"Sara Douglass - The Axis Trilogy 3 - StarMan" - читать интересную книгу автора (Douglass Sara)

windows stretched from the floor to the foot of a great jade dome, gauzy curtains billowing in the cool
breeze of late afternoon. They had been there for some hours, and Azhure was clearly tired. Axis turned
from her and addressed his father.

"These rooms are of Icarii origin, StarDrifter, and the Chamber of the Moons is obviously patterned
on the Star Gate. How so? I thought Carlon an entirely human affair."

StarDrifter, sprawled on his belly across a couch some paces away, his wings spreading across the
floor on either side, shrugged his shoulders.

"The Icarii had to live somewhere, Axis. In the time of Tencendor gone, both human and Icarii must
have lived in Carlon - it is a very ancient city."

He rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Both Axis and Azhure, wingless, wondered at
StarDrifter's grace in rolling completely over without entangling himself in his wings.

"I have no doubt that Carlon would have been a popular residence for Icarii, Axis," StarDrifter
continued, "as close as it is to the sacred Grail Lake and Spiredore." He paused, his face dreamy. "One
could lift directly from those windows into the thermals rising off the great plains."

Azhure smiled briefly at Axis. StarDrifter looked far too lazy to do anything more than loll about the
chamber. Her smile died as she shifted uncomfortably and pushed a pillow into the small of her back -
every day the unborn twins grew larger and more cumbersome.

Axis looked at her, concerned.We have tired you, beloved. '

"No," she said, although both StarDrifter and Axis could see the exhaustion tugging at her eyes. "No, I
want to try again. Please, one more time before you go back down to your army."

Axis had belatedly realised how much time had elapsed since his defeat of Borneheld, and he was in
the process of organising a force to speed northwards to bolster the defences of Jervois Landing. Every
hour brought them closer to autumn and Gorgrael's inevitable attack.

StarDrifter sat up, as concerned as Axis was with Azhure's condition. Faraday had obviously healed
her back (and how much more desirable the woman was with her back clean and smooth and aching to
be stroked, StarDrifter thought), but Azhure remained very weak from both the physical and emotional
battering she had been forced to endure four days ago. Neither Axis nor StarDrifter was prepared to
argue with Faraday's prediction that Azhure would have to rest until the birth of her children.

And yet how desperately I will need her against Gorgrael, Axis thought. How desperately I need her
skill with both bow and command, her Alaunt, and her power. I can ill afford to lose her to a drawn-out
recovery over the next few months. But how much less can I afford to lose her to inevitable death should
I push her too hard now? Axis was still trying to come to terms with his guilt, not only over the events of
a few days ago, but also over the fact that, unknown to him, Azhure had fought through the dreadful
Battle of Bedwyr Fort while encumbered with such a difficult pregnancy. His hand tightened about hers
as he realised his good fortune that Azhure had managed to survive the past weeks at all.

"Please," Azhure said. "One more time." She raised her free hand to brush some strands of hair from
her forehead, and the Enchantress' ring glittered in the golden light of late afternoon.