"Ravenna, I hope my trust in you has not been misplaced."
"No, my Lord. It has not. I will do this, if only to make amends for what I have done in the past."
"You will trap the One in the Land of Nightmares?"
"Yes."
"And you can do this?"
"Yes. Easily, once Ishbel removes her curses."
Drava studied her. He had taken a gigantic risk in recommending Ravenna to Maximilian, and he needed to be very sure. "You will need to stay within the Land of Nightmares, Ravenna. You cannot leave. To do so might mean that --"
"I know the implications, my lord. If I left I might leave the way open for either my son or the One to leave, too. I will stay there. My life and the life of my son is enough. We can manage within the Land of Nightmares." She set her face in a tremulous smile, reaching out a hand to rest lightly on Drava"s arm. "Your trust in me is not misplaced. I will do this for Maximilian, and I will do it for my mother, Venetia, whom I murdered."
Drava"s face relaxed. He laid his hand over hers, then he smiled and allowed his hand to fall away. "Thank you, Ravenna."
Ravenna sat motionless for a long time after Drava had gone. She could barely believe that Maximilian had decided to trust her, or that Ishbel would remove her hateful curses.
She would have her power as a marsh witch returned.
Her son -- Ravenna rested a hand on her belly -- would have his rights as Maximilian"s heir restored and, once Ishbel stripped Maximilian of his power, would become the Lord of Elcho Falling.
From horror and despair . . . to this. Ravenna drew in a deep breath, closing her eyes. She had thought her son would have nothing, but instead he would have everything.
Albeit trapped in the Land of Nightmares with the One.
"But even that . . . " she whispered. "Even that . . . " Her hand patted her belly, where her son now grew healthy with the good food provided Ravenna over these past days.
Surely he would not need to stay forever.
Not when Elcho Falling waited for its lord.
Chapter 15.
Elcho Falling.
As they had previously, the Lealfast a.s.sembled into their circles in the hour after dawn, Eleanon moving to his usual spot on the small hill a little distance to the north.
And, as usual, Maximilian, Isaiah and Axis stood on the balcony of the command chamber, watching the Lealfast file into their circles.
Georgdi had just joined them, and now Maximilian addressed him.
"Report?"
"Most of the cracks have widened and spread overnight," Georgdi said. "Maxel, within a few hours, if they continue at this rate, the cracks from all the different sites will join up and encircle Elcho Falling. When that happens the citadel will not survive for long."
He stopped, waiting for Maximilian to respond, but Maximilian said nothing, continuing to regard Georgdi with bleak eyes.
"The Dark Spire burst through three more levels overnight," Georgdi continued, knowing this, at least, Maximilian must have suspected. The noise from the breaking masonry floors had reverberated throughout the entire citadel. "Its summit is now in the floor directly below the main ground level. By tomorrow ."
He didn"t need to spell it out for them.
"Maxel," Axis said, "we must --"
"Do something?" Maximilian said. "Do you think I am holding something back just for the heck of it? Don"t you think that if I"d had some magic solution I might not have used it already?"
He sighed, and apologised for his ill-temper. "I have been up all night -- again -- but it is no excuse as I know none of you have had much sleep, either." He paused. "Last night Ishbel and I talked, between ourselves and with Boaz, who once fought with the power of the One, and with Drava, Lord of Dreams. We have reached a decision. As neither Ishbel nor I can find any way of countering the power of the One ourselves, we have decided to accept StarDancer"s plan. We will return Ravenna"s power, and we will trust her to use it to drag the One through to the Land of Nightmares. It is all we can do, and we pray it will be enough."
Axis exchanged glances with Isaiah and Georgdi, then gave a nod. "Good. When will Ishbel remove her curses on Ravenna?"
"Today sometime, I think. We dare not hesitate any longer."
Axis gave another nod, relaxing within himself. Better than good. Now he could concentrate entirely on the Lealfast and not worry about what happened at his back.
"Excellent," said Isaiah. "Now all Axis and I need do is to stop the Lealfast while you, Ishbel and Ravenna work on trapping the One. You may be dealing with the power of Infinity, but I think Axis and I have almost as hard a task, for the Lealfast, if not capable of destroying this entire world, are certainly capable of razing a significant portion of it."
"Princ.i.p.ally the portion we are standing on," Axis said. "Maxel, we are constrained by the fact we have hundreds of thousands of soldiers inside Elcho Falling and can"t get them out. True, we"d face a savage battle with the Lealfast if we could get them out, but it would be something. Maxel, I ask again, are you certain we cannot use the transference method?"
Maximilian chewed on his lip, staring out at the Lealfast, and Axis sensed a weakening of his resolve. He prayed it would go the same way as his resolve not to trust Ravenna.
"Maxel, we must try," Axis continued. "Elcho Falling cannot take much more of this. Between them, the Lealfast and the Dark Spire will destroy the citadel within a day or two. I don"t care that the odds are appalling. I don"t care that I might die in the attempt. We must try this, Maximilian"
"Axis is right," Isaiah said softly.
"You said that you and Ishbel could only transfer ten thousand," Axis continued, pushing his case. "Ten thousand is enough."
"Against a quarter of a million?" Maximilian said. "Against a race that can --"
"We are desperate," Axis said, "and we have nothing else."
"I will think about it," Maximilian said, and Axis hissed in frustration.
"How many of your plans for the defence of Elcho Falling have gone disastrously wrong in the past few days?" Maximilian snapped. "I will think this through, and you and Isaiah need to work out what every single possible implication might be. Wipe that look of impatience from your face, Axis. f I agree, then this one we do my way."
They stood silently on the balcony, watching. The Lealfast had formed themselves into their usual circles, and as Eleanon began his clapping (Axis wishing desperately for a single clear arrow shot), they began the same march they had employed for the past four days.
But, seven claps into the sequence, the entire ma.s.s of Lealfast suddenly raised their hands and clapped a single time, leaping a little into the air as they did so and landing down with a significant thump.
"Stars!" Axis said as he felt the balcony literally jump under his feet.
Another seven claps, another seven paces, and then again all the Lealfast leapt sightly into the air, clapped, and then thumped down.
Again the balcony shuddered, and this time something inside the command chamber toppled over and broke.
"Shetzah!" Isaiah said.
"Check those cracks," Maximilian said. "Now!"
Within an hour of the Lealfast beginning their new routine the additional tremors had extended the cracks from the many epicentres in the walls until Elcho Falling was completely ringed with cracks.
"They"re extending right through the walls," Insharah said to Maximilian, who had come to one of the mid-level outer wall chambers to see for himself.
Maximilian crouched down and put his hand against the wall. One of the resounding Lealfast claps and thumps came from outside, and he felt the wall vibrate.
And shift. Only a tiny fraction, but it had shifted.
"Maxel . . . " Axis said, his voice tight.
"When?" Maximilian said.
"Tomorrow," Axis said. "I will need to spend some hours to handpick men and practise some manoeuvres." He didn"t voice the thought that if only Maximilian had given permission earlier, they could have been ready to go right now.
Maximilian stood up. "Axis --"
He stopped as a gigantic shudder ripped through Elcho Falling, making everyone in the chamber reach for support.
"The Dark Spire," Axis said, but Maximilian was already out the door.
It had torn through the main ground level and up through the great staircase. Now its summit reared halfway to the next level.
The lower parts of the great staircase were all but ruined -- several unlucky men lay injured on the floor by the sides of the spire, sent tumbling when it had pushed its way through the floor.
Georgdi was already there, organising ladders to be brought so they could bridge the gap between that part of the staircase that was still usable and the floor below.
Maximilian stared at the spire. He could feel the One inside, feel him throbbing in excitement and expectation, and knew then that they had a day, maybe less. He remembered the power that the One had sent seething down the path toward him from the Twisted Tower, and shuddered.
The One would not hesitate to destroy him the moment he had the chance.
Maximilian gave Axis a long, cool look. "Go then, organise your men and practise your manoeuvres, but I still want you and Isaiah to report to me at dusk with every single complication you can think of. Every conceivable complication, and then a hundred or so of the inconceivable ones. This is so dangerous, Axis, that it could as easily destroy us as aid us. I want this --"
"Thought through," Axis finished for him. "I understand. Maxel, I won"t fail you."
"Meet me at dusk, Axis."
The One crouched underneath the tip of the spire, his hands splayed against the outer wall just above his head. He could see out, but his power shielded him from any prying eyes spotting him.
There stood the Lord of Elcho Falling, looking worried, and looking as if he were considering some plan.
What? the One thought. What could Maximilian throw at him now?
There was nothing. Infinity waited at the One"s back, and it wanted Maximilian dead.
The One reached out his senses for an instant to Eleanon and the Lealfast.
Good. Eleanon intuited nothing about the One"s presence. Eleanon would need to die as well -- the One did not like the man"s ambition -- but as for the rest of the Lealfast . . . oh, they would be good and faithful servants to the One in the new world of destruction.
Dark winged warriors of death.
The One grinned.
"Ravenna?"
She rose from her chair at the sound of the unlocking door. "Maximilian," she said as he came into the chamber.
"h.e.l.lo, Ravenna."
Ravenna clenched and unclenched her hands at her sides, wanting to look nervous and unsure. "You have come to a decision."
"Aye." Maximilian hesitated. "We have decided to trust you."
Ravenna gave a tight smile. "No doubt with much agonising."
"Yes. With much agonising."
"When?" she managed.
"Ishbel and I will come to you later tonight," Maximilian said. "Ishbel will remove the curses which bind you then."
"Thank you," Ravenna said, and Maximilian nodded, held her eyes for a long moment longer, then left the chamber.
Ravenna sat down, and smiled.
Chapter 16.
Elcho Falling.
"Well?" Maximilian said. "Your thoughts?"
He and Ishbel sat once more in the command chamber, together with Isaiah, Axis, Inardle, Georgdi and Egalion. It was dusk, and the balcony doors had been closed against the cool evening air.
It was deceptively peaceful in the chamber. Outside, thousands of men scurried about the citadel, propping up and reinforcing walls with whatever they had.