Sara Douglass – The Axis Trilogy 2 – Enchanter

Every last one of them a dark-skinned, brightly scarved, gleaming-toothed, scimitar-waving pirate.

“Foul treachery!” Borneheld croaked, then leaped in surprise as Gautier’s hand fell on his shoulder.

“Sire!” he gasped. “Treachery! Your safety is compromised. have a barge waiting – we must seek refuge in Carlon.”

“What?” Borneheld yelled. “Leave the field?”

“We. have lost the day,” Jorge shouted hoarsely, riding to join Borneheld. “If you wish to save yourself, then do so now. I will continue to lead your forces on this bloodied field – to the death if you so order.”

Borneheld stared at Jorge and Gautier. The gleeful screams of the pirates were getting uncomfortably close. The next instant he dug his spurs deep into his horse’s sides and was galloping towards safety.

All this Axis saw through the eyes of the eagle.

Azhure, Ho’Demi, he called, Borneheld rides for one of the barges and for escape into Carlon. LET HIM GO! I need him in Carlon. It is VITAL that he escapes to Carlon!

At the same time that Axis felt the agreement of their minds, the eagle screamed the same order to the Icarii Crests above the northern part of the battlefield: “Let Borneheld escape! It is vital that he escapes!”

As the pirates streamed down into the fray Axis turned to see Baron Ysgryff, helmetless now, grinning at him.

“Did you like my surprise, Axis SunSoar?”

Laughing with joy, Axis booted Belaguez next to YsgryfFs horse and, leaning over, seized the man by the top of his tunic as it peeked above the chest plate of his armour.

“I will make you a Prince for this!” he grinned, then, letting Ysgryff go, turned to the men still struggling about him.

“The day is mine!” he screamed, waving his sword in an arc about his head. “Tencendor is mine!”

In an hour it was over. Demoralised by Borneheld’s desertion, his army slowly ground to a halt and, as the sun set over the Nordra, Axis took the army’s surrender from Jorge, the most senior commander left on the field.

Jorge glanced about the battlefield and noticed as if for the first time the thousands of bodies and the reddened soil. A pointless waste of life, Jorge thought bleakly. Could it have been avoided if Roland and I had found the courage to follow Axis after Gorkenfort? Would our departure have weakened Borneheld to the extent that he would not have had the resources of command experience left to wield an army against Axis?

“He would still have fought,” said Axis, and Jorge slowly raised his eyes.

The man’s earlier excitement had died, and Jorge could see that exhaustion and sad-heartedness hung heavily over him.

“Jorge,” Axis said softly, stepping forward and placing his hand on the man’s shoulder. Jorge’s eyes filled with tears at the gesture of support. “Jorge, where does Borneheld hold your family?”

Jorge named a small town to the north of Carlon and Axis beckoned to FarSight. “FarSight, can you detail the two Wings you held in reserve to fly to free Jorge’s family?”

FarSight nodded and turned away.

Axis turned and stared at Jorge. “Welcome to Tencendor, Jorge.”

Jorge nodded wearily. He did not expect to hold a place of high honour within the new order.

The Aftermath

The following hours were confusion and chaos. After accepting the surrender of both Borneheld’s army and Borneheld’s kingdom, Axis’ first priority was to fill the eight Corolean transports with as many of the remaining Coroleans as he could and get them home as quickly as possible. He had no intention of holding thousands of Coroleans prisoner. Let their Emperor take care of them.

“Tell your Emperor, or your Ambassador, or the first whore you come across in Coroleas for all I care,” Axis said tiredly to the most senior Corolean he could find, “that I repudiate the treaty Borneheld made with your Empire and that I repudiate all conditions, payments and other varied promises Borneheld may have foolishly made. Go home. I bear you no personal ill will, but I will not stand for your continued presence in my realm.”

It was a startling word, “realm”; Axis was mildly surprised at how easily it had slipped past his lips.

The Corolean captain gave a short bow. “May I inform my Emperor that you will be willing to receive his Ambassador at a future date when all,” he looked briefly at the darkening carnage about him, “has settled down?”

“As long as he realises that I refuse to pay any of Borneheld’s debts.”

“I will be sure to tell him,” the captain said shortly, then he sketched a salute and wheeled about, walking stiffly up the loading ramp into the nearest transport and wishing he were home already. Too many of his men had died in a cause not their own.

“Belial.” Axis turned and leaned briefly on Belial’s shoulder. “Belial, can I leave you in charge of the burial pits?” A thankless task, but it needed to be done and it needed to be done fast.

Axis snapped his fingers at the boy holding Belaguez and mounted the stallion when the boy led him over. He rode slowly across the battlefield, stopping now and again to speak to a group of soldiers, or to lend a word of support to one of the wounded being carried towards the physicians’ tents. He saw Arne in the distance, detailing guards to watch over the remaining prisoners of Borneheld’s army — and there seemed to be thousands of them. What was he going to do with them? Axis thought wearily. They are all Acharites, and all mostly good men who simply found themselves on the wrong side through no fault of their own.

Axis’ depression deepened as he rode east across the field of battle. Soldiers were slowly starting to pile the dead – and the piles were both numerous and large. How many thousands had died?

And where was Azhure? Axis’ mind was so tired that he could not feel her anywhere, and the eagle had roosted for the night. The darkness closed in about him as he rode, but he continued to peer through the gloom, asking all he came across if they had seen her. Each time a head shook wearily Axis pushed Belaguez further east, searching, until he reached the site where his army had camped the previous night.

He found Rivkah at his personal camp site, Caelum asleep in her arms.

“Azhure?” he asked anxiously, slipping from Belaguez’s saddle.

Rivkah nodded towards a blanket-wrapped bundle at her feet and Axis fell to his knees and pulled the blanket back from Azhure’s face. She was asleep, her face white, great circles of weariness under her eyes.

“Is she all right?” Axis asked his mother, his hand stroking back the tangled hair from Azhure’s forehead.

Rivkah considered a moment. Should she tell him about Azhure’s pregnancy? The woman had ridden into the camp an hour before and had simply collapsed in an exhausted heap at Rivkah’s feet. It had taken the combined strength of Rivkah and a passing soldier to pull her chain mail off and wrap her in this blanket and Azhure had not stirred once during the procedure. Rivkah knew Azhure was finding this pregnancy a difficult one, and she feared that Azhure was so drained the baby would simply slip from her.

Rivkah finally shrugged. “She is exhausted, but she has no wounds. Perhaps sleep is all she needs.”

Axis sat down and took Caelum from his mother’s arms.

“He has been awake all day, Axis,” Rivkah said quietly, “fretting and crying. He knew that both his parents were in battle, and he seemed to know how desperate the fighting was. He refused to eat or to be comforted until Azhure stumbled back into camp.”

She paused. Dare she ask? “And Magariz? Is he well?”

“I have not heard if he is alive or dead, Rivkah,” Axis said flatly after a long pause, “as I have not heard about most of my commanders or soldiers. With that you will have to be content.”

A servant stepped forward and helped Axis unbuckle his armour. Axis passed the baby back to Rivkah and gratefully let the servant cart the armour away. He literally tore his sweat- and blood-stained tunic from his torso and threw it to one side.

Rivkah noted the wounds across his chest and back, but said nothing. They were not life-threatening and would heal quickly. “Sleep Axis. I will watch over you. You will be able to do nothing until you get some sleep.”

Axis wrapped himself in the blanket and lay down beside Azhure. “Two hours, no more,” he mumbled. “Wake me after two hours.”

Both within and without the palace, Carlon was in confusion. Most of the city folk learnt the outcome of the battle, and many had stood in silence as Borneheld, Gautier and perhaps two dozen men had run through the city gates, ordering them locked and barred.