Sara Douglass – The Serpent Bride – DarkGlass Mountain Book 1

“We are not responsible for assassination attempts from magicians!” snapped Ezekiel.

“Magicians?” said Isaiah, turning about and looking directly at Ezekiel.

“No one but a magician could have escaped our spearmen,” said Morfah. “We must be

frank with you, Excellency. We do not relish a confrontation with an army of magicians.”

“Especially after what happened with the Eastern Independencies,” said Lamiah, very

softly.

To a man the generals were now standing aggressively, shoulders thrown back slightly,

bodies rigid, eyes hard and confrontational. Axis may not have been in the chamber, for all the

attention they gave him.

Axis tensed himself, wishing for what must have been the fiftieth time he knew why it

was that Isaiah had failed so dismally in the Eastern Independencies.

Of everyone, Isaiah still appeared relaxed and sure of himself. “Who needs magici—” he

began.

“People think you are weak, Isaiah,” Armat said.

Not “Excellency” now. Just “Isaiah.”

“Who needs magicians,” Isaiah said again, his stance also confrontational, “when I

command the land itself?”

Ezekiel, as did Lamiah and Armat, opened his mouth, and then closed it, his eyes wide,

as he stared at the Goblet of the Frogs.

It was…moving.

Axis stared himself, unable to believe what he was seeing. A shaft of the dawn light had

hit the caged glass goblet, illuminating it as if it were filled with blood. Spectacular as that effect was, it was not what had so startled everyone watching Isaiah.

The glass frogs attached to the reeds set into the side of the goblet were now moving.

They clambered playfully up and down the sides of the goblet, jumping in and out of the cup,

croaking cheerfully.

The reeds themselves wafted, as if caught by a breeze.

And the glass of the inner wall of the goblet shifted and rippled, as if it were water.

One of the frogs crawled over the back of one of Isaiah”s hands, then dropped into the

bowl of the goblet.

Isaiah had not moved his eyes from his generals. “Imagine,” he said softly, “if I can make

this simple glass goblet come to life and do my bidding, what I might do to a sword at a man”s

hip, if that man annoyed me. The elements themselves obey me, my friends, and I would beg you

to consider your wives” and children”s tears and do similar.”

Axis could not speak. He was stunned. He”d always suspected Isaiah of some kind of

supernatural power. But to see this, now…

Ezekiel stiffened. “My life and my command is yours at your will, Excellency. You need

not doubt my loyalty.”

Isaiah”s mouth moved in a small cynical smile.

“And mine,” said Morfah, and the other generals tripped over their tongues, hastening to

assure Isaiah of their respective loyalties.

“Then do as I bid,” Isaiah said softly, “and do as I say. Ready your commands—and the

families who wish to partake of the riches of the kingdoms beyond the FarReach Mountains—at

the head of the Salamaan Pass for me to join you. The Northern Kingdoms shall not be another debacle. I can assure you of that.”

The generals looked, nodded, then left.

“Well,” said Axis, “I had been dozing off there until you produced that little surprise. I

had no idea, Isaiah.”

Isaiah put the goblet back on the table. “It was a trick of the light, Axis, nothing more.

Generals are so easily fooled, so easily manipulated.”

Now it was Axis who allowed the cynicism to flower on his face, but he said no more on

the matter.

But, oh, gods, who could he ask about the Eastern Independencies campaign?

“I would like to give you command of ten thousand men, Axis,” Isaiah said.

“No,” said Axis, “I will not fight the Northern Kingdoms for you, Isaiah. I don”t agree

with this invasion and I do not like your alliance with Lister.”

“Are you refusing me?”

“I am refusing you, but I am not rebelling. There is a difference.”

“Yes. I am aware of the difference, Axis. Very well then, if you will not fight for me, will

you at least act as my…” He paused, looking for a suitable term.

“Adjutant,” said Axis with a smile, using a rather archaic word for a general assistant to a

military commander. “Adjutant” covered a myriad of ills.

Isaiah laughed softly. “Adjutant, then. Yes. That would please me. And, as my adjutant,

if you might keep a sword by your hip at all times from this point on, that would also please me.”

“The generals are restless, Isaiah. This campaign needs to go well.”

“Perhaps I should reconsider and give you my entire army to command.”

“Isaiah,” Axis said, hesitantly, “have you considered the possibility of not invading?”

“That is not a possibility.”

“Isaiah—”

“It is not a possibility, Axis.”

Axis held Isaiah”s eyes for a long moment, then he nodded, and left the chamber.

Once Axis had gone Isaiah wasted no time in contacting Lister.

You fool! he hissed, more angry than he had been in countless years. What did you think

you were doing, eh? Trying to force my hand? Look what happened! The palace was in uproar,

Ishbel was left unprotected, and Ba”al”uz murdered her and Maximilian”s child!

You were not moving fast enough, Lister said. You needed to be pushed. Now you will

need to move, if only to keep your throne for the time it takes you to get you and yours into the

Outlands. Kanubai has been born. You shall need to leave in the morning.

Isaiah”s temper had quieted, but only to a deeper, colder anger than previously.

You want me to move from Aqhat in the morning—

You need to, Lister said. Kanubai has risen! DarkGlass Mountain writhes! You cannot

possibly remain there—

I cannot move, not for ten days or so. If I move in the morning then all will say I am

unsettled and frightened, weakened, by the assassination attempt and am fleeing. I”ll be dead by

evening by one of the generals” swords. Then where will our little “invasion” be, eh? I need to be

alive and in control to lead this land to safety and, after your little stupidity of today, that means I will need to remain here for a time yet. Kanubai cannot act immediately. Not without the

lifeblood of the Skraelings. Where are they?

Still distant. But don”t leave it any longer than two weeks to leave for the north. Please,

please, Isaiah, be careful.

Isaiah did not reply for a moment. Gods, the damned, cursed stupidity of Lister!

Have you discovered Maximilian”s whereabouts? Isaiah finally asked.

There has been a rumor that he was seen in the FarReach Mountains. There have been

some Icarii closely associated with him hanging about Deepend and transferring supplies south. I

think he is in the FarReach Mountains, Isaiah. Perhaps even in Isembaard by now. You need to

get out of Aqhat or else Kanubai will have Maximilian to swallow, too!

[ Part Eight ]

CHAPTER ONE

The FarReach Mountains

StarDrifter leaned back against the rock face in the gully Maximilian had decided would

shelter them for the night and tried not to sigh too deeply. He felt exhausted, and was both

ashamed and concerned by the depth of his fatigue. He”d always been so fit, so strong. To now

hardly be able to manage a day”s travel through mountain passes, even if that journeying could

be difficult, was humiliating. He had no idea what was wrong with him. He thought he would

shout in frustration if he had to brush off yet another murmur of concern from Ravenna or

Venetia or Maximilian, and all he ever wanted was to eat—stars, he was so hungry!—and then

sleep.

He shifted uncomfortably. He”d neither washed nor changed his clothes in the two weeks

they”d been traversing the mountains, and the linen of his shirt was stiff with sweat and dirt and

scratched uncomfortably at his back.

He”d managed to pick a damnably lumpy piece of rock to lean against, too. StarDrifter

raised himself enough to lean forward a bit, easing his aching back, and glared at the rock. It

appeared perfectly smooth, but he knew it contained myriad jagged edges, because, by the gods,

they had dug into every plane of his spine.

Salome was sitting a pace or two away. She looked as bad as StarDrifter felt himself, but

at least she had her growing baby as an excuse for her weariness.

There was the soft, whispering sound of wings, and StarDrifter looked up.

BroadWing and his companions were landing, laden with bundles of food.

Without the four Icarii, StarDrifter seriously doubted any of them would have managed

the mountain traverses. The Icarii scouted ahead for the best route, and they ferried in food from

the northern borderlands of the mountains. Their efforts meant those confined to the ground

needed to carry much less with them, and could travel faster.

Well, they could have traveled faster had not StarDrifter and Salome held them back.