from Maximilian to join with Armat, and—”
“Well, well,” Axis said softly. “Insharah. I would not have thought that of him.”
“There is worse, Axis. Maximilian and Lister suspect that Isaiah is dead.”
Axis could not speak. He stood there, staring at BroadWing, and it was as if the entire
sorry mass of the Lealfast had vanished into insignificance. Isaiah? Dead? “I”m sorry,”
BroadWing said.
“What…how…what do they know?” said Axis, and BroadWing knew he wasn”t referring
to the Isembaardian defection.
“Maximilian and Lister have some connection to him,” said BroadWing. “They said there
was something very, very wrong, and both mentioned death with fear in their eyes.”
“Oh gods…” Axis said, half turning away. If Isaiah was dead it was a disaster for
Maximilian, but all Axis could think of for the moment was his own sense of loss. Isaiah
was— had been—a valued friend, and Axis knew it would take him time to come to terms with
his grief.
“He may not be dead,” said BroadWing.
Axis gave an uncaring shrug. Maximilian would not have sent this news if he”d thought
there was any real chance of Isaiah”s continuing life.
How had Ishbel taken this? She may not have loved Isaiah as she did Maximilian, but she
had loved him, and would grieve deeply for the man.
“Axis,” Georgdi said softly. “We have a hundred thousand men or so coming our way.
We”re sandwiched between them and Armat.”
Axis pulled himself out of his reverie. “Insharah…I knew he was frustrated, but I had not
thought he would go this far. Maximilian did, though.”
“Maximilian said Insharah told him the men had been plagued with nightmares of the
deaths of their families,” BroadWing said. “I think the dreams pushed them into outright
rebellion.”
“Ravenna,” Axis muttered.
“Probably,” said BroadWing, “but Maximilian doesn”t seem bothered. He gave them
permission to leave and waved them good-bye with a cheery smile.”
Axis finally managed a small smile. “Well, that”s Maximilian. I doubt this has surprised,
or worried, him overmuch.”
He looked about, thinking, then spoke again. “All right, this is what we are going to do.
Georgdi, as I said, I want you to take the men you have here with you and mobilize whatever
else you can and ride for Serpent”s Nest to meet Maximilian there. Get clear of the mess here. I
am certain that Armat and the other generals…BroadWing, you have no news of Lamiah and
Kezial?”
BroadWing shook his head.
“I am certain Armat will ride for Elcho Falling,” said Axis. “He is in league with
Ravenna, and she will want Elcho Falling. BroadWing, go back to Maximilian and tell him what
has happened here. Tell him the Lealfast are as useless as a throng of blind virgins…and that
„blind virgins” more than adequately describes their fighting ability. Oh, stars…what am I going
to do with them?”
Axis stopped, thinking a moment. “BroadWing, eventually I am going to hand the
damned Lealfast over to you. I know you are reforming the Strike Force from the Icarii flying in
every day from the west and the Lealfast need to get some training. But not just yet. I”m going to
send them away to lick their wounds for a while. Currently they”re too shocked to be useful—or
to be amenable to any instruction.”
“And you, Axis?” Georgdi said as BroadWing nodded. “Are you going to get clear of
„the mess here”?”
“Leave me several horses and some men. Ten, at most. I will wait here for a while, do
what I can for the Lealfast, then I will ride for Maximilian.”
“Axis?” said Georgdi.
“Yes?”
“Make sure you do ride for Maximilian, eh?”
Eleanon had faded away when Axis talked to the Lealfast man, and now he crouched
beside Inardle, lying injured on the ground.
She had been hurt badly, but not fatally.
“What happened back there, Eleanon?” she hissed at him, one wing sprawled awkwardly
behind her as she doubled over her bleeding belly.
“I did what I thought was best,” Eleanon said. “Are you badly hurt?”
“Yes,” she said, “but give me an hour and I can—”
“Don’t heal yourself! ” Eleanon hissed. Like himself and Bingaleal, Inardle was one of
the more highly trained in the ancient arts of the Magi, although she”d never reach the heights
and skills of her two brood brothers. She could heal herself fairly easily now that she was out of immediate danger and could concentrate.
But Eleanon did not want Inardle to heal herself.
“This is the perfect opportunity,” he said, a hand resting firmly on Inardle”s uninjured
shoulder. “This,” he waved his other hand down her bloodied body, “will bring you to Axis” bed.
Now, listen to me, and do what I say…”
Inardle”s expression hardened as he spoke, but eventually she nodded reluctantly, and
Eleanon once more vanished into the night.
CHAPTER FIVE
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Ishbel, I am sorry, but I am afraid that Isaiah is dead.”
Ishbel stared at Maximilian, unable to believe he had actually said those words.
Maximilian glanced at Lister, standing to one side, before looking back to Ishbel. “We
are not completely certain, but we cannot think what else has happened.”
“There is no contact,” said Lister. “Before, he and I…there was always awareness of each
other”s presence. Now—nothing.”
Ishbel tore her eyes away from Lister and stared across the grasslands. Some part of her
shocked mind noted that the snow had by now almost melted, and that spring could not be far
distant. There would be new growth soon, and the plains would be green again.
And Isaiah was dead and would never see the fresh growth.
“Ishbel?” Maximilian said.
“I felt nothing,” Ishbel said. “Nothing. How could I have felt nothing?”
“Ishbel,” Lister said, “you didn”t have the bond with him that Maximilian and I—”
“You have no idea of the bond I had with him!” Ishbel said. “He was a better man than
you, Lister. Why could it not have been you who died?”
“Ishbel—” Maximilian said.
“I loved him once,” said Ishbel. “I can”t believe…oh gods…”
“I”m sorry,” Maximilian said, and Ishbel saw that, indeed, he was very sorry and
sympathized with her. It comforted her that he understood, and that he wasn”t jealous of her
grief.
“Axis will be upset,” said Ishbel. “Axis loved him, too.”
“I know,” said Maximilian. “I have sent BroadWing. He should be there by now. Axis
isn”t that far distant for an Icarii.”
They lapsed into silence, Lister looking a little impatient, Maximilian at ease with the
quiet.
“There is something we need to discuss, Ishbel,” Maximilian said eventually. “We”d
agreed not to unravel the Weeper”s soul until we were safe inside Elcho Falling.”
Lister, who had been looking bored and slightly irritated with the silence, now looked
sharply between Ishbel and Maximilian.
“But now…” Ishbel said.
“But now I think I need to know who and what the Weeper is.”
“Too much has gone wrong for you,” said Lister. “You need all the help you can get.”
Ishbel had to look down at the ground and clench her hands to stop herself hitting the
man.
Maximilian gave Lister a steady look, then looked back to Ishbel. “Ishbel, I hate to ask
this…”
“When?” she said.
“Tonight,” Maximilian said.
“Good,” said Lister. “I can help, and certainly ensure Ishbel”s safety. I—”
“I don”t want you present,” Maximilian said, then addressed Ishbel again before Lister
could respond. “I know you wanted to be safe in Serpent”s Nest, or perhaps Elcho Falling once it
is raised, but I no longer want to wait. Something terrible took Isaiah, and I—” He stopped,
glanced at Lister, then continued. “I need whatever aid I can get.”
“Tonight, then,” Ishbel said.
“He said, „I need whatever aid I can get,”” Lister told Ravenna, “but not my aid! Nor
yours.”
Ravenna wrapped her arms around her shoulders. They were standing in the dusk, hidden
in the long shadow of one of the tents, and the air was chilling rapidly. She wished she”d brought
her cloak with her.
“I am the very last person Maximilian would want,” she said, “while Ishbel was being
heroic…and vulnerable. What do you think is in that bronze statue, Lister? Good, or bad?”
“I don”t know,” Lister said, frustration roughening his voice. “I don”t know! It is
powerful—it must be if it gave wings to StarDrifter and his wife…and if it kept half of Coroleas
in petty enjoyments for thousands of years. But what? What connection to Maximilian and Elcho
Falling?”
“It hated me,” said Ravenna. “I could barely hold it without the damn thing hissing.”
Lister finally laughed, soft and genuinely amused. “Then it must be a Persimius, my
friend.”
She shot him a dark look. “What if whatever is in there is Ishbel”s dark conspirator?
Could that be why it never liked me?”
Lister went very still, thinking.
“What should we do, Lister?” Ravenna said, quietly.
He continued to think, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon, his teeth working at an edge