous duties for the god in the rituals of the Oracle, and fearful of her secret questioning ... Does the god truly exist? The priestess is corrupt and in secret partnership with the General, ruler, since the God-on-Earth, the Archon, has no real power - chosen as a child, his face always masked, never seen by outsiders. Should any national tragedy occur, he is also the sacrifice. When the old Archon dies, his spirit migrates into a child, and there are several candidates for succession. But Mirany begins to experience the real visions of the god, discovers which child is the rightful heir, and that the General and High Priestess intend to choose another child and seize power. With only a tomb-robbing scribe and a mad musician for allies, Mirany begins her quest - knowing that, if she is betrayed, her fate will be to be walled up alive in the Archon’s tomb ...

The final story in the Oracle sequence. We are again in the distand land of deserts and islands ruled by one god whose wishes are conveyed through the Oracle. The Archon, child god-on-earth, returns from his journey across the desert to the Well of Songs, to find the tyrannical General Argelin has siezed control and his reign of madness is oppressing the Two Lands. He has publicly denounced the gods, and established a reign of terror. Mirany is in hiding, and the Nine are scattered. Will Argelin’s obsession bring the Rain Queen’s wrath down on them all? And whose is the sinister new power hidden in the sign of the Scarab? In the descent into anarchy, Mirany and the Archon must attempt the final, impossible journey of the soul. Through the Nine Gateways into death. And back.