Sara Douglass – The Serpent Bride – DarkGlass Mountain Book 1

represented by the frog—so obviously close?

And what did he know about the Lord of Elcho Falling? Why refer to her as this bleak

lord”s priestess?

Ishbel did not know what to think. What she felt from Isaiah, once she got past that cold,

arrogant exterior, was genuine warmth and incredible compassion, yet she could not reconcile

that with the Isaiah who planned a massive invasion of the north, one which already, via

Ba”al”uz, promulgated misery and death.

Ishbel”s mind drifted as she sat, and she remembered the warmth of his fingers, and the

sweet whispers of the goblet.

Hold me, soothe me, love me.

Hold him, soothe him, love him.

At that very moment Isaiah strode into view from the far side of the courtyard. It was

late, almost dawn, and Ishbel wondered where he had been.

She leaned a little farther from the window, holding to its frame for safety, to watch his

progress.

She was not surprised, nor particularly perturbed, when he lifted his eyes and saw her.

A few minutes later Ishbel heard the door to her chamber softly open and close.

She was still sitting in the window, and did not look at him as he walked over to her.

“Where have you been?” she said, and then wished she could snatch those words back,

for they could be interpreted so many different ways.

“I have been sitting in DarkGlass Mountain,” he said, coming to stand close to her and

looking out the window. “Do you know of it?”

“Zeboath mentioned it, and Axis thought it might be the ancient evil rising in the south

about which the Great Serpent warned me.”

He laughed. “But you prefer to think the ancient evil is me.”

“Isaiah…oh, I don”t know what to call you…”

“Isaiah will do.”

“Isaiah, what are you doing? You are the god who spoke to me atop Serpent”s Nest, who

embraced me with such compassion. Why this guise?” She gestured at his body, his attire. “Why

the invasion? I cannot understand that of you…such cruelty.”

“Trust me, Ishbel. Please. All is not as it seems.”

“Axis does not know what you are?”

Isaiah gave a brief shake of his head.

“Why not?”

“I want Axis to distrust me slightly. He knows that I am far more than just „tyrant,” and

he knows I have great power.”

“Why would you want him to distrust you? He could be a dangerous enemy to you,

Isaiah.”

“I do not think he will be my enemy. He is my friend, but I hope eventually that he will

be a great friend to someone else. That is why I want him to distrust me, just that little bit.

Someone else needs his entire friendship and trust far more than me. Someone else is going to

need his advice and support far, far more than me.”

“Who?”

Isaiah”s mouth curved in a slight smile. “I cannot believe you slapped me on the wharf.”

Ishbel accepted the change of subject, and that Isaiah did not want to tell her everything.

“You were stupidly arrogant.”

“I have an army and ambitious generals to control, Ishbel, and this fleshed form makes

me vulnerable. Perhaps better to keep your ire at my arrogance for more private admonishments,

eh?”

There was an edge of rebuke in his voice now, and Ishbel dropped her eyes.

“But you are very courageous,” Isaiah said, softly, the warmth back in his voice, “and

that is good.”

“Courageous? No, I think not. I have spent most of my life trembling at one thing or

another.”

“Like when people casually drop the name of Elcho Falling into the conversation. Ah,

there you go again, tense enough to break should someone drop you.”

“His name causes me such pain, and loss, and terrible foreboding.”

“All emotions closely allied with the Lord of Elcho Falling.”

“Who is he?”

“A legend, Ishbel. But…”

“But?”

“But a legend for which many yearn.”

“Not I.”

“Your future is tied to him. I think you know that.”

“Isaiah, stop talking in riddles. Please, who is the Lord of Elcho Falling? What is his

legend? And why should I be tied to him?”

Isaiah sat on the windowsill himself, facing her. “How brave are you, Ishbel? What if I

said that to prove yourself courageous enough to hear the legend of the Lord of Elcho Falling,

you should need to pass a test?”

“I am not a schoolgirl, Isaiah.”

“In this matter you are very much the untutored schoolgirl,” he said softly, holding her

gaze.

Again she dropped her eyes from his, and Isaiah sighed, and changed the subject.

“Tell me about Maximilian. Tell me about your marriage.”

“You want a report? I am not sure I am willing to give you one. Leave me my secrets,

please, as you choose to keep yours.”

“Does he love you, Ishbel?”

She wondered what to say to that. She could have lied, but she was too tired. “He blames

me for the chaos in the Central Kingdoms. Ba”al”uz did not simply create the circumstances to

favor your invasion, Isaiah, he destroyed my marriage. You and the Great Serpent sent me to

marry Maximilian, but you also sent north the means by which our marriage has been destroyed.

Maximilian hates me, Isaiah. For that blame either Ba”al”uz or yourself, I don”t care which.”

Isaiah sighed. “I apologize for Ba”al”uz, Ishbel. It was never my intention that he should

attack either you or Maximilian, nor did I think Maximilian would blame you for the havoc

Ba”al”uz wreaked. Maybe I should have thought more carefully before I sent Ba”al”uz. Maybe

even gods make mistakes occasionally. But you are here now, and I confess myself glad. Isaiah

the man is glad.”

“Go away and leave me be, Isaiah. I am tired.”

“And no wonder, for I must have caused you much disturbance on several levels today,

Ishbel. I shall leave you be now and for the next few days. Then, perhaps, we shall test your

courage, yes? To see if you are fit to hear the legend of Elcho Falling?”

CHAPTER FOUR

Deepend, and the Road from Deepend to the FarReach Mountains

Salome had traveled quickly from Narbon to Deepend, desperate to reach StarDrifter,

who she knew was only barely ahead of her. Salome was not quite certain how she knew, but

sometimes at night, when she tossed and turned in sleep, she dreamed of the Weeper and heard it

call to her.

During the day, she followed the trail of that call.

Just as she was not entirely certain of the precise nature of her knowledge of StarDrifter”s

location, neither was Salome entirely sure what she would do when she found him. Retrieve the

Weeper, yes. Patently it wanted to return to her.

But StarDrifter. Salome blamed him for everything she”d lost. Her son, her life, her

power. Everything.

And the degradation. The humiliation. They were what stayed with Salome the most

during her long, silent trek east and then south. She could almost understand betrayal; after all,

she had dealt enough of it in her lifetime, but the humiliation of herself and her son, their torture, her son”s disgusting manner of death, and all accomplished to the laughter of the Corolean

crowds…that she could not forgive.

Two guides traveled with Salome. The Icarii who”d rescued her had given her money

enough for the passage across the Widowmaker Sea and then to hire these guides for several

weeks, should she need them. After that, when the money ran out, Salome did not know. It just

meant she had to catch StarDrifter sooner rather than later.

Then the Weeper would be hers again, and the world with it.

They”d traveled quickly from Narbon to Deepend, but on the day they arrived at the port

town, Salome began to feel so fatigued she needed to sleep for over twelve hours.

The next day Salome felt a little better, but only a little. The day after that such great

fatigue, and a queasiness in her stomach besides, encased her once again, and she found it

difficult to move from her bed, let alone summon the energy to leave Deepend.

The guides kept watch over her, acquiring food and shelter for her, but they could do

little else, and Salome refused a physician.

She knew what was wrong with her, and it only increased her determination to find

StarDrifter.

She hated him more than ever.

He would pay. He would.

But, oh, it was so hard to find the motivation to get back on her horse and move onward.

Maximilian and his party, on the other hand, were making good time. Despite the

disparate natures of the different members, they traveled well enough together, and kept each

other good enough company at night that their spirits remained high. During the day BroadWing

and his companions surveyed the route ahead from the air, and Maximilian made good use of

their eyes and subsequent reports to move forward as fast as possible.