The Infinity Gate: Darkglass Mountain: Book Three - By Sara Douglass Page 0,178

ladders to be brought so they could bridge the gap between that part of the staircase that was still usable and the floor below.

Maximilian stared at the spire. He could feel the One inside, feel him throbbing in excitement and expectation, and knew then that they had a day, maybe less. He remembered the power that the One had sent seething down the path toward him from the Twisted Tower, and shuddered.

The One would not hesitate to destroy him the moment he had the chance.

Maximilian gave Axis a long, cool look. “Go then, organise your men and practise your manoeuvres, but I still want you and Isaiah to report to me at dusk with every single complication you can think of. Every conceivable complication, and then a hundred or so of the inconceivable ones. This is so dangerous, Axis, that it could as easily destroy us as aid us. I want this —”

“Thought through,” Axis finished for him. “I understand. Maxel, I won’t fail you.”

“Meet me at dusk, Axis.”

The One crouched underneath the tip of the spire, his hands splayed against the outer wall just above his head. He could see out, but his power shielded him from any prying eyes spotting him.

There stood the Lord of Elcho Falling, looking worried, and looking as if he were considering some plan.

What? the One thought. What could Maximilian throw at him now?

There was nothing. Infinity waited at the One’s back, and it wanted Maximilian dead.

The One reached out his senses for an instant to Eleanon and the Lealfast.

Good. Eleanon intuited nothing about the One’s presence. Eleanon would need to die as well — the One did not like the man’s ambition — but as for the rest of the Lealfast . . . oh, they would be good and faithful servants to the One in the new world of destruction.

Dark winged warriors of death.

The One grinned.

“Ravenna?”

She rose from her chair at the sound of the unlocking door. “Maximilian,” she said as he came into the chamber.

“Hello, Ravenna.”

Ravenna clenched and unclenched her hands at her sides, wanting to look nervous and unsure. “You have come to a decision.”

“Aye.” Maximilian hesitated. “We have decided to trust you.”

Ravenna gave a tight smile. “No doubt with much agonising.”

“Yes. With much agonising.”

“When?” she managed.

“Ishbel and I will come to you later tonight,” Maximilian said. “Ishbel will remove the curses which bind you then.”

“Thank you,” Ravenna said, and Maximilian nodded, held her eyes for a long moment longer, then left the chamber.

Ravenna sat down, and smiled.

Chapter 16

Elcho Falling

“Well?” Maximilian said. “Your thoughts?”

He and Ishbel sat once more in the command chamber, together with Isaiah, Axis, Inardle, Georgdi and Egalion. It was dusk, and the balcony doors had been closed against the cool evening air.

It was deceptively peaceful in the chamber. Outside, thousands of men scurried about the citadel, propping up and reinforcing walls with whatever they had.

Axis glanced at Isaiah, then addressed Maximilian. “Isaiah, Georgdi, Insharah and I have sat through the afternoon talking. We have addressed every possibility we can think of, and, while we believe we will lose men, we think the losses remain acceptable . . . so long as you can answer some questions we have about the procedure.”

“Go on,” Maximilian said.

“There are roughly a quarter of a million Lealfast outside,” Axis said. “Only a fraction of that number are trained fighters, but they are all Enchanters and they have all been changed somewhat by their old alliance with the One. We are assuming they will be powerful opponents.”

Maximilian nodded. Good.

“We, on the other hand,” Isaiah said, taking over from Axis, “command many hundreds of thousands of trained soldiers within Elcho Falling. They’re all good — Isembaardians, Outlanders, the Emerald Guard. I’d say we have roughly the same force as the Lealfast — and the fact that all our force are trained and experienced battlemen must put us on a par with the Lealfast.”

Maximilian started to speak, but Axis interrupted whatever the Lord of Elcho Falling might have said.

“Whatever the Lealfast may brag about, Maxel, they’ve not had any extensive battle experience. Inardle?”

“No, they don’t,” Inardle said. “We did far more than ’shoot at rabbits’ in the frozen wastes, and there were minor skirmishes here and there, but Axis is right. The men in this fortress have the fighting edge.”

“But the Lealfast are a winged force,” Maximilian put in. “And the Strike Force is effectively dead.”

“For years I commanded the most powerful winged force in this world,” Axis said, leaning forward, his eyes fierce,