Sara Douglass – The Axis Trilogy 3 – StarMan

Gorgrael concentrated his thoughts on the woman and child. She was of what the Acharites called Nors blood; that race of women who often followed armies about offering their favours for a meal and a few hours’ paltry warmth in a bedroll. Not surprising, then, to see her at the scene of a successful battle, and not surprising to see her cuddling the result of some careless thrust.

Gorgrael fixed the image of the baby’s terrified face in his mind. That baby had the features of an Icarii. His mother’s colouring, but the face of an Icarii stared out at him.

So perhaps the woman had lingered overlong with one of the feathered beasts.

Gorgrael may once have assumed this, but not now he had seen her with Axis. Not now Tie had seen Axis look at her with the face of love.

The baby…did that baby have the features of Axis? Did it? Did it?

Yes!

Gorgrael screamed his jubilation into the ice walls of his fortress until it reverberated for leagues across the tundra. He scrabbled about the room, his hands clenching and unclenching in frenzy, his wings extended, their talons gouging deep wounds into the furniture as he passed.

The woman . . . and the child.

And…Gorgrael abruptly halted, his eyes almost popping out of his head with the memory of what had happened the instant after the woman had destroyed the Gryphon. The Dear Man had materialised screaming with fury. By all the stars in the universe, what have you done?

The Dark Man had been very upset.

And all over a human woman and bastard Icarii-child?

Apparently so.

Gorgrael sat back down and tried to think it through. What did this mean?

The Dark Man was overly attached to the woman or the child and perhaps both. No…no, it had not been the child. It had been the woman. Why?

For most of GorgraePs life, the Dear Man had imbued him with all three verses of the Prophecy of the Destroyer. It was the third verse, the Dear Man had said time after time, which gave the all-important information. The Lover, the one whose pain would break Axis’ concentration enough so that Gorgrael could strike the killing blow.

But what if – for his own reasons and likely connected with that woman – the Dark Man had been trying to mislead Gorgrael?

What if the Dark Man had lied to him?

Gorgrael shrieked again, in fury this time, and tore the hearth rug to shreds.

Which one was the Lover}

Faraday…or this black-haired woman who rode by Axis’ side?

Which one could be used to break Axis’ concentration}

Which one would be useless?

“And has the Dark Man spent his life lying to me?” Gorgrael whispered as he crouched beside the fire.

Faraday or… her}

Gorgrael snarled and hurled handfuls of silk into the fire where it charred and burned, sending a sickening odour wafting through the chamber. Then he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He could not think while he was so consumed with fury.

“My dear boy,” he said eventually, grinning to himself, “why not go for both? What matter so long as both die before him?”

His smile died. Why not? Because Gorgrael had felt the unmistakable aura of power exude from the woman. Gryphon

and Skraeling had died at her hand. She was risky. What if he tried to snatch her and couldn’t handle her? What if …

What if the Dark Man had been training her as well as himself? After all, she had used the power of Dark Music to unravel that Gryphon, had she not?

Gorgrael whimpered, curling into a miserable ball before the flames.

The son . . .

He did not at first notice the thin voice that reached out to him.

The heir . . .

Gorgrael blinked and rolled over, slowly rising to his knees.

Vulnerable.

The son. Vulnerable. What did a man feel more for, a Lover or an heir? And whatever Axis may have bequeathed that boy-child, the baby could not possibly be powerful enough to best Gorgrael. Not by any means.

Not if both his parents were absent.

Sooner or later Axis was going to ride north from Sigholt, and the raven-haired woman had already shown she was willing to ride with him.

Surely they would not take the son as well, would they?

No.

No.

Gorkenfort Timozel sat amid the rubble of the Great Hall in the Keep of Gorkenfort and remembered. Remembered when he had planned here with Borneheld, thinking that Borneheld would be the Great Lord who would propel him into glory.

Now Timozel knew better. Now he served Gorgrael, and Gorgrael had invested him with infinitely more power than Borneheld ever could have.

Yet was Gorgrael as great as he had first thought?

Timozel had spent weeks retreating to the north, then had lingered weeks here at the mouth of Gorken Pass, awaiting orders. He was slightly surprised that Gorgrael hadn’t called them all the way back to the Ice Fortress, but maybe Gorgrael felt his host was safe enough here where the winds still screamed and the snow still turned to ice within minutes of touching the ground.

Timozel shifted in irritation. Sooner or later he would have to face what was left of Axis’ army – surely it could be little more than a mopping up campaign – and lurking among the ruins of Gorkenfort would not help.

But then there was the problem of the weather.

TimozePs scouts had informed him that several leagues below Gorkenfort the land had virtually thawed; Gorgrael’s hand was slipping. Was his power slipping too?

The Skraelings, now fully fleshed, could fight in balmy weather as well as they could in a snowstorm, but they would . .

have little advantage. Part of their success to this date had been that Gorgrael had always prefaced their attacks with numbing cold, severely reducing their foes’ ability to fight.

“Damn you, Gorgrael,” Timozel muttered, “let me finish the task I have begun so well!”

Timozel?

Timozel started so badly he tore his hand along a jagged stone. Yes, Master?

Timozel, I have some news.

Axis is not so crippled as we first thought. Even now he rides the plains of Ichtar with . . . well, he rides fully fit and confident.

Timozel cursed foully, long and low. Why hadn’t he been allowed to finish the job at the Azle?

Timozel?

Yes, Master?

I shall need you to stop him at Gorken Pass.

Timozel restrained his temper with extreme effort. Of course, Master.

Of course, Timozel. My pets shall be with you soon. They lie about the corridors fat with child, and even now their grunting begins. Then they will be.unencumbered and free to join you.

One good piece of news, at least.

Timozel, I think you may be succumbing to despondency alone in Gorkenfort with none but Skraelings and SkraeBolds to keep you amused.

No, Master! Timozel broke into a sweat. No, my spirits remain high!

See that they do. Listen to me. Seven thousand Gryphon — look what Axis did to himself trying to dispose of only nine hundred. Take heart.

Yes, there was that. Timozel relaxed, his mouth curving into a smile. The seven thousand would be with him shortly; with those he could decimate anything Axis threw at him.

Timozel, there is something I must ask you. Do you know of a raven-haired woman who rides by Axis’ side?

Timozel frowned. No, Master.

Do you know if Axis has a son?

Timozel almost laughed. A son? He undoubtedly has had the opportunity, but I have never heard of a son.

And what of Faraday, Timozel? When you left Carton, what of Axis and Faraday?

Rutting on the floor, Master, their passions so feral they could not take the five steps to the bed.

And they were married?

About to be, Master.

Gorgrael thought about this. Timozel had not seen Axis for so long that his information was as cold as the stones of Gorkenfort itself. Why didn’t Timozel know about the woman? Why, when it was obvious that well before Carlon she had been sharing Axis’ bed?

And if the black-haired witch had married him, that made Faraday the Lover, did it not?

Ah, no matter. Whichever, whoever, Gorgrael still thought he had the better plan. You have done well, Timozel. I am pleased.

Thank you, Master.

Seven thousand Gryphon. Axis could never deal with that many. Timozel sat back in the Great Hall of Gorkenfort and laughed. “Come on, Axis. Be brave. Come get me. Lead your men. Let me take you.”

Sigholt He’s where}” Axis hissed. “Gorkenfort,” Ho’Demi replied. “Timozel is in Gorkenfort and his host is ranged about.” As he had in Aldeni, Axis had trusted Ravensbundmen to scout the extreme north of Ichtar where the snow still fell.

“Are you sure your spies are right in this?”

Ho’Demi managed not to look affronted; from what he had heard about the battle for Gorkentown and fort it was no wonder the StarMan’s face was now creased with concern. He nodded, then folded his hands .before him.