“We shrank the ships,” Wigg answered, “and the power that the subtle matter generated to perform that task was immense, unlocking high degrees of heat. Also, the ships sat landlocked in their cradles for days while Minion warriors loaded them with supplies. There can be no question that the hulls dried to some degree. How much so, we might never know. But if the dried hull timbers are absorbing azure water, the ships could be deteriorating as we speak. I’m sorry, Tristan, but no one expected this. Even Faegan would be surprised.”
Sighing, Tristan sat back in his chair. “When will we know?” he asked.
“As soon as the ships can be flown,” Wigg answered. “When the hulls are lifted from the sea we will send Minion shipwrights soaring down to examine them. Until then, there is only one sure way to tell.”
“And what is that?” Tristan asked.
“If either ship starts to take on water and list,” Tyranny said softly. “But by then the end will already be in sight. And as we already know, the channel seems bottomless.”
Like Tristan, Tyranny could hardly believe what she was hearing. Second only to her service on the Conclave, these ships had become her life. To lose one on the high seas during battle where the decisions and responsibilities were hers she could understand, even accept. But losing them to some unexpected and insidious aspect of the craft seemed cowardly and honorless. Worse, this was a foe that she didn’t know how to combat. She looked back at Wigg with angry eyes.
“Is there nothing we can do?” she asked.
Wigg pursed his lips, thinking. “We must get the ships airborne as soon as possible, then do everything in our power to keep them free of the azure water. But the best solution for all of our problems is to reach Shashida quickly.”
Tristan suddenly had a thought. “Please find some parchment, some ink, and a quill,” he asked Phoebe.
Wigg raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“You’ll see,” Tristan answered.
“Very well,” Wigg answered. “Phoebe, you’ll find what you need at my desk.”
Phoebe went to Wigg’s desk and sat down. Soon she had collected what Tristan asked for.
“I’m ready,” she told him.
Tristan nodded. “I want you to take notes of this meeting,” he said. “Be concise, but also be sure to include all the important points. Start with the battle against Khristos and then go on to our new worry about the ships.”
“As you say,” Phoebe answered.
She dipped the quill into one of the ink bottles. Using the craft to speed her task, she started writing about the recent battle and the fresh concern about the ship’s hulls, the point of her quill noisily scratching across the page.
Jessamay shot Tristan a puzzled look. “Why do we need notes?” she asked.
“You’ll understand soon enough,” he answered. “Right now there are things I need to learn.” He looked at Wigg again.
“I know how much it pains you to talk about Failee,” Tristan said. “But when I asked you about Khristos earlier, you also mentioned her. Why was that?”
Before answering, Wigg caused his wine cup to levitate, then grasped it and took a long swallow. The drink seemed to help prepare him for what he needed to say. Slowly rolling the cup between his palms, he looked Tristan in the eyes.
“Khristos is an ancient Vagaries wizard,” he said. “He is quite powerful. The call of his left-leaning blood enticed him to Failee’s cause. He soon became one of her best wizard-generals. But in the end he was much more.”
“What was that?” Tristan asked.
Wigg sighed deeply. “Failee’s lover,” he answered softly.
“I’m sorry,” Tristan said. “I didn’t know. But the Sorceresses’ War ended more than three centuries ago. Where has he been all that time? Why did he choose now to surface?”
After sipping some more wine, Wigg shook his head. “I have no idea,” he answered. “When the war ended and Failee’s forces surrendered, Khristos was not among the captured. The Directorate assumed he was killed. Seeing him on that bloody beach was one of the greatest shocks of my life.”
“Did Blood Vipers serve Failee during the war?” Astrid asked.
“No,” Wigg answered. “Like all of you, I had never seen one until Tyranny brought the captured one to the palace.”
“Khristos doesn’t look entirely human,” Tyranny offered. “He resembles the Blood Vipers at his command. It’s ghastly. Was he always that way?”
Wigg shook his head. “When I knew him, he was as human as we. Something happened to him in the meantime-something that I cannot explain. Clearly, his changed appearance has to do with the Vagaries. Perhaps Faegan and Aeolus can answer that.”
“They also knew him?” Tristan asked.
“Yes,” Wigg answered. The First Wizard paused to take another sip of wine.
“Khristos was a well-known wizard in his day,” he added. “But what strange course his life took after the war is a great puzzle. Even so, two things seem certain. After failing to stop us, he will soon go after Shailiha.”
“And what is the other?” Phoebe asked.
“Khristos took his army into the Caves to try and stop us from reaching Shashida,” Wigg said. “And I think I know who ordered him to do it.”
“So do I,” Tristan said. “It was thePon Q’tar. They have found a way to commune with him. It’s the only answer that fits. For some time now it seems that they have been watching us. How can this be?”
Wigg rubbed his chin, thinking. “I don’t know,” he answered. “It’s all a great mystery.”
“Why did the rock walls suddenly rise?” Tristan asked.
“It might have to do with the sudden nearness of your blood,” Wigg answered. “Jessamay and I have discussed it, but we can attain no greater insight about it than that.”
Phoebe suddenly looked up from her parchment. “There might be another reason,” she offered from across the room.
Everyone turned to look her way. “What could that be?” Tristan asked.
As Phoebe put down her quill a thoughtful look came over her face. “The Ones tempted us to come here by way of their subtle matter message,” she said, “telling us that we must cross the Azure Sea. If that’s true, then the rock walls might exist for our benefit.”
Tyranny shook her head. “With all due respect, Sister, that can’t be true. Those walls are just waiting out there to destroy these ships. They’re far more of a threat than a help, I assure you.”
Phoebe shook her head. “Not necessarily,” she said. “Don’t you see? At first, the Azure Sea looked endless in every direction. Then the walls rose to create this channel.”
Wigg smiled. “Well done,” he said. “Well done indeed.”
“What is she talking about?” Scars asked.
“It’s all so clear now,” Wigg said. “Who knows in what direction we might have sailed had we had our choice? Like Tyranny says, the compasses and sextants don’t work here. We might have sailed in circles while using up all of our supplies. The coming of the channel ensured that only one course was available to us. We were forced to take it, like it or not!”
“To Shashida?” Tristan asked.
“Still unknown,” Wigg said. “Unless you want to go back, we must keep going through the channel.”
Tristan sat back in his chair. What Phoebe said made sense. But for now the time for talking was over and another task needed his attention. He looked back at Phoebe.
“Are you finished with the notes?” he asked. “Make sure that you include mention of the Minion losses.”
“Just a moment,” she answered, her hand still moving like lightning. “There,” she said a few moments later.
“Good,” Tristan answered.
He walked to stand beside the desk. Reaching out, he took up a blank sheet of parchment, then asked for Phoebe’s quill. After unrolling the parchment on the desk he loaded the quill with more ink. The acolyte watched with curiosity as Tristan scrawled two short words onto the paper:
