Sara Douglass – The Serpent Bride – DarkGlass Mountain Book 1

thought—right across the ice bridge between Tencendor and this continent, which also has a massive Skraeling population in its extreme frozen north. That”s where they survived.”

“But why did you sense a difference in the assassin?” said StarDrifter.

Axis hesitated a long moment before he responded.

“Because over the past few thousand years,” he said eventually, “they interbred with the

Skraelings. That”s the only reason they survived. They interbred with the Skraelings.”

Axis had gone, and StarDrifter and Salome were alone in their apartment.

They had bathed, and now sat on the bed, both naked in the early dawn light.

StarDrifter was rubbing an unguent that Venetia had given them into Salome”s back, and

she was sighing in pleasure at the relief it brought from the ache of the emerging wings.

“Tell me,” she said, “that these wings are going to be worth the pain and disfigurement

they bring me now.”

StarDrifter thought of how lovely she had been in Yoyette, how lithe and graceful, how

sensual and beautiful. Now her back humped in ghastly forms, red and angry with the

inflammation caused by the growing bones and sinews of her wings.

“The world will be at your feet,” he said. “Literally. Salome, you have no idea how

wonderful it will be to fly.”

His hand slipped from her back and under her arms to her collarbones, their outer edges

lightly resting on the swell of her breasts.

“You shall have to tone these muscles, though,” he said. “It will likely take you many

weeks before you are able to lift more than a pace or so off the ground.”

“And I thought I should be soaring to the sun within moments of combing flat my

feathers!”

StarDrifter wondered what he should say. He opened his mouth, and then realized she

was teasing him.

He smiled, and very softly kissed her shoulder. They had not made love at all since

Coroleas. There had been no opportunity on the journey through the FarReach Mountains, and

both had been either so weary, or in such pain, or still so emotionally drained after that day

they”d met at the foot of the mountains, that neither had felt the desire.

And he hadn”t known what he had wanted. Nor what she wanted.

Now…

Now they were warm from their shared bath, and, due both to the hot soak and to

Venetia”s unguent, their backs felt better than they had in weeks.

Now there was both the opportunity and, certainly on StarDrifter”s part, the desire.

But he didn”t know Salome well enough, or feel sure enough of her, to know what she

felt at this stage.

His hands slowly moved down over her breasts—he felt her shudder, and knew that she

felt desire, at least—and then to her very softly rounded belly. Like most Icarii, Salome would

not grow very large with her pregnancy. Icarii babies were healthy and strong at birth, but

smaller than human babies.

She leaned back against him, turning slightly so that her cumbersome back slid to one

side.

“Tell me about the baby,” she said.

“He is safe and very warm and comfortable,” said StarDrifter. “He loves you, and is also

glad I am near. He knows your wings grow, and is curious, but saddened by your pain.”

“If we made love, would he know?”

StarDrifter kissed her shoulder again, more firmly this time, and his hands moved back to

her breasts. “Yes.”

“Would it trouble him?”

StarDrifter smiled against her flesh. “He is an Icarii. It will not trouble him at all. He will

merely dream more deeply of us later, when he sleeps.”

“StarDrifter, I hated you so much.”

“I know. You had every right to.”

“You don”t seem to trouble me so much now, though.”

He laughed. “Good.”

“I can”t believe I am about to say this, and I didn”t realize it until very recently…”

“Yes?”

“I am very glad you came into my life, StarDrifter. I wish I had not lost Ezra. I wish I had

not done many things. But I am glad you came into my life.”

StarDrifter took a very deep breath, sudden emotion bringing tears to his eyes. He tilted

her head, and kissed her, gently at first, then with more desire.

“You know,” he said eventually, “I think we may be the only reasonably happy couple in

this damned palace right now.”

“StarDrifter, tell me, if you can, how shall we manage this lovemaking, with our backs so

sore and awkward?”

Again he laughed, and he thought that he had not laughed this much in many years.

“You are no granddaughter of mine, Salome, if you cannot solve such a simple problem.”

“I thought I might give you the opportunity to appear wise. That expression appears so

rarely on your face.”

StarDrifter grinned, pulling her onto his lap. “Axis was right. You do take after my

mother.”

Later, when the rest of Sakkuth was rising and donning their invasion clothes, StarDrifter

lay in bed, Salome asleep beside him, thinking about what Axis had said.

The lost Icarii families had interbred with the Skraelings.

StarDrifter couldn”t believe it. Rather, he could not bring himself to believe it. How could

any Icarii lie down with a Skraeling?

Axis must be wrong.

Surely.

If he wasn”t, then StarDrifter dreaded to think what this half-breed Icarii race was like.

Skraelings, with wings.

He inched a little closer to Salome, running a gentle hand over her stomach.

The baby was asleep inside her, lulled by their earlier lovemaking.

A son. StarDrifter had sired two other sons. One, a horror—Gorgrael, the former Lord of

the Skraelings. One, a wonder—Axis, StarMan and savior of Tencendor.

What would this son prove?

StarDrifter moved his thumb slowly, backward and forward, softly rubbing Salome”s

skin.

She opened her eyes, and looked at him.

He rested his head on her shoulder, his thumb and hand still gently stroking her belly, and

they lay like that for another hour before rising for the day.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The Borderlands of Hosea

G ood news.

Lister had been sleeping soundly, Inardle warm against his body, when Isaiah spoke in

his mind and woke him.

“What?” he whispered, feeling Inardle stirring.

Maximilian is with me in Sakkuth. I have him. Ishbel drew him like a lodestone.

“Oh, praise all gods!” Lister said, sitting up and snatching at a cloak to wrap about his

shoulders. He would be more than glad when he could swap this tent for more salubrious

surroundings.

At his side Inardle opened her eyes, watching her lover carefully, while outside the

never-ending stream of Skraelings continued south, south, south.

“You shall not lose him?” Lister added, a little anxiously.

I hope not—I will not hold him prisoner, Lister. I do not think he will try to escape.

“He knows about the baby?”

Yes. He knows. He despairs.

“As should we all,” Lister said. “Did you speak of Elcho Falling?”

Yes. But tonight was not the time to speak of it in depth.

“Soon, perhaps. Tell me, when do you leave for the Salamaan Pass?”

Within a few days. Where are you?

“Approaching Hosea. Isaiah…the Skraelings are changing.”

In what manner, Lister?

“They are growing dogs” heads.”

[ Part Nine ]

CHAPTER ONE

Sakkuth, Isembaard

Maximilian woke slowly, reluctantly. His night had been filled with violently colored,

fragmentary dreams—partly of Ishbel, partly of the vision he”d had while on the way to meet

Ishbel in Pelemere.

Maximilian did not want to wake. Once he was awake he”d need to cope with the loss of

Ishbel and their child, as well as the knowledge that he would need to face what all kings of

Escator before him had dreaded facing: the terrifying responsibilities of their far more ancient

and frightening title…the Lord of Elcho Falling.

Intertwined through all these dreams and fears and thoughts was the knowledge that he”d

drunk far too much, and that he”d need to face the coming day”s trials with a hangover of

monstrous proportions.

Maximilian roused, moving a little more firmly against the body in his bed, wrapping one

arm about the woman”s waist, feeling the delight of her naked back pressing against his flesh,

thinking that his dreams and memories had duped him and that Ishbel had been here all along,

and that she—

“Maxel?”

He leapt into wakefulness, recoiling away from Ravenna.

“I”m sorry,” he stuttered. “I woke you, I didn”t mean to. Go back to sleep, Ravenna.”

He rolled out of bed, hastily pulling on some clothing and painfully aware of Ravenna

watching his every move. It was still early, barely light, and he mumbled something about

getting some fresh air and fled the chamber.

Maximilian more than expected to find guards outside the main door to his apartment, but

the corridor was empty. Feeling nauseated, both from the effects of the wine and the shock of

discovering Ravenna in his bed, Maximilian wandered through the palace into the central

courtyard where he sank down on a cask, resting his head in his hands as he allowed the rising