Enchanter (54 page)

"No!" Azhure cried, and tried to twist out of Axis' arms, but his grip tightened still further.

"Stay with me. Dance with me. Be my Lover. Faraday willaccept you."

Azhure closed her eyes. Mistress, courtesan, concubine. There was no delicate way of dressing up the word. But poor Faraday. Azhure knew she would not accept what Axis proposed without deep hurt.

"Can you walk away from me, Azhure?" Axis asked. "Canyou?"

"No," Azhure said, her eyes still closed, feeling nothing but Axis' warmth against her body. "No, I cannot."

"And as you cannot walk from me, so I cannot walk away from you," Axis said. "I thought that I might be able to. I thought perhaps I could insist that you and Caelum stay here when I rode south. But I cannot bear to be parted from either of you. You have woven my soul so tightly with enchantments, Azhure, that I will never be free from you. Stay by my side. Please...I beg you."

A terrifying image filled Azhure s mind. Axis and Caelum, three hundred years from now, both still young and vital. They were sitting on the rock ledge in Talon Spike, and they were both, unsuccessfully, trying to remember her name.

They laughed and joked, and eventually gave up. Mistress and mother, long dead and long gone from their thoughts. "Please," he whispered into her hair.

"Yes," and she hated herself for the word. "Then come," Axis said, his hands loosening about her body. "Open your eyes, collect our son, and come below.

Sigholt awaits."

Azhure picked Caelum up from his crib, and cradled his head close to her mouth. She whispered something, so low that Axis, curious, could not catch it.

"If you do one thing for me in your long, long life, Caelum, do not forget your mother's name as I have forgotten the name of my mother. My name is Azhure, Caelum. Azhure. Azhure."

This, the twenty-third day of Hungry-month, was Rivkah's nameday, and Axis had planned a reception for her in the Great Hall of Sigholt. But the reception was far more than a simple celebration of Rivkah's birth. Over the past weeks, fighting with Gorgrael's forces had come to a halt, and almost all of Axis'

command was now back in Sigholt. The reception was also Axis' way of thanking his forces. Tonight all of the unit commanders, as the more senior commanders, were gathered in the Great Hall, together with the most important townspeople, the Ravensbund commanders, the Sentinels, most of the Icarii Enchanters currently in Sigholt and sundry guests.

The reception was the first gathering of what would eventually become Axis'

royal court. It was time for Axis to assume the mantle of claimant to the throne of Achar, and heir to the Icarii Talon throne. Powerful and glorious, Axis now needed a court to reflect his power and glory. Present tonight were several traders from Tarantaise and Nor, and Axis wanted them to spread the word south that Axis, StarMan, was a fit claimant to the throne of Achar. If Borneheld did not provide Achar with the Sun-King who so many craved, then Axis would.

Several of the Icarii Enchanters willingly provided the music for the occasion, lolling about the rafters of the Great Hall and letting the music of their harps and voices fall upon the gathering below. Among the guests, all dressed in their finest, hurried servants, refilling goblets and wine glasses or carrying platters of food. Reinald had exceeded himself in the kitchens, overseeing the scrambling activities below stairs. Now he was content to watch the reception from the gallery, seated in a comfortably cushioned chair, a large decanter of his favourite spiced wine on a small table to one side. Never, he mused, in either Searlas' or Borneheld's tenures as Duke of Ichtar, had Sigholt come alive with so much merriment and beauty.

The Hall fell silent the instant Axis and Azhure stepped into view on the main staircase. They were a magnificent pair, both handsome, young and confident, the man golden and scarlet, drawing every glimmer of light in the Hall towards him, the woman tall and dark, moving so gracefully down the flight of stairs she seemed to glide rather than walk. Azhure held Caelum in her arms, and he gazed at the gathering below with the serene blue eyes his mother had bequeathed him. Though his hair was starting to grow out into an unruly tangle of black curls, Reinald's rheumy eyes could see that the boy had inherited the Icarii bone structurefrom his father.

Axis moved to the great fireplace, letting the leaping firelight further enhance his already golden aura, letting all who wished to talk with him come to him. Rivkah stood by him, smiling and laughing. Azhure, however, baby tucked in one arm and a glass of wine in the other, moved among the guests. She was calm and relaxed now, none of the emotion and doubt she had felt earlier showing on her face. As they had walked down into the Great Hall, she'd realised that all the eyes raised to her and Axis contained respect, a great deal of admiration, a trace of envy, and even a little love. She had searched anxiously for traces of derision, but found none. These people accepted her. Axis had smiled at her from the corner of his eyes as his voice spoke in her head. You could command them as easily as I, Azhure, and as easily as you do me. Never underestimate either your power or your abilities.

She had felt both his love and that of her son wash through her at that moment, and then, stunningly, Caelum spoke in her mind as well, something he had never done before. Azhure. That is your name. I know that. Both father and son lent her strength, and Azhure suddenly realised that whatever troubles the future held she would somehow survive. So she smiled, laughed, and stepped down into the throng.

"Roland." Azhure paused to talk with the sick Duke of Aldeni.

When he had arrived with the Ravensbundmen, Roland had been close to death. Already weakened by his wasting sickness, the hard ride north to Sigholt from Jervois Landing had debilitated him to the point where he'd spent some four days in bed, unable to move. When Roland had recovered a little, Axis had asked him why he had decided to desert Borneheld now, after fighting with him so long. Roland had replied simply that he was dying, and wanted to die with his heart and his conscience at peace. "I stayed with what I thought was right for a very long time," Roland had said, "but when Borneheld ordered Gautier to crucify the three Ravensbundmen, I knew that I had been wrong. I want to die honourably, Axis. Let me stay. Please." And Axis had let him stay.

Reinald had persuaded Roland to make the effort to stumble down to the Lake of Life. "The Lake has helped my arthritis," Reinald told him, and the Lake had also helped Roland, shrinking the growth in his belly and invigorating him with new life.

But Axis had told Azhure that death still lingered in the corners of Rolands vision, and while it might not catch the man this month, or even this year, he doubted that Roland would live longer than two more years.

Roland stared curiously at Azhure as they chatted. She looked Nors, but there was an indefinable quality about her that Roland could not place. No wonder Axis has set thoughts of Faraday aside, Roland thought, smiling at Azhure's witty remarks about the Icarii musicians, when he has this to tempt him here. And she has given him a son. The baby was unusually alert, even perceptive, for such a young babe, watching all about him with his wide blue eyes. Roland wondered if it was his fairy blood that made him so sharp-witted.

His eyes flitted down to the hound at Azhure s
side. Nevelon had told him of this woman and her skill with the bow and her pack of killer ghost hounds. Perhaps the baby had inherited as much fairy blood from his mother as from his father.

"Poor Nevelon," Azhure said, abrupdy changing the topic of her conversation. "I heard he was seized by a Gryphon."

Startled, Roland could only nod. She must have fairy blood, he thought, to read my mind thus.

"We lost some of our own close friends to the Gryphon pack," Azhure continued. "They are truly frightful creatures. I am sorry that I wounded Nevelon, Duke Roland. Magariz told me that he was a good man."

"He was confused by the changes about him, my Lady Azhure. As so many of us have been."

Azhure accepted the title without comment and sipped her wine. The light and the music and the conversation hummed about her and her son clung close to her side.

"It takes courage to accept what strange turns life provides," she said eventually, realising this piece of advice applied as much to her as it did to Roland. Have courage, and accept. Yes, that was good advice. She would simply accept the direction in which life had thrown her. Mistress? Courtesan? Perhaps.

Loved? Yes, and yes twice over.

"Do you know," Roland said casually, "that about three years ago I advised Axis never to marry, or let himself love too much? I told him a dedicated fighting man could never devote enough time to both a sword and a woman. Of the two, I advised, the sword would give him the more loyal service."

Azhure's eyes widened and Roland smiled. "I was wrong, Azhure, and I am glad Axis has ignored my foolish advice. He could never have achieved this," he waved his hand about the Great Hall of Sigholt, "without you by his side. What I am trying to say is that no matter how hard we try to manipulate life, oftentimes life manipulates us - and oftentimes for the better, even though we might not realise or acknowledge
it at the rime. Axis has been fortunate that you walked into his life, my Lady Azhure. About Sigholt, your name is almost as legendary as his."

Tears sprang into Azhure s eyes. Caelum wriggled in her arms, and reached out his hands for Roland. Laughing, the dying man lifted Caelum into his own. "If Axis succeeds, then one day this one will be a King," he said and Caelum gurgled contentedly.

"Azhure, Roland." Belial stepped up and greeted them both, EvenSong by his side. EvenSong had reverted to her natural wing colours of gold and violet for this evening's reception and wore a silken ivory gown.

A servant came by with a decanter of Romsdale gold, and refilled glasses with the dry, fruity wine.

"Axis' supply routes are better than I could have believed," Roland remarked, bouncing Caelum expertly in one arm, "if he drinks Romsdale gold while Borneheld and his closest commanders sip rough red."

"This wine was laid down in the cellars of Sigholt years ago, Roland," Belial said. "Even this crowd would find it hard to drink their way through the stocks in under three years. Supply routes? Not as good as they were." Belial suddenly looked decidedly worried. "Earl Burdel has been wreaking havoc in Skarabost.

Our supplies have been cut in half over the past few weeks, and look like dropping further. Luckily, Sigholt is already well supplied by its gardens and the game in the green hills about the Lake of Life."

"But not enough to keep the Keep and the growing town fed indefinitely?"

Roland said.

"No. We will have to do something about Burdel soon. It is not only the supply routes that he decimates, but much of the population of Skarabost as well. Roland, did Borneheld order this?"

Roland nodded unhappily. "Yes. Yes, he did. He thought it would annoy Axis.

Cause him some problems."

"Well, it's working," Belial said. "Axis will have to move south soon anyway, but the sooner because of Burdel."

South? Faraday lay south. Azhure abruptly reached forward and lifted Caelum back into her own arms. "I see Ogden andVeremund," she said.

Then she was gone.

Belial raised his eyebrows at Roland and EvenSong, "What did I say?"

By the fireplace Axis was trying desperately to keep an interested expression on his face as a pair of traders from Tarantaise stood beaming enthusiastically in front of him. One of them had been talking nonstop for what seemed like an hour, trying to sell Axis a cartload of fine linen thread.

"Rivkah!" Axis murmured in a plea for help.

Rivkah stepped forward. "Gentlemen." Her eyes moved over both men. "We are flattered by your offer. In other circumstances, I would have pleaded with my son to purchase your cartload of threads, but," her face fell in a good imitation of woe, "we are at war, and my son refuses to buy such luxuries for his mother."

Axis glared at her, but the traders took the hint. They bowed low at Rivkah, exceptionally handsome tonight in a gown as black and as revealing as Azhure's, and murmured their farewells. But just as they started to move, one of them slipped a sealed letter into Axis' hand. "For your eyes only," he whispered, and then disappeared into the throng.

Axis' heart thudded as he saw the seal. It was Priam's personal seal, and could be from only one person. Judith.

Axis slipped a finger under the seal and flicked the parchment open. Axis, Our relationship has hardly been cordial thus far, and for that blame myself and Priam. As you have no doubt heard, Priam is dead, and his death was hardly blameless. Before he died Priam was
considering allying himself with you. He had heard of the Prophecy, and it made sense to him.

Axis' eyebrows shot up. Priam had been considering allying Achar with himself? No wonder the man's life had been cut short.

Axis, I consider you the rightful heir to the throne of Achar, and I will do everything in my power to support your claim. But I am a widowed woman, marginalised and ostracised, and far from the centre of power. Nevertheless, I will do what I can. I have one lady-in-waiting left for my comfort - Embeth, Lady of Tare. I rest quietly and comfortably at her house, and should you decide to visit, I do not doubt that we shall both welcome you warmly.

I hope that I can further your cause, and already I speak to two men whose names I dare not commit to paper. Your name and your fame spread. Many that you may have thought turned against you now think to join you.

Take heart.

With a quick flick of his wrist Axis threw the letter into the fire and watched it blacken and burst into flames. Rivkah was looking at him anxiously, but Axis did not dare tell her what the letter contained, or who it was from. Judith had risked a lot sending the missive on a journey hundreds of leagues north into Ichtar. Axis' eyes flickered through the crowd before him, but the trader had long gone, and was probably on a horse and well into the road down HoldHard Pass by now.