Sara Douglass – The Serpent Bride – DarkGlass Mountain Book 1

Malat muttered yet another curse. “Sirus is moving ever closer to war with the Outlands,

and dragging luckless Fulmer of Hosea with him. They should be stopped, but they are not going

to believe what you”ve just told me. I don”t know that I should believe what you”ve just told me.

Gods, Maximilian, a priestess of the Coil? Of what were you thinking?”

“I don”t know what to do, Malat. I don”t know how to find her. I don”t know why she was

taken.”

“Snap out of it, Maxel. You”re a king and a husband. Do whatever you have to. Right at

the moment, though, I”m just too tired and too old and too heartsick to help you.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The Road from Kyros to Deepend, Central Kingdoms

Ba”al”uz and his companions moved south as fast as they could, which was not as fast as

they wished. They needed to be circumspect, not so much lest they be suspected of the trail of

murders across the Outlands and the Central Kingdoms, but because they had among them the

wife of Maximilian, the Queen of Escator, a veritable nuisance who needed to be kept in a state

of some lassitude in order to keep her quiet. This lassitude was accomplished by a combination

of threats and the free use of the contents of the dark vial Ba”al”uz carried with him. Ishbel was

drugged into insensibility, and Ba”al”uz did not care what harm the potent mixture he forced

down her throat did to her or to the baby she carried, so long as both remained alive by the time

she reached Aqhat. They only needed to be breathing. They did not need to be completely

healthy.

They were fortunate in that the spring remained cold north of the FarReach Mountains.

Ba”al”uz kept Ishbel heavily cloaked and largely concealed beneath canvas in the small cart he”d

purchased from a farmer, as well as the donkey to draw it. They traveled as far as they could

every day, using the power of Kanubai to speed their steps as well as those of the donkey.

But the Eight would be taking Ishbel home without Ba”al”uz. He had business to attend to

in Coroleas. He would vastly have preferred to see to Ishbel”s journey to Aqhat himself, but

Kanubai needed him in Coroleas.

The Weeper resided in Coroleas, and Kanubai wanted it. Very badly. More badly than he

had wanted the woman.

On the night before they entered Deepend, where Ba”al”uz would leave for Coroleas,

Ba”al”uz drew the Eight aside. Ishbel was bedded down in the cart in an abandoned barn, tied

with physical restraints and heavily drugged.

“Tonight I will contact Isaiah,” said Ba”al”uz, “to let him know that you and the woman

shall be arriving at Aqhat. I shall tell Isaiah that she is the Queen of Escator, and that she would

make him a good new wife. Before I depart for Coroleas, I shall hand the pyramid to you,

Zeboul. I do not want Lister to know where I go. From now on, my life is devoted entirely to

Kanubai. Keep the pyramid wrapped well, and do not respond if Lister tries to contact you

through it.”

“Why tell Isaiah about Ishbel?” Zeboul said. “Why present her to him as a new wife?”

“Because I want the woman kept safe at Aqhat. I want her kept as securely as possible.”

Ba”al”uz paused, and grinned. “And Isaiah keeps no one more safe than one of his wives.

Especially one that he can claim as a „hunting” trophy—the Queen of Escator. That might keep

his generals in line for an extra half day or so.”

The Eight laughed.

“You don”t mind if he…” Zeboul asked.

“If he what?” said Ba”al”uz, his grin stretching to even slyer proportions. “So long as he

keeps her alive for when I return to present her to Kanubai, then I really don”t care how he plays

with her in the meantime.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Aqhat and Crowhurst

Isaiah watched his rose pyramid dull back to its usual opaque inactivity. For a long time

he sat motionless, staring at the pyramid, then very slowly the fingers of one hand began to

thrum against the table.

Ba”al”uz had kidnapped Ishbel, Queen of Escator.

Ba”al”uz was sending her to Isaiah at Aqhat with his eight companions while he set off

on some mysterious journey to Coroleas.

Ba”al”uz” excuse for stealing Ishbel was that Isaiah needed another wife and who better

than the Queen of Escator when Isaiah was soon to invade the north? A trophy like Ishbel would

be sure to impress, not only Isaiah”s generals, but also the soon-to-be-subjected northern peoples.

It has added to my campaign of terror and chaos to confound the northern kings, said Ba”al”uz,

and it will keep your generals from outright treason for a little while longer, and Isaiah had

nodded as if in complete agreement.

Of course, Ba”al”uz did have a point so far as the generals went.

Isaiah knew his five senior generals watched him constantly for weakness, for that

moment when one among them might take the opportunity for a swift assassination and

assumption of the throne for himself. Isaiah had many talents, and he was a very powerful man,

but any one of those generals could ruin his, and Lister”s, plans with that one fatal strike. For the moment, Isaiah needed to placate them.

A marriage to the captured Queen of Escator, a conquest not quite at the same level as

invasion, but nonetheless not insignificant either, might keep that dagger sheathed a month or

two longer. Long enough for Isaiah to shore up his own position with a successful invasion of the

north.

Long enough for Isaiah to do what he needed.

But generals and treachery aside, Isaiah knew that Ba”al”uz had a far deeper reason for

sending Ishbel to Aqhat.

He wanted her.

For a moment Isaiah”s eyes slid toward the windows that looked over the river and

DarkGlass Mountain beyond, then they slid back to the pyramid.

Then, as if to counteract that movement, they slid toward the Goblet of the Frogs, which,

as usual at this time of evening, stood on the low table in the center of the room, a single lit reed taper behind it to set the glass afire. Isaiah looked at it for a long time, very still, thinking about Ishbel, Queen of Escator.

On her reluctant way to DarkGlass Mountain.

Isaiah drew a deep breath eventually, long and shaky. He needed to talk to Lister, but was

far too disturbed to use the pyramid prop.

Instead, he used his power.

Lister, Isaiah whispered across the vast distance, guess who is coming to visit?

Lister was standing by the hearth in his chamber at Crowhurst, and the first that Eleanon

and Inardle, another of the Lealfast and Eleanon”s sister, knew of the communication with Isaiah

was when Lister went very stiff for a moment or two, and then bent over slightly at his waist,

rubbing his temples with the fingers of one hand and muttering, “Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!”

“What is it?” said Eleanon, standing and moving to Lister”s side, Inardle only a breath

behind him.

“Ba”al”uz has kidnapped Ishbel,” said Lister, “and he has sent her down to Aqhat. She is

not there yet, but is on her way. Ba”al”uz just used his pyramid to contact Isaiah and let him

know the fruits of Ba”al”uz” efforts in the north. Ishbel was his prized piece of information.”

Eleanon and Inardle exchanged a shocked glance.

“Even worse,” Lister said, “Isaiah thinks that Ba”al”uz now works Kanubai”s will

exclusively. You can be sure that Ba”al”uz did not snatch Ishbel of his own accord. He doesn”t

have the wit or the length of coherent thought to be able to plan that.”

“Ishbel shall need all her wits about her,” said Eleanon.

“Ishbel refuses to acknowledge the time of day,” muttered Lister, “let alone her true

nature or talents. If Kanubai rose before her, she would simply refuse to see him. Witless,

witless, witless!”

Inardle put a gentle hand on Lister”s arm, knowing he referred to himself with those last

words rather than Ishbel. “You could not have known Ba”al”uz would do something like that.”

Lister contented himself by slamming a fist into the wall, then cursing as his hand

bruised. “I could have predicted it!” he snarled. “By the wind-driven snow itself, I should have

thought Ba”al”uz might do something like this! I knew Maximilian and Ishbel were traveling

through the north, I knew it. I—”

“Lister,” said Eleanon, “we must trust to the gods that—”

“Oh, you fool,” said Lister. “We are the gods, and look what a mess we”ve got Ishbel

into!”

He walked about the chamber, rubbing at his injured hand, pausing to look out a window

at four or five Skraelings scurrying far below.

They”re getting restless, he thought. How much longer do any of us have?

“Ba”al”uz has proved more nightmare than aid,” Lister said eventually. “We should have