Georgdi was already there, organising 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, emphasising each word. “Do you think I don’t know just how to bring one down from the sky?”
“The Lealfast command the power of Infinity,” Maximilian said.
“Eleanon best of all,” Inardle said, “but the others? I am not sure. Eleanon would have been jealous of that power. He may not have shared it beyond his immediate captains. Bingaleal was as powerful as Eleanon . . . but Georgdi killed Bingaleal easily enough.”
“Surprise and cunning,” Georgdi said, grinning. “Outlander specialities.”
Maximilian had to laugh. “Point taken.” Then he sobered. “But I cannot transfer hundreds of thousands outside for you. You know this. Even with Ishbel’s aid I can only manage ten thousand.”
“But it will be ten thousand of the absolute best,” Axis said.
“If you use your ability to transfer these ten thousand,” Isaiah said, “then we swap our men for Lealfast. We can transfer a fighting force beyond the walls of Elcho Falling, but it will also mean transferring Lealfast inside in counter-balance. Axis told me that you’d suggested one thousand Lealfast for ten thousand of our soldiers. Is this correct?”
Maximilian gave a nod.
Isaiah looked at Egalion. “A thousand is no problem,” Egalion said. “The Emerald Guard will dispose of them efficiently enough.”
“You are certain?” Maximilian asked.
“Can you pinpoint where they will transfer to?” Egalion asked.
“To within a chamber or two, yes,” Maximilian said.
“Then we will be ready,” Egalion said, and Maximilian accepted his words, for he remembered how the Emerald Guard had slaughtered so efficiently that night when the Lealfast had attacked within Elcho Falling.
“Is there any trauma associated with the transference?” Axis said.
“Not particularly,” Maximilian replied. “Not if you are expecting it. So . . . presumably you would warn your men what to expect, which would be a moment or two of disorientation at the end of the transference. But the Lealfast may experience a little more disorientation, because they will not be expecting it.”
Axis and Isaiah exchanged a glance and a shared grin.
“I think it has a chance of working, Maxel,” Isaiah said. “The Emerald Guard can deal with a thousand Lealfast within this citadel. Axis, is ten thousand men enough?”
“It will do,” Axis said. “Give me your best bowmen, Isaiah, and your most cunning Outlanders, Georgdi, and if I contribute one eagle and my own knowledge, then even a mere thousand is more than enough.”
There was a momentary silence. No one believed him for an instant. Even ten thousand would more than likely be slaughtered.
But what else was there?
“Then we do it,” Isaiah said, looking at Maximilian.
Maximilian held Isaiah’s gaze a long moment, then nodded. “When?”
“Late morning tomorrow,” Axis said. “I contacted my friend eagle an hour or two ago. He is far away but is returning. He will be here tomorrow morning. I need his eyes in the sky. So we will go tomorrow morning before noon. The Lealfast will be concentratin
g on their encircling dance . . . they won’t know what’s happening.”
“And inside Elcho Falling?” Maxel said.
“I can position everyone within Elcho Falling early morning,” Isaiah said. “Egalion will marshal his men to where you say you can transfer the Lealfast, and, just in case the Lealfast don’t materialise quite where we expect them, then every fighting man and woman left in Elcho Falling will be sitting ready with arrow fitted to bow.”
“And the Dark Spire and the One?” Ishbel said, speaking for the first time.
“We have to risk it,” Isaiah said, looking at Maximilian rather than her. “We have to.”
Maximilian hesitated then gave a reluctant nod. “Tomorrow morning, then.”
Isaiah, Georgdi and Axis spent several hours asking for volunteers from the best archers and soldiers in their combined forces, then Axis and Isaiah spent a further six hours organising the men into the vast central area of the citadel, which was the largest ‘chamber’ they could find to practice their manoeuvres as a single team.
First, Axis spent an hour getting the men to practise moving from a prone position straight into squads of fifty men which could instantly form a shield cover about themselves.
Then, once that was perfected (and this didn’t take long, as the men were already so well trained) Axis organised the men who were not actively engaged in holding the shields, into individual pairings of one archer and one ‘arrow keeper’. Axis wanted the archers to be able to fire as quickly as they could without having to scrabble for arrows from quivers on their backs, so the ‘arrow keeper’ part of the pair had to be able to slap an arrow into the hand of the archer smoothly, firmly and in the precisely correct manner — and the archer had to trust the arrow keeper to do just that.
This was not such a smooth procedure, and took two hours to sort out to Axis’ satisfaction.
In the final few hours Axis had the men become accustomed to seeing through someone else’s eyes . . . and trusting that vision.
They would not be seeing with their eyes tomorrow, but with the eagle’s vision. The shield covers would be almost perfectly tight, save for tiny slits where the archers could fire their arrows.
Axis sent Isaiah to the top of the staircase and then, in the same manner as he did with the eagle, Axis allowed himself to see through Isaiah’s eyes, looking down the staircase. Axis then had to twist the vision about, translating it to what a man on the ground would see, and it was this vision he shared with the bowmen.
This was difficult for both Axis and the bowmen. They had to shoot blind, or, at least, shoot their arrows by trusting implicitly in the vision that Axis gave them.
It was such trust that was the hardest thing to achieve, but in the hours before dawn, they finally managed it.
In the meantime, arrows had peppered the inside of the stairwell’s ceiling, down the walls and into several sections of various squads’ shield covers, but finally the arrows had shot well and true.
They were ready, and Axis sent everyone off to grab a few hours sleep.
He met with Isaiah at the top of the staircase before he went to his own chamber.
“Ten thousand won’t be enough, Axis,” Isaiah said, very quietly. “Not really. You know it and I know it. You’ll surprise the Lealfast initially, but they’ll fight back instantly. And they’ll fight back with Infinity.”
“We have to do something, Isaiah,” Axis said. “And I am willing to risk Infinity’s wrath to do it. All these men know in their hearts what is at stake. They are all volunteers.”
Isaiah nodded, rested his hand on Axis’ shoulder briefly, then left him to his rest.
Chapter 17
Elcho Falling
Axis sat on the edge of StarDrifter’s bed and looked at his father. StarDrifter was still very weak and his vision was poor, but at least he was alive and improving.
“What is happening?” StarDrifter said, his voice hoarse.
“Elcho Falling continues to crumble,” Axis said, “but Maxel has agreed to my plan to attack the Lealfast. I am having men stationed in here later, just in case some Lealfast wanders in.”
“The plan is shaky,” Salome said.
“So is Elcho Falling,” Axis said.
“And the One?” StarDrifter said.
“Maximilian and Ishbel have agreed to StarDancer’s plan,” Axis said, glancing across to the cot where his infant brother lay.
StarDancer was awake and lay smiling at Axis, and Axis could feel the boy’s satisfaction emanating out in great waves.
He was already thinking of the day when he would be Enchanter-Talon.
“Good,” said StarDrifter. “Good.” Then he reached out a hand and fumbled for Axis’. “Be careful,” he said.
“Being careful was never my great strength,” Axis said. He rose from the bed. “The Lealfast are gathering. I must join Isaiah and Maxel.” He gave his father’s hand a squeeze, then kissed Salome’s cheek. “Be well.”
Maximilian and Ishbel hesitated before the locked door to Ravenna’s chamber. Maximilian nodded at the guard to unlock it, then spoke to him. “You can leave the lady unguarded and unlocked from this point,” he said.
Are you sure that is wise? Ishbel said in his mind, and Maximilian gave her a slight nod.
We must. We must trust her now.
Ishbel sighed and nodded herself, and then the door was open and Ravenna stood waiting for them within her chamber.
“This won’t take long,” Ishbel said, moving to stand by Ravenna.
Ravenna could feel the other woman’s tenseness. Ishbel didn’t want to be doing this.
Ishbel raised a hand to the top of Ravenna’s head. “Turn about slowly,” Ishbel said, and Ravenna complied, revolving on her feet.
As she moved about, so Ishbel began to twist her hands in a complex dance, occasionally moving them close to Ravenna to snatch at the thin air.
And Ravenna could feel the triple curses Ishbel had bound her with begin to unravel. It was if a constriction about her brow and her chest began very slowly to fade. Ravenna felt a sense of warmth and wholeness creep back into her being, as if she had been locked for a long, long time in a cold and barren place.
As she had, indeed.
Then, very suddenly, Ishbel made an abrupt movement with her hands and Ravenna felt, smelt, her connection with the marshes restored and power flood back into her being.
Almost instantly, certainly well before Ravenna could say or do anything, a goblet materialised in Ishbel’s hands.
“I am sorry,” Ishbel said, “but I need to be sure,” and with that she dipped the fingers of one hand into the goblet, and she flicked dark, dank blood over Ravenna.
None of it stuck, and Ishbel and Maximilian shared a look.
“I will not betray you,” Ravenna said quietly. “Not this time.” Within herself, she smiled. The blood test had not worked, because the betrayal, if such it could be called, had not yet been effected.
And might not. At least, not for decades. Ravenna knew she would need to watch for her and her son’s chance with the utmost care. Then Ravenna looked to Maximilian. “But you still control your powers as Lord of Elcho Falling? You will need to —”
“Those he shall have until the last moment,” Ishbel said. “You may think yourself trustworthy, witch, but I am leaving nothing to chance.”
“But you may leave it too late!” Ravenna said. “What if the One emerges and Maximilian still controls his powers as —”
“Not yet,” Ishbel said and, stiffening her entire body, she turned on her heel and left the chamber.
A moment later Maximilian followed her and Ravenna was left staring at the open door.
She rested a hand on her swollen belly.
“Soon,” she whispered. “Soon.”
The Lealfast assembled into their circles. Eleanon began his clapping. Today, as yesterday, after every seventh clap all the Lealfast clapped, leapt and thudded down. The small group on the balcony waited for something ne
w, but there was nothing.
“Elcho Falling barely survived yesterday’s attempts,” Maximilian said. “I don’t know if it will survive the day. Axis, where is this eagle of yours?”
“Still flying in,” Axis said.
“Can you fight without him?” Isaiah said.
Thump and another shudder ran through Elcho Falling; somewhere in the distance the three men heard a slab of masonry fall into the lake.
Inardle, who had been inside the command chamber, came out to the balcony and peered over the railing.
“If I have to,” Axis said.
“I’ll ask Egalion to —” Isaiah began, then was halted by Inardle’s cry.
“Look! Below, below!”
The three men peered over.
The lake’s surface churned. For a moment none of them could make out what was happening. Axis looked briefly at the Lealfast to see if they’d reacted, but they were continuing their encircling march.
He looked below again, then reflexively reeled back from the railing as one of the Dark Spire’s roots reared high into the sky, paused, then slammed into the wall of Elcho Falling about a quarter of the way up, burying its tip into the heart of one of the bloodied web of cracks.
As it pulled back, so a large piece of masonry materialised out of the water wall and fell into the water.
“There’s another!” Inardle cried, pointing, and then suddenly, appallingly, hundreds of the roots were rearing out of the water, seeking cracks within the walls of Elcho Falling, burying themselves inside and tearing out large chunks of masonry.
“This is going to tear apart in an hour!” Inardle said, and Axis whipped about to Isaiah. “Fuck waiting for the eagle,” he said. “We’ve got to go as soon as we can!”
“Are your men ready?” Isaiah said.
“They’ll be ready within a heartbeat,” Axis said. “All they have to do is to pick up their weapons. They’re already assembled.”
Isaiah looked at Maximilian, who gave a nod. “Go,” he said. “Elcho Falling is not going to withstand this onslaught.”