“You have won another great battle,” StarDrifter said. “A new feather for your legend.”
“It was hardly a battle,” Axis replied. “A sickening rout more like.”
He looked over to Salome, cradling StarDancer. “My brother was the one who truly won the day. If he hadn’t realised what could be done about the One .”
Axis drifted off, feeling exhausted physically and emotionally after the events of the day.
“We can rebuild the Icarii race, now,” StarDrifter said. “We have peace, and a home within this lovely citadel . . . and we can rebuild the Icarii.”
Axis had nothing to say. There were so few Icarii left, a handful of thousands perhaps, and so much lost. What to rebuild, and into what?
“You will stay, and help me,” StarDrifter said.
Again Axis had nothing to say. He knew he couldn’t stay. He and his father loved each other, but they made bad companions, and Axis knew the tension would see him leave sooner rather than later.
“Of course,” he said, and bent and kissed his father’s brow.
From his father’s rooms, Axis went to the chamber he had once shared with Inardle. How long had it been since he’d slept in here? The past few weeks had been spent everywhere but at Elcho Falling, and when here, Axis had virtually lived in the command chamber.
It was, nonetheless, no surprise to find Inardle waiting for him.
Axis looked at her as she stood watching him, so beautiful, and felt nothing but sadness, too. He stepped forward, folded her in his arms, and held her close, rocking her a little.
“Eleanon is dead,” he said softly.
“I know,” she said.
“I’m sorry.”
“I know that, too.”
“Everything has gone for you, Inardle.”
“And for you, too.”
They paused, awkwardly. This was the moment where one or both of them should say, But, together, we can forge a new life.
Instead they allowed the moment to draw out, then Axis leaned back, feeling uncomfortable.
“Don’t say it,” Inardle said, resting a finger briefly on his lips.
“What will you do, Inardle? You have no one left.”
No one, she thought. Not even you, Axis,
“I loved you, Axis,” she said, and again he took her in his arms.
“I know,” he whispered.
They stood a long while, saying nothing, just holding each other, then Axis turned and left her.
“It has been a hard journey up to see me,” Maximilian said to Axis when the StarMan emerged into the topmost chamber of Elcho Falling. Above them the roof lay open to the sky, Icarii tumbling through the revolving rings of the citadel’s golden crown, the sun shining, the sky deepest blue.
Ishbel stood to one side, looking lovely in a gown of silver and rose. Axis went to her first, taking her hands and kissing her hard on the mouth.
“I always wanted to do that,” he said.
She smiled. “I always wanted you to.”
He leaned back, regarding her thoughtfully, still holding her hands. “You’re pregnant,” he said. “It is why you needed to transfer out of Elcho Falling with myself and my men.”
Ishbel nodded. “I had only just realised in the past day. The child has barely been conceived.”
She shared a look with Maximilian, and both smiled. “It is another daughter, and this one we hope will be born safely and live her life in peace.”
“What does this do to the succession of Elcho Falling?” Axis said.
“We have not had the time and space to talk this through properly,” Maximilian said, “but . . . it is possible that the succession of Elcho Falling can carry through the female line. Probably will, in fact, as Ishbel enjoys her own rights as Lady of Elcho Falling.”
Axis’ brow furrowed slightly in thought. “So there could be two lines of succession? One, the male line from you, Maxel, trapped in the Land of Nightmares and slowly being corrupted by both Nightmare and the trapped power of Infinity, and now a female line from Ishbel.”
Maximilian gave a small shrug. “It appears so.”
Axis hissed his breath out softly between his teeth. Cods, he was glad it wasn’t he who was going to have to deal with the consequences of this. It had the potential to become a true catastrophe if Ravenna’s son ever escaped from the Land of Nightmares.
“And you, Maxel,” Axis said. “How does it feel, to be stripped of the power of Elcho Falling?”
“Both sad and joyous,” Maximilian said. “Sad, because I can no longer sense the magic of the citadel, but joyous because I feel I have a weight lifted off my shoulders.” He smiled, putting an arm about Ishbel’s shoulders and kissing her softly on the cheek. “And I have a feeling that this was always Ishbel’s mountain, both when it was Serpent’s Nest and as Elcho Falling.”
“You are going to leave, Axis, aren’t you?” Ishbel said.
“I must,” Axis said. “I can’t stay here.”
Maximilian nodded, understanding. “Isaiah waits on a balcony just a few levels down. Waiting to speak with you,” he said.
Isaiah’s hands rested on the balcony railing as he surveyed the lake and the surrounding landscape. He did not look up as Axis joined him.
“You left a right mess out there for my men to clean up,” Isaiah said.
Axis leaned his weight on his forearms on the railing, looking out. Below, squads of Isembaardian soldiers were cleaning away the corpses of the Lealfast.
“Many escaped,” Axis said.
“They won’t be a trouble,” Isaiah said. “Not for many generations yet.”
By which time, Axis thought, they’ll have had the time to breed up and rekindle their anger and resentment. The Skraelings have gone, but in their place . . .
“Not for many generations,” Axis echoed.
Isaiah finally turned to look at him. “What are you going to do?”
Axis returned the look, then his heart lifted and he smiled. “I was hoping you’d tell me that, Isaiah.”
Chapter 23
The Salamaan Pass
Eight weeks later.
Axis pulled his horse to a halt, peering through the southern mouth of the Salamaan Pass into whatever was left of Isembaard. The sun burned bright overhead, and Axis was grateful he’d changed into lighter clothes the day before.
He was in the hot southern lands now, the ice and snow of the north a long way behind him.
There was a crunching of the land’s sandy grit, and Axis looked over to where Isaiah, Insharah and Zeboath had pulled up their horses.
“It will not be much of a home for any of you to return to,” Axis said.
“Nonetheless .” Isaiah said.
“There are family to be farewelled,” Insharah said.
“And family to be found, perhaps,” the physician Zeboath said.
Axis nodded. The past two months had been vastly healing for all four of them as they trailed slowly down through the Outlands, staying here and there with Outlander friends as they travelled — including Georgdi, who was fascinated to hear of Axis and Isaiah’s destination, and looked as if he might one day decide to join them.
Insharah and Zeboath kicked their horses forward, but Axis and Isaiah waited a few minutes.
“There goes the future of Isembaard,” Isaiah said, quietly.
“It will grow again,” Axis said. “It might take generations, but it will grow again. The Lhyl runs, the soil will be fertile, and whoever is left from among this once mighty population will return from their hiding places.”
Isaiah gave a nod. Already many tens of thousands of Isembaardians had returned from the northern lands through the Salamaan Pass into Isembaard. They carried news that almost all of the settlers that Isaiah had dragged north would eventually return.
As would the Isembaardian army. It had stayed a few weeks longer with Maximilian at Elcho Falling, but now the eagle, who constantly soared overhead and who communicated with his brethren further north, told Axis and Isaiah that Kezial was leading it south.
Kezial and Insharah would need to battle it out for the Tyranny, but Axis and Isaiah hoped they’d do it peaceably enough.
Meanwhile, the far, far unmapped south, and further adventures, awaited.
Axis caught Isaiah’s eyes, and they grinned simultaneously.
“There is a long road ahead of us,” Isaiah said.
“Then let us ride it,” Axis said, and booted his heels into his horse’s flanks.
Epilogue
The Land of Nightmares
Ravenna screamed, and the Nightmares closed in about her.
She screamed again, and the Nightmares reached out their hands.
One more time, and then the Nightmares were cradling Ravenna and Maximilian’s son in their terrible hands, loving him a little, before laying him down in Ravenna’s arms.
Ravenna cradled her son, tears streaming down her face. For so many months she’d thought that her son would be denied her or that, if he did make it to birth, his heritage would be denied to him.
But he had been born, and he had been born with all his heritage his to take as he wanted.