several hundred meters long in each direction as well as high. Stalactites of every color and description hung from the ceiling, some so long they almost reached the floor. Many of their older brothers had found the floor some time ago, creating here and there the impression of marvelously beautiful stone columns.
As yet more Minions cautiously entered the cave, the roar of the nearby waterfall continued to assault Tristan’s ears, and he turned to look. The waterfall was nearly the same height as the stone steps-about forty feet-and at least as wide. Springing from a tunnel in the opposite wall of the cavern, the water traveled about twenty feet across a smooth stone slab before finally falling gracefully over a precipice into a large stone pool at the bottom. At the far end of the pool, the water ran out through a low tunnel in the rock, ensuring that the basin would never overflow. Looking at the other walls, Tristan noticed a great variety of plants and flowers growing on them that he had seen nowhere else, and the floor was also covered with thick green foliage. Every plant was huge, its colors amazingly vibrant.
Against one stone wall stood a large, square-cut tunnel entrance, and Tristan knew by experience that entering it was the only way to penetrate deeper into the Caves. It was obviously man-made and at least ten feet high and fifteen feet across. A smooth rectangular panel carved into the stone wall above it contained an inscription in Old Eutracian. As Tristan thought about what lay beyond it, he recalled the many added passageways and confusing intersections that his late son Nicholas had excavated while preparing to construct the Gates of Dawn.
But there was more about the Azure Sea that confounded Tristan and Wigg besides the seemingly impossible task of finding it again. Ragnar, the traitorous consul who had served Nicholas, had told them that the sea was a byproduct of Nicholas’ excavation of the Caves to house his hatchlings as they matured. Ragnar had gone on to say that another underground river ran through that area, not unlike the falling red waters of the first chamber that had for so long supported the life of the unattended Paragon. During the excavation, the unusual spring was laid bare, he claimed, flooding the entire area around it and creating the strange sea. But rather than being red, these waters were azure-the color generated during a significant manifestation of the craft.
Even so, with the discovery of the subtle matter message claiming that the way to Shashida lay across the Azure Sea, Ragnar’s explanation suddenly made no sense. The message was supposedly aeons old, yet Nicholas’ excavation of the Caves had occurred fewer than three years before.
So who was telling the truth? the Conclave wondered. Had the consul lied knowingly? Had the madness caused by his partial transformation into a Blood Stalker caused him to believe the lies he told? Or was he simply playing some twisted prank on Tristan and Wigg while he had abused them? The Conclave mystics had discussed the matter for hours and arrived at no satisfactory conclusion. In the end they agreed that the only true answer lay with the Ones in Shashida. And to get there the Conclave must first cross the Azure Sea.
No matter what the truth might be, our path is clear, Tristan thought. We must enter that forbidding tunnel. But from the first confusing intersection to the last, we will be walking into uncharted territory.
Just then Tristan realized something else. Every other time that he had come here, the red waters of the caves had exerted a strange effect on him, causing his heart to beat rapidly, his breathing to become labored, and a feeling of faintness to overpower him. More than once these symptoms had nearly killed him. Wigg and Faegan had long assumed that the high quality of Tristan’s blood caused the cave water to affect him adversely whenever he neared it. He had in fact been dreading his entrance into this first chamber for just those reasons.
But today he felt no such life-threatening symptoms. Smiling, he again turned to look at the waterfall. Not being affected by the water was a wonderfully liberating feeling.
Just then Wigg approached. Raising one eyebrow at Tristan, the wizard placed his hands into the opposite sleeves of his robe.
“You seem to remain well this time,” he mused.
“Yes,” Tristan answered. “It’s amazing. Why do you think that is?”
Wigg scowled with thought. “I can only guess that this unexpected development has to do with your unique blood,” he answered.
“In what way?” Tristan asked.
Wigg shook his head. “Unknown,” he answered. “It might be because your blood was once azure, but a better explanation eludes me. Yet another question for the Ones, it would seem.”
Tristan turned to look at the Minion warriors still descending the stairs. Two full phalanxes had accompanied him here-one phalanx for each Black Ship-for a total of four thousand. He then looked around the massive stone room and back at the First Wizard.
“We need to make a decision,” Tristan said. “The tunnel entrance is only about fifteen feet across, yet every warrior must follow us in. Even so, this first chamber seems large enough to accommodate everyone at once. Should we wait until all the warriors have assembled, or shall we enter the tunnel while they are still descending the stairs?”
Wigg turned to look at the tunnel entrance, thinking. Then he looked at the seemingly endless parade of warriors still entering the Caves. It would take many hours for them all to assemble, he realized. And even then only a certain number could enter the tunnel at once. He turned to look at Tristan.
“The Conclave members should go now,” he said, “followed by the first group of warriors. We’ll leave Ox in charge here to oversee the flow of remaining warriors into the tunnel and then bring up the rear. In any case, it’s important that-”
“Wigg!” Jessamay shouted from somewhere behind them. “Come here-I need you!”
The Conclave members turned to see Jessamay standing before the tunnel entrance. There was a strange, searching look on her face. When her eyes met Wigg’s she hurriedly waved him over. As the Conclave members neared her, she hushed them into silence.
“Do you hear that?” she asked Wigg.
Wigg called the craft to augment his hearing. Soon the look on his face told Tristan that whatever sound Jessamay was talking about, the First Wizard now also heard. Unable to detect any noise but the rushing waterfall, the others simply stood there, baffled.
“I do,” Wigg answered. “How odd…”
Taking a step backward, he looked into the depths of the tunnel. “It’s coming from in there,” he said. “But this sound is something new. I have never heard it before.”
“What are you talking about?” Tyranny demanded. “I can’t hear anything except our voices and the waterfalls.”
“Nor is it likely that you would,” Wigg answered the privateer. “Only a craft practitioner could detect this.”
“What does it sound like?” Tristan asked.
Wigg looked at Jessamay. “Help me,” he said simply. Guessing Wigg’s intentions, Jessamay nodded.
The two mystics turned to face the vibrant waterfalls. After looking at one another, they raised their hands and again called the craft. To Tristan’s amazement, the waterfalls stopped producing any sound, even though the water still tumbled down into the stone pool as vigorously as before.
Tristan was about to speak again when he too heard the new sound. At first he couldn’t identify it. But he finally recognized it for what it was. It was the sound of wave after wave crashing against some distant shore.
Is this the Azure Sea we hear? he asked himself. But how could that be? The sea supposedly lies far away from this first chamber. And even if it is the Azure Sea, why do I hear it this time but never before?
Tristan looked at Wigg with unbelieving eyes. “How…” he breathed.
Wigg shook his head. “I don’t know,” he answered. His expression was worried. “But two things are certain. First, this sound is being carried here by the craft. Given how far away the sea probably lies from this chamber, that must be the case. And second, the sound is meant to draw us in and to help us find the sea.”
“But who would do this?” Tristan asked. “Few craft practitioners know about this place. Fewer still would have the ability to enact such a spell.”
Wigg turned to again look at the tunnel. The ocean noises continued unabated. Come to us, the distant waves seemed to whisper. Come to us, for your destinies lie this way.
After thinking for a time, the First Wizard looked at the Conclave members.
“There is but one likely answer,” he said. “The Ones did this. I believe that they left this spell behind to be activated when the subtle matter message was released in the Redoubt. While it’s true that the message did not mention this phenomenon, I believe that the coincidence is too great to be anything else. In any event, we have no
