Sara Douglass – The Axis Trilogy 3 – StarMan

Axis stood behind RuffleCrest, resting both his hands on the birdman’s shoulders, and began to sing. All the six Enchanters present recognised the Song of Recall that he sang,

but it was sung with such consummate skill and power that most were left agape with astonishment, even StarDrifter. Every time his son demonstrated his power it left StarDrifter almost breathless, sometimes with pride, oftentimes with envy.

The air over the centre of the table shimmered and formed a grey haze. Everyone’s eyes turned from Axis to the vision appearing before them. In the grey haze appeared the form of Jorge, twisting away from the window as he shouted at RuffleCrest to get his Wing out of Jervois Landing. Every military commander in the room, Axis and Azhure among them, involuntarily winced at the fear and desperation on Jorge’s face. Perhaps Jorge had erred in staying by Borneheld’s side for so long, but he was an exceptional commander and a brave man, and if so much fear twisted his features and clouded his eyes then it surely meant that Jorge knew his death was close.

Then the view shifted and changed, and the watchers flew with RuffleCrest as he lifted the remaining seven of his Wing out of the building and circled briefly above the town.

“Mother!” Belial cried as he saw what horror invaded the town.

Of them all, only RuffleCrest did not see, for Axis had worked the enchantment so that the birdman would not re-live the horror that had almost killed him.

They flew with RuffleCrest as he led his Wing south, and each and every one of the watchers paled when the Wing was attacked by the Gryphon. As they saw with RuffleCrest’s eye the birdwoman explode in a shower of red spray, Axis cut off the enchantment. They had all seen enough.

He glanced at Azhure. Although pale, she seemed composed.

RuffleCrest looked about the table. “Did it work?” he asked, puzzled by the distress evident on the faces about him.

Axis patted his shoulder. “Yes, RuffleCrest, it worked well. You have done remarkable duty in bringing us this message, and for your bravery I thank you and honour you.”

RuffleCrest flushed with pride, but he could also hear dismissal in the words, and knew that the commanders in this room would prefer to discuss his message privately.

He stood, and Axis took his hand and arm briefly. “You will need to rest, RuffleCrest. Your body and spirit still have to heal after the trauma you have endured.”

RuffleCrest saluted Axis, then the commanders about the table, then he turned and left the room. AH could feel his relief as he finally slipped through the door. “Well, my friends?” Axis said.

Belial took a deep breath. “Jervois Landing would have been destroyed in under half an hour with the force that invaded it.”

“We could all see from the aerial views,” Magariz said, “how the canals were frozen and how the Skraelings and IceWorms had invaded the town from just about every avenue. Neither Jorge nor his command would have been able to resist.” “And Jorge knew that,” Azhure said. “He knew he was going to die. I am glad for his sake that RuffleCrest managed to get through.”

Axis sat back down. “How long ago?” he asked. “How long ago did Jervois Landing fall? FarSight, how long would it take for someone in RuffleCrest’s condition to fly south to the Western Ranges?”

FarSight thought. “Perhaps two or three days, StarMan. He would hardly have rested, so desperate would he have been to escape as far as he could from the Gryphon.”

“No rest?” Belial was amazed. How could a birdman, almost crippled, fly for two or three days without rest?

“All birdmen have deep reserves of stamina, far more than humans,” replied HoverEye Black Wing, one of the senior Crest-Leaders present. “Besides, there would have been a wind at his back. Much of the time RuffleCrest would have drifted in the air currents, almost asleep.”

“So,” Axis said, focusing everyone’s attention back on the critical issue. “Four days ago at most Jervois Landing was

attacked and destroyed by a massive Skraeling force. They must have moved -”

“Axis,” Magariz interrupted. “Can you recall that vision with RuffleCrest gone?” Axis nodded.

“There was something about the Skraelings that I saw when RuffleCrest was in the air. Can you recall it?”

Magariz’s voice was urgent, and Axis quickly recalled the vision of Jervois Landing and its surroundings, half of the Skraeling force still massed outside the town, the other half penetrating deeply between the houses.

“Yes,” Magariz said. “Yes! Axis, my friends. Look at the Skraeling force. What is it that is so different about them?”

“Well,” Azhure began, “the Skraelings themselves are different. Axis and saw Skraelings in Hsingard that looked like this. Fully fleshed, almost armoured with those bony protuberances. Magariz, we told you about this.”

“Yes, yes, I know of that, but this is not what I mean,” Magariz said. “Come now, surely you can see it?”

Understanding suddenly replaced the confusion on Axis’ face. “By the Stars, Magariz! That is not a mass of Skraelings at all. Look, here and here and here,” his finger stabbed into the grey vision as it hung over the table, “they are formed into regular units. This is an army under tight discipline, not the chaos that we have been used to previously.”

“Yes,” Magariz said. “Gorgrael has got himself a good WarLord, it seems.”

“I cannot imagine any of his SkraeBolds effecting this remarkable transformation,” Axis said, frowning as he thought this through.

Azhure suddenly remembered WolfStar’s comment about the Traitor of the third verse of the Prophecy having already made his move. She chewed her lip anxiously. She had yet to tell Axis of the encounter and resolved to do so this evening. Had the Traitor done this? And if so, who was he?

“Look!” FarSight cried, living up to his name. “Look to the west. This is not the main force attacking Jervois Landing at all, but merely a detachment from the force that is already moving south into Aldeni!”

Everyone looked to where he pointed. Axis went grey with shock. A massive column (and column again, not a seething mass) of Skraelings and IceWorms were slowly moving across the frozen system of canals.

“Are there any more shocks for me?” he asked, desperate to end the hateful vision, but only after they had gleaned all the information from it they could.

For a few minutes longer they stared into the visionary landscape before them, then, one by one, they shook their heads. RuffleCrest had not circled for long; it was a miracle that his mind had stored this much information.

“Well,” Axis said as he stopped the enchantment and the vision faded from view. “We march. It is all we can do.”

“Where?” FarSight inquired politely, but with a discernible edge to his voice.

“North!” snapped Axis. “And exactly where north above the Western Ranges I will rely on your farflight scouts to tell me!”

Later that day, Axis and Azhure stood by the open windows of the Indigo Chamber, the chamber they used as their sleeping apartment. The sun had set many hours ago, but moonlight sparkled across Grail Lake and a soft breeze blew in their faces. Together with the rest of the commanders they had’ spent the afternoon and early evening completing the plans to move Axis’ army north. Military preparations were already well under way, and in the morning the extended supply column would head for the Western Ranges. Within a day at the most, the ground force would begin their long trek north. A day after that the bulk of the Strike Force would follow; several Wings were to be left in Carlon as a protection force and to assist the Icarii in their move south.

“I will soon be gone,” Axis said.

Azhure sighed. “My squads of archers will work well under Ho’Demi’s command, Axis. They have trained extensively with the Ravensbund archers these past months, and I trust Ho’Demi more than any other to use them well.”

Axis nodded. “Well, you will not lack for company while I am gone. Both Rivkah and Ysgryff can assist you.”

Although Ysgryff was a valued commander Axis did not want to risk every commander he had in the ride north. Besides, Ysgryff could make himself just as useful here.

Now Azhure laughed and Axis frowned at her, puzzled.

“I was just thinking, Axis, here I am being left in charge of a realm when . . . what – some two years ago – I was but the daughter of the Plough-Keeper of an isolated Skarabost village.”

Axis smiled too. Once Azhure had worried that, as a peasant woman, she had no place by Axis’ side, but he knew now that she was beyond that old concern.

“I sensed some of your thoughts this morning while we sat in council,” Axis said, becoming serious again, and Azhure lifted her head. “You want to tell me something.”