"Sara Douglass - The Axis Trilogy 1 - BattleAxe" - читать интересную книгу автора (Douglass Sara)

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tale of Rivkah's shame to someone who knew nothing about the affair.
"Axis is the illegitimate son of Rivkah, Priam's sister," she said bluntly, and
her words were finally enough for Faraday to tear her gaze from Axis and look at
Devera. "Really!" she breathed.
"Yes," Devera nodded sagely. "Rivkah was married at an early age, younger
than you are now, to the ageing Searlas, Duke of Ichtar. Within a year she had
produced a son, Borneheld. Searlas was pleased. While Rivkah had the young
babe to occupy her, he left her at the fort of Sigholt in the Urqhart Hills, safe
enough one would think, while he went on an extensive tour of the northern
fortifications at Gorkenfort and the River Andakilsa. He was gone a year. When
he returned to Sigholt it was to find that Borneheld had grown into a strong,
one-year-old boy, and the Princess Rivkah was holding court at Sigholt with a
bulging eight-month belly. Can you imagine the scandal? Even the stableboys
knew of the pregnancy before Searlas did."
Faraday's curiosity would not let the next question lie. "Who was the father?"
Devera's blue eyes twinkled and her mouth curved mischievously. She
tossed her curls and her breasts jiggled in their too-tight bodice. "No one knows,
Faraday. Rivkah flatly refused to tell. She had not wanted to marry Searlas in the
first place, and most people assumed that this was her way of ending the
marriage. Well, Searlas was furious — as he had a right to be. He had believed
that Rivkah would be safe at Sigholt — there is no garrison bolted tighter in
Achar -and his suspicions immediately fell upon the garrison guard and servants.
It is said that he had half of them tortured before he came out of his black rage.
He had north in a futile effort to keep the birth secret. Futile, because news of
the pregnancy had already reached Carlon and the entire court knew that
Searlas was not the father. The old king Karel, Priam and Rivkah's father, was
equally livid. He told Searlas that he could do with Rivkah what he wanted. But in
the end Searlas didn't have to do anything. Rivkah died in childbirth."




Faraday's eyes misted and she twisted her napkin in her lap.
"Oh, how tragic!"
"Tragic my foot," Devera snorted. "It was the best thing that could have
happened. Well, the best thing that could have happened was that the bastard
child had died at birth as well, but that was not to be. Searlas flatly refused to
acknowledge him. King Karel, and then Priam after him, refused to even mention
Rivkah's name, much less acknowledge that her bastard son is of their blood."
"But who took care of the baby? What became of him?"
"Brother-Leader Jayme, then attached to the royal household, was at the
Retreat in Gorkentown when the boy was born. He took the child into the
Seneschal as his protege, hoping that the boy would eventually take orders and
become a reclusive brother attached to some retreat in a dusty corner of Achar.
It seemed the best solution and relieved both the King and the Duke of Ichtar of
an embarrassing problem. But Axis had no penchant for the Brotherhood, and
every penchant for the sword and the axe. After training in arms at a noble
household for several years Axis joined the Seneschal's Axe-Wielders when he
was seventeen and, five years ago when Jayme was elected to the position of