Part 38 (2/2)

That raised a slight smile from Maximilian. ”I would prefer it, too. I would prefer it if we do not lose the Twisted Tower completely. But . . . if what I try does not succeed . . . ”

She nodded. ”Come back, Maxel.”

He kissed her. ”Be prepared. Do what you need to.”

They held each other a moment, then Maximilian moved away.

”b.l.o.o.d.y Axis,” Georgdi grumbled, hauling himself out of his bed.

”It is urgent,” StarHeaven said, watching restlessly as Georgdi fumbled with his breeches and boots.

”I don't see why he couldn't have waited until --”

”Do it now, Georgdi,” StarHeaven said, and something in her tone made Georgdi pause and look at her with sudden understanding in his eyes.

”Very well,” Georgdi said, rising and grabbing a s.h.i.+rt and jerkin as he walked over to the window. He slipped his arms into the s.h.i.+rt, pulled it over his head, then called for Josia as he slid the jerkin on.

”Josia? Josia? There is a matter of urgency. May I speak with you?”

Maximilian hovered at the very edge of the Twisted Tower's strange immaterial world for as long as he dared, then stepped forth to the beginning of the path.

He stood there, not daring to breathe, certain that the One would any moment fling open the door and destroy him . . . then he looked upward.

It was a long, long way to the top of the tower, but he could see a tiny figure there, balanced easily on the windowsill, one leg swinging in the air.

Maximilian felt a rush of grat.i.tude for everyone who had come through for him at this moment, then he bent down to the ground, drawing the digging tools from his belt.

”Path, I break thee,” he murmured, then jemmied one of the tools under the thick stone of the first step.

”Axis would like to know how the Lealfast and Isembaardians are disposed,” Georgdi said.

”Now?” Josia said.

Georgdi spread his hands in a gesture of innocent helplessness. ”Who can know the ways of the StarMan,” he said. ”I'm sorry to raise you at such an unearthly hour, Josia . . . or do you not sleep at all? I've often wondered how you --”

Josia made a noise of irritation. ”The Lealfast are arrayed as they were last night when Axis had his d.a.m.ned eagle out flying. The Isembaardians the same. I don't know why Axis has to ask me. Now,”

”Maybe he doesn't trust the eagle,” Georgdi said and, as the words fell from his mouth, he had an extraordinary revelation.

Axis didn't trust Josia, And as he thought so, Josia caught his thought, and everything changed.

The stone was thick and settled firmly into the soil by thousands of years of the booted feet of the Lords of Elcho Falling pa.s.sing over it.

Maximilian dug around it frantically, earth flying everywhere, scratching and grazing his fingers. Every now and then he'd glance upward, his heart racing.

And then he would bend to his work, beads of sweat on his forehead, and he cursed the d.a.m.ned, d.a.m.ned stone.

”Maximilian!” Josia hissed, and Georgdi took several paces backward as Josia suddenly turned into something dark and loathsome.

Georgdi heard StarHeaven cry out and scramble for the door and Georgdi took a moment to hate her for being closer to the door than he.

By all the G.o.ds in heaven, what was it that now writhed in the window?

”Go!” Georgdi managed to wrench from his fear-tightened throat, and he wasn't sure if he meant it for the thing in the Twisted Tower's window, or for himself, or for StarHeaven.

All three he decided.

”I am going to kill you,” the malevolent ma.s.s in the window said, and Georgdi hoped he meant it for someone other than himself.

Maximilian knew the instant the One realised. It hit as if all the force of one of these cursed stepping stones was thrown from the window of the Twisted Tower and he cried out in horror.

His fingers scrabbled frantically, but the stone still wouldn't move, it still wouldn't move, the cursed b.l.o.o.d.y thing still wouldn't move .

The One flew down the stairwell of the Twisted Tower. He had morphed into a ma.s.s that was not human or animal or anything even remotely recognisable as one of the creatures of this world. He was sheer anger and hatred and fear, pure emotion and power, a whirlwind of Infinity gathering to himself ever more dark energy and force as he rounded each bend in the stairwell.

When he reached the bottom of this tower and opened that door, nothing was going to save Maximilian.

Not this time.

Maximilian could sense the One flying down the stairwell, feel him coming closer and closer with every heartbeat.

” Move, you sod!” he hissed at the stone, thinking that if he couldn't get it in the next moment or so he would give up and flee.

But he'd never have another chance. The One wouldn't allow him near the Twisted Tower again.

Now he could hear the One roaring, screaming out what he intended to do to Maximilian once he flung open that door . . . and the stone moved under Maximilian's fingers. He thought for an instant that his fingers, now wet with sweat, had slipped on the stone, but, no, it had moved.

He scrabbled even more frantically, trying to get his fingers under the stone, and then, suddenly, appallingly, the One flung open the door of the Twisted Tower and rage and power seethed down the path toward Maximilian.

Chapter 7.

Isembaard.

Ishbel had been pacing back and forth just beyond the warmth of the fire, her eyes constantly on Maximilian's form where it reclined to one side.

Serge and Doyle sat by the fire, their eyes tracking Ishbel.

”Ishbel --” Serge began, unable to bear the tension any longer, when Maximilian twitched, his eyes flew open and he rolled to one side before scrabbling to his feet.

”Ishbel!” he cried. ”We have to --”

She knew, instantly. Before Maximilian had finished speaking, she was with him, grabbing his head in her hands.

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