Part 30 (1/2)

The Outlands.

That evening, Isaiah, Axis and Inardle gathered at the boundary of the Isembaardian camp. Isaiah had been busy all day and neither of the other two had had a chance to talk with him. Now they were full of questions.

”Enough!” Isaiah said, raising his hands in self-defence. He was looking his majestic best. His long black hair had been washed and rebraided with hundreds of glittering crystal beads (it would not have surprised Axis to have learned they were diamonds) that jingled whenever he moved his head. He had abandoned his usual riding attire of leather trousers and jerkin for an all-black close-fitting ensemble that highlighted his musculature and strength.

From somewhere, possibly Lamiah who may have liberated it from one of Isaiah's original invading supply wagons, Isaiah had found one of his extraordinary jewelled collars. It hung about his upper chest and draped over his shoulders in a blaze of diamonds, sapphires and emeralds, which, along with the jewels in his braids, caught every glint of light.

Axis thought the Skraelings would be salivating in envy.

Isaiah sighed, thinking about what he could, or wanted, to say. ”All I want to say for now is that when we talk with the Skraelings, I will probably take us back to almost the beginning of time when this world was very new. I lived then, as did Lister, and we each had many adventures and made many decisions that have long, long been forgotten.

”At least, I thought they had been forgotten. When I touched you yesterday, Inardle, one of those decisions, one of my ancient secrets, reared up and told me in no uncertain tones that it still lived, and that the consequences of a rash action tens of thousands of years ago have now come back to haunt me.” He paused. ”As they have haunted you, Axis, and this land. I made a grave mistake many, many aeons ago, and I had no idea . . . no idea at all .”

He managed a small smile. ”Perhaps that mistake can be revealed, and maybe I can have a chance to make right for the future a wrong that is anciently old. Maybe the Skraelings can have a chance, too. And, Axis,” Isaiah's smile grew a little broader, a little more genuine, ”maybe you will understand why the Skraelings loathe water so much. G.o.ds, that alone should have given it away to me . . . oh, well, no matter now. Are you ready?”

That little speech hadn't enlightened either Axis or Inardle, and it had made Axis feel a great deal more uneasy. He wasn't happy at all about walking toward a throng of millions of Skraelings, even with Isaiah at his side, and from what Isaiah was saying .

”Come, Axis,” Isaiah said. ”It will be an adventure, and you like adventures.”

”I gave up admiring adventures a long time ago,” Axis muttered, but Isaiah pretended not to hear him, and together the three began the journey across the no-man's land between the two armies.

The juit birds had preferred to make their roost elsewhere this night.

They walked in silence toward the Skraeling ma.s.s which opened up as they approached, forming an avenue toward their centre.

Axis began to feel very nervous . . . he had expected to meet with a delegation somewhere other than surrounded by several million Skraelings.

It will be all right, Axis, Isaiah said, and with that Axis had to content himself.

He glanced at Inardle. She was walking to his side, outwardly calm, but he could tell by the way she held her wings and the tight skin about her eyes that she was also very tense.

Isaiah strode without hesitation into the midst of the Skraelings, Axis and Inardle a half step behind him.

None of the Skraeling had eyes for any other than Isaiah, and Axis thought that whatever Isaiah had said to Ozll earlier had so impressed or otherwise astounded the Skraelings they could now completely ignore the fact the StarMan walked within their midst.

Under any other circ.u.mstances Axis thought they would not have hesitated to tear him to pieces.

The entire ma.s.s was utterly silent, staring at Isaiah.

The man glittered as he walked. Axis had to admire his sense of style -- something Axis had never really exploited when he was StarMan. Isaiah strode forth as if he owned the very ground on which he walked, radiating majesty and serenity and confidence, and everyone either stared silently or followed meekly.

Eventually Isaiah, Axis and Inardle came to a small circular area, delineated by the standing, crammed Skraelings. In the centre of this circle stood Ozll and two other Skraelings, both as hideously malformed as Ozll.

Isaiah walked to within three paces of them, then sat cross-legged in one graceful, elegant move.

He gestured to Axis and Inardle to do likewise (who managed it smoothly if not with as much elegance as Isaiah), then spoke to the Skraelings. ”You may sit, also.”

He had, in an instant, taken total command of the meeting.

”You know me as Isaiah,” he said, ”and you likely all know my companion, Axis SunSoar, StarMan, and perhaps even Inardle, who as a Lealfast has been a companion to many of you. I know I address Ozll, but I wonder who else sits with you, Ozll. How may I call them?”

Ozll hesitated.

”Their mystery names, I think,” Isaiah said, ”for this grand parley.”

Another slight hesitation, then the two Skraeling spoke in turn.

”Mallx,” said one.

”Pannh,” said the other. Then, ”How did you know of Veldmr?”

”The question is,” Isaiah said, ”how do you know of him? But, we'll get to that. May I begin? There are many things we need to discuss, and the night promises to be cold, and I and my friends would like to return to my campfire as soon as we may.

”Now, here is the situation as I understand it. I am leading this army toward Elcho Falling so that I may a.s.sist my friends within to dislodge their besiegers, the Lealfast led by Eleanon. Eleanon may or may not -- I have no intelligence on this -- be allied with my former general, Kezial, and his army. You, on the other hand, are allied with the One, and are marching behind us with an uncertain purpose in mind. I don't suppose you would care to elaborate?”

None of the three Skraelings spoke, and Isaiah continued.

”Ah, well, then, perhaps we can cover that later. The One has an uncertain location at the moment . . . you don't wish to disclose this . . . no? Perhaps you don't actually know? Well, never mind, we can leave that for later, as well. Now, to my purpose in meeting with you. I propose an alliance between you,” a wave of the hand indicated all the Skraelings, ”and I, against the Lealfast and against the One.”

Ozll sn.i.g.g.e.red and a low wave of laughter twittered through the ranks of the Skraelings. Axis thought it sounded like an axe being grated slowly over a flagstoned floor.

Isaiah smiled slowly. ”You ask yourselves why . . . well, may I relate to you something I have learned over the past day?”

”We are hungry,” Ozll said. ”It has been a long time since our last eating. I hope you make this story a short one.”

The threat was clear, but Isaiah ignored it. ”I shall make this story an entertaining one,” he said, ”and revealing. Indeed, eventually I shall reveal to you how you came by your mystery names and what purpose they serve.”

”Speak no more of our mystery names!” Mallx said. ”You have no --”

”I have every right,” Isaiah said, and now the threat had moved to his voice. Then he softened his tone. ”And I am going to talk about water -- a great deal. This also is my right. But first .

”Inardle here, whom you know, was injured recently. I had cause to examine her wounds. She had been attacked by her fellow Lealfast . . . well, not quite fellows, as they -- as you -- had been altered by their a.s.sociation with the One. Inardle's attackers had tipped their arrows with poison, so that even if the strike did not kill her, the poison surely would within the day.

”At first, when I came to examine her, I thought I could do little for Inardle. But then . . . then . . . tell me, Ozll, you do know who I am . . . yes?”

Ozll stared at him. ”You're a G.o.d. Was . . . until the One stripped you of your powers.”

”Am a G.o.d,” Isaiah said, holding Ozll's gaze, ”for even the One could not strip me of my power permanently.”

Ozll's thin strip of a mouth -- as those of his companions -- began to lift in a sneer, but Isaiah moved his hand over the ground between them.

It changed into a small pool of green water.

Ozll, Mallx and Pannh all leaped to their feet, stumbling backward, their faces contorted in horror, and the entire ma.s.s of Skraelings hissed and s.h.i.+fted.

Isaiah waved his hand again and the water vanished.

”I am water,” he said. ”I am the essence of this element. Call me a G.o.d if you wish. But whatever you call me, I must be everything you hate and fear most.”