The giant warrior looked worried. Another warrior unfamiliar to the prince stood beside him. The second Minion looked totally exhausted. With a wave from Tristan, the two of them walked briskly into the room and they came to attention.
"This be Dax," Ox said. "He be the captain I leave in charge to watch orb. He fly all night to bring news."
Ox turned to look directly at his lord and master.
"All news very bad," he added.
Tristan and Traax both came to their feet and walked over to Dax. Tristan gave him a chair. Traax poured him a goblet of wine. The warrior drank deeply. After sitting down and taking a few moments to collect himself, Dax told his tale.
It was clear to everyone that Ox was right: The news was very bad indeed.
CHAPTER LX
Wulfgar was uneasy as he looked out over the sea of Whispers. The sun was setting. Much of the demonslaver fleet and all seven of the Black Ships sat at anchor in the horseshoe-shaped bay, waiting for their lord to join them. The rest of the fleet dutifully patrolled the waters surrounding the island. Two days had passed since Tyranny's raid on the Citadel, and the Enseterat remained concerned.
Einar and Serena stood beside him. The seven skeletal captains of the Black Ships stood at attention to one side, awaiting their orders. Today Wulfgar and his forces would sail for Eutracia. And this time he knew he would not fail.
He wasn't particularly worried about the captured demonslaver. The slaver had been only one of many such guards of lower rank, and he did not possess information that would be of great use to the Eutracian wizards.
What concerned him was that the sanctity of his home had been violated-the very place where he had vowed to keep his queen and unborn daughter safe. The demonslavers who had failed him had paid for their mistake with their lives. Extra precautions had been taken to protect the fortress, and he was reasonably sure that its security would not be breached again. Without informing his consuls, he had granted Serena's blood signature a host of additional Forestallments, should she need them in his absence. Even so, he had mixed feelings about leaving.
Yesterday the soothing voices of the Heretics had come to him again, bringing words that had slowly salved his concerns. He had been in the throne room with Einar and Serena, poring over maps of Eutracia and briefing them about the impending campaign.
Wulfgar had been in midsentence when he heard the chorus of voices. Recognizing their timbre, he walked to the edge of the room that looked out over the sea. Lowering his head, he went down on both knees.
"Wulfgar," the voices whispered.
"I am here," he answered.
"The wizards of the Redoubt have violated the Citadel. But remain strong of heart, for they have gained little. The wounded Orb of the Vigors has succeeded in cutting its way through the mountains that lie on the western side of Eutracia. When you reach Eutracia, you and a measure of your forces must immediately travel to the pass. Send another group under the leadership of your captains to find the orb and keep it safe from the Jin'Sai and his wizards. Nothing must be allowed to stop its decay. Allow the female assassin to continue her work, for it will prove useful. But if she is unable to kill the Jin'Sai and the Jin'Saiou, then that shall become your task."
The voices paused for a moment. Sensing that his mind should remain still, Wulfgar waited reverently.
"Under no circumstances are you or any of your servants to attack the capital until you have first secured the mouth of the pass. Proceed with caution, because the forces of the Jin'Sai guard it and they must be dealt with. Once the pass is yours, we shall again reveal ourselves to you. Do not be alarmed by what you will see there, for it will be wondrous and will further aid you in your cause. Go quickly, Wulfgar, and have faith. All will be revealed."
"I shall obey," he answered.
Stunned, he slowly walked back to Einar and Serena. They looked at him curiously.
"What troubles you, my lord?" Serena asked. She took his good hand. It felt cold, as though all of his blood had somehow left him.
Wulfgar cast his gaze westward toward Eutracia-the land that had once been his home. "The Heretics have spoken to me once more," he said. He told Einar and Serena the news and instructions.
"Is it true?" Wulfgar asked Einar, unsure he believed what he'd been told. "Could a pass to the other side truly exist? What wonders might await us there?"
Einar lowered the hood of his robe. He seemed as stunned as his master-perhaps more so. He considered the question for a moment.
"If the Heretics themselves have told you of this, then it must be true," he answered. "It must be a vision without equal in our history! How I wish I were going with you, my lord! How my eyes hunger to witness all that you are about to see! Even so, I know that in your absence my place is here, guarding your queen and your unborn child. But tell me-did the Heretics say what would be required of you once you reach the pass?"
Wulfgar shook his head. "Only that I am to crush the Jin'Sai's Minions who guard it, then await their word."
Einar smiled. "Given your captains, the demonslavers still under your command, and the Earthshakers that have already been boarded upon the Black Ships, your dealings with the Minions should be swift. Also quite rewarding, I might add. Who knows, you may even face the Jin'Sai himself on the battlefield. I envy you the impending struggle. It will be glorious."
Serena moved her husband's hand to place it on her swollen belly. As though she could have somehow willed it so, the baby gave a gentle kick. The ravaged skin of Wulfgar's face contorted in a smile.
"Do not forget us," Serena said softly. "And do not forget the magnificent side of the craft for which we all struggle."
Wulfgar gave her a kiss, then turned his good eye back to the sea.
As the sun sank below the horizon, the wind was freshening. They would make good time during this first night of their adventure.
He turned to his queen. "I have something for you," he told her. He reached into his jacket and produced a single red rose. She smiled as he handed it to her.
"Thank you, my lord," she said. "While you are gone I shall treasure it."
Wulfgar looked into her eyes. "It is more than a simple rose," he told her. "It is bound to the craft, just as you and I are. As long as I am alive, it will bloom. But should it wither and die, you will sense the change wherever you are, and know that the unimaginable has occurred."
Serena reached out to touch the ravaged side of his face. "I am sure that this flower will continue to bloom until the day you return to our shores," she said softly.
Wulfgar nodded. "Goodbye, my love," he said quietly. "Take good care of our child."
Having suddenly lost her voice, Serena tried to smile. As she did, a tear traced a path down her cheek. When Wulfgar kissed her, he tasted salt, like the sea he would soon be sailing upon.
"Guard my queen and my child with your life," he told Einar. Then he smiled wickedly. "While I am away, find a suitable place to display the heads of the Jin'Sai and his two wizards. I intend to bring them home with me."
CHAPTER LXI
As Dax finished telling his tale, a hush descended over the Conclave. Tristan looked first at Faegan, then at Wigg, but the wizards were at a loss for words.
For a long time no one spoke. Finally, Faegan broke the silence. His face stern, he trained his gray-green eyes upon the warrior. Dax could almost feel the power in the wizard's gaze burrowing its way into his own.
"The azure wall that guards the entrance to the pass," Faegan began.
"What does it look like?"
"It is flat, and stretches from one side of the pass to the other," Dax answered. "It rises high into the sky, so high, in fact, that one cannot see its top because it stretches into the fog that always lies upon the peaks of the Tolenkas. White shards of light shoot about within its depths. It is not solid; instead, it is like a liquid, though its surface is as smooth as glass. My dreggan plunged through it as though it were made of water. When I pulled the dreggan out, the wall immediately sea
led itself. It is the most amazing thing I have ever seen."
Scowling, Faegan sat back in his chair. Wigg looked at Faegan and then, when the crippled wizard nodded, turned to the prince and Shailiha.
"I need to ask you both a question of the utmost importance," Wigg said. "You will no doubt find my inquiry odd, but this is no joke, I assure you."
"What is it?" Tristan asked.
Pursing his lips, Wigg placed his gnarled hands flat upon the inlaid table.
"Have either of you been hearing voices?" he asked. "Voices carrying messages that you didn't understand, and were perhaps reticent to tell us about?"
After shooting each other puzzled looks, the prince and princess turned back to stare blankly at the wizard.
"No," Tristan answered flatly.
"Nor have I," Shailiha said. "Why would you ask such a thing?"
"Because of the sudden existence of this azure wall," Faegan answered. "The Tome contains a prophecy mentioning the appearance of such an edifice, an ominous prediction that Wigg and I have discussed many times. It was deemed of such great importance that for decades many of the late members of the Directorate attempted to research it further, but to no avail. This sudden appearance of the wall marks one of the greatest turning points in the history of the craft. And yet-and I believe I speak for Wigg as well as myself-it brings us no joy. The fact that no voices have come to commune with the prince or the princess does not bode well for any of us."
"What does the prophecy say?" Abbey asked.
Closing his eyes, Faegan began to recall the cryptic passage.
"With acts delayed activated within their blood, the Jin'Sai, the Jin'Saiou, or any others of the same womb will one day be able to commune with either the Ones or the Heretics," Faegan recited. "And should for any reason the mountains separating us somehow be breached, an azure wall shall arise to contain that breach. The wall shall be the ministrations of either the Heretics or the Ones. If the Ones bring the wall, it shall be employed so as to keep your side of the land safe from harm. But if the Heretics conceive the wall, they will unleash horrors from our side to yours-horrors such as have not been seen for aeons."
"I still don't understand," Adrian said. "What does it all mean?"
"The 'acts delayed' are Forestallments," Wigg answered. "And we now know that the mountains the Ones speak of must be the Tolenkas. The Tolenkas have now been breached by the ruptured orb. Whether this was accidental or deliberate remains to be seen. And the azure wall has risen, just as the prophecy states it would. Even though Tristan and Shailiha have been imbued with Forestallments, except for the princess' ability to commune with the fliers, these spells have not been activated. Because the wall is already here and neither the prince nor the princess has heard voices, then only one conclusion can be drawn."
"Wulfgar has been imbued with the Forestallment that allows him to commune with the Heretics," Tristan said. "Worse yet, he will soon have control over the wall.
"He's coming back, isn't he?" he asked the First Wizard. "The wording of the prophecy implies that the Heretics-or at least their spirits-reside on the western side of the Tolenkas. Wulfgar means to breach the wall, gain the help of the Heretics, and take Eutracia."
Tristan's face grew hard. He didn't like secrets. And yet there seemed no end to the secrets the wizards had been keeping from him and the other members of the Conclave. Trying to calm him, his new bride gave him a sympathetic look, but he just glared at Wigg.
"You knew, didn't you?" he growled. "Both you and Faegan have known this all along! Why didn't you tell me?"
"In fact we did not know," Faegan answered "Of course we assumed that the natural barrier the Tome refers to might be the Tolenkas, but we could never be sure. The barrier could also have been the Sea of Whispers, or the oceanic ice floes lying both to the north and the south, or the very sky above us, for that matter. But now we are much closer to the truth. The Heretics must still exist in one form or another on the western side of the Tolenkas. And they will very likely soon cede control of the azure wall to Wulfgar."
"I'm afraid it goes even deeper than that," Wigg said. "Wulfgar doesn't mean to only take Eutracia. He has other designs, as well."
"And what are they?" Celeste asked.
"You're forgetting the orb," the wizard answered. "Once he has landed on Eutracian shores, Wulfgar's battle plan will probably be threefold. First, he will divide his forces. He will lead one group to the pass to take control of the azure wall. A second group-probably under the control of his Black Ship captains-will search out the Orb of the Vigors in order to protect it from us at all costs. Wulfgar will turn his remaining legions south to Tammerland, to crush those of us who remain loyal to the Vigors. And as the polluted waters of the Sippora finally reach us, much of the city will go up in flames, only adding to Wulfgar's chances of success." He paused for a moment as he looked around the table.
"I doubt that even my powers combined with those of Faegan, Jessamay, and all the acolytes could effectively disperse the river's heat," he continued gravely. "As the refugees flood in and the city becomes a fortress, food and water will quickly grow short. Riots will break out. I know," he added sadly. "I have seen it all before."
His thoughts went back to those dark days when the Coven had nearly taken the capital.
"It seems that it is all about to happen again, old friend," Wigg said to Faegan. "We must prepare for a siege. If Wulfgar has already left the Citadel, we have little time to prepare. His Black Ships can travel much faster than his demonslaver ships, or anything that Tyranny has in her fleet."
Taking a deep breath, Faegan nodded.
"I don't understand," Shailiha protested. "Wulfgar wants to protect the orb? And from us? What in the name of the Afterlife are you talking about? I thought Wulfgar and the Heretics wanted the Orb of the Vigors destroyed!"
Suddenly understanding, Tristan nodded his head. "They do," he mused. He looked over at his sister.
"Don't you see?" he asked her. "Wulfgar doesn't need to destroy the orb; it's accomplishing that task on its own. If your blood and mine only can accept the powerful Forestallment that will save it, then Wulfgar will do everything in his power to try to keep us away from it."
"That's right," Faegan said. "And that is why we must hit him with everything we have when his forces are divided and he is at his weakest. If he reaches the wall and parts it, I fear that no power on earth will be able to stop him."
For several moments the only sounds came from the wood burning in the fireplace, and the happy gurgling of Morganna as she played on the floor.
"These horrors from the other side of the Tolenkas," Tyranny said,
"what are they likely to be?"
Wigg shook his head. "That is impossible to say," he replied. "The Heretics were the originators of the Vagaries, and we have always believed their gifts to be massive-far outstripping our own."
Tristan took Celeste's hand. Sighing, he looked down for a moment.
"So much of this is about me, isn't it?" he asked. "It all hinges on returning my blood to its original state. Supposedly only the Scroll Master can provide us with the calculations for the Forestallment that we need. But despite our trip to the Recluse, we're no closer to finding him than we were. The spell might be somewhere in the Scroll of the Vigors, but at least one-third of the scroll has been destroyed. For all we know, the calculations we need were destroyed with it that same night. Search the scroll as hard as we might, it could still all be for naught."
Faegan looked at Jessamay. "Do you have any idea what Failee meant about the Scroll Master guarding something called the Well of Forestallments?"
Jessamay shook her head. "Not really. Only that the Scroll Master was supposedly the world's greatest keeper of Forestallments. I have no idea what that means. And I have no idea what the Well of Forestallments might be. Failee claimed that they both resided in Eutracia. But I don't think that even she knew where, because she said that once Eutracia was hers, she planned to sea
rch him out and torture his knowledge from him." She was quiet for a moment, her forehead wrinkled with thought as she searched her memories. "She did say one other thing: that the Scroll Master could be found via the River of Thought, whatever that is."
Wigg and Faegan exchanged glances.
"Are you sure that's what she called it?" Wigg asked quickly.
The sorceress nodded. "Reasonably sure."
Faegan leaned eagerly across the table. "Did she say anything else about it?"
"Only one thing," Jessamay answered. "She said that the basic calculations for the River of Thought carried with them many subdisciplines, all of which could be found in the scrolls. One of these was said to be particular to the Scroll Master-that the bearer of the Forestallment would be drawn to the Scroll Master. That's all I know about it."
Stunned, Faegan sat back in his chair. "I've seen it," he said quietly, half to himself.
"What!" Wigg exclaimed. "What do you mean, 'You've seen it'?"
"When I found the calculations in the scroll that allowed you to call the acolytes home," Faegan said, "I saw others listed as well. I paid them little heed, because I felt sure I had already found the one I needed. One of those subdisciplines must be for the Scroll Master!"
"Then our path is clear," Tristan said firmly. "You must immediately imbue my blood with this Forestallment so that I can search for him."
To his great surprise, both wizards shook their heads.
"We can't do that," Wigg said.
Tristan scowled. "And why not?"
"For the same reason that we cannot train you right now," Faegan answered. "As long as your blood is azure, we can't know what effects our use of the craft might have on you. Despite the desperate nature of our situation, we cannot risk losing the Jin'Sai. Especially now."
"But Failee was successful in granting Tristan Forestallments," Abbey countered. "If she could do it, then why can't we?"
"The prince's Forestallments were granted to him in the Recluse, before his blood changed to azure," Wigg reminded her. "No, Faegan is right. As tempting as it might be, we simply cannot risk it."
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