"Sara Douglass - The Axis Trilogy 2 - Enchanter" - читать интересную книгу автора (Douglass Sara)

Andakilsa. The King of Achar (whosoever he currently was) might fondly believe
that he ruled Ravensbund as he ruled the rest of Achar, but as far as the
Ravensbundmen knew or cared, the Achar King had as much control over them
as he did over the Forbidden. Ho'Demi was their Chief, and his was the law they
obeyed.
But now, for the sake of the Prophecy and because it was the only thing left
for him to do, Ho'Demi would put himself under the command of Borneheld.
Ravensbundmen had been aware of the Prophecy of the Destroyer for thousands
of years, and Ho'Demi knew that, divided, no-one could defeat Gorgrael.
Someone had to begin the alliance that would create Tencendor and crush the
Destroyer. As the Skraeling threat grew infinitely worse, he had quickly realised
this was a sign that the Prophecy had awoken and now walked. Of all the
peoples of this land, perhaps the Ravensbundmen were more loyal to the name
of the StarMan than most. When he called, then they would rally.
In groups of never less than a thousand, the Ravensbund people had passed
by Gorkenfort, many weeks before Axis had arrived. As yet they did not know
where the StarMan was; they did not know who he was. Until they found him,
until they could declare their loyalty and their spears for him, Ho'Demi had
decided they would fight with Borneheld. If he would have them.
Borneheld knew what the bells were the instant their gentle sound reached
him through the fog, and he hunched even further beneath his voluminous cloak.
It had been two weeks since they had fled Gorkenfort. As soon as Axis had
drawn the Skraelings northwards away from the fort, Borneheld had ordered the
gates opened and led his column out through the ruins of Gorkentown. The
march south towards Jervois Landing was a desperate trek through icy
conditions which hourly weakened his men's resistance to death. Many had died
from the freezing cold or from the physical effort of the march. In the past week
even more had died as the Skraelings made nibbling attacks on the rear and
flanks of Borneheld's retreating column. Others deserted. Even those two old
brothers who Axis had dragged north with him from the Silent Woman Keep and
who had babbled incessantly about musty prophecies had disappeared one night.
As far as Borneheld was concerned, the Skraelings could feed all they wanted on
those two as on any others not prepared to stay with him.
Unaccountably, the Skraelings had left them alone for a critical five days
after their escape from Gorkenfort. They had ridden as hard and as fast as they
could — until the horses started to die beneath them — expecting an attack from
Gorgrael's army at any moment. No-one in Borneheld's company knew that it
was because Axis and his command had hurt the Skraelings so grievously in the
icy wastes above Gorkenfort that the SkraeBolds had needed to regroup the
decimated Skraeling forces.
All Borneheld and his company knew was that they'd had five days' start on
the Skraelings, and that five days was the difference between life and death.
When the Skraelings did finally reappear, they did not do so in force, and
Borneheld's column had managed to keep moving further south towards the
comparative safety of Jervois Landing. The Skraelings would not push so far
south. Surely.
Yet every step they took southwards towards safety increased Borneheld's
bitterness. It hadn't been his fault that Gorkenfort had fallen. Traitors had
undermined his command and betrayed both Ichtar and Achar. Magariz's actions
had confirmed that. His most senior, most trusted commander had chosen to