The Serpent Bride. Sara Douglass

and powerful. Ba’al’uz had thought initially they were connected in some manner to DarkGlass Mountain, but use demonstrated that they were different entirely. The power associated with Lister’s pyramids was colder, and far more horrid, than that which DarkGlass Mountain radiated. Ba’al’uz didn’t particularly like using the pyramid, but it was useful, enabling him to discover what Lister was about and also to aid Lister’s and Isaiah’s plans to invade the kingdoms north of the FarReach Mountains.

      There was nothing more Ba’al’uz wanted than to see Isaiah out of Isembaard.

      So Ba’al’uz pretended to be Lister’s ally, for at the moment it suited Ba’al’uz’ purpose. He wondered, at times, if Lister thought he might use Ba’al’uz against Isaiah, and would smile at the thought of everyone plotting against everyone else.

      Life sometimes could be so much fun.

      Ba’al’uz took a deep breath, settled himself more comfortably on his bed, and wrapped his right hand about the pyramid.

      As with Isaiah’s pyramid, so Ba’al’uz’ glowed first a radiant pink, then red, then flared into sun-bright gold before subduing to a soft yellow.

      Ba’al’uz removed his hand and there, waiting for him as arranged, was Lister, the Lord of the Skraelings.

      “Where are you?” said Lister.

      “Hairekeep. Well on my way to the north.”

      “You will need to negotiate the FarReach Mountains yet, my delightfully crazed friend.”

      Ba’al’uz grinned. “You know you can depend on me.”

      Lister laughed. “Yes, I know that. Now, tell me about Isaiah. He is hiding something. I felt it the last time I spoke with him.”

      “He has a new friend. Axis SunSoar. Perhaps you have heard of him?”

      There was a brief silence when Ba’al’uz could almost feel Lister’s surprise, but then Lister spoke calmly. “Surely. The Skraelings curse with his name. But I thought Axis was long dead, sunk beneath the waves of the Widowmaker Sea along with his land. The Skraelings drank themselves silly with jubilation the day that happened, I can tell you.”

      “Some months ago Isaiah made a weekend foray down to Lake Juit. He took a punt out into the lake, and from its waters dragged forth Axis SunSoar. Remarkable, eh?”

      “I imagine that you must have aided him in this,” Lister said.

      “I did not. Isaiah managed it all on his own. Do you know how he did it, Lister?”

      “Me? How should I know? I cannot begin to imagine what Isaiah could want with the man.”

      “Surely you can work that one out, Lister. Isaiah doesn’t trust you, and who better to tell him how to outwit the Lord of the Skraelings than Axis SunSoar.”

      Lister managed a small smile. “Then he is sadly mistaken if he thinks Axis can better me. I have far more secrets than the Skraelings to batter at Isaiah should he think to outwit me.”

      “Really? What? Do tell. You know you can trust me.”

      Lister waved a hand, dismissing Ba’al’uz’ question. “Tell me, beloved friend, how goes DarkGlass Mountain?”

      Ba’al’uz frowned. What did Lister know? “What do you mean?” he said.

      “Just curious. I find myself fascinated with the mountain. It doesn’t … chatter to you at all?”

      “No! Never! Have you lost your senses, Lister?” Ba’al’uz wondered if Kanubai was whispering to Lister as well, and felt a knot of jealousy in his belly.

      Again that dismissive wave of the hand from Lister. “So. You travel north to create havoc and mayhem in order to prepare the way for Isaiah and myself?”

      “Yes. Much havoc and mayhem.”

      “You are a good lad, Ba’al’uz,” said Lister, “and in the new order, once Isaiah and I have succeeded, you can be assured of many and mighty rewards.”

      Fool, thought Ba’al’uz. In the new order you can be assured of a swift and bitter end.

      “We shall keep in touch,” said Lister, “just to let each other know what is going on, yes?”

      “Of course,” said Ba’al’uz.

      Lister put his pyramid on the table in the central chamber of his castle of Crowhurst deep in the frozen north and looked at his companion. The man lounged back in his chair, snowy wings spread out to either side of him, one foot resting on the seat of another chair, frost trailing down one bare shoulder and arm to where a hand rested on the tabletop, and regarded Lister with grey eyes alive with amusement.

      He was a strange creature, at first sight an Icarii, but at second … something else. His form was not completely solid, but made up rather of shifting shades of grey and white and silver, and small drifts of frost. Even his eyelashes were frosted, and when he lifted a hand from where it had rested on the table it left a patch of icy condensation, which quickly evaporated in the warmth of the chamber. He was of a race called the Lealfast, and they had, for their own reasons, closely allied themselves with the Lord of the Skraelings.

      “Did you hear?” Lister said.

      “Yes,” said his companion, Eleanon. “DarkGlass Mountain has begun its infernal whispering, as much as Ba’al’uz tries to deny it.”

      “And caught Ba’al’uz in its clutches,” said Lister. “The question is, my friend, do we continue to use the madman, or dispose of him here and now?”

      Eleanon gave a small shrug. “He is moving away from DarkGlass Mountain. He should still be malleable. Besides, you need him in the Central Kingdoms. Isaiah has to invade, and none of us wants to have an army waiting to meet him at the other end of the Salamaan Pass. Ba’al’uz can create the chaos to prevent that.”

      “True,” Lister said, his fingers tapping on the table. “We will need to keep an eye on Ba’al’uz, though. One never knows which way his loyalties will dart next.”

      “I loathe it that he has one of the spires,” said Eleanon, speaking of the glass pyramids. “If I’d known you would give one to that vile creature then none of us would have consented to give them to you.”

      “He does not know what it is,” said Lister. “He has no means at all to comprehend it. But to the real news. Isaiah has brought Axis SunSoar back from the Otherworld. All on his own.” Lister gave a little laugh. “I’d never thought Isaiah would have the initiative to do something like that. How do you feel about it, Eleanon? The legendary StarMan back from the dead?”

      “He means nothing to me.”

      Lister gave him a long look. “Of course not. And he is, after all, so far away. But what if, Eleanon — just suppose, if you please — one day Axis thought to command you?”

      “I answer only to you, Lister.”

      Lister gave a small smile, and then a nod. “And, of course … ?”

      “And, of course, to the Lord of Elcho Falling.”

11

       PALACE OF AQHAT, TYRANNY OF ISEMBAARD

      Axis enjoyed Ba’al’uz’ absence. Without Ba’al’uz’ sly, insidious terror, the entire palace relaxed: servants smiled as they went about their daily duties, the frogs who lived in the reed banks of the River Lhyl sang more melodiously, the sun shone less