in the balcony door.
“Maximilian has been killed,” Axis said.
StarDrifter and BroadWing just stared at Axis, utterly shocked.
“Ravenna trapped him. She likely had Armat lying in wait in the Land of Dreams,” Axis
said. “We can expect an attack from Armat within hours. BroadWing, I will need you to get both
the Strike Force and the Lealfast into the air. Report any movement you see in Armat”s camp.”
BroadWing nodded, turning for the balcony.
“BroadWing?” Axis said, and the Strike Force commander turned back.
“Be careful,” Axis said. “I distrust Ravenna”s sorceries.”
BroadWing nodded, saluted Axis with a clenched hand across his chest, then was gone.
“Ishbel?” StarDrifter said.
“Still in with what remains of Maxel. I have no idea what she can do apart from grieve.
Stars, StarDrifter, he was virtually sliced in two.”
StarDrifter put a hand on his son”s shoulder. “What can I do, Axis?”
Axis took a deep breath. “At the moment the only thing we have in our favor is that we
have the Star Dance back in full measure.” He gave a small, humorless smile. “At least we are
Enchanters again, StarDrifter. I suspect Ravenna will use that trick she used last night to gain
entry for her hordes. They”ll come disguised with sorceries, and we”ll need somehow to either
negate those sorceries, or somehow combat them.”
For some minutes they conferred quietly, discussing ways in which they could use the
Star Dance and their own powers to protect Elcho Falling.
“It might be possible—” StarDrifter said, and both men looked up as Inardle, Egalion,
and Georgdi strode in the door. Inardle came straight to Axis, and he gave her a quick hug, using
it to comfort himself as much as her.
“Maximilian is dead?” Georgdi said, and Axis noted the pain in the man”s eyes.
“I”m sorry,” he said.
Georgdi”s face tightened, but he gave a nod. “My men have taken up position within the
vaulted chamber,” he said. “Egalion has stationed the Emerald Guard up the main stairwell.”
“Good,” Axis said. “The Strike Force and Lealfast are in the air. We should get some
warning of an attack, even if Armat”s entire army vanish into a sorcerous gloom. I”m taking
command for the moment. We can discuss later an orderly succession. I can”t have—”
“There will be no need for such action,” Ishbel said, closing the door to Maximilian”s
death chamber behind her.
Everyone was so shocked by her appearance they could not answer immediately. Ishbel
was literally covered in blood. It had soaked and dried into so much of her skirts that they were
as stiff as wooden boards, and made walking difficult. Her hands and arms up to her elbows were
covered in thick, dried blood, and Axis tried very hard not to imagine where she”d had those
hands and arms. Blood had also spattered over her face and through her hair, and soaked in great
patches through the material over her breasts.
Thus walks the Archpriestess of the Coil after one of her slaughters, Axis thought, then
felt ashamed at the ungenerosity of his thoughts.
Ishbel moved a little closer, and Axis felt everyone else tense, as if they wanted to take a
few steps back. Stars, she stank of Maximilian’s blood—and worse.
She raised both her hands before her, and everyone looked at them.
“See,” she said softly, “I wear both rings of Persimius now. My marriage ring and that
which Maximilian once wore. There is no need for you to assume command, Axis SunSoar. I am
Persimius,” her tone hardened slightly, “and I am the Lady of Elcho Falling, and can travel the Twisted Tower as well as once could my husband. What was once Maximilian”s is now mine.”
She paused. “That includes your loyalty.”
There was absolute silence as everyone stared at Ishbel.
She moved her hand, just a little, just enough so that the lamplight caught at the few
unbloodied jewels of the rings on her hands. “I am Persimius. I am the Lady of Elcho Falling, and I do command your loyalty.”
Axis stared at her, fixated by the frightful sight of her standing there, commanding his
loyalty.
“And you have it, my lady,” Georgdi said, falling to one knee before Ishbel.
She lowered her right hand to him, which carried on its fourth finger Maximilian”s ring,
and Georgdi kissed it.
An instant later, Egalion was also on his knee before her, kissing the ring.
Axis felt nauseated at the thought of the taste of Maximilian”s blood in his mouth.
Georgdi and Egalion stepped back, and Ishbel moved a little closer to Axis and
StarDrifter.
At this close distance, Axis” stomach turned at the stench of Maximilian”s death, and he
had to swallow to prevent himself gagging.
“You gave your loyalty to Maximilian,” Ishbel said, holding Axis” gaze. “Will you now
give it to me?”
“Ishbel—” Axis began.
“I command everything that Maximilian once commanded,” said Ishbel, “and that
includes you.”
Her gaze was absolutely relentless, and Axis had the sudden thought that she”d prove a
far better commander than Maximilian might have done. She had the strength and the stomach
for it, he realized, and she might hold Elcho Falling together, where without her it would fall
apart.
“You have it,” Axis said.
“You don”t wish to kiss the ring?” Ishbel said, and her mouth twitched, just slightly. Axis
realized it wasn”t humor so much as recognition of her current state.
“Perhaps later,” Axis said, and Ishbel gave a nod.
“That is good enough for me,” she said. “StarDrifter?”
“You have my loyalty,” he said, “and that of the Strike Force.”
“Inardle?” Ishbel said.
“And mine, and that of the Lealfast,” Inardle said, and she had no hesitation in stepping
forward and kissing the ring.
“You think Armat will attack now Maximilian is dead?” Ishbel said to Axis.
“Within a few hours,” Axis said. “If I were him I would not waste this opportunity. He
must think Elcho Falling in disarray.”
“Well,” said Ishbel, “bloodied, if not in disarray,” and Axis once again marveled at how
calm and self-controlled she was.
“You have plans for a defense?” she asked.
“Yes,” Axis said, but as he began to explain them to Ishbel she interrupted him.
“No need,” she said. “I shall defend Elcho Falling.”
Before anyone could ask a question, Ishbel turned and walked toward the door that led
deeper into Elcho Falling.
She vanished from sight before she reached it.
CHAPTER FIVE
Armat’s Encampment
Armat finished his discussion with his leading commander, then dismissed the man.
As soon as the commander had left the tent, Armat looked between Lister and Ravenna.
“I will need the cover of your sorceries to get the men inside Elcho Falling,” he said. “Axis will
certainly expect me to attack, and he has the defensive advantage. You can do it?”
Both Lister and Ravenna nodded, although Ravenna looked less certain of it.
“You have not the stomach for the fight?” Armat asked her. “Has your lover”s death
distressed you so greatly that—”
“I loved him!” Ravenna said. “Allow me a little room for grief, if you please.”
“There is no time nor room for grief if you want your son to have that for which you
slaughtered his father,” Armat said.
“Then I am ready,” Ravenna said. “I will not quail, Armat.”
Armat grunted, exchanging a meaningful look with Lister.
Insharah sat in his tent, staring at the sword lying on the bed before him. The entire camp
was alive with movement as men readied themselves for an attack upon the citadel of Elcho
Falling.
But Insharah could barely breathe, let alone equip himself for the action.
Ravenna and Armat had trapped Maximilian, and murdered him. Armat had called his
senior commanders, including Insharah, into his tent the instant he”d returned from the murder,
informing them that Maximilian was dead and that Elcho Falling was theirs for the taking. Then
he”d sent them away to rouse the army.
Insharah had, instead, come back to his tent, where he had sunk down on his bunk, unable
to stir his command for anything. Rimmert had come in, asking questions about what had to be
done, and Insharah had sent him on his way with some vague assurances that he”d be out shortly.
But Insharah did not think he”d be able to walk out of this tent, shortly or even lately, and
take part in an attack on Elcho Falling.
Insharah thought he could have borne Maximilian”s death if it had come accidentally, or
nobly. But to be murdered by your lover, who carried your child? And in such a hateful and
duplicitous way? For a man who had only ever done good, and that nobly?
All the doubts that had been growing inside Insharah for weeks now coalesced into a
sudden, shining determination.
He picked up the sword and tossed it deep into the tent.
“I can”t do it,” he said.
“Good,” said a voice from the dark depths of the tent, and Insharah started up in