The Infinity Gate: Darkglass Mountain: Book Three - By Sara Douglass Page 0,8

Elcho Falling’s lake. He’d heard a whisper that Ishbel had somehow negated the general, Armat, and that Axis’ once-friend Insharah now led the army. “Does he know what is happening? And all the Isembaardians . . . they are vulnerable to the Lealfast . . . I have no idea what is happening, Egalion. What did Ishbel do earlier? I know she went to see Armat and Ravenna, and that she did something, but what?”

“Armat and Ravenna are negated,” said Ishbel from behind them, making the two men turn to look at her. “Lister is dead. Insharah now controls the Isembaardian army. And you are right, Axis, they are in danger. We need to get them inside Elcho Falling.”

Axis’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. Invite them in? Only an hour or two ago the entire Isembaardian army had been their enemy. “We have just repelled one lot of invaders and traitors, Ishbel. I do not want to invite a new lot in. And where is Inardle? Were you not supposed to be guarding her?”

“Do not worry about Inardle,” Ishbel said. “She is waiting in the command chamber. She will do no harm for the moment. When this situation is a little settled we all need to speak with her, but there are more important matters to worry us.”

“The One,” Axis said.

Ishbel’s face relaxed a little. “He is gone. He went at the same time the Lealfast were expelled. Elcho Falling drove them out. The One must have been marked with Maxel’s murdered blood as well as the Lealfast. For the moment those within Elcho Falling are safe, Axis.”

“Unless we have further traitors among us,” Axis muttered. “Maxel?”

“He is well. He said something about the Twisted Tower and Josia needing to speak to him. I think he has gone there for the moment. You and I, Axis, need to see Insharah and determine what to do about the Isembaardian army.”

Axis nodded, but he turned in to the room, now almost emptied of the Emerald Guardsmen save for a score of so standing as sentinels.

For a long moment Axis just stared. It was a disaster. Bodies of Strike Force members, almost their entire number, lay strewn about the edges of the chamber, while in the centre of the chamber lay the bodies of the Lealfast members the guardsmen had struck down. Those Icarii who had survived were struggling to their feet, aided here and there by Emerald Guardsmen; others lay moaning on the floor.

The physicians Garth Baxtor and Zeboath had entered the chamber and were moving among the wounded Icarii, bending down briefly to assess severity of injury before giving instructions to their assistants and then moving on, prioritising the injured as quickly as possible.

Lealfast corpses covered the major area of floor. There were, Axis estimated, probably about a thousand dead.

No Emerald Guardsmen lay among the dead or injured.

They had done a remarkable job, Axis thought and, like StarHeaven before him, his estimation of their worth as a fighting force rocketed up to vastly greater heights than previously.

“They came from the Veins,” Ishbel murmured at his side. “Who knew what they learned down there? They had to fight with the blackness itself to survive.”

“They closed their eyes to fight.” It was StarHeaven, moving quietly over to Ishbel and Axis. “They fought instinctively. It was . . . extraordinary.”

StarHeaven paused, taking a deep breath that trembled. “They shamed us.”

Axis rested a hand on StarHeaven’s shoulder. “You were attacked by those you trusted, and attacked invisibly. You did not for a moment expect that —”

“Damn it,” StarHeaven said, “we should have expected it! And now . . . ” She looked about, her eyes glistening with tears. “Now so many are dead, and BroadWing among them.”

“You shall need to take command,” Axis said.

“No!” StarHeaven said. “I cannot! I am not good enough! I —”

“You are all I have right now,” said Axis. “You shall need to be good enough. We can discuss a permanent arrangement later, when we have the luxury of time and breath and the ability to sit down and sort everything out. For now, you take command. Find those who can still fight, and await my orders. Ishbel and I may need the Strike Force against the Lealfast outside. So, gather yourselves together, patch yourselves up and be ready. Yes?”

StarHeaven gave a nod, straightening her back, and Axis gave her a smile, pleased. Then he looked at Ishbel.

“Insharah,” he said.

Maximilian stepped inside the Twisted Tower, and stopped immediately, staring at Avaldamon, recognising

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