Sara Douglass – The Axis Trilogy 2 – Enchanter

She wore a cloak as red as the door, but had thrown back the hood to reveal her bald cadaverous head, the papery skin was drawn tight over her cheek and skull bones splotched here and there with wisdom and experience. The woman’s face was saved from outright ugliness by her eyes. They were immense pools of violet, almost childlike in their expression.

She stretched out a wavering hand. “Welcome, child of the trees. Welcome to my garden. Will you stay awhile?”

Faraday started to say yes, but suddenly the light around her darkened into emerald, and before Faraday could say or do anything she had spiralled out of the enchanted world and back into the painful one of the palace court of Carlon.

“I’m sorry I had to summon you back, Faraday,” Yr said brusquely, “but it is gone noon, and the Queen is needed.”

As the power faded from Faraday, Raum whimpered and slowly uncurled from the foetal position he had been rolled into for the past five or six hours.

The two Sentinels had been right about Faraday’s power touching him, but Raum had never felt it this strongly before. Each step she had taken into the forests beyond the Grove had increased the pain within Raum until the forest about him reverberated with his screams.

He knew what was happening to him. But it should not be this powerful, not this painful.

And he was so young, so young to be transforming now. So much to do here. So much.

“Faraday,” he whispered. “Faraday. Where are you? What do you do? Where do you go? Faraday?”

Gundealga FordThey were to meet on the last day of Frost-month at Gundealga Ford on the Nordra. Once it surged out of the Forbidden Valley the Nordra widened and slowed, and by the time it approached Tailem Bend it was shallow enough to be forded by a man on horseback.

Axis camped his force just inside the southern Urqhart Hills, about half a league from Gundealga Ford. He had some thousand mounted soldiers with him, swordsmen as well as three of Azhure’s squads of archers, and two Crest of the Icarii Strike Force. The majority of his command remained behind in Sigholt, although several units currently patrolled the HoldHard Pass and Urqhart Hills. Axis had brought only enough soldiers to convince Borneheld he would be a formidable opponent without giving away his true strength. The sight of his mounted force plus several hundred Icarii wheeling about the sky should be enough to convince Borneheld to think twice about his own strengths. The parley would be as much a mental game as a verbal one.

Axis glanced up as Belial approached through the gloom. “Borneheld must be close now. How do you feel?” “As though I have an appointment with a toothdrawer,” Axis grimaced. ” do not look forward to meeting with my brother over the parley table. I don’t think I can cope with the social niceties.”

Belial laughed. He knew Axis would rather face Borneheld with a sword in his hand, and he knew few polite phrases would be traded tomorrow.

“The Icarii scouts have returned,” he said.

Axis’ head jerked up. “And?” His voice was tense.

“Borneheld’s force has camped about the same distance south of Gundealga Ford as we have camped north. If we both leave at dawn tomorrow we should meet at the Ford mid-morning.”

“I do not want the travel details!” Axis snapped. “What force does Borneheld bring with him?”

“About five thousand,” Belial replied quickly. “Mounted men, mostly swordsmen, although the scouts could see a few units of archers among them.” “Were the Icarii scouts spotted?”

“No, Axis. They are almost impossible to spot at night, with their black uniforms and wings. Their presence will still come as a surprise.”

As if to confirm Belial’s words, FarSight CutSpur suddenly dropped down out of the darkened sky and smiled at the surprise on both men’s faces. That Axis was as startled as Belial was an indication of just how preoccupied he was about his meeting with Borneheld.

“Strike-Leader.” FarSight saluted formally. “Azhure has sent two farflight scouts down with messages from Sigholt. They await at your tent.”

Azhure? Axis glanced at Belial. Both men turned and hurried back to Axis’ tent.

Axis, lifted the flap of his tent back and ushered the two scouts inside.

“Well?” he demanded.

“Strike-Leader,” Wing-Leader FeatherFlight BrightWing saluted, her face hollow and exhausted. “I bring two pieces of news, neither good. Six days after you left one of the patrols returned from the eastern Urqhart Hills. Strike-Leader, the

mass of Skraelings at the top of the WildDog Plains have begun to drift south. Azhure has sent six Crest of the Strike Force and a large mounted force through the HoldHard Pass to meet them.”

Axis’ worried eyes met with those of Belial and FarSight. “Azhure has not gone herself?” he asked FeatherFlight.

“No, Strike-Leader. Azhure knows she is too far gone in her pregnancy to go a-fighting. She sent Arne in her place.”

Axis sighed, relieved. But the news was grim, and it tied his hands regarding the negotiations. Now he needed the truce as much as Borneheld. Both were going to be facing such threats from Skraelings this winter that neither would want to be fighting on a second front. Well, best he know this now than find out after he had met with Borneheld.

Magariz entered, breathless, and Belial quickly informed him of the news. “Should one of us go to meet Arne in the HoldHard Pass?” Magariz asked, turning back to face* Axis. “The fighting will be bloody.”

Axis hesitated. “Arne has sufficient subcommand to support him — any one of the Crest-Leaders I left in Sigholt will do well. Once we are free of this place I’D lead this force east to meet up with Arne’s command, and FarSight can fly his two Crest there within only a day or so.” He turned back to FeatherFlight. “And the other news?”

“Another band of peasants from upper Skarabost arrived just before I left, dirty, tired and scared. They had fled north, terrified about rumours sweeping Skarabost that an Earl…Burdel?”

“Yes, yes,” Axis said. “Burdel is the Earl of Arcness.”

“Well, this Earl Burdel is apparently sweeping through southern Skarabost with a large force. He is putting to the stake or the cross any whom he finds repeating the Prophecy of the Destroyer. He is supposed to have put an entire village and its inhabitants to the torch where he found the Prophecy to be particularly entrenched. Anyone who mentions your name dies. Anyone who mentions the ‘Forbidden’,” her face twisted in distaste at the name, “with any sense of goodwill also dies. Any that Burdel finds fleeing northwards to join your cause at Sigholt dies. Fear and death sweep Skarabost, Strike-Leader.”

Axis paled. Burdel would not be doing this on his own; it must be on Borneheld’s orders and with the encouragement of the Seneschal. “Damn them!” he whispered.

“What can we do, Axis?” asked Belial.

“Nothing,” Axis muttered wretchedly. “Nothing. We are tied to Sigholt, Belial, by the Skraelings moving south through the WildDog Plains. And I fear that Borneheld and Burdel know it. Damn them!”

Axis forced his face to relax, and addressed FeatherFlight again. “And Azhure is well?”

Since he’d left Sigholt, Axis found he missed Azhure so badly that even the melody of the Star Dance seemed tarnished without her.

Borneheld sat his glossy bay stallion and shaded his eyes against the glare. They had ridden out from their camp before dawn, and now sat their horses some one hundred paces from Gundealga Ford itself. Where was Axis? Was he still alive? Where was this rebel force?

Five horsemen formed a line immediately behind Borneheld, then, in ordered units, sat the five thousand horsemen Borneheld had brought with him.

Of the five leading horsemen, only Ho’Demi and Brother Moryson appeared unperturbed and relaxed. Gilbert sat his horse with ill-disguised bad temper, Gautier was tense and anxious, and Duke Roland of Aldeni shifted uncomfortably, trying to ease the canker in his belly.

A shout from behind caused everyone to jump, and Borneheld wheeled his horse about irritably. “What…?” he began, then looked up to where one of the men in the first rank of soldiers was pointing frantically. Borneheld cursed the glare in the high layer of light grey clouds, then stilled as he saw what his man had been pointing at.

Far, far above them, circled hundreds of flying creatures, as black as Borneheld’s darkest nightmares. He knew what they were – more of those cursed creatures who had parleyed with his traitorous brother Axis on the root of Gorkenfort.

Now everyone craned their heads skyward. Ho’Demi’s eyes narrowed. He knew the creatures were Icarii – though he had never met one of them and had only occasionally seen them as they soared above the plains of Ravensbund near the Icescarp Alps. The Icarii soared with this Axis? Ho’Demi dropped his eyes and caught those of Inari and Izanagi, sitting their horses in the first rank of soldiers. Axis was powerful indeed if he had the backing of the Icarii. Ho’Demi felt a small knot of excitement harden in his belly. Perhaps this man was the StarMan.