Battleaxe: Book One of the Axis Trilogy

Battleaxe: Book One of the Axis Trilogy
Sara Douglass

Epic fantasy in the tradition of Trudi Canavan, Fiona McIntosh and Robert Jordan.A thousand years ago, the people of Achar drove the Forbidden from their lands.But now the northern tribes of the Ravensbund are fleeing south again, with nightmarish tales of creatures who feed upon the terror of their prey. Winter has come early, and with it the promise of war.Axis, bastard son of the dead Princess Rivkah, is sent north to the battlefront at Gorkenfort with his elite Axe-Wielders. Once there, he must hand over command to his hated half-brother, Borneheld, Duke of Ichar and heir to the throne. But during the long journey Axis falls in love with Faraday – Borneheld's betrothed – and finds himself reassessing the very essence of his beliefs.With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Axis must unite the feuding lands under one banner before it is too late and the evil rising in the north engulfs them all for good.

Sara Douglass

Battle Axe

Book One of The Axis Trilogy

Copyright (#ub3db2423-98d0-5c23-bf82-db2dd521de64)

HarperVoyager An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.voyager-books.co.uk (http://www.voyager-books.co.uk)

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 1999

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © Sara Douglass 1995

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Source ISBN: 9780006511069

Ebook Edition © FEBRUARY 2012 ISBN:9780007378593

Version: 2016-03-01

The books of The Axis Trilogy are for three respectable historians. A. Lynn Martin, Tim Stretton and Frances Gladwin, who have regarded with amiable tolerance their colleague’s slow drift into the Star Dance. May Fran eventually win her own battle with prophecy and may the realm and people of Achar help Lynn and Tim recall the days of the twelve months.

If my fortunes torment me, my hopes shall content me.

Contents

Cover (#uc2899f20-a919-5558-9b6a-fe5e66403d12)

Title Page (#u2a1af7fc-8b43-55ab-b358-7d38b46f5558)

Copyright

Map (#u5a9f6e0a-9dc7-5fee-aa3f-5dd1b06aed70)

Prophecy of the Destroyer (#u219447c2-aac4-59e6-89dc-8fb47fbdf2a8)

Prologue (#u213bd34f-6446-5fd3-aa08-d359cfbcf6df)

1 The Tower of the Seneschal (#u70da521c-6932-587f-98b5-4a4fa974573a)

2 At King Priam’s Court (#ubbda7212-f83e-54b1-8cb0-2e09de3726e1)

3 The Lady of Tare (#u0e75542a-6f2d-5f6a-a0a5-b1c671fb64ef)

4 At the Foot of the Fortress Ranges (#ud74eb86e-7f40-55cd-8a4b-d808519a3f77)

5 In the Palace of the King (#ua76df1d5-def8-57b6-a724-f61a385ca1cc)

6 In the King’s Privy Chamber (#u7774bcf6-aa7d-54ee-92d0-3b1ab27df100)

7 In the Brother-Leader’s Palace Apartment (#u124924ab-eb79-525d-be3c-84b2be8062a7)

8 Faraday’s Betrothal (#u2756650e-5156-5928-86c8-0fb1f9e229d9)

9 Leavetakings at Dawn (#u7637e39a-9640-5f1d-a551-53d10530c158)

10 Across the Plains of Tare (#u26e1437c-5179-57df-8e91-962cbe724790)

11 Unlocked Doors (#u90931581-a107-5e60-92ec-f2e517d91c4b)

12 At the Edge of the Silent Woman Woods (#ucf8119d2-9641-5431-a1dd-a28b1ea7623c)

13 The Cauldron Lake (#u666600b3-47a0-5811-be22-cc6d128b071b)

14 Inside the Silent Woman Keep (#uacdaaf19-d334-546a-826a-7a3a9774a89d)

15 Silent Woman Night (#u36b7bc2a-cf26-5dfe-825f-5e06735248c1)

16 Two White Donkeys (#ufadac0ec-80d6-5327-9392-e443896aa684)

17 The Ancient Barrows (#litres_trial_promo)

18 The Sentinels Speak (#litres_trial_promo)

19 A Cloudy Day (#litres_trial_promo)

20 The Storm (#litres_trial_promo)

21 Inside the Enchanter-Talon’s Tomb (#litres_trial_promo)

22 Evening by the Barrows (#litres_trial_promo)

23 The Star Gate (#litres_trial_promo)

24 Across the Plains of Arcness (#litres_trial_promo)

25 The Goodpeople Renkin (#litres_trial_promo)