"Douglass, Sara - Axis Trilogy 1 - Battleaxe" - читать интересную книгу автора (Douglass Sara)

Ogden smiled. "By no means, BattleAxe. The royal family of Tencendor came from the Icarii line. The House of SunSoar supplied the Talon, the King, for well over five thousand years. They were a prolific house."
Both Belial and Axis stared unbelievingly at Ogden. The Forbidden had ruled over mankind? It was unthinkable!
"Yes," Ogden said quietly, lost in thought as he gazed at the Barrows. "It was mankind, under the influence of the emerging Seneschal, who usurped the Icarii rule and drove both them and the Avar beyond the Fortress Ranges during the Wars of the Axe."
Axis turned back to stare at the Barrows, his face set like stone. "Well," he said grimly, "tonight the Icarii graves will provide shelter for mankind. They should be high enough to keep us from this Artor-cursed wind."
They camped in the sheltered crescent of the Barrows, grateful for the relief they gave them from the bitterly cruel northern wind. By now word of the prophecy had spread among most of the Axemen, and there were low discussions around most campfires that night about the meaning of the ancient riddle. More than one set of eyes was turned northwards towards the origins of the cruel wind and upwards towards the thick black clouds blanketing the sky. The rain and hail that had troubled them across the plains of Tare had mercifully abated, but the clouds had thickened, as if they bore within them a surfeit of ice and hatred, waiting for the moment when it could be unleashed upon the column of Axemen.
That evening Faraday picked at her meal at the campfire she and Merlion shared with Axis, Belial, and the two Brothers, then she excused herself and wandered off to sit alone in the night. Axis watched her. She had been acting very strangely since he had returned from the Silent Woman Woods.
Axis hoped it had been nothing of his doing. Faraday had earned his grudging respect over the past three weeks or so. Both she and her mother had kept up with the pace with no complaints or petty requests for consideration because of their womanhood. They had caused his Axe-Wielders virtually no trouble at all; indeed, Axis smiled to himself, the Lady Merlion had kept a firm eye over their remaining two maids as well, to the disappointment of not a few of the Axe-Wielders who'd hoped to have some extra warmth in their bedrolls at night.
Axis had been surprised when he heard of Borneheld's betrothal to the youngest daughter of Earl Isend of Skarabost. Borneheld had evaded the ties of matrimony for the past ten years or so, preferring to keep a succession of blowzy mistresses either at Sigholt or Gorkenfort when he was in the north, or in the palace in Carlon when he was at court. Axis had thought that Borneheld would finally accept the offer of one of the richer lords — even with her grandfather's estates Faraday was not the richest heiress in Achar. Surprised, that is, until the night Faraday had smiled across the campfire at him. Pretty now, she would be an extraordinary beauty one day, and was both graceful and perceptive.
Well, Axis thought as he put his empty mug down at his side, it was no concern of his. A shame, however, that Isend had picked Borneheld. Borneheld did not f deserve a woman like Faraday - and certainly would not know how to treat her. Faraday was a lively and intelligent woman, and she would be miserable in the wilds of Ichtar; from what Axis had gleaned from palace whispers his mother had hated her life in the province. He hoped that life with Borneheld would not rob Faraday of her honesty and directness. Glancing about the fire he saw that while he'd been lost in thought the others had engaged themselves in an energetic debate about whether or not Baron YsgryfFof Nor had actually spent some of his youth as a pirate on Pirate's Nest. Smiling to himself Axis stood up and left the campfire, walking in the same direction that Faraday had taken.
He found her sitting on a low boulder just beyond the perimeter of the camp, her back to him as he approached, staring at the silhouette of the Barrows against the dark night sky.
"Faraday," he said quietly, and she jumped to her feet at the sound of his voice, turning to face him. She had been crying.
"Excuse me," Faraday muttered, and tried to walk past him back into camp, but Axis caught her arm as she drew level with him.
"Faraday, what is it? What have I done to upset you?"
Faraday tilted her face up at him, her eyes gleaming with tears. "It's nothing you've done, Axis," she whispered. "Please, let me go." A tear escaped her eyes and trickled slowly down her cheek.
"Faraday," he said again. "Why do you cry?" With his free hand he gently reached up and wiped the tear from her cheek with the back of his fingers. Without thinking he let his fingertips trail down her cheek and underneath her chin.
Faraday tried to smile. "Because life plays such cruel tricks, and . . ." and oh, she should not say this, but Axis was so close and his fingers were so gentle on her skin that she could not help herself, "because am betrothed to Borneheld when it is his brother that I want more than life itself."
"Faraday!" What was this girl saying? She was too young, too dangerous, and the timing was all wrong. He slipped his hand from her arm and into the small of her back, pressing her against his body. "Faraday," he whispered again, and then he leant down and kissed her.
His touch was so light, so gentle, that Faraday found herself straining on her toes to maintain the contact. Slowly the kiss deepened, and for long moments they held each other, then Faraday finally broke the embrace, pushing her hands against his chest and drawing back with a small shaky laugh. "Forgive me, BattleAxe," she said a little unsteadily. "I'm not sure what came over me."
Axis let her go reluctantly. He gazed down at her left hand, where Borneheld's ring glinted in what little light there was. "Why?" he asked, softly.
Faraday followed his eyes and twisted the ruby out of sight, closing her fingers about it. "Because it is what my father wanted, and because the alliance will be good for my family. I freely gave my consent, Axis."
"But it is not what you want." Axis' eyes caught her own, forcing her to tell the truth.
"No," she said very softly, "it is not what I want, but in the needs of a nation one girl's wants are a very small thing. I will go ahead with the marriage, Axis. I have to. My honour binds me."
Axis' temper broke. "It is not the needs of a nation that want this, but the greed of your father and the lust of Borneheld. And you are young and innocent if you think that honour has anything to do with this marriage. Faraday, there are long months ahead before the marriage has to take place. Think about whether you want to marry Borneheld, or whether you might be prepared to risk spending your life with someone you could learn to love instead."
Then he turned on his heel and stalked back into camp, his shoulders stiff with anger and frustration.
Faraday held her breath for a moment. Then a step distracted her and she turned towards the sound. Veremund, the white cat curled in his arms, stepped out of the darkness. "Dear one, we have to talk," he said quietly. "We cannot allow this to go any further." His eyes were golden in the night.

The Sentinels Speak Faraday took a step backwards, almost tripping over the low boulder she had been sitting on when Axis had disturbed her. What was wrong with his eyes? All the tales about the evil aspects of the Forbidden she had heard as a child came rushing back to her.
Veremund held out his hand to her. "Do not be afraid, dear one. We do not mean to hurt you. Come, take my hand."
Faraday, her heart beating wildly, stood looking at him.
"Please, dear one, take my hand."
His tone was soft and gentle, and Faraday found herself reaching her own trembling hand forth. The moment his ringers touched Faraday a feeling of tranquillity flooded over her.
"Will you walk with us a while, dear one? The others are waiting to talk to you as well." He began to lead her towards the nearest Barrow.
"The others? Which others? What do you want to talk about?" Faraday suddenly realised that Veremund had witnessed her talk with Axis. "Oh, Veremund, please! What happened between Axis and myself just then was simply foolishness. It meant nothing! You won't tell Mother, will you?"
Veremund paused a moment to let Yr down, then turned back to Faraday. "No, child, I won't tell your mother. But what happened between you and the BattleAxe hardly meant nothing."
"Then it has nothing to do with you, Veremund! What happens between Axis and myself is our own business."
Veremund shook his head. "I think not, dear one. Neither you nor Axis will have very private lives in the future. Now, we have to climb a little. Save your breath for the slope."
Veremund still held onto her hand, and as they climbed the steep side of the Ancient Barrow Faraday found she needed more and more to reach down and steady herself with her free hand. "Where are we going?" she panted after some fifteen minutes. Yr bounded ahead of them with an apparently endless supply of feline grace arid energy.
"Shhh," said Veremund, hardly breathing deeply at all, "we're almost there now,"
A moment later they climbed onto the top of the Barrow. Even though they were in an exposed spot, the air was still and calm and not a breath of the cold north wind touched their faces. From Faraday's vantage point a hundred paces in the air the hundreds of campfires of the Axe-Wielders seemed like a necklace of diamonds and rubies nestling around the Barrows. "Look," Veremund pointed. "They wait." Faraday followed his finger. "Oh!" she exclaimed, surprised. About twenty paces away, in the very centre of the small plateau on top of the Barrow; Ogden and Jack the pig boy sat inside a circle of white stones. Jack's heavy staff lay to one side outside the ring of white stones. "How did Jack get here?" she said, half to herself. "We rode so fast."
"Jack knows the land somewhat better than the Axemen with whom we ride," Veremund said mildly. "Come."
Faraday let herself be led .towards the other two. Yr's small white form reappeared a few paces in front of them, and she sat down between Jack and Ogden just as Faraday and Veremund stepped up. Faraday stepped into the circle of \vhite stones.
"Lovely lady," Jack smiled at her, although he did not rise, "it gladdens my heart to see you again." Faraday looked at him carefully. He did not look so simple tonight, although his good-hearted nature still shone forth at her. "Please, sit down within this our circle, and know that you are safe among us."
Faraday sat down cross-legged, tugging the skirt she had donned after the day's ride down over her knees and ankles. She turned to Veremund to say something, but the old man laid a soft finger across her lips as he sat down beside her. "Shush, dear one. For the moment you must simply watch and listen. We will answer all your questions in good time. Remember that you are in no danger."
Faraday looked about the group. All of their eyes glowed in a most unusual manner, almost as if there were coloured lamps behind them. Ogden and Veremund's eyes shone golden, Jack's a brilliant emerald green, while Yr's glimmered a deep midnight blue.
"Let us begin," Yr said in a soft, burred voice, the end of her tail twitching slightly.
Faraday just managed to stifle a shocked gasp. The cat blinked slowly at her, then turned back to her companions.
"We are . . ." she began.
"Diligent," Ogden whispered in a tone reminiscent of brothers when they chanted the Service of the Plough.
"Careful," Jack whispered in the same tone.
"Heedful," Veremund chanted softly beside her. Faraday's eyes were wide as the chant went on about her, each taking turns to carry the chant on.