Then, as if some great pair of protective hands had just reached down from the Afterlife to grasp them, the two ships stopped drifting atop the water and hauntingly held their positions, well clear of the deadly walls. The sensation was eerie, unnatural.
Tyranny turned to stare at Tristan, dumbfounded. “What just happened here?” she breathed.
Tristan shook his head. “I am as much at a loss as you,” he answered softly, still awed by what he saw. Trying to focus his thoughts on the ships, he finally turned and looked at Tyranny.
“But whatever else has just occurred, the mystics are too exhausted to pilot the ships,” he said. “If we are to leave here, we must sail atop the waves. Are the ships seaworthy?”
Her hands shaking, Tyranny removed the cigarillo from between her lips and ground it beneath the sole of her boot. She tousled her wet hair, thinking.
“TheTammerland is,” she answered. “TheEphyra can probably also sail, but her fallen mainmast, spars, and sails must eventually be repaired. She’ll be slower without them, but our Minion shipwrights can repair them as we go. Either way, this discussion is meaningless, because there is no wind. Nor can I understand why the ships don’t drift. The craft must have done all this…” she added softly, her voice trailing away.
Taking another slug of wine, she turned to look back at the shoreline and its thousands of jubilant vipers. “Even so, we must somehow get away from here as quickly as possible,” she said. “I saw that disfigured bastard at work and I don’t want to suffer any more of his tricks. We must find a way to move these ships.”
Tristan nodded and looked at Ox. “I want a Minion casualty report as soon as possible,” he ordered. “Have Wigg and Jessamay taken below to their quarters and see that they’re looked after by warrior-healers. I also want a report on their condition as soon as I can get it. And have Astrid and Phoebe also tend to Wigg and Jessamay- their healing gifts will be useful. If they are not too tired, send the Night Witches out on staggered patrols down the length of this channel. I want to know what lies ahead of us.”
Ox snapped his boot heels together smartly. “I live to serve,” he said. He turned and hurried away, the First Wizard’s arms and legs dangling toward the steaming deck as Ox bore him belowdecks.
Tristan turned back to look at Scars. “You will serve as theEphyra ’s captain until our mystics can empower the ships through the sky. Make arrangements for a warrior to fly you there right away.”
He then turned to look again at the bloody shoreline. “We must somehow find a way to leave here,” he said. “Something tells me that we haven’t seen the last of that Vagaries bastard.”
As Tyranny walked up beside him she sighed and tousled her hair again, causing Tristan to raise an eyebrow. He knew that look-it always brought bad news. “If there’s something else on your mind, you’d best tell me right now,” he said sternly.
“I’m sorry to report that our instruments don’t work here,” Tyranny said. “They just spin crazily, as though they are being affected by the craft. Even the enchanted one that Shailiha and I used to find our way to the Citadel won’t function properly.”
After everything else that had happened, Tristan wasn’t surprised. “What about the sextant?” he asked.
Tyranny shook her head. “We should have realized back in Tammerland that our instruments might be useless on the Azure Sea. There is no sky here, Tristan-only radiance stones, and they show no discernible pattern. Even Faegan’s enchanted sextant needs changing points of reference to confirm our position. Even if we escape this channel we can navigate only by line of sight. I don’t like it any better than you, but there it is.”
“Then line of sight it is,” he answered.
Tristan turned to look down the strange channel. The air was motionless, ensuring that the ships would be going nowhere. Moreover, the twin walls that hemmed them in rose straight up and seemed impossible to land on.
Just then a strong offshore wind freshened, and with it the waves became restless. Whatever force had been holding the ships in place suddenly set them free, allowing them to drift across the waves. Recognizing the coming danger, Tristan quickly turned to look at Tyranny and Scars.
“Get the sails up so that we can maneuver, or we’ll crash into the walls!” he shouted. “Take the only course available to us-straight down the channel while the wind remains astern! If it changes direction it might blow us back to the beach!” Wanting to use Tyranny’s spyglass, Tristan quickly relieved her of it before sending her on her way.
Tyranny immediately ran to carry out the orders while a warrior picked Scars up and flew him over to the other ship. As the Minions hurried to unfurl theTammerland ’s sails, Tristan held his breath as he watched her drift ever closer to one of the deadly rock walls. Then her sails caught the breeze and she heeled over at the last moment, missing the rock wall by only yards. With Scars finally taking control of theEphyra ’s wheel and her sails starting to appear, she too narrowly avoided the other wall, then heeled over and began following.
Only once the great vessels were finally sailing down the mysterious channel and away from the bloody beach did Tristan’s frayed nerves begin to settle down. Finally alone with his thoughts, he started the long walk toward theTammerland ’s stern. As he passed by wounded and exhausted warriors they attempted to stand and pay their respects, but many simply could not. Giving them reassuring smiles, he walked on.
On reaching the stern deck he stood against the curved gunwale and looked toward the bloody shore. Thousands of vipers still milled there in joyful celebration.
They think they’ve scored a victory, Tristan thought. And in some ways perhaps they have. Many warriors died, but in the end we gave as good as we got, and the subtle matter and the Black Ships were spared. For those things we can be truly thankful. But what caused this strange channel, and where will it lead us?
Then he saw a dark speck on the beach. Raising the scope to one eye, he twisted its cylinders, bringing the faraway scene into focus.
Khristos stood on the shore watching the Black Ships make their escape. The right shoulder of the wizard’s robe was bloodied and partly burned away. TheJin’Sai smiled at that.
Tristan already knew why Khristos had led his vipers into the caves. ThePon Q’tar had ordered him to do so in an attempt to kill him and the Conclave and to destroy the subtle matter and the Black Ships.
He grimaced as he realized that this probably also meant that thePon Q’tar was watching Shailiha, causing his worry for her to grow. Her task of destroying Khristos and his servants would not be an easy one, and he must use his medallion as soon as possible to inform her of the danger. But many unanswered questions remained about Khristos and the Blood Vipers-questions that only Tristan’s mystics might answer. As soon as Wigg was strong enough, Tristan would press him for details.
Tristan raised the glass once more to the retreating shoreline. Khristos still stood there, silver staff in hand, angrily watching his prizes slip away. Despite the day’s horrific events, theJin’Sai remained optimistic. All his Conclave members were alive and his ships were finally on their way, despite the strange arrival of the rock walls and the narrow channel they created. As he watched Khristos’ dark form recede from view, he decisively closed the scope cylinders.
Your Pon Q’tar masters will not be happy to hear of your failure to destroy my expedition, Khristos, he thought. But don’t worry.
The Afterlife willing, we’ll be back.
CHAPTER XXIX
“WE CAN AFFORD NO MORE FAILURES, GRACCHUS!” BENEDIKPryam shouted.
The incensed cleric could scarcely control his emotions. He and the others could see no end to the troubles this latest defeat might cause. Rising from his seat, he started anxiously pacing the room.
“You told us that theJin’Sai would be stopped in the Caves!” he went on, venting his fury. “Now you bring us word that Tristan, part of his Conclave, and two Minion phalanxes sail the Azure Sea in his Black Ships! Moreover, the sea walls have risen! Surely we needn’t remind you of this campaign’s importance-the same campaign that you said would bring an end to all our troubles! Who knows what might happen should theJin’Sai reach Shashida! Tristan and his twin sister must be destroyed once and for all!”
Pausing for a moment, Benedik stopped pacing and glared angrily into Gracchus’ eyes.
“The state of our treasury is such that this campaign must succeed!” he added, his tone deadly serious. “We waited for aeons for the Blood Royal to be born, just as the current mystics living on the world’s other side waited
