sharpness of the scene and the amazing clarity of the Conclave members’ voices, it was almost as if everyone were seated at one great table.
For the next hour the two groups exchanged information on their respective situations. Shailiha informed theInkai that there had been no sightings of the Viper Lord or his followers but that Night Witch patrols continued to search them out. She then explained that theCavalon was under repair, but it would be many days before she would again be airworthy. Traax then provided theJin’Sai with an updated casualty report.
When Traax finished, Mashiro informed the Eutracian Conclave of everything that he had told Tristan and his fellow travelers during their earlier meetings. He then went on to explain Vespasian’s recent violation of the Borderlands Treaty and theInkai ’s plan to imbue Tristan’s blood with their versions of the banned forestallments. He also described in detail theInkai ’s wish that one day everyone’s blood signature might be altered to the vertical and that a new, unified nation might be born that was devoid of forestallments and dedicated to the ideal of free will. The Conclave members sat in stunned silence, absorbing every word. When Mashiro finished, many quiet moments passed as those in Eutracia considered the astounding news.
His expression stern, Faegan leaned across the Conclave meeting table and looked straight into Wigg’s eyes.
“Tell me, First Wizard,” he asked. “Assuming that the lands west of the Tolenkas can ever again be united, do you agree that all blood signatures should be altered to the vertical and that the Tome and the two Scrolls of the Ancients should be destroyed?”
“I do,” Wigg answered. “The Shashidans are right to feel this way. But before such awesome changes can happen, Rustannica must be defeated for good. Only then can theInkai turn their attention to the betterment of the craft for the sake of all mankind.”
Faegan sat in silence for some time as he considered Wigg’s words. “Despite how radical the concept seems, I must say that I agree,” he answered. “I envy your being there, old friend. I can only imagine the wonders that you have seen and those that still await you. Abbey would have been proud.”
Wigg’s face darkened for a moment. “Thank you,” he said simply.
“Now then,” Mashiro said. “I must ask the Conclave whether Failee’s grimoire is available.”
“It is,” Aeolus answered. He rose from his chair to walk across the Redoubt meeting chamber to where the red leather-bound book sat atop a pedestal. Bringing it back, he placed it on the table.
“Why do you wish to see the late First Mistress’s grimoire?” he asked. “Surely there can be nothing in it that supersedes your knowledge of the craft.”
“Although that is probably true, you must never forget how brilliant Failee was, or how limitless were the depths of her distrust,” Mashiro answered. “Like thePon Q’tar, she always constructed a way of destroying her own creations should the need arise.”
“I don’t understand,” Faegan protested. “Aside from the Vigors, what would she have wished to destroy?”
“Not what, butwhom, ” Renjiro answered.
Faegan’s face suddenly came alight with understanding. “You’re talking about Khristos, aren’t you?” he asked. “If for some reason he ever turned on her, he and his Blood Vipers would have presented a deadly threat to her rule-especially while she was still struggling to win the Sorceresses’ War.”
“Correct,” Midori said. “We suggest that you scour her grimoire for any references to Khristos. If the First Mistress devised a secret way to destroy him, her grimoire is where she probably hid it.”
“We have already done so,” Shailiha said. “Aside from a few entries describing her overall plan for Khristos, nothing more is said about him.”
“Nothing that you can see,” Mashiro said to Shailiha. “It’s what youcan’t see that interests us.”
“What are you talking about?” the princess asked.
Mashiro turned to look at Wigg. “Correct me if I’m wrong, First Wizard,” he said. “Isn’t it true that during the Sorceresses’ War, the Coven used spells to camouflage secret documents?”
“We always suspected as much,” Wigg answered. “If they did, they took the knowledge to their graves. Despite the combined efforts of the late Directorate of Wizards, we were never able to unravel the secret. I have long suspected that hidden writings lay in her grimoire, but there is no way to know for sure.”
“Until now, perhaps,” Mashiro said. He turned back toward the hovering image and looked at Faegan. “Wigg tells us that he left some of the subtle matter behind in Eutracia. Do you still have it?”
“Yes,” Faegan answered.
“Would you be kind enough to have it brought to your meeting chamber?” he asked. “You will have need of it.”
Faegan nodded and asked Traax to fetch it from its resting place in the Redoubt Archives. Soon Traax returned with a small glass flask filled with subtle matter, not unlike the one that Wigg had brought to Shashida. Taking the flask from Traax, Faegan placed it on the table alongside the grimoire.
“Now, then,” Mashiro said to Faegan. “Using your gift of Consummate Recollection, please open the grimoire to the section that makes mention of Khristos.”
Faegan closed his eyes and called the craft. Soon the grimoire opened of its own accord, and its pages began turning madly. After a few moments they stopped.
“It is done,” Faegan said.
“Good,” Mashiro said. “Now if you would be so kind as to sprinkle a small bit of the subtle matter onto the pages.”
Faegan did so, but nothing happened. He said as much to Mashiro.
“Do not be dismayed,” Mashiro said. “Subtle matter has many uses, but few of them can be achieved without an accompanying spell. If you would, please repeat the Shashidan incantation that I am about to recite. You will find it complex, so I suggest that you first call on your Consummate Recollection to ensure that you repeat my words perfectly. Otherwise you might find the results distressing, to say the least. But if you recite it correctly and our suspicions about Failee are true, the results might be intriguing.”
“Very well,” Faegan answered. “I am ready.”
Mashiro enunciated a long incantation in his native Shashidan. As Tristan listened, he found the language far more beautiful and elegant than his native dialect. Throughout Mashiro’s incantation, Tristan recognized but one word: “Khristos.”
When Mashiro finished, Faegan closed his eyes. Calling on his special gift, he carefully repeated the incantation word for word. As he finished, all eyes turned toward Failee’s grimoire.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the grimoire started to glow with the same white light that had emanated from the Tome and the two Scrolls of the Ancients when the subtle matter decoded them in the Archives. Letters, numbers, and craft symbols lifted from the pages to hover above the Conclave meeting table. Then the grimoire pages started flurrying by again, and yet more marks went flying off the pages. Soon the pages stopped turning, and Failee’s writings ceased lifting from the pages.
Everyone watched as the thousands of glowing characters swirled about to form lines. The lines then formed a text many paragraphs long incorporating two involved spell formulas. As Faegan read the glowing text, his mouth fell open.
“I beg the Afterlife!” he exclaimed. “You were right.”
Both chambers went silent as everyone read the glowing text. It soon became clear that it was a craft treatise that had been written by Failee and described in detail how to deal with Khristos and his servants should they ever become a threat to her. Filled with awe, Tristan let go a deep breath and sat back in his chair.
“Well done, Faegan, and worthy of anInkai, ” Mashiro said to the crippled wizard. “This should greatly aid you in your struggle.”
“Indeed,” Shailiha answered. “I thank you.”
Remembering the other reason he had wanted to contact his sister, Tristan again looked at her. The time had come, and there could be no denying it.
“Now that you have the needed information from Failee’s grimoire, there is one thing left to say,” Tristan told her. “It is important, and you must heed my advice well.”
“What is it?” Shailiha asked.
“It is unlikely that I will ever return to Eutracia,” he said. “Because of that, it is time for you to become Queen. I fully realize that this is a burden that you never thought you’d have to shoulder, but in the name of our late
