"Sara Douglass - The Axis Trilogy 1 - BattleAxe" - читать интересную книгу автора (Douglass Sara)

She watched him, fascinated by his unusual grace and the suppleness of his
movement. He was moving towards the dais where the royal table stood, and
she wondered if he were one of the nobles. Faraday was enthralled.
Finally he stepped into the main body of the chamber and Faraday had her
first clear look at him; she took a quick, sharp breath of surprise. Not even Priam
commanded the same presence that this man did.
He was still a relatively young man, perhaps some ten or eleven years older
than herself, striking rather than handsome. This was due partly to his lithe
grace, but also to the unusual alien cast of his features. His shoulder-length hair,
drawn back into a short tail in the nape of his neck, and his close-shaven beard
were the colour of sun-faded harvest wheat, his eyes an equally faded blue тАФ
but as penetrating as a bird of prey's. He was tall and lean, and wore a uniform
unlike any that Faraday had seen before, either in her home of Skarabost or here
in Carlon. Over slim-fitting black leather trousers and riding boots, he wore a
black, close-fitting hip-length tunic coat of cleverly woven wool. Even the
trimmings and the raised embroideries down the sleeves of his tunic were black.
The only relief was a pair of crossed golden axes embroidered across his left
breast. As he stepped into the brilliance of the central chamber the entire effect
was as if a panther had suddenly strolled out of a dark jungle into the sunlight of
a glade.
"Devera!" she whispered.
Devera turned and looked in the same direction. "Ah," she said, in
understanding. Faraday's reaction was the same as every woman's the first time
they laid eyes on the BattleAxe. It was a reaction the BattleAxe was fully aware
he created and, if in the mood, capitalised on.
 She sighed and tapped Faraday's hand to get her attention as the BattleAxe
weaved through the last few tables towards the royal dais. "That is Axis,
BattleAxe of the Axe-Wielders."
The Axe-Wielders! The legendary military wing of the Seneschal! And this
was their commander! No wonder he had caught her attention. Faraday hadn't
even hoped to lay eyes on one of the Axe-Wielders while she was in Carlon,
since they generally stayed close to the Tower of the Seneschal across Grail
Lake.
Devera's lips twitched. It was a shame to disillusion Faraday about this man,
but if she didn't do it, then someone else soon would.
"Faraday. Look at Priam for a moment, and tell me if you see a
resemblance."
Faraday did as Devera asked. "Oh! They're related тАФ they must be. They
have the same distinctive hairline and forehead."
"Yes. They are related. Axis is also Priam's nephew and Borneheld's half-
brother, and Borneheld is just as unlikely to acknowledge that fact as Priam is to
acknowledge Axis as his nephew. For the royal family, Axis is the ultimate
embarrassment."
Faraday frowned, wondering why her mother had not told her of this man,
but she did not take her eyes from the BattleAxe. He had stopped to laugh for a
moment with a lady of minor nobility sitting at one of the tables close to theirs,
and she did not want to take her eyes from him while he was so close. "I don't
understand," she said.
Devera setded back in her chair and smiled. The story of Axis' birth was well
known in Carlon тАФ although it was not widespread elsewhere - and it was not