Sara Douglass – The Serpent Bride – DarkGlass Mountain Book 1

terrifying desire for revenge.

The cold desire for revenge was something Ba”al”uz understood very well.

And there was something else, a formless worry, that Kanubai enunciated more in

emotion than in words.

Every so often, though, a whispered phrase came through, although what Ba”al”uz was

supposed to make of “The Lord of Elcho Falling,” he had no idea.

The Lord of Elcho Falling stirs.

There was more hatred and worry underpinning that phrase, and so Ba”al”uz decided that

he would hate and fear the Lord of Elcho Falling as well.

He would kill him, he thought, should he ever meet him.

CHAPTER FIVE

Palace of Aqhat, Tyranny of Isembaard

Isaiah, Tyrant of Isembaard, picked up the pyramid of glass, holding it in his hands as

gingerly as if it contained the manner of his death. Then he raised his eyes and looked for a long

moment into the shadowed depths of the chamber.

Axis sat there, hidden from the view of the pyramid. He had gained much in strength over

the past days and was well enough to spend most of the day out of bed.

But Axis still didn”t trust Isaiah, and was still angry at him for dragging him out of death.

Isaiah could understand that and he hoped that after today he and Axis might be a little

closer to friendship.

Axis returned Isaiah”s gaze, his face expressionless.

Isaiah studied the rose-tinged glass pyramid again.

“There are only a very few of these in existence,” Isaiah said quietly. “I have one.” He

hefted it, as if Axis needed the visual reinforcement. “Ba”al”uz has one, and our ally has one. If

there are more, then I do not know of them.”

“Where did they come from?” said Axis. “I sense great power coming from the one you

hold.”

“They were a gift from my ally, Lister. One for him, one for Ba”al”uz—”

“What did Ba”al”uz do to deserve such a gift?”

Isaiah shrugged, choosing not to answer that. “And one for me. They make

communication easier than it might otherwise be.”

He paused, his attention now firmly on the glass pyramid in his hand. “I am going to

speak to Lister now, my friend. It would be best for all concerned if you remained unobserved.”

There was no answering sound or movement from the shadows.

Isaiah settled the pyramid carefully into the palm of his left hand, took a deep breath, then

placed his right hand about it.

A moment later the glass glowed through the gaps of his fingers. First pink, then red, then

it suddenly flared a deep gold before muting back to a soft yellow.

Isaiah slid his right hand away from the pyramid. “Greetings, Lister,” he said.

While the glass pyramid still rested in Isaiah”s hand, its shape was now so indistinct as to

be almost indistinguishable. An ascetic, lined face topped with thinning brown hair now looked

back at Isaiah from deep within the glass.

Isaiah was careful not to even suggest a glance toward the shadows.

“I hope all goes well?” Isaiah said.

“The negotiations between Maximilian and Ishbel proceed,” Lister said. “Ishbel still does

not like the idea of marriage, but intends to do as I, as we, wish, and Maximilian worries about

the past rising to meet him. I hear he is stamping about his palace at Ruen in a right black

temper. Maximilian and Ishbel are to meet in Pelemere, there to conduct a marriage if they find

each other agreeable.”

“That is good. How go your „friends”?”

“My „friends”?”

Isaiah sighed, trying very hard not to look at Axis watching keenly from the far recesses

of the room. “The Skraelings,” he said. “Are they massing?”

Axis made no sound, but from the corner of his eyes Isaiah saw him tense.

“Yes,” said Lister, “although still not in quantities enough to seethe south. Not this

winter, but next, surely.”

“They pose no danger to you at Crowhurst?”

“I toss them scraps from my table, and speak kind words to them. They tolerate me. I do

not think they will be a danger to me.”

“Be careful.”

In the pyramid Lister”s shoulders rose in a small shrug. “And what are you about,

Isaiah?” Lister said. “How go your plans? Do you mass your army?”

“My forces accrue,” said Isaiah, “as do the stores I will need for the march north. In

addition, I am sending Ba”al”uz beyond the FarReach Mountains within the fortnight. He will

prepare the way for our invasion. I admit myself pleased at the thought of getting him out of the

palace.”

“He could be more danger out of your sight than within it.”

Now it was Isaiah”s turn to shrug. “It is better, I think, to remove him from DarkGlass

Mountain”s presence for the moment.”

Lister nodded. “We tread a dangerous dance here, Isaiah. Are you safe?”

Isaiah grunted. “From whom? My generals? I am never safe from them…but I will stay

alive as long as it is needed, Lister. As must you.”

“I was not thinking of your generals.”

Isaiah did not respond.

Lister sighed. “Let me know when Ba”al”uz has departed.”

“I will.”

With that, the pyramid dulled, then resumed its usual rosy opaqueness.

“I cannot believe what I just heard!” Axis stalked out of the shadows, his gait not

showing any signs of his former weakness. “You have allied with…with…with a lord of the

Skraelings?”

“Axis, I know that in your time you battled long and hard with the Skraelings, and with

their then terrible lord, Gorgrael. But I have my—”

“I cannot believe this!” Axis slammed his hand down on the table, and Isaiah”s eyes slid

toward the pyramid, grateful that Axis had not damaged it.

“What in the gods” names do you want from me, Isaiah?”

“Your aid and your advice, Axis. Your friendship.”

“I lost tens of thousands of people to the Skraelings,” Axis hissed. “I have seen what they

can do! What the fuck do you think I will do, ally myself with you and the Skraelings to

invade—”

“You will calm down and you will listen to me!” Isaiah rose to his feet. He was taller

than Axis by a handbreadth, and now he used that slight advantage to stare down at Axis,

holding the man”s furious gaze with unwavering eyes. “Nothing is ever as it seems,” Isaiah said,

more moderately now. “Nothing.”

He stepped away from Axis. “Wine?”

“Oh, for all the gods” sakes…”

Isaiah ignored him, walking over to a table and pouring a large measure of wine into a

goblet. He brought it back to Axis, holding out the goblet.

Axis did not want wine. He lifted a hand to brush the goblet away, then froze, staring at

what Isaiah held.

It was a large amber glass goblet of the most exquisite beauty. Completely forgetting his

anger, Axis reached out and took the goblet into his hands.

It was truly the most extraordinary goblet he had ever seen. A craftsman of astonishing

talent—magical talent—had carved an outer wall, or cage, of frogs gamboling among reeds

about the inner wall of amber glass. When he held it up to the light, careful not to spill the wine

inside, the outer caged wall of frogs shone almost emerald, coming to life in the light; the frogs

seemed alive, leaping away from the goblet”s inner amber wall as if they were about to take to

life itself.

“Drink,” Isaiah said softly.

Axis lifted the goblet to his mouth, but just before the wine reached his lips, one of the

frogs about the outer cage lifted a toe pad and gently touched Axis” face.

Axis trembled so badly he almost dropped the goblet, and Isaiah had to reach out and

take it from him.

“That is an object of great power,” Axis said hoarsely. He was rattled, not so much by the

fact that the goblet was of a powerful magic, but of the manner of power it represented.

Compassion.

Axis looked at Isaiah and saw in his black eyes, reflected for just a moment, that same

compassion he”d felt from the goblet.

“I found it one day,” said Isaiah, somewhat diffidently. He took a draft of wine from the

goblet. “Are you sure you want no wine?”

Axis shook his head. All his anger had vanished, and he was completely calm. He

realized that this had been Isaiah”s intention when he”d handed him the goblet, but Isaiah had not

actually used any power to pacify Axis.

Instead, Isaiah had used the goblet to show Axis his true nature.

Compassion.

“Trust me,” said Isaiah, and Axis nodded, still almost befuddled by what had just

happened.

“Would you like me to tell you where I came from?” said Isaiah. “Where Isembaard

came from?”

“Yes. Isembaard is such an unknown entity outside of its borders,” Axis said.

Isaiah walked over to a cabinet and withdrew a large rolled map, which he spread over

the table.

Axis came over. The huge map showed the known world in detail, and Axis was stunned