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

The cat scrambled up his thick woollen cloak and crouched on his shoulder. "Hurry," she hissed softly.
Jack took his heavy staff in his free hand, waited until Faraday had grasped it in both her hands, then raised it slightly and knocked it three times on a piece of flat grey rock by their feet. The sound rang through the ornate knob at the top of the staff.
"Sing well, fly high, StarFarers. By your leave, let us pass the chamber of death and grant us entry to your Halls. In the name of the One who will walk with you one day we seek your aid this day." His eyes glowed emerald and his fingers whitened about the heavy staff. Then everything seemed to happen at once. Timozel clapped his hand on Jack's free shoulder. "What are you doing?" he began, his voice brusque and demanding. Jack whipped his head around, his emerald eyes blazing, his entire face a mask of white-hot anger. Yr hissed and struck out at Timozel with her claws, her own eyes brilliant with anger.
There was a sound of rumbling thunder from their feet, then the earth beneath them opened up into a yawning chasm and the entire end of the Barrow began to collapse about them. Faraday saw the black hole suddenly yawn under her feet and screamed, frantically trying to leap backwards. She was too late and the next instant felt herself falling head over heels into a chasm. Then something struck her head and blackness claimed her.
Axis and the two Brothers entered the Barrows just as the storm was beginning to fade. They had not fared badly, the Icarii ward protecting all three of them from the full force of the storm.
Axis was appalled at the carnage that met his eyes as he rode between the Barrows. Although most had escaped to shelter beside the steep walls of the ancient earth-covered tombs, hundreds of bodies lay scattered about in the wide exposed spaces between the Barrows. Both horses and men had died gruesomely. Others lay writhing in pain in the mud, their bodies pinned to the ground by the piercing ice, their life blood draining away. Puddles of blood and water mingled on the sodden ground as the ice spears melted, the continuing light rain adding to the spreading pink puddles.
Ogden looked up at Axis. "It is the work of Gorgrael, BattleAxe. The ice is his mark."
"What have I done?" whispered Axis, scarcely hearing Ogden. "What have I done to my men?" How could a storm wreak this much mayhem and death?
Veremund rode up, leading Ogden's donkey. "You could have done nothing more than what you did, BatdeAxe. How could men fight the storm with swords and axes? If they had not retreated to the Barrows, then more — hundreds more — would have died on the plain. Here, at least, most found shelter."
His words did not comfort Axis. He should never have led his men out of the Barrows in the first place, but so wrapped was he in his thoughts of Faraday that . . .
Axis looked up, his eyes frantically searching among the bodies scattered across the ground. His heels dug into the stallion's sides and Belaguez leaped forward.
Ogden and Veremund hurried after him, Ogden lifting his habit well clear of the bloodied mud as he leaped in ungainly bounds across the ground.
Axis had got to within fifty paces of the nearest Barrow when he saw Faraday, Timozel and a strange man standing huddled together in a group at its far end. He opened his mouth to call but just then the ground rumbled beneath Belaguez's hooves, and the stallion stumbled and almost fell. His hands clutching at Belaguez's mane, Axis' eyes did not waver from the sight before him. He saw Faraday cry out and clutch at the air, her whole body weaving backwards and forwards. All three then toppled into the hole which opened at their feet. The entire side of the Barrow slid downwards and an immense shifting mass of mud, turf and boulders engulfed the spot where the three had disappeared. For as long as it took Axis to gallop Belaguez across to the site the landslide continued, then it rumbled grudgingly to an end as Axis slid off the stallion.
"No!" Axis screamed, tearing at the earth with his bare hands. "No!"
Ogden and Veremund reached him moments later. "It's too late," said Ogden, pulling Axis gently back from the mudslide. "They're gone."
Axis' hands were torn and bloody. "No," he whispered, his face ghostly pale.
Belial joined them, blood oozing from a deep wound in his shoulder. He waved Ogden and Veremund back with an abrupt movement of his hand, then squatted beside Axis and talked to him in a low voice, his eyes intense. After a moment Axis nodded curtly and stood up.
"I am going to ride north until I can face this Destroyer in battle," he said, his voice harsh, his eyes hard and cold, "and then I will tear him to pieces for what he has done here today."
Inside the Enchanter-Talon's Tomb Faraday awoke, her head throbbing, every muscle and joint in lier body aching. Someone held a. hand close over her face. "Mphh," she muttered, trying to brush away the irritating hand. "I'm only wiping the dirt from your face. There. Can you open your eyes?"
With a great effort Faraday slowly opened her eyes. She blinked, trying to focus. Jack's concerned face swam above hers and she blinked again. Gradually his face came into focus.
"I hurt, everywhere," she muttered, trying to sit up.
"We came down more heavily than I had foreseen," Jack said, his worried face easing a little as Faraday began to move. "I didn't realise the Barrow would collapse so badly. Yr and I escaped the worst of it, but you and," his face hardened, "that Axe-Wielder were hit by some loose stones."
"Timozel!" Faraday sat up straight, too quickly for her aching head to adjust, and groaned, catching at her head with her hands.
"Quietly," a woman's soft voice said behind her, and Faraday felt cool and soothing hands run gently across her brow. "You must not move so fast yet. Here, let me massage your head for a moment."
The woman's hands felt wonderful and for a few minutes Faraday sat, her eyes closed, letting the marvellous hands take away the worst of the throbbing.
"Thank you," she whispered eventually, opening her eyes and turning to thank the woman who had relieved her head of so much of the pain. "That feels . . ." Faraday's eyes widened in astonishment. Squatting behind her was a completely naked woman with long straight white-blonde hair hanging to her waist.
"Why, Lady Faraday, do you not know me? I am Yr, and this is my human form."
Faraday's eyes widened even further. "You can change?"
Yr laughed, a low and throaty sound, "It is hard for me, for any of us, to change, and we need a little assistance to do so. This place," she waved her hand about, "still contains so much residual enchantment that the transformation was made easier for me." She laughed again merrily and winked at Jack. "Jack did not always approve of the cat. He thought it...inappropriate." She shrugged a little. "But a cat can go where no woman can, arid can listen to conversations that any other man or woman would be killed for overhearing. I have stalked the corridors of Carlon for many years, sweet girl, and I have heard much."
"Enough," Jack said shortly. "Faraday, can you stand?"
Yr and Jack helped Faraday to her feet. Her head swam a little, then she looked about. They were standing at one end of a dimly lit rectangular stone chamber, perhaps forty paces by fifteen. In the centre of the chamber stood a table-shaped solid block of stone, as high as a man's waist and pure white, almost gleaming in the poor light. Two copper lamps, one at either end of the chamber, glowed softly. Turning around Faraday saw that the wall behind them was half obscured by tumbled masonry and dirt.
"The landslide has blocked the passage down here completely, Faraday. No-one can follow," Jack said softly. "As far as those above are concerned we are dead, entombed in the mud and the rocks."
Faraday shivered. Axis thought she was dead. Well, it was for the best. She gasped suddenly as she saw TimozeFs motionless form stretched along the floor immediately behind her. She stepped over and bent down by him. "Timozel!"
Yr and Jack looked at each other. It would have been better if Timozel had died in the landslide, but he had been largely protected by the magical aura of the staff as they fell down the chasm. His presence was a complication that they did not need. Still, as Ogden and Veremund were bound, so were they. They could suggest and advise, and sometimes they could manipulate events if they served the Prophecy, but they could not go so far as to interfere with life itself.
Jack sighed and bent down by Timozel. "Faraday, move your hand. I can help him as I did you."
Faraday watched as Jack moved his hand over Timozel's face, a faint green light emanating from the tips of his fingers. Gradually the colour seeped back into Timozel's cheeks and after a few minutes he shifted slightly and began to moan.
"Faraday," Jack looked at her as she crouched the other side of Timozel. "You must persuade him that Yr and I pose no threat. As you can see, the boy is fully armed with sword and axe and Yr and I are as vulnerable to steel as you or Axis. As Axis must not die, neither must we — for then all is lost."
Faraday nodded, her green eyes grave, and leaned one restraining hand on Timozel's chest.
Unlike Faraday, Timozel leapt from unconsciousness to full alertness. His eyes opened, both angry and indignant, and he lurched into a sitting position, brushing aside Faraday's restraining hand, his knees bending to rise. His hand gripped his sword, half unsheathing it from its scabbard. Both Yr and Jack flinched involuntarily at the sound of the steel sliding free from its prison.
"No!" Faraday cried, trying to wrap her arms around him. "Timozel, it's all right. We're safe!"
Timozel sat rigid for a moment, his hand still clenched about the hilt of his sword.
"Faraday?" he said, puzzled, "What happened?" He turned to look at her, his eyes losing some of their aggression.
"Shush, it's all right, Timozel." Faraday ran her fingers soothingly through his brown curls.
"Where are we?" he asked, turning to look around him. "What happened?" His face tightened as he saw Jack and remembered him trying to abduct Faraday; then his cheeks stained red as he fully realised that the strange woman standing next to Jack was completely naked. Yr's lips parted a little in a smile. She shook her hair back from her face and squared her shoulders slightly, leaning back against the stone block, her skin almost as white as the stone itself.
Timozel slid the sword back into its scabbard, his eyes still on Yr, and rose slowly to his feet.
"Yr," Jack rebuked gently. "This is not the time nor the place."
"But what can I do, Jack? have no clothes," said Yr.
Timozel continued to stare at Yr, his eyes wary. "Here," he said finally, his face returning to its normal colour. "You can have my cloak."
He slipped it from his shoulders and took a step towards Yr. Yr paused, teasing, then she languidly stretched forth a hand. "Ugh," she said disapprovingly, "it's wet."
"Take it!" Jack snapped, irritated by Yr's behaviour. He wished she had retained her cat form; she could be infinite trouble in her womanly guise.