Sara Douglass – The Axis Trilogy 3 – StarMan

He sent a silent query to Azhure, wondering if there was, in fact, anything she could do about the Gryphon, but she shook her head and turned away. She would know when it was time to hunt the Gryphon, and it was not yet. Those remaining in Talon Spike would have to cope without her.

If the mountain was attacked.

And Azhure truly did not want to go north at the moment. There was a feeling growing in her blood that she would be needed to the east within a month or two, needed to hunt something . . . something other than Gryphon. Something connected with Faraday.

Artor still lurked to the east, and while the death of RavenCrest, BrightFeather and the other Elders was heart-

wrenching, if Artor were to stop Faraday it would be disastrous. So Azhure held her peace. Besides, there was too much work to be done in Ichtar.

From the end of Raven-month Axis embarked on his mission to reclaim Ichtar. He made careful use of farflight scouts to the north to make sure that the Skraeling host had indeed drawn back to the extreme north, then he ordered that the province be cleared of any remaining Skraeling nests. Bands of men some thousand strong were sent on expeditions through the province to scout out nests. Farflight scouts went with them to report on their progress, and by mid-Hungry-month Axis received word that several small nests had been discovered and had, with minimal casualties to the troops, been destroyed. Hsingard had been one of the major breeding grounds for the Skraelings, and Azhure had already cleared it.

Axis remained in Sigholt until the second week in Hungry-month when word reached him that one of the bands of nest-destroyers had stumbled upon a series of nests so extensive they could not hope to destroy them.

“Where?” he asked the farflight scout.

“In the northern Urqhart Hills,” the scout replied.

“In the mines,” Rivkah said. She had been standing at the window in the map-room of the Keep, and now she turned to look at Axis. He kept his eyes firmly on her face, refusing to be distracted by the growing mound of her belly. In the month since he had been home, neither he nor Rivkah had ever discussed her pregnancy.

“The mines there are the most extensive, and the richest, in the entire range of hills, Axis.” Rivkah sat down at the table and Axis’ eyes relaxed slightly. “Searlas once boasted to me that their shafts stretched into the ground for over half a league, and their tunnels extended many leagues under the hills.”

“There could be tens of thousands down there,” Azhure murmured, and she glanced at the hound lying at her feet. “The

men will not be able to touch them without being eaten themselves.”

Axis looked at her, his eyes smiling. “Azhure, it has occurred to me that we have been sitting here safe and warm, cradled in Sigholt’s loving mists, when Belial and Magariz brave the dangers and reap the excitement of the Skraeling chase. Soon they shall be the stuff of legends, and we the forgotten heroes.”

She grinned. “We are growing fat with idleness, my love.”

“Shall we hunt?” Axis whispered, and Azhure felt her blood leap. The northern Urqhart Hills would be only a few days’ ride away and the hunt would take but the space of a night. They could be home in just over a week.

Rivkah, watching them, realised they had forgotten the existence of every other person in the map room.

“We hunt,” Azhure replied, her eyes locked with Axis’, and he smiled slowly. “We hunt.”

She sat back in the saddle, feeling the beat of the Star Dance every time she swayed to Venator’s stride, and looked over to Axis, loving him. He rode relaxed and easy, clad in his fawn tunic and breeches with the crimson cloak flying back from his shoulders and the bloodied sun blazing across his chest. Azhure thought she had not seen him looking so relaxed and confident, nor so vigorous, since the ride south through Skarabost towards Carlon.

Save the Alaunt and their horses, Axis and Azhure were alone.

They had been riding two days now, and the northern Urqhart Hills loomed in the distance. They would reach them tonight.

Mud spattered the horses’ legs and bellies, and made for uncomfortable sleeping, but both Azhure and Axis revelled in the mud for it meant that Gorgrael’s hold loosened, and the winter slid still further north.

Ahead of them the Alaunt streamed, their noses close to the ground.

“Another two hours’ ride,” Axis said. “Ho’Demi tells me they wait in the first of the passes.”

Ho’Demi led this particular force, and if Ho’Demi was not willing to go down those mines then the danger must be great indeed.

Azhure nodded. She had caught the shadow if not the substance of Ho’Demi’s thought to Axis. “Has he lost any men?”

“Five or six, apparently among those who were the first to investigate the mines. Azhure, are you sure you can do this?”

Axis’ eyes were troubled, and not without reason. From the sketchy reports they’d received so far, it seemed that the nests in the northern mines might prove more extensive than those Hsingard had concealed . . . and Azhure had shared with him her feelings of exhaustion after that particular hunt.

She smiled to herself. “I will be well, Axis. I, we, have both grown in the last month. And,” she tossed her head and laughed, revelling in the wind through her hair, “this will be the first time we have fought together in months.”

So wrapped were they in each other, neither noticed the black speck circling far above.

Ho’Demi leapt to his feet as he heard the rattle of horses’ hooves. “StarMan, Enchantress!” He held out his hand to help Azhure from her horse, but she jumped down even as he stepped towards her.

“Ho’Demi.” Azhure took his hand briefly, then stood aside so Axis could greet the Ravensbund chief. Ho’Demi looked behind them, frowning. All he could see were the Alaunt nosing about the campsite.

“Where is your force?” he asked. “These mines are going to take at least five thousand men to clear them.”

Axis grinned at Azhure, then clapped Ho’Demi on the shoulder. “Five thousand, my friend…or just Azhure and myself.”

Ho’Demi’s eyes widened. “StarMan, you cannot mean…!”

But Axis returned Ho’Demi’s stare flatly. “Do you doubt us, Ho’Demi?”

The Ravensbundman dropped his eyes instantly. “No, StarMan. I did not mean to question, but…”

“Ho’Demi,” Azhure took his arm. “Tell us about these mines. Have your Chatterlings provided any useful information? Do they have cousins awaiting below who could help?”

They sat down before Ho’Demi’s fire, the ground mercifully well drained on these slopes. About them the troops huddled at their own fires, but their eyes were riveted on the StarMan and Enchantress, and the whisper quickly spread that the two would clear the mines themselves.

“I am afraid the Chatterlings have been relatively unhelpful, Enchantress. They are of opals only, and they say that the emeralds and diamonds mined here were dead gems, with no heart or soul. Will they help? No. The bargain was that they help in the Murkle Mountains, and now they hunger only for their new home. They will be of no use.”

“No matter,” Azhure said lightly, and fingered the Wolven by her side.

“Tell us what you know,” Axis asked, and Ho’Demi drew a rough sketch of the mines’ layout in the earth before them.

“The shafts are not vertical, but slope down steeply for several hundred paces before they branch out into tunnels. There are five mines here, all have one main shaft, and all are interconnected via their tunnel systems.”

“So . . . five exits,” Axis said. He raised his eyes. “Azhure?”

“Do you know where the Skraelings are concentrated, Ho’Demi?”

“Yes, Enchantress. Here, here, and here.” He pointed to the central three mines. “The top tunnels are free, but the lower ones, those Over fifteen-hundred paces deep, are littered with hatchlings and eggs.”

“And adults?”

“Yes. Many of them. This must be one of the most heavily guarded nest-sites.”

Axis leaned back and gazed at the Ravensbund Chief. “Give me an estimate.”

“Of adults? It is hard to say, StarMan, for none of us lingered to take a census, but I would say there must easily be eight to ten thousand adults, and thirty times more younglings in various stages of growth.”

Axis looked sharply at Azhure. “And what did you face in Hsingard?”

“Perhaps eight or nine thousand all told — adults as well as younglings.”

“It is too dangerous for you,” he said, his eyes on her face. “I want to hunt, Axis.” “Nevertheless…”

Ho’Demi looked between the two of them. “Let me help, Enchantress. I have a thousand men here, many of them archers. Azhure, all of us want to hunt. Use ms.'” “Azhure?” Axis raised his eyebrows.