Enchanter (72 page)

But while the pyre blazed, Faraday had only seen the flames leaping high into the sky and the shadowy figures of thousands gathered about it - not only Icarii, but Acharite and Ravensbund men and women too. Had Axis been there?

What about his father StarDrifter and mother Rivkah? Borneheld had told Faraday that a woman claiming to be Rivkah had talked to him before the Battle of Bedwyr Fort, and, despite Borneheld's disclaimers, Faraday had no doubts that it was indeed Rivkah, and she smiled for Axis' happiness.

As the flames had leapt for the stars torch-bearing Icarii had taken flight, spiralling higher and higher above the flames to slowly disappear into the night-sky, the flaming torches they carried fading to star-like pin-pricks of light in the

blackness above. They had been escorting the released soul on its journey to the stars. It had been a sight so beautiful, so moving, that Faraday had wept and wondered who was being farewelled with such honour and ceremony.

Later, as the funeral pyre died down, the attention of the thousands across the Lake (as indeed, all the thousands within Carlon who watched) turned to Spiredore. Curious music, Song, had drifted across the Lake towards Carlon, and Faraday had glimpsed a silver and white figure atop the roof of the tower.

StarDrifter she thought, sometimes on his feet, sometimes slowly spiralling into the air. After some time Spiredore itself had begun to glow as if a beacon, a gentle white light pulsing out from its walls, growing in strength until the entire structure seemed to throb. Faraday had been entranced by the sight of the pulsating white tower, and she had stood watching for hours. She andYr had lain awake until dawn stained the sky, talking of the evening's events.

Now, only just risen from her bed, Faraday felt refreshed, alive. Even Borneheld's presence couldn't dampen her spirits. She could almost feel Axis'

presence. Soon, she thought. Soon.

Footsteps sounded from behind her, and Faraday turned slightly.

Gautier approached, dressed in light armour, his sword rattling, and stepped to Borneheld's side, and both men stared silently at the far side of the Lake. Both had recovered some of their spirit, some of their bravado, in the past few days.

"When?" Gautier asked softly.

Borneheld paused, then answered just as softly. "Soon."

"What will you do, Sire?"

"Nothing," Borneheld answered, his eyes fixed on a tiny scarlet and gold figure across the Lake. "Axis will come to me. He must. We both want to end it.

Just he and I. That is all it was ever meant to be."

Borneheld turned from the parapets. His face was shadowed with red beard; he had not shaved or washed in days.

"Our rivalry started the instant he was conceived," Borneheld said to Faraday. "And we have fought ever since he arrived as a baby in Carlon, one way or another. Do not deceive yourself, Faraday, that he will come across the waters of Grail Lake for love of you alone. Will he love you once I am gone?" He paused and eyed her coldly. "No. I doubt it. There will be no reason to, you see, once I am gone."

And with that he turned and walked away, Gautier at his side. The slap of their boots on the stone flagging sounded like dark bells tolling a death knell.

Faraday watched her husband go, a cold fear in her heart. Borneheld had simply assumed that he would lose, as if he had always known that he was fated to die at Axis' hands. Knowing that, it gave what he said about Axis' love for her, or lack of it, the fatal ring of prophecy.

Axis watched with his Enchanter's vision as first Borneheld then, after a long pause, Faraday turned and left the parapets of the castle.

"When?" Belial asked.

"Tonight. I have waited long enough. It will be tonight."

Belial nodded. "How?"

"Rivkah knows a way in. A secret way. We will approach across Grail Lake."

"Who?" Belial asked.

"Me. You, Ho'Demi and Magariz. Jorge. Rivkah."

"Rivkah?" Belial was stunned.

Axis' eyes were as cold as the water. "She must come. She must witness.

One of her sons will die tonight. She must be there."

Belial shivered. "Who else?"

"The Sentinels. They will need to be there."

"To witness?"

Axis shook his head, his eyes far away. "They can serve to witness, yes, but they will be there primarily to wait."

Belial frowned. Axis was in a strange mood, very strange. "Wait? Wait for what?"

"A lost love, Belial. A lost love."

"And that is all you will take?"

Again Axis shook his head. "StarDrifter, I think, although he may get in the way. But he wants to come. EvenSong. She must come too. To wait, like the Sentinels. Arne, and perhaps some five or six men-at-arms. Ravensbundmen, I think."

"You'll need a merchant ship to carry that lot across," Belial muttered.

Axis clapped Belial on the back. "Seventeen, perhaps eighteen, my friend. A good rowboat will get us there."

"You're not going to take Azhure?"

Axis' face hardened. "Someone will need to stay in command of this camp, and I hardly think she will want to come."

"Axis," Belial hesitated. "Be careful you do not treat Azhure too badly in this.

She loves you too deeply to be able to watch you sail across that Lake tonight with a calm and understanding heart."

Axis took a deep breath, fighting to control his temper.

"Be careful, Axis," Belial said, knowing that he was going too far, "Azhure is held in high regard by many within this camp. Hurt her, and you will hurt many."

"Including you?" Axis did not care if Belial 'saw his temper now. "How much do you love her, Belial?"

Belial held Axis' furious stare without flinching. "I will not deny that I loved her once. But there was no point feeding a love and a desire when Azhure could see none but you. It would have destroyed me, and I was not yet ready to die.

But I still care for her, as does Magariz, and Rivkah, and Arne, and a thousand others I could name. Axis," Belial's voice was low, but steady. "We all care too much for her to watch her slowly die of wretchedness when you marry Faraday.

Either let her go, or let Faraday go. You will destroy both of them if you continue in your desire to have them both."

"I will let neither go!" Axis seethed. "There is no need. They will both accept the other. It has been done before."

"But not with such women!" Belial's voice rose now. "Both are wondrous in their own right, but both will fade and die if forced to share you!"

"I hardly think ..." Axis began, but both men were distracted by a shout from the line of tents.

YsgryfF, his face livid with fury, strode towards Axis and Belial as they stood on the shore of the Lake, dragging a slight Nors girl with him.

"Oh gods, no," Belial whispered. "Cazna!" YsgryfFs handsome face was so twisted with anger that it was almost unrecognisable, while the girl, dressed in a bright red wool dress, was wearing an expression of sulky rebellion. Ysgryff drew to a halt some four or five paces away from Axis and Belial, and started to shout at Belial.

"Do you realise what you have done, you low-born oaf? Did you not stop to think what you did when you ravaged my daughter's virtue?'

"Daughter?" Belial said. Cazna wasYsgryff's daughter? "Daughter!" YsgryfF

shouted. "Daughter! Did you think her some camp whore? Did she act like some camp whore? Did you not stop to consider what you did when you dragged her into your bed?"

"I —" Belial began but YsgryfF did not give him the chance to explain.

"Of what value is she now? None! What sort of marriage can I arrange for her now? None! Some hurried and secretive affair with a ploughman who has been paid to overlook her swollen belly?"

Again Belial tried to interrupt, appalled at the inference that he had got Cazna pregnant, but Cazna overrode her father.

"Father," she said, low but firm. Axis noticed that she had inherited her fathers striking looks to the full. "Belial did not seduce me. I seduced him. The night of the treaty-signing in the Ancient Barrows I went to his tent and lay waiting for him in his bedroll."

Belial smiled slightly. Will I ever forget what I felt when I entered my tent that night and saw her lying there, waiting for me?

Ysgryff stared at his daughter in horror. "What did I raise," he said, "that she should treat me like this?"

Belial stepped forward and took Cazna's hand. "Ysgryff, there has been little harm done." He hurried on as Ysgryff opened his mouth in horror yet again.

Little harm done? "I have already asked - your daughter - to marry me."

Axis raised his eyebrow. Belial had thought to castigate him over his treatment of Azhure when all the time he had been busily violating the Baron of Nor's daughter?

"Marriage? Do you think that will heal the hurt and the shame you have dealt my family?" Ysgryff shouted, although he was having a great deal of trouble maintaining the facade of his temper. If he played the part of the enraged father well enough, he would be able to get Belial to accept Cazna without a single gold piece as dowry.

"I have accepted," Cazna said, watching her father carefully. She already had her suspicions about her father's display of righteous rage. Her hand tightened about Belial's.

"Well," Ysgryff said, pretending to be slightly mollified. "How do I know that he means it? Was it just a ploy to bring you to his bed?"

"I hardly think you have behaved well, Belial," Axis said, speaking for the first time since Ysgryff had dragged his daughter forth to accuse Belial. "I think that perhaps you have treated Cazna rather badly, don't you?"

Belial glared at Axis. He knew perfectly well that Axis was referring to their previous conversation with that remark.

"Then find me two more witnesses, Axis," he retorted. "And I will wed Cazna here and now. / am not afraid to
grace the woman I love with vows of lifelong love, partnership and honour."

Axis stared at Belial, standing calm and straight with the Nors girl close to him, then he spun on his heel and strode off.

"I cannot take you with me, so I will leave you in command of the camp and the army," Axis said carefully. "FarSight Cut-Spur will be your second-in-command."

"I understand," Azhure said, folding her cloak for the third time, then shaking it out and starting all over again.

They were in the tent that they now shared with Rivkah and Magariz, and this was the first time Axis had found a chance to talk with Azhure alone for many days. Caelum had gone with Rivkah for an evening stroll by the waters.

"Damn it," Axis swore softly, and strode over to Azhure, tearing the cloak from her hands and throwing it to the ground. "What is wrong, Azhure? What has came between us these past months?" How long since he had touched her, kissed her, lain with her? Not since the night he had signed the treaty with Ysgryff and Greville at the Ancient Barrows, and how many weeks was that?

"What has come between us? She sits in her pink and gold palace across the Lake. Faraday."

"Azhure," Axis said, taking her chin gently in his fingers and forcing her to meet his eyes. "Azhure, I love you, you know that. You will always be a part of my life."

She twisted away. "It is a hard thing you ask of me, Axis."

"What? To stay with me? To be my Lover? You love me, you can do no less."

"I wish I could have found the courage to walk away from you before this,"

she said.

"Walk away from me? Who to? Belial?"

Azhure whipped her head back, her eyes wide.

Axis seized her chin again. "If you try to leave me, I will track you down.

Believe it! No-one will take you from me!"

Azhure stared at him. How could a man who could show so much compassion to strangers show such a face of cruelty to her?

"Azhure," Axis moderated his tone as he watched the effect his words had on her. "Do you love me?"

"Yes," she whispered, unable to deny it.

"Then you would be miserable away from me. Azhure, listen to me. Marriage to Borneheld's widow will further cement my claim to the throne of Achar.

Besides, the Prophecy binds me to Faraday, and I need Faraday to bring the Avar and the trees to my cause. I cannot abandon her, Azhure, and I will not.

Not when she has done so much for me, and will do so much more. But my heart belongs to you. Never belittle yourself, or your effect on me, Azhure. "

He bent down and kissed her lips softly. "If I was not already bound by vow to Faraday then I would not hesitate to marry you, Azhure. Believe it."

"Yes." Azhure believed it.

"Azhure, I will not hesitate to acknowledge you, my love for you, or your role in my success thus far. I love you, and your son will be my heir. Walk tall and proud."

"Go," Azhure whispered, "go to Faraday. I cannot fight the Prophecy."

After Axis had left her, and walked down to the shore of Grail Lake and the boat that waited to take him to Faraday, Azhure walked out of the tent, took Caelum from Rivkah, and wandered through the camp, pausing to chat now and then with a member of her command. She wore a cool, confident smile on her face and didn't let a single ray of her grief shine through. Sicarius trotted at her side, his eyes golden and seeing. Once she had inspected the camp and made sure all was in order Azhure shared a meal with Cazna, and envied the young woman that she had captured her husband's heart intact.

The Chamber of the Moons» s twilight

deepened into dark, people started to fileL\ into the Chamber of the Moons.

Servants, guards-/- Ajnen, courtiers, kitchen maids, stableboys - all weredriven by the presentiment that something strange would takeplace this night in the Chamber of the Moons.

They moved silently, none speaking, none feeling the need to. As the night drew on perhaps two hundred stood, still and noiseless, circling the Chamber, leaving its centre free.

Borneheld sat on his throne atop the dais, his face expressionless, sword drawn and resting on his knees. On the stone edge of the dais sat Faraday, green skirts spread about her, shoulders square, face serene, hands folded smoothly in her lap. Like her husband, Faraday stared straight ahead. Waiting.