The Infinity Gate: Darkglass Mountain: Book Three - By Sara Douglass Page 0,119

(stars, she had been sure Eleanon had severed her spine), but discovered she was restrained by something binding her tight.

She felt about with her hands — it was too dark to see — and her breath caught as she realised she’d been imprisoned in an ice ball. She was lying on her side, curled up, her wings wrapped about her, her legs drawn tight to her body, and she could extend none of her limbs save for the tiniest amount.

Inardle went cold, due not so much to the nature of her prison but to her utter shock.

Eleanon had imprisoned her within an ice hex.

There was no way to escape.

Ever.

The ice hex was unbreakable.

She would die here. Slowly. Of starvation and despair.

Isaiah had only had time to strip off his wet clothing and sink down to the bed of his chamber, when there was a knock at the door.

It opened. Insharah stood there and behind him, almost unbelievably to Isaiah, stood Kezial.

“Well met again, Insharah,” Isaiah said. “You have been having adventures since last I saw you.”

Insharah had the grace to flush slightly as Isaiah obliquely referred to Insharah’s betrayal of Maximilian and Axis by deserting to Armat.

“And you, Kezial,” Isaiah said.

“The time for apologies has long passed,” Kezial said. “Besides, you wanted me in here.”

Isaiah tipped his head in acknowledgement.

“I bring news of Eleanon,” Kezial said.

“Perhaps we need to call Georgdi and —” Isaiah said.

“It can’t wait,” said Insharah. “Kezial, tell him.”

“Eleanon’s plan was to allow everyone into Elcho Falling anyway,” Kezial said. “He plans on destroying Elcho Falling.”

“How?” Isaiah said, now standing and pulling on fresh clothes.

“He has a dark spire deep within the citadel —” Kezial began.

“We know of that,” Insharah interrupted, explaining to Isaiah.

“And he has inserted Ravenna into Elcho Falling in order to —” Kezial continued.

“How?” Isaiah said, ignoring Kezial’s wince of irritation at being interrupted yet again.

“How did he insert her?” Kezial said. “Undoubtedly during the chaos and confusion when your delightful little storm hit. She is in Elcho Falling now, Isaiah. Somewhere. Disguised. She will destroy this citadel and all within it.”

“Call the other commanders,” Isaiah snapped to Insharah, “and show me to whatever command chamber you have here while you’re at it.”

Chapter 13

Elcho Falling

“Ithought Ishbel had cursed Ravenna,” Georgdi said. They were once more grouped around the central table in the command chamber, this time with the addition of Isaiah and Kezial to StarDrifter, Insharah, Ezekiel, and Egalion. Garth Baxtor was also here, sitting to one side, looking worried and uncomfortable.

Isaiah, on the other hand, had automatically taken the commander’s position at the table and everyone from Georgdi down deferred to him instinctively.

“I know nothing of this,” Isaiah said. “Tell me.”

Georgdi, aided by StarDrifter butting in every few sentences, told Isaiah briefly of what had happened when Ravenna had lured Maximilian to his murder, and then how Ishbel had murdered Lister — at which Isaiah remarked that he’d known of Lister’s death, but not the details — and had cursed Armat and Ravenna.

“Armat is now dead, too,” Georgdi said, “killed by Eleanon, but Ishbel cursed Ravenna threefold. She disinherited the son Ravenna carried to Maximilian from Elcho Falling —”

“I would have done far worse,” StarDrifter muttered.

“She cut Ravenna off from the Land of Dreams, the source of Ravenna’s power, and she cursed her to forever be an outcast, rejected by all communities.”

“But,” Kezial put in, “Eleanon has somehow altered these curses. I don’t know how. He referred to it only obliquely and I am certain now that he knew I’d defect, so anything he told me needs to be treated cautiously. But I do know that Ravenna was able to ghost about the outskirts of the Lealfast camp without any problems.”

“So you may be wrong about Eleanon wanting to destroy Elcho Falling,” Isaiah said.

Kezial shook his head. “No, I think that is true enough. Eleanon wanted you to know that. He wants you to be afraid. And I think he also wanted to boast a little.”

“Ravenna,” Isaiah said. “What was she sent inside to do, Kezial?”

Kezial shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t really know. She has a clear mission, but .”

“It could be anything,” StarDrifter said. “Perhaps an assassination. She is a dab hand at assassination.”

“It is something to do with that Dark Spire,” Kezial said. “But what .” He shrugged again.

“I am going to need to see this Dark Spire,” Isaiah said to Georgdi, and Georgdi nodded.

“It is a grim thing,” he said. “None of us can understand it, nor stop its inexorable

readonlinefreenovel.com Copyright 2016 - 2024