Sara Douglass – The Axis Trilogy 3 – StarMan

“Axis?”

Belial. Axis made a conscious effort to relax his face. “My friend?’

Belial pulled his bay stallion in next to Belaguez. “Axis, half the column has passed you by while you sit there worrying.”

“I was not -”

Belial laughed. “No* worrying? I have known you too long to believe that lie.”

Axis sighed. “I was thinking about Gorkenfort. Wishing Azhure was here with me . . . with us.”

Belial shrugged. “Either we win Gorkenfort or we lose it, Axis, and sitting on your horse, fretting about it is not going to tip the balance one way or the other.”

Axis reached across to grip Belial’s shoulder. “You have the soul of a philosopher, Belial.”

“Nonsense.” Belial grinned. ” am merely trying to shake you out of your fugue so you can order camp to be pitched. It’s been a long time since our all-too-brief noon meal, and my stomach is complaining.”

Belial sat before the fire and stared at the flames. The meal had been good and there was nothing more to be done tonight than to stretch out and try to think pleasant thoughts. Magariz was inspecting the sentries, Arne checking the gear for tomorrow’s inarch, Ho’Demi was bedded down early with his wife (and wasn’t he the lucky one?), and SpikeFeather had joined one of the Crests for his evening meal. Now only Belial and Axis shared the fire, and Belial wondered if he could prevail upon the man to pull his harp from the saddlebags and play a tune or two before they took to their sleeping rolls for the night. He leaned forward, but the words never left his mouth.

For, just as he was about to speak, the world went mad.

A great sound rushed over the plain and enveloped them. Song. So beautiful yet so powerful that it battered all before it. Belial wrapped his arms about his head as the wave of noise hit him, and yet even through its great surge he could hear men shouting and horses screaming. The Song grew deeper and more intense until Belial could feel it pounding through his entire body…then…then slowly the Song changed, faded, vanished, although Belial could still feel it throb through his flesh and through the ground beneath him for a further minute or so.

“What -” he mumbled, standing up. About him men were similarly scrambling to their feet, their faces puzzled. Others

calmed the horses, murmuring to the beasts and petting them with long, soothing strokes.

“Faraday,” Axis said, and Belial turned around to look at him.

“What?”

“Faraday,” Axis repeated, and said to Belial, “She has completed planting. The new forest has joined with the Avarin-heim. What we just heard . . . felt…was the initial burst of Song as the entire forest below the Avarinheim joined with the Earth Tree Song.”

“And now they no longer sing?”

“They still sing, Belial, but the Song has moved into such realms of power and pitch that most can no longer hear it.” Axis’ entire body relaxed. “Thank the Stars. Perhaps Azhure can now ride to join us.”

He turned aside for a few moments to talk to several unit commanders who had rushed to the fire, reassuring them and asking them to relay his reassurances to the rest of the army. “It was but Tree Song,” he concluded, “and it means added power for us. Do not be concerned.”

Unless the trees do not fight as Faraday has promised.

Belial slowly relaxed as Axis sank down beside the fire again. As the word about the Tree Song spread men talked in low voices around their campfires; Belial heard occasional soft laughter punctuate the night.

“Good news, Axis.”

Axis nodded. “Yes. Gorgrael must have heard that as well. It will virtually negate his hold over the weather.”

“And perhaps he worries, too.”

Axis laughed. “I shall sleep with that thought tonight, Belial. It shall cause me pleasant dreams.”

They sat some time in companionable silence. Belial remembered his earlier thought that he could ask Axis to play awhile, but a gentle hand on his shoulder stayed his words; he was fated, it seemed, not to hear the harp that night.

“Belial,” a rich voice said, “I am pleased to see you again.” The beautiful woman who had joined him outside Axis’ tent the night Azhure had healed him was again standing by Belial’s side and smiling at him. Again his face reddened at the filmy robe she wore, and her eyes crinkled in amusement.

“I am here to talk with Axis, Belial, but you may stay. Listen. What I have to say should not be borne by Axis alone.”

Bad news, then. The woman stepped to Axis’ side and sank gracefully down beside him so that she sat close, her body touching his at hip and breast, her hand on his shoulder. “Axis.”

He took a deep breath, unsettled by her appearance and her touch. “Xanon.”

She leaned over the distance still between them and kissed Axis on the mouth and Belial stirred, remembering the extraordinary liberties that she and her companions had taken in greeting him that night. The Star Gods, they had called themselves as they had farewelled him. Belial was not truly surprised by anything any more, not after the shocks of the past two years. Star Gods, perhaps, but the fact that they had said they were friends of Axis and Azhure was more important.

Well, Belial thought as he watched the woman draw slowly back, a smile on her lips, he hoped Azhure didn’t mind the liberties friend Xanon took with her husband. “Axis, I have news.” “The forest sings,” he said. “I know.”

“Yes, the forest sings. But Azhure and Faraday have done more than join the forests. Axis,” her face lit up with pure joy, “Artor is destroyed!”

“Azhure?” Axis asked.

“Azhure is well. Oh, Axis! She is so well! She set her pack to hunt and she hounded Artor through the same wastes where he imprisoned us. He turned to fight, but he was no match. She set her knife, here,” her hand pressed against his breast, “and she turned it about in his heart. Artor is no more.”

Axis sighed and closed his eyes. “Artor is no more.”

Belial sat, staring at them. Azhure had hunted Artorl By the Mother, what sort of woman was she?

Axis opened his eyes and smiled at Xanon, gently lifting her hand from his chest where she had let it rest. “And now Azhure comes to join me?”

Xanon stiffened and she turned her face away.

“What’s wrong? Xanon, what’s wrong?”

“Axis.” Xanon ran her tongue across her lips. “Axis, Gorgrael has taken Caelum.”

Caelum?

Belial did not hear the thought, but he saw the horror ripple across Axis’ face and felt it himself. Mother! He dropped his eyes from Axis’ face, unable to bear the agony he saw there.

Axis stirred as if to rise but Xanon wrapped her arms about him and kept him down.

“Caelum?” he whispered.

“We do not know how,” Xanon said. “How could Gorgrael have snatched the boy from Sigholt?”

“I have to go to him -”

“No!” Xanon’s arms tightened and her hands dug into his upper arms. “No, Axis, you can’t!”

“I can’t?” he shouted, and tried to twist away from her. “Who are you to tell me that I can’t?”

“I am the voice of reason,” Xanon said fiercely. “Listen to me, Axis! Why has Gorgrael snatched Caelum? Why? To trap you, that’s why.”

“She’s right,” Belial said, and Axis threw him a furious glance.

“Listen to us,” Xanon continued. “Listen, damn you! Gorgrael can feel his power slipping. He’s moved to desperate measures. Stars knows the risk he took in snatching Caelum from Sigholt. With the boy he hopes that he can tempt you away from Gorken Pass. Tempt you into making a precipitous rush to his Ice Fortress without the Rainbow Sceptre fast in your hand. Axis, if you do not hold the Sceptre he will defeat you.”

“Caelum,” Axis muttered, seeming not to have heard Xanon’s words. “Has Gorgrael killed him?”

“You would have felt it, had he died,” Xanon said, her eyes bright with compassion.

“Then he lives to be tortured by Gorgrael,” Axis said bitterly. “Perhaps death would be preferable. Xanon? What can I do?”

She hesitated, then stroked his face with a hand. “You will have to trust in Azhure.”

“Azhure?” Now Axis did manage to free himself from her encircling arms. ” Azhure?”

“She is the only one who can help him at the moment.” “She is the only one who can be risked, you mean!” Axis snarled.

“You cannot go, Axis! This is exactly what Gorgrael wants! To meet you without the Rainbow Sceptre in your hands! That would mean instant victory for him.”

Axis let Xanon wrap him in her arms once more, and she rocked him gently for a few minutes.

“Will she be in danger?” Axis asked eventually. “Yes, Axis, I am afraid she will be, but Adamon will help her as much as he can.”