The Waterless Sea

Infobox Book |
name = The Waterless Sea
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = Cover art for "The Waterless Sea"
author = Kate Constable
illustrator =
cover_artist = Matt Manley
country = Australia
language = English
series = The Chanters of Tremaris
genre = Fantasy novel
publisher = Scholastic
release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 314 (US paperback edition)
isbn = ISBN 0-439-55481-0
preceded_by = The Singer of All Songs
followed_by = The Tenth Power

The Waterless Sea is the second book in The Chanters of Tremaris Trilogy by Kate Constable.

Plot summary

By the time this book opens, characters Calwyn, Trout, Tonno, Halassa and Mica are making and enacting plans to rescue chanters from their various underprivileged situations and form a school of chantment; thus integrating the Nine Songs by which nature is commanded, as well as their singers, into society.

While Calwyn and her friends are freeing windworkers from pirates' ships, they meet Heben, a former princeling from the continent of Merithuros, who was a prisoner of the pirates'. On the island where the rescued windworkers live, Heben tells them that the ironcraft chanter children of Merithuros are being kidnapped, among them his (legal) brother and sister. Calwyn and her friends embark for the desert of Merithuros to rescue the captured children. Trout, the inventor, decides to remain behind.

Darrow is alone on his boat "Heron", where he reminiscences about his childhood. It is revealed that he was the son of a sea-captain and was nicknamed "Mouse" by the family-like crew. During his pre-adolescent years, Mouse discovered that a crew member named Arram was an ironcrafter, and that he himself could use the same gift. At his request, Arram secretly taught Mouse to use ironcraft, enabling him to manipulate matter by his songs. While docking at a Merithuran town, Mouse sang ironcraft to save his father from falling cargo. A Merithuran sorcerer saw this and therefore took the terrified child away.

Calwyn, Tonno, Mica, Halasaa, and Heben travel to Merithuros on the boat "Fledgewing". There the outsiders of the group learn of the discontent lives of the common folk, who try to protest the cruelty of the Merithuran Empire. Tonno stays on the ship whilst the others ride on the goatlike "hegesi" to the Palace of Cobwebs where the royalty live. There, the group hope to learn where the kidnapped children are. Along the way, Calwyn and Mica earn the chauvinistic Heben's respect through their use of chantment. After many days of riding, they finally reach the Palace of Cobwebs.

Darrow returns to the island of Ravamey, his current refuge, and learns that Calwyn and others have left. He is given cause to think that they have gone to the Black Palace, where the chanter children are actually held. Darrow is revealed to have lived in the Black Palace during his childhood. It is there that he acquired his name, which was derived from the title of his father's ship, "Gold Arrow"; there that he was given extensive training in the use of ironcraft by the harsh, partisan, cruel Merithuran sorcerers; and there that he first met the power-mad Samis.

Calwyn and friends are inside the Palace of Cobwebs. Calwyn, disguised as a noblewoman and the others as her servants, have no success in learning anything useful, though they note the presence of chantment, implying the children to be nearby. Also present is a sorcerer of the Black Palace, Amagis by name, who recognizes their powers but does not confront them. Instead, he persuades Third Princess Keela to ingratiate herself with Calwyn, in hope of learning more about the latter. This is only a partially successful venture.

After a parade and during a feast, the aged Emperor suddenly falls ill and dies. In the resulting clamor, the seekers sneak away and split up to search for the children.

Darrow is sailing to Merithuros, while recalling to attention that Samis had singled him out as an ally, naming him "Heron". When the old lord of the Black Palace was dying, Samis seized his office and the Ring that signified it. He later attempted to persuade Darrow to join him in the quest to become Singer of All Songs and conquer the world; Darrow refused, cast away the name "Heron", and fled, later to meet Calwyn.

Calwyn finds Shada, Heben's legal sister, trapped on a tower. To keep her there, Shada's kidnapper has broken the bones of her feet. Shada explains that five of the kidnapped children, including herself, are hidden in the Palace of Cobwebs, where they sing chantments to keep the palace intact. Halasaa heals Shada and they escape from the pursuing Amagis. The group reunites and search for the four other children.

Calwyn and one of the children, Ched, try to warn the inhabitants of the steadily collapsing Palace while the others steal supplies and escape. No one pays attention to Calwyn, except Keela, who tries to take Ched from her. Calwyn and Ched escape, leaving the palace just as the palace collapses. Falling debris kill Ched. Calwyn overhears some soldiers conspiring to crown the Fifth Prince so that they can control the dimwitted man and rule the Empire through him.

Darrow meets Tonno at a Merithuran harbor. At a bar, Darrow meets the leader of the commoners who want to rebel against the empire. Darrow earns a partnership by promising to take the leader, Fenn, to the fabled Black Palace.

Calwyn and friends travel towards the Black Palace. Halasaa becomes ill along the way, because of the barrenness of the land. In his telepathic conversations with Calwyn and other characters, Halasaa reveals that Merithuros has been a fertile, generous land, but was reduced to wasteland by humans.

When confronted by "wasunti" (wild dogs), Calwyn uses the Power of Beasts to turn them away. Oron, one of the children, is bitten by one of the wasunti. Halasaa teaches Calwyn the Power of Becoming, with which Calwyn heals Oron. Possibly as a result, Calwyn faints from exhaustion.

When she awakes, they have been saved by Darrow, Tonno, and the rebels. They head to the Lip of Hathara, which is a stone wall surrounding the Black Palace. Calwyn and Darrow use ironcraft to open a doorway, but do not close it. This leaves an entryway for the army and nobles led by Keela, who are all heading to the Palace.

When the protagonists enter, they are attacked by the sorcerers. Oron goes missing, later to be discovered and suborned by Keela. Darrow reveals the Ring of Lyonssar, making himself the Lord of the Black Palace. This confuses Calwyn, who associates such a manouvere with the desire for control. Later, Darrow explains his methods, whereas Calwyn disclaims any division that he has suspected her of having in her affections. Darrow also reveals that the Black Palace can, if its mechanisms are released, become a wind-powered war machine, similar to a terrestrial warship. Calwyn compares the sorcerers' tradition of living in it to the tradition in which she was raised, wherein priestesses hide behind walls of ice, and wishes that the chanters "come out of hiding". On the roof of the palace, Calwyn and Darrow share a passionate kiss (during which Darrow's ring becomes caught in Calwyn's hair), finally acting on their feelings for each other.

In the next morning, the remaining imperial soldiers are advancing toward the Black Palace. Darrow rallies sorcerers, rebels, and his friends, invoking them to build a Republic on the ruins of the Empire, wherein a more generous way of life is followed. When the various factions begin to quarrel, Darrow reveals the soldiers to them as a common enemy, whereupon all unite in their opposition to this. Heben, impromptu, questions the wisdom of war and suggests that all factions co-operate rather than compete. Darrow supports this idea. Tonno discuses with Calwyn their means of getting back to Ravamey. He assumes that Darrow will stay here and assume the role of Lord of the Black Palace. This saddens Calwyn, because despite the fact that Darrow has finally acted on his love for her, she must leave him in Merithurous to fulfill his duty. In addition, Halassa is sick and needs her aid more at the moment than does Darrow.

The imperial army attacks; moments later, Oron fulfills Keela's order to activate the mechanisms of the Black Palace. As it advances menacingly, Calwyn responds to the needs of the injured land and uses all of her chantment to heal it. In the process, she sacrifices all of her own power to sing. Using chantment, Darrow halts the Black Palace in its path saving Calwyn. As a result of Calwyn's chantment, the region called Hathara becomes the site of a lake, into which all the fighters throw their weapons.

Because his sickness and weakness corresponded with that of the land, Halasaa is restored to health even as the land is revived. Keela is captured; although she attempts to talk her way out of trouble, she is imprisoned at Darrow's command. It is revealed that Keela believes Samis to be alive; because Darrow doubts the clarity of his own perception of Samis as dead, he is frightened by this information.

Calwyn, upon regaining her strength, is distraught to find that she has lost all of her chantment. She watches aimlessly as Heben, Darrow, Tonno, and the leaders of the various Merithuran factions build the foundations of their new Republic. Eventually, she is approached by Darrow. He attempts to console her without much success. He then reveals that he intends to seek Samis, to discover whether he is in fact alive, and if he is so to kill him. Darrow discusses the future with Calwyn, suggesting that she might go back to Antaris to heal, and eventually asks her to promise him that if she returns to Antaris in search of healing, she will not go alone, but in the company of friends, and to promise him that she will return upon success or failure. When she does not promise to return, arguing that she cannot ensure it, he leaves her, disappointed.

Characters

Calwyn is a 17-year-old priestess from Antaris. Calwyn has matured since her adventure from Darrow's departure and from freeing windworkers from pirates, to the extent of thinking ahead and in terms of that which is best for the world. Calwyn is a compassionate young woman, but tends to be stubborn. Calwyn is resentful of woman's roles outside of Antaris and strives for gender equality. Calwyn becomes a noblewoman of the Palace of Cobwebs and manages to save the kidnapped children. She flees with Heben, Mica, Halasaa, and the children to the Black Palace and almost dies. They are saved by Darrow and the commoners and end the corruption of the Black Palace. When the palace is started, Calwyn tries to heal the land and is successful but is stripped of her powers.

Darrow is Calwyn's beloved , possibly five to ten years her elder. Darrow was born to a Penlewin captain and raised on the seas. His tendency to scamper along the ship gave him the name "Mouse." Darrow was taught the basics of iron chantment from a crew member, Arram, who warned him to keep this power secret. When docking at a Merithuran town, Darrow used iron chantment to save his father from being crushed by falling cargo. A Merithuran sorcerer saw this and took Darrow to the Black Palace of Hathara, where Darrow was raised as an ironcrafter. When Darrow was tested for obedience, he passed the test and was accepted as one of the sullen community of sorcerers. When Samis sought to master his gift of iron chantment and came to the Black Palace, he befriended Darrow. The two became close friends, but when Samis revealed his plans to conquer Tremaris, Darrow fled. Darrow becomes Lord of the Black Palace, in which position he becomes a reformer.

Tonno is a fisherman from Kalysons who, like Mica, is at home at sea. He takes Calwyn and company to Merithuros and remains on "Fledgewing" until Darrow appears. He then travels with Darrow to Hathara.

Mica is the young windworker whom Calwyn and her friends rescued from pirates. She is active and rebellious. Mica joins Calwyn at the Palace of Cobwebs as her servant and spy. She uses her chantments to help sail herself and friends about.

Heben is a tribal exile from Merithuros. When the abduction of his brother Gada and sister Shada by the sorcerers of Hathara went unpunished, Heben protested and was subsequently banished. He was rescued by Calwyn from a pirate ship. Upon learning of her powers, he requested that they rescue his siblings; they agreed, and therefore travelled to Merithuros with him. There, he became their guide through the desert and through Merithuran society.

Trout is one of Calwyn's friends from Mithates where the Power of Fire origin. A young, nearsighted inventor with little tolerance for the ocean. He remains on the island with the rescued windworkers.

Halasaa is one of the voiceless, secluded Tree People. He is the last of the chanters of the healing magic called the chantment of Becoming. He communicates telepathically and can be very intuitive. He is compassionate, like Calwyn, but more connected to natural ecosystems until the climax. When traveling to the Black Palace, Halasaa becomes ill from the dead land and weakened by needing constantly to heal the others. Halasaa teaches Calwyn the Dance of Healing so she can heal one of the injured chanter children. He recovers at the end, when Calwyn heals Merithuros itself.

Keela the Third and most attractive Princess of the Merithuran court. She pretends to be Calwyn's friend in order to spy on her. Keela can either be frivolous and charming or cunning and witty. She schemes to become the Empress of Merithros and later Tremaris. All that she has done has been for her half-brother, Samis, whom she claims is still alive.

Gada and Shada are two kidnapped twins that Calwyn and her friends rescue with the help of Heben. They are two of a large number of children seized over the years by the sorcerers of the Black Palace of Hathara for training in the ways of Ironcraft. Heben is the twins' brother by law, although genetically unrelated to them.

Amagis one of the sorcerers from the Black Palace; called the "Ambassador of Hathara." He was tricked by Keela's charm into telling her all that he knew about the chanter children; he remained at the Palace because of his soft spot for her. Amagis tried to stop Calwyn from saving the chanter children, but is killed himself when Calwyn sings a wind chantment that blows him off the tower where they stood.

Arram one of the crew members of the ship "Gold Arrow", where Darrow was born. It is Arram who introduced the boy, then called "Mouse", to chantment.

Ched one of the chanter children imprisoned in the Palace of Cobwebs. Rescued by Calwyn. He is killed when falling debris from the Palace of Cobwebs strikes his head.

Oron one of the chanter children imprisoned in the Palace of Cobwebs. He is resentful of the world for his imprisonment. At the Black Palace, Oron escaped into the ventilation system when the sorcerers attacked; Keela threatened to kill Oron if he didn't help her start the war engine of the palace. The scheme is stopped in its tracks. Oron is punished, though not treated as severely as Keela, because of his having acted under duress.