Oh stars, what was he supposed to do with her? He was so angry and so hurt and so d.a.m.ned cursed furious at himself for trusting her, for allowing himself to start to fall in love with her, that -- "Let me stay, and help you now," Inardle said. "Let me make amends, Axis."

"I thought you were too tired of life to want to continue breathing."

"Axis, let me make some tiny recompense by helping."

"How?"

"By telling you now all I know about the Lealfast, about the power they command, about what they might do. There must be something I can tell you that will prove useful!"

"And I should trust this?"

Tears sprang into her eyes, and she flung an arm toward the window. "I could fly out there in an instant, Axis, and what would happen? My beloved brothers would murder me within a heartbeat! They no longer trust me, they no longer need me, and --"

"Ah, so you are more interested in saving your own skin than in making any kind of recompense for the deaths you have caused."

"Well," Inardle said, "surely that motivation at the least should make you more inclined to trust me." She paused. "If that is what you prefer to believe, then so be it. Yes. My only chance of living is to remain within Elcho Falling, thus I am willing to aid you in return for the chance to stay here. Will that do?"

Again she paused, taking a deep, shuddery breath. "Stars, Axis, I told you about the Dark Spire! I didn't have to do that! If I had kept silent, how many weeks would it have taken you to discover it? It would have sat there, doing its malignant work for the One and you would never have known!"

"Then tell me how to counter it."

"I can't," she said. "I am sorry, Axis, but I truly do not know how to counter it."

Axis took a deep breath. "Then I for one am sorry I ever saw your face."

Inardle's eyes widened, then she slapped both hands down on the table and rose abruptly.

"Oh, that is enough! I am sick of your melodrama! Ask yourself, if you dare, why you were stupid enough to trust the Lealfast in the first instance. It was your l.u.s.t only that made you elevate me to your second-in-command, it was BroadWing's lack of thought that saw him confess every Strike Force strategy to Eleanon and, overall, it was your overweening arrogance that made it impossible for me to come to you and betray my own kin! By the heavens, Axis, you might as well have opened your shirt, painted a red cross on your chest and followed Eleanon about, hoping he'd put an arrow into it and put you out of your misery! I have had enough of all the blame being heaped about my shoulders. Shoulder some of it yourself, if you dare."

The door opened behind them, but neither noticed.

Axis was on his feet now, too. "I have no idea why you are still here, Inardle. I cannot think why you are not back with your kith and kin whom you were so loath to betray. There is nothing for you here."

"I remain only because I still -- stupidly! -- seem to believe more in Maximilian than I do in the One!"

"You can contribute nothing. Get out. You are useless to me."

"You fool," Inardle hissed. "I can hand you the Skraelings. You think they're your enemy . . . but what if they can be turned into your allies? How would you like that then, Axis, eh? A new and pretty t.i.tle to add to your vast collection. Axis, Lord of the Skraelings!"

" Get out! Get out before I --"

"Leave, Inardle. I will speak with you later." Georgdi had come up, unnoticed by either Axis or Inardle. He took Axis by the elbow and pulled him back a pace or two as Inardle glared a final moment at him, shot Georgdi a black look, then stalked from the room.

"How dare you --" Axis began as he wrenched his elbow from Georgdi's grip.

"I dare very easily," Georgdi said. "Don't be a fool, Axis. All this condemnation of Inardle is driven almost entirely by your frustrated desire for her. She is guilty only of keeping her mouth shut when she might have spoken, and I can actually understand why she didn't feel able to speak to you. She also spoke a great deal of truth just now, Axis. You're a brilliant commander, but you are as flawed as any other man alive or dead. Get some distance, get some perspective and get some sense.

"And while you're in the get-some-sense mode, think about what Inardle just said. I'd like to hear more about 'handing us the Skraelings'. Wouldn't you?"

With that, Georgdi stalked from the room, slamming the door behind him.

Axis clenched his hands, taking several deep lungfuls of air, furious: at Inardle, at Georgdi, at himself, at the circ.u.mstances surrounding them all.

He muttered an obscenity, pacing about the room, trying to calm himself down.

Stars, what a mess.

Axis?

Axis spun about.

There was no one else in the chamber, and that had not been an Icarii voice.

Axis? It is I, Josia.

Axis hoped Josia hadn't witnessed that little scene. He walked to the window, opening it.

About three paces away, suspended in the air, Axis saw the partial wall of what must be the Twisted Tower. In the centre of the wall was an open window, and a young dark-haired man sat in the window, one leg idly swinging over the windowsill.

"Axis?" he said.

"Josia. You have news?"

"Are you well, Axis? You are flushed and appear --"

"I am well, Josia. Do you have news?"

Josia studied Axis briefly, then gave a small smile and nodded. "Maxel, Ishbel, Avaldamon and their two companions have arrived at DarkGla.s.s Mountain. They are well enough for the moment."

"For the moment. Will you know if ."

"If they succeed? If they fail? Yes, I will. And I will be sure to let you know as soon as I might."

Axis nodded, and as he did so Josia smiled, more widely this time, then he and the window faded from view, and Axis was left to stare at nothing but the view beyond Elcho Falling.

Chapter 17.

Darkgla.s.s Mountain.

Maximilian and his company settled in a room that ran off the courtyard. It had been the grooms' common room in happier times, and it was equipped with tables and chairs and even several daybeds.

There was no food left, for the Skraelings had been through here and had eaten anything they could find, turning over the furniture and breaking doors from cupboards in the doing. They had also defecated throughout the room. Ishbel and Doyle had grimaced and taken upon themselves the task of cleaning away the foulness. By morning it was done, and the tumbled furniture rearranged. They did not expect to be here long, but while they were here they needed a base.

Out of sight of the pyramid.

They had been aware of it through the night. It had been a sense in every one of them, a subtle twisting of their nerves so that none of them could truly relax. The pyramid was probing, testing.

It knew they were here.

"Does DarkGla.s.s Mountain exist only as an extension of the One?" Serge asked Avaldamon as they sat eating an abstemious breakfast.

"No. Two thousand years ago, the pyramid seemed to have a power and purpose of its own. My son Boaz told me how it murdered at will. He said that he could feel its consciousness with him, following him everywhere. The One is Infinity, come to flesh within the pyramid. They are close, entwined even, but the pyramid has its own consciousness. It regrew itself, not through the agency, or at the behest, of any other power. It is greatly to be feared."

"Which is why we sit in this room," said Maximilian. "It has no windows to the west, so we are not in its direct line of sight. That affords us some protection."

"Then the pyramid will be difficult to destroy," Doyle said. "How will Maxel manage it?"

Avaldamon, Maximilian and Ishbel shared a look, then Avaldamon took a deep breath.

"Maximilian will not be the one to destroy DarkGla.s.s Mountain," Avaldamon said.

"I will have to do it," Ishbel said.

"My lady?" Serge said.

"But . . . " Doyle added, his face as aghast as that of his friend.

"I have spoken of this briefly with Ishbel and Maximilian," said Avaldamon, "but it is good we talk of it now and go into some detail. Ishbel is descended from the eldest child of Boaz, my son, and his wife Tirzah. When Boaz did battle with Threshold, as the pyramid was then known, and the ent.i.ty which inhabited it -- Nzame -- Tirzah was present. She was also pregnant with their first child, the girl who would later found the line which culminated in Ishbel. Something happened during that battle. We know that both Tirzah and the child were touched by Threshold and we now know that something happened . . . some knowledge was pa.s.sed to the child. A power . . . an understanding, if you will, of the very nature of the pyramid itself."

"Ishbel is also of the bloodline of Persimius," said Maximilian. "Furthermore, she took many of the powers and abilities of the Lords of Elcho Falling during those few hours when I lay dead and she wore the ring of Persimius. Although I again breathe and wear the t.i.tle of Lord of Elcho Falling, Ishbel retains much of the power. She is as much Elcho Falling's lord as I."

"And," Ishbel said, "I carry the abilities of the Coil within me. I was its Archpriestess and the best the Coil ever produced."

"Ishbel is the culmination of much accidental, as well as planned, contrivances," Avaldamon said. "She carries many abilities."

"And," Ishbel said, giving Maximilian an ironic smile, "while Avaldamon may not say this, none of us can risk Maximilian going into the pyramid. No one can risk losing him again."

"But you are not expendable either, my lady!" Serge said.

"No," Maximilian said very quietly, taking Ishbel's hand. "She is not."

"I am slightly more expendable," said Ishbel. "And this needs to be done."

"There is a book ." Doyle said. "Someone mentioned a book of power."

"The Book of the Soulenai," said Avaldamon. "It is an ancient Elcho Falling treasure. It has been sitting inside Elcho Falling for these past months, together with its special guardian --"

Ishbel and Maximilian looked oddly at Avaldamon at that.

"-- who will serve to show Ishbel the way."

"Guardian?" Ishbel said.

"You will know more," said Avaldamon, "when you meet him."

Ishbel gave him an irritated look, but questioned him no more.

"When?" said Maximilian.

"Tonight," said Avaldamon. "Until then we wait."

They sat in silence, eating the last of their breakfast. Serge eventually rose, pacing about the room until he halted before the room's single window and looked toward the now rapidly rising sun.

"Maximilian!" Serge said. "Look! Look at this great foulness!"

Everyone leapt to their feet and came to the window. It faced east, yet they could see a triangular shadow moving over the courtyard . . . eastward, toward the sun.

DarkGla.s.s Mountain.

Probing.

It moved across to the far side of the courtyard, then began to fall backward, closer and closer to the window.

Everyone reflexively stepped away.

The shadow crept to the wall, then they could feel it rising up the wall toward the windowsill.

Maximilian stepped forward and slammed shut the interior shutters, bolting them securely.

"It knows we are here," he said.

Chapter 18.

Elcho Falling.

Axis met with Georgdi, Egalion, Insharah, StarHeaven, StarDrifter and the Isembaardian general, Ezekiel. Garth Baxtor and Zeboath, the two senior physicians, were in attendance as well. Ezekiel had positioned himself slightly apart from the others and looked unhappy. A few months ago he had been the most senior general in the Tyrant Isaiah's ma.s.sive invading army. Now here he was, largely irrelevant, under the command of the Tencendorian StarMan, Axis SunSoar. Invited to this gathering, he believed, only as a courtesy.

Everyone looked tired, if not completely exhausted.

"Garth, Zeboath," Axis said, not even bothering to welcome everyone or make any kind of statement, "a report?"

"Everyone who was likely to die has done so," Garth said. "We have --" he looked at Zeboath for confirmation "-- perhaps some forty wounded Strike Force members in conditions ranging from the bothersome to the severe, but none now likely to succ.u.mb from their injuries, and ." He trailed off, trying to recall the numbers from his fatigued mind.