Sara Douglass – The Axis Trilogy 2 – Enchanter

“Artor is a god of lies and deception, Moryson,” Axis replied, “and the Seneschal takes those lies and deceptions and magnifies them a hundredfold in order to control the hearts and minds of the poor folk of Achar.” He paused. “Tell Jayme that Rivkah lives. Tell Jayme that one day I will give him — and you — to Rivkah to do with as she amuses. Your murder did not succeed, Moryson. She livesl”

“She lives?” Borneheld cried. “My mother lives? Moryson, what does Axis mean? What did you do?” Murder? What did Axis mean?

“He lies!” Moryson hissed. “Do not listen to him, Borneheld. Your mother died screaming as she gave birth to this bastard. Do not listen to his lies.”

Axis turned his horse to face Borneheld again. “She lived, Borneheld, and lived to give birth again. Behold, your sister EvenSong.”

Borneheld, appalled, looked at the creature Axis indicated. Sister? The creature had great violet eyes, narrow features like the other two of her kind, and massive black wings.

Borneheld forced a derisive smile to his face. “You are not my sister.”

“Believe me,” the creature snapped, “I would that were so. You murdered my lover, Borneheld, and for that my brother,” her eyes flickered towards Axis, “says he will kill you. It will not be soon enough for my liking.”

“She has the Icarii temper and lust for revenge,” said Axis. “If I am not quick about your murder, then I fear EvenSong might slip into your chamber late one night. I hope you have guards posted who look into the night sky as well as the shadows hovering at the edges of corridors and chambers.

“And this,” Axis indicated the black male, “is FarSight CutSpur, commander of the Icarii Strike Force under my control. They were the ones, Borneheld, who greeted you on your arrival this morning.”

Borneheld felt the meeting slipping entirely from his control. “Axis —” he began belligerently.

But Axis went on as if he had not spoken. “Belial you know, as you do Magariz — although I feel bound to point out that you did not know Magariz as well as you might have thought. He has a far deeper sense of honour and justice than you ever gave him credit for.

“And,” now Axis indicated the final flying creature, watching Borneheld’s face as he spoke, “this is my father, StarDrifter. You might remember him, perhaps. You were there, StarDrifter tells me, when he seduced Rivkah atop Sigholt, although you were only a babe at the time.”

Borneheld almost gagged in disgust. His mother had let herself be seduced by one such as this? It must have been rape, for how could his mother have allowed such as this to touch her so intimately?

“You were a tiresome baby,” the creature said conversationally, and Borneheld realised with horror that Axis had its eyes and features, “and it does not surprise me to find that you have grown into such a tiresome man. Axis, I have had. enough of this. I will talk with you later.” Abrupdy he spread his wings and lifted out of the group.

“I, too, am growing tired,” Axis said. “Brother. I understand that you face threats from the Skraelings diis winter and would prefer that I did not complete your humiliation until next summer.”

Axis’ taunting words pushed Borneheld over the edge into fury. “I have more than enough men to burn you and yours to the ground with Sigholt and break the Skraeling attack!” he shouted, shaking a clenched fist at Axis.

Alarmed, both Roland and Belial pulled the brothers back, speaking to them urgendy.

Unconcerned by the ruckus, Moryson’s eyes flickered over the two hounds which had accompanied Axis. Both sat well back from the fray, and both were staring fixedly at him.

Axis cursed himself as Belial reminded him that Sigholt, nay, Achar, could not survive if both brothers went to war against each other while the Skraeling threat was so bad. What had he been thinking of? But, face to face with his hated brother, Axis had not been able to resist taunting him. Roland, and then Gautier, spoke as urgendy to Borneheld, reinforcing that he could not attack Sigholt without leaving Jervois Landing fatally crippled.

It was, eventually, Axis who spoke. “Borneheld. Our ill tempers will have to wait until spring of next year.”

He paused, and finally, grudgingly, Borneheld replied. “The winter advantage belongs to Gorgrael. We both want the same thing, Axis. Achar. And neither of us wants Gorgrael to have it. Very well. I will not destroy you until spring. You have winter to prepare.”

Axis remained calm. “We agree on a truce for winter, brother, while we both fight back these Skraelings?”

Borneheld nodded. “Until Thaw-month. I should have defeated Gorgrael by spring, Axis, and then I will come after you.”

Both men rode forward and gripped the other’s hand, both tightening their grip until they could feel the other’s bones shift. Neither let a spasm of discomfort cross his face. “A truce until Thaw-month, Borneheld. My word on it.” “A truce until Thaw-month, Axis. My word on it.” “Burdel burns and pillages his way across southern Skarabost,” Axis said, his hand still gripped by Borneheld’s. “Call him off.”

Borneheld smiled coldly. “I am King, Axis. Not you. And Burdel merely keeps order in a disorderly province. What he does in Skarabost is none of your concern.” He let Axis’ hand go.

“It concerns me that Burdel kills innocent people,” Axis insisted. “Perhaps you might like to inform Burdel that I will eventually hold him responsible for each life lost, for each home burned, for each chicken carried away. Oh, and as for being King, Borneheld, I was surprised to hear of your sudden elevation to the crown. Priam was so well when last I saw him.”

A shadow briefly flared behind Borneheld’s eyes. So, Axis thought, there is something amiss here. Well, it will wait, and for all of your murders, Borneheld, you will pay.

“Until spring, brother.” Axis sketched a salute, then turned to those behind Borneheld. “Roland.” This time the salute was more formal. “Moryson, Gilbert, as I come for Borneheld in the spring, so I will also come for the Seneschal.” Gilbert managed a sneer, but Moryson simply looked bored. Axis stared at Ho’Demi. / hope I will not have to wait until spring to see you and yours, Ravensbundntan.

Ho’Demi held his eyes. Wtien the winter snows arrive, watchfor us.

Axis reined Belaguez back and whistled for the hounds. “Gentlemen,” he said, then spurred his mount back across the Nordra, Belial and Magariz close behind him as FarSight and EvenSong lifted into the sky.

YuletideStill as tired and cold and dirty as he’d been when he’d lain down to sleep, Axis struggled up from the makeshift bed. He sat on its edge and took the bowl of vegetable broth Belial handed him. It seemed as if he’d been campaigning, fighting, these cursed wraiths for an eternity.

Mindful of Azhure’s warning, Axis had not returned to Sigholt from Gundealga Ford. Instead, he had led the thousand mounted men and the two Crest of Icarii Strike Force through the south-eastern corner of the Urqhart Hills into the WildDog Plains and into hell.

The Skraeling mass had penetrated deep into the WildDog Plains and, for the four days it took Axis to reach the fighting, it had been the command that Azhure had sent into the Plains via the HoldHard Pass which had held the Skraelings back. Now Axis’ command had been fighting virtually nonstop for nearly three weeks, and only slowly driving the Skraelings back towards the central Plains. Sigholt was left with only one squad of archers and one hundred men to protect it. Every single Icarii Strike Force member was with Axis – it had been a baptism of fire as far as the Strike Force had been concerned.

But they had done well. Gorgrael had only sent one SkraeBold with the Skraelings down the WildDog Plains, and it stayed well behind the Skraeling lines. There were no Ice Worms. The Icarii had been left almost unhindered in the air, raining death on the Skraelings. But they still had to be careful. The clouds swung down so far that the Icarii also had to fly low, and the Skraelings were perfectly capable of suddenly leaping from the ground to seize a careless wingtip. Axis grimaced. Over a dozen Icarii had been lost that way.

The mounted soldiers had not done so well, despite their bravery and skill. The Skraelings had massed down through the WildDog Plains in huge numbers, and without the Icarii Axis knew they would have suffered as badly as at Gorkenfort. But Arne had fought bravely, rallying his men, and after Axis’ thousand had reinforced him, they’d gradually begun to force the Skraelings back.

Azhure’s mounted archers had been almost as useful as the Icarii. Axis used them wherever the front line was weakest. Each archer could shoot over twelve arrows a minute, proving over two thousand arrows a minute in flight, and all with pinpoint accuracy. Their only handicap had been recovering enough arrows each night to be effective the next day. The SkraeBold got his Skraelings to haul back as many arrows as they could find on the ground whenever they retreated, and sometimes the hand-to-hand fighting was as much over the possession of arrows as about the taking of lives.