The Infinity Gate: Darkglass Mountain: Book Three - By Sara Douglass Page 0,68

think they might try something like this?

“Shut up,” Eleanon said, very quietly. He wanted silence, so he could concentrate his hate.

They had killed Bingaleal.

Fool, I say it again, and again! Fool! How could you not have anticipated —

And you did not anticipate, did you? Eleanon shot back at the One. You did not know what was happening. Do you not have Georgdi’s ear, then? You were as fooled as I.

I wanted to see if you had the skills at hand to manage even this. I wanted to see if you could pass this one single test. I wanted to see if —

Eleanon shut the One out. He’d had enough of the One and he’d had enough of doing the One’s bidding. Fuck him.

He was going to take revenge for last night, and he was going to damn well do it on his own terms.

“You think to humiliate me?” Eleanon whispered to Elcho Falling and all its inhabitants.

Not today. Not tomorrow. Maybe not even next week.

But not too far away, either.

They would all die now, and Elcho Falling would be torn down and trampled into the dust.

Meanwhile, there were Inardle and Axis.

Eleanon had to vent his fury somewhere, and his curiosity about what they might do with Isaiah was now at an utter end.

Chapter 14

The Outlands

Axis kept his heels close to the flanks of the horse, moving it at a slow canter, riding ever further south. He’d found the horse about noon on the first day out from Elcho Falling by using Georgdi’s whistle. Now, two days after his escape with Inardle, Axis had a small collection of horses trailing along behind him, enough that he could change mounts several times a day and keep pushing the pace.

He was relaxed but watchful. He enjoyed doing something, but he was very aware that danger lay all about. Yesterday evening Inardle told him that Kezial’s army rode just to the west, moving toward Elcho Falling. They would be there very soon. Axis hadn’t seen them himself, but he kept an eye out for any scouts.

And then there was the possibility of the Lealfast. Axis still couldn’t believe that he and Inardle had escaped from Elcho Falling unnoticed — whatever Inardle said, Axis preferred to keep his options open as to whether or not Eleanon had realised their presence. Lealfast treachery was always a possibility, and every few minutes Axis would raise his eyes and scout the sky — a fairly useless activity since the Lealfast could travel virtually invisible. He knew he’d never spot an individual Lealfast.

There was something niggling at the back of Axis’ mind, something that made him believe there were Lealfast following him. Axis couldn’t define the feeling and this close to Elcho Falling he didn’t want to use his power lest Eleanon pick it up, but he tried to reason to himself that Eleanon would normally have scouts patrolling and that they’d be curious about any activity . . . even what appeared to be a lone goat or sheep herder.

Axis was a little less worried about Isaiah’s situation. According to Inardle, Isaiah was at least a week ahead. She had told Axis the previous night that the Skraeling army had caught up with Isaiah, but had not yet attacked.

That was good news, but it also concerned Axis. He wondered why they’d not attacked.

It wasn’t like the Skraelings. What were they planning?

Inardle had asked if he wanted her to contact Isaiah, but Axis had said no.

He didn’t want Inardle engaged in any conversation with Isaiah of which he was not a part. Of course, Axis had no way of knowing if Inardle had or had not talked to Isaiah . . . with her abilities, she could certainly have travelled the distance to meet with him . . . so Axis contented himself with the thought that if he found out she had disobeyed him and contacted Isaiah, he would kill her.

It would be reason enough.

Axis had not actually seen Inardle since their escape. Shortly after they’d escaped the descending Lealfast, Inardle had taken to the sky. Now she travelled high above him, as would any Lealfast who wanted to remain unobserved. She did not join his small campfire at night.

Instead, the only contact Axis had with her was when she invaded his dreams as he slept. He hated this so much that he had tried to stay awake these past two nights, even though he’d needed his rest, but he never succeeded and always drifted into sleep at