“Khristos…” it said. Then it was gone.
Turning this way and that, he saw no one except the many terrified victims and his servants who were still hard at work committing the grisly atrocities. With no answer at hand, he again raised his staff. Just as he did, the strange, otherworldly voice visited his mind again.
“Khristos,” the voice repeated.“Stop your work and hear me.”
At first he was overjoyed, hoping that the voice might be that of Failee. But no, he realized sadly, for it had been male. Suddenly gripped by an overpowering yet unexplained need to supplicate himself, he went down on his knees. He placed his staff on the ground beside him and bowed his head. Amid all the gore and mayhem, he waited.
Despite his great prowess in the craft, Khristos did not know what to do. Three centuries ago Failee believed that she might one day have the power to reach out and touch his mind. Now, three centuries later, he somehow understood that he needn’t speak to answer the voice’s mysterious owner.
“I am here,” Khristos thought.“Who are you? What do you wish of me?”
“First, know this,” the voice said.“Your beloved mistress is dead.”
Like a raging river, an intense, overpowering sorrow flowed through Khristos’ being. He wanted to weep and wail, but he steadfastly held his posture of supplication. He dared not move, for a being that could reach out and touch his mind this way must surely be more powerful than he. Summoning up his courage, he decided to ask the question that burned so hotly in his heart.
“How did Failee die?” he asked.“Was she killed in the Sorceresses’ War?”
“No,” the voice answered.“Nor did the Coven win that war. The Directorate of Wizards prevailed.”
“Which of them killed her?” he demanded.“Was it Wigg? Does he live still? Tell me and I will force that Vigors worshipper to rue the day that he was born.”
“It was not Wigg.”
“Who, then?”
“Failee was killed by the reigningJin’Sai. He murdered her less than three years ago. The Jin’Saioualso walks the earth. ”
As Khristos’ sorrow turned to rage, his anger became so great that he could barely respond. His body trembled; he cried aloud; he beat his fists upon the bloody cobblestones. Finally he relented and he returned his attention to the mysterious voice.
“Who are you who knows so much and commands such wonders of the craft?” he asked.
“My name is Gracchus,” the voice answered.“Listen carefully and I will tell you many things. Much has happened since Failee committed you to the river. With the First Mistress gone you must abandon your search for her. In her stead, you must now serve me.”
“Why should I do so?” Khristos asked.“With my beloved dead, I am a free entity.”
“True,” Gracchus answered. “But your new, overriding concern is to kill theJin’Saiand his followers, is it not? Like you, I serve the Vagaries. Unlike you, I command powers that you could only dream of. But even with all your newly born servants you cannot touch the Jin’Sai, for he hides behind the palace walls with his Conclave and his grotesque winged army. If you join forces with me, together we can destroy him. Should you succeed, I will grant to you a reward beyond your wildest dreams. ”
“What reward?” Khristos asked.
“You will have complete rule over Eutracia and Parthalon,” Gracchus answered.“Destroy the Conclave and all this will become yours.”
“But how am I to destroy theJin’Sai,” Khristos asked, “given how well protected he is?”
“He will soon depart the safety of the palace,” Gracchus answered.“But only I know his destination. So tell me-do we have an arrangement?”
Khristos raised his head for a moment and looked out over the atrocity-laden square with nearly unseeing eyes. The events of the last few moments had been stunning, life-altering. He and his servants had been released from the river for but a few hours, yet already had come another great crossroads to navigate. Is following this unseen mystic what Failee would want him to do? he wondered. Could the sacred trust she instilled into him still be honored if he accepted this strange voice from the beyond as his new master? After thinking for a time, he again lowered his head.
“I will serve you,” Khristos finally answered.“Tell me more.”
Amid the fires, the chaos, and the sudden death, for the next full hour Khristos listened intently to Gracchus’ every word. Gracchus told him of the worlds on the other side of the Tolenka Mountains and of the great campaign that Rustannica was mounting against Shashida. He also enlightened Khristos about the outcome of the Sorceresses’ War, of Failee’s banishment to Parthalon, of her failed plan to abduct theJin’Saiou and to turn her into her into her fifth sorceress, and how theJin’Sai had defeated Nicholas, Wulfgar, and Serena. When thePon Q’tar cleric finished, Khristos was unwaveringly committed to his new master.
“I understand, my lord,” Khristos answered.“What are your orders?”
“Leave this place,” Gracchus answered. “Take your army of Blood Vipers and head south to the Caves of the Paragon. There you will await theJin’Saiand his forces. They will surely enter the Caves. That is when you will strike. ”
“Very well,” Khristos replied.“We will do as you say. When will you reach out to touch my mind again?”
“When theJin’Saidraws near, ” Gracchus answered. “Until then, travel only by night, for theJin’Sai’s winged ones are undoubtedly hunting for you. Enter the safety of the Caves unseen and await my word.”
Understanding his new task, Khristos bowed deeper. “It will be as you say,” he replied. With that, he felt Gracchus’ presence leave his mind.
Standing, the newly indentured Viper Lord turned to look at the ravaged city that had once been Tanglewood. Nearly all the buildings lay in ruins as dawn crept over the horizon. Victims sobbed and wailed as they were being impaled. Children still cried; the fires still burned. But he would leave all this work unfinished, for he had been given a far more important and worthy task. If he was successful, he could still avenge Failee’s murder and forever secure his place in history.
For several moments he thought of the magnificent Failee-of her great beauty, of her majesty, of her immense prowess in the craft. Then his mind turned toward theJin’Sai and his intense hatred began to rebuild. Failee had told him that the Tome predicted the coming of theJin’Sai and theJin’Saiou and that they must be dealt with to protect the Vagaries. But in those days even the First Mistress did not know when they might appear. None of that mattered now, he realized. The sun would rise soon, and it was time to be on the move.
Summoning his many Blood Vipers, Khristos issued his new orders.
CHAPTER XV
AS TRISTAN TOOK HIS SEAT AT THE ROUND MAHOGANYtable in the Conclave meeting room, he was eager to hear what his mystics had to say, yet he was also fearful that their pronouncements might cause him even greater worry. For the last three days nearly all he could think about was the conundrum of how to cross the Azure Sea and reach Shashida, as well as finding and crushing the mysterious man-serpents that had so ruthlessly tortured and killed every man, woman, and child who had once lived in the coastal village of Birmingham. There had been no word from the Minion search parties that hunted the monsters, and that only heightened his restlessness. Each of these new challenges was of immense importance, and the dark consequences of their simultaneous arrival were not lost on him.
As Shailiha and the mystics waited in silence, the remaining Conclave members took their seats. Sister Adrian would be the only member not in attendance, for she was still piloting the Black Ships home. Once the nine members were situated, Tristan looked around the table. The people gathered here formed an impressive group, and he could think of no better allies to have by his side during the dark and challenging days that lay ahead.
To his immediate left sat Tyranny. Tristan was surprised to see her smoking one of her cigarillos-a Conclave meeting first. The bluish haze already starting to fog the chamber was garnering the privateer more than a few disparaging looks. But the set of her jaw told everyone that she would not appreciate being asked to forgo her habit. Failing to save the Birmingham impalement victims still deeply angered her, and whenever she was agitated,
