“At least there is someone around here I can rely on,” Axis muttered as he unwrapped the
pack, then looked back at the soldier. “Thank you…I included you in that group of those I can
rely on, if you didn”t realize.”
The soldier gave a small smile and a nod of acknowledgment.
“What is your name?” Axis asked.
“Raph, my lord.”
“You are one of Georgdi”s men, Raph?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Then no wonder I can rely on you,” Axis said. He knew he was punishing the wrong
person by pushing this point in front of Inardle, but right at this moment he was still too angry to
care. He paused while he threaded a needle with catgut.
“Raph, Georgdi left some men with you…”
“There are nine others, my lord.”
Axis carefully pulled the thread through, then set the suture needle to one side. “Raph, I
want you to collect the other men and ride from here. You know the Isembaardians are closing in
on us.”
“We will not leave you—”
“You damn well will leave me!” Axis said, then apologized for his tone. “Look, Raph, I
am going to stay with the Lealfast. Armat will not kill me, I am too important a hostage, and,
whatever else he might do, Armat will recognize that usefulness. But he will kill you, and don”t give me any bravado about fighting to the last man. There is no need for you to die. Not for the
Lealfast. Catch up with Georgdi, and tell him that I have stayed behind.”
Raph gave a nod, then moved off.
“You must really hate us,” said Inardle.
“I am very, very angry at you,” said Axis. “Have none of you any sense?”
He pushed her hands away from her belly, and tore back the material of her tunic to
expose the top portion of the wound. As he did so, he inadvertently exposed one of her breasts,
and Inardle clutched her hands over her chest protectively.
Her gaucheness and modesty irritated Axis, and somewhat frustrated him. Hadn”t she
been Lister”s lover? If so, she”d probably insisted they kept their clothes on for their beddings.
“Keep your hand out of my way,” he said, pushing one of Inardle”s hands away from the
top of her wound, and ignoring her look of embarrassment. He swabbed away roughly at the
blood about the wound, not caring that Inardle bit her lip in pain as he did so.
Frost encircled the wound, then ran a little way along one of her ribs.
Axis stopped, staring at it, then looking at Inardle in question.
“We frost, StarMan,” she said, “when we are in pain, when we are delighted, or at the
touch of a lover”s hand.” She paused. “That was caused by pain.”
Axis” mouth twitched into a smile, which faded almost instantly as he wondered what it
would be like making love to her and watching his fingers trail frost across her body.
There was the sound of a step behind him, and Axis jerked his mind away from images of
Inardle”s aroused and frosted body.
“Inardle!”
Eleanon bent down beside his sister. Someone had removed the arrowhead from his arm,
and it was now roughly bandaged. “What are you doing?” he said to Axis.
“I am trying to help your sister,” Axis said. “There was no one else about to aid her.”
“I—” Eleanon began.
“Armat is close,” said Axis. “I”ve sent the few remaining Outlander soldiers away. I will
stay with the wounded, but I want you, Eleanon, to take every last one of the Lealfast who can
fly and find somewhere you can lick your wounds and reflect on your stupidity. The lower Sky
Peaks, perhaps. Eventually I want you to report to BroadWing EvenBeat, who commands the
Strike Force with Maximilian Persimius, so he can teach you some warcraft. But not yet. You are
useless to everyone at the moment. Heal your wounds, lose some of that blind arrogance of
yours, and then you may prove of some use. Come back when you”re prepared to learn, and not
before.”
“I—” Eleanon said again.
“You will take those Lealfast who can fly and you will leave!” Axis said. “I truly mean it
when I say you are of no use here.”
“Eleanon,” Inardle said, “do as Axis says.”
She locked eyes with Eleanon for an instant, and he gave a curt nod. He leaned down and
gently kissed Inardle”s cheek, then whispered into her ear: “Use this opportunity, sister.”
Eleanon straightened. “The Sky Peaks,” he said to Axis.
“And then to Maximilian at Elcho Falling, if you have managed to learn some sense,”
Axis said.
Eleanon gave a nod, stepping back.
Axis began to stitch Inardle”s wound, not seeing Eleanon”s small smile of satisfaction as
he lifted into the air.
CHAPTER EIGHT
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
They gathered in Maximilian”s command tent just after dusk: Ishbel, Maximilian,
StarDrifter, Salome, Garth, Egalion, and BroadWing. Maximilian was worried for Ishbel”s
safety. They simply could not wait until they got to Serpent”s Nest to free the Weeper, nor until
they raised Elcho Falling.
But what would it do to Ishbel?
Maximilian was worried also about Ravenna. He hadn”t seen her all day, and when he”d
sent Garth to look for her earlier, Garth had returned with the news that he had not been able to
find her.
What was she up to? Maximilian wished he”d had the forethought to ask Ravenna to
return home to Escator well before this.
He looked at Egalion and raised his eyebrows.
Egalion gave a nod. The tent is protected.
Maximilian hoped that whatever, or whoever, the Weeper might yield, that it would be
worth this risk.
“Are you certain you have no idea what, or who, the Weeper might hide?” Maximilian
asked Salome.
Salome shifted a little, easing her back. She was very close to giving birth now, and
StarDrifter had not wanted her to attend tonight because of the inherent danger, but Salome had
insisted.
And whenever Salome insisted, she tended to get her way.
“We knew nothing of it,” she said. “Trust me when I say I tried to unearth whatever
information I could, thinking to unleash yet more of its powers. All I know, as all the dukes of
Sidon ever knew, was that an extraordinarily powerful soul went into its making.”
“A good soul,” said Egalion, “or a wicked soul? I do not like that everyone seems to
assume that the Weeper”s soul will be benevolent.”
“Thank you for that touch of negativity,” StarDrifter muttered. “I am sure we all truly
appreciate it.”
“The Weeper has never done anything wicked, Egalion,” Maximilian said. “Not since I
have known it, and—” he raised his eyebrows at Salome.
“No. Never anything wicked,” she said. “It tended to do anything we wished of it save
harm to another.” She gave a small smile. “Naturally the dukes of Sidon, as myself, thought that
a terrible flaw, but we managed. It gave us protection and incredible riches, and we learned to
ask no more of it.”
Maximilian looked down at the bronze statue he had in his lap. It looked so innocuous,
but it had been through such a journey to reach him and had been so desperate to reach him that
surely, surely, its soul had some meaning.
“Ishbel?” Maximilian said. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” Ishbel said.
“Ishbel, be careful.”
“I”m ready,” she said, “but I am only going to try this the once, Maxel. If I can”t do it this
time, I do not think I could ever try again.”
“If it gets too dangerous,” Maximilian said, “then get out. We can live without whatever
the Weeper might hide. Ishbel, I cannot live without you.”
She took a deep breath at that, and locked eyes with him for a long moment. Then she
gave a nod. “Give me the Weeper, Maxel.”
Venetia walked through the night. She walked some fifty paces north of Maximilian”s
command tent, through the low brush and early spring turf, turning every so often to glance at
the softly illuminated tent, looking at the shadows of the people inside moving against the canvas
walls. The tent was ringed by armed men, but Venetia wondered what use they might be against
whatever walked this night.
She could feel the pathways between the Land of Dreams and this world opening up, and
power seeping across.
Ravenna. Venetia wept, cursing her daughter. Why was Ravenna doing this? Why?
Venetia wished she were home in her house in the marshes; instead, she was so far distant from
the smell of the marsh that she could barely remember it.
What did she do here? What was the point of it? Why had she come?
“Why, Ravenna?” Venetia whispered. “Why this?”
She turned for her own tent, looking one more time at Maximilian”s command tent.
Ishbel was starting her journey into the Weeper now.
Venetia knew beyond any doubt that she would never come out.