Just then Wigg felt theTammerland stop in midair, telling him that Jessamay was causing the ship to hover. Wasting no time, Wigg and Scars headed for the cabin door.
When they reached the bow topside they found Tristan, Tyranny, and Jessamay there, huddled around a lone Night Witch commander and simultaneously bombarding her with questions. Many warriors had also rushed forward to hear what she had to say. Wigg approached and elbowed his way through the crowd.
“A ship, you say?” he heard Tristan ask. “What kind of ship? Where is she?”
The Night Witch Tristan was questioning looked rather young, and she seemed intimidated by her anxious superiors. She looked at herJin’Sai with an expression of subservience.
“Yes, a ship,” she answered. “She looks very old and her timbers are black. I daresay she’s easily the size of ours.”
Seeing Wigg, Tristan asked, “Could she be another Black Ship? Did Black Ships exist before those that you and the other wizards built to serve in the Sorceresses’ War?”
Wigg scowled. “It’s possible, I suppose, although I never considered it. The plans and accompanying enchantments for the Black Ships were found in the Caves of the Paragon, so someone might have used them before we did and then returned them to their hiding place. We always assumed that the documents were left behind by the Ones, but we could never be sure.”
Wigg gave the Night Witch a commanding look. “What is the condition of this ship?” he asked. “Is anyone aboard her?”
The Night Witch shook her head. “We saw no one,” she answered. “Nor did we board her, for fear that craft use might be afoot. Her hull is nearly gone, and she lies beached on a huge rock shelf along one channel wall. She rests on what remains of her port side. Much of her is smashed beyond salvage.”
Wigg nodded. “You were right not to board her,” he said. “Can you tell us anything else?”
“Only that if you wish to view her, you should do so from a hovering litter,” she answered. “The channel narrows up ahead and it looks barely large enough for our ships to pass through. From here on, the channel zigzags. Trying to keep the ships away from the rock walls while also inspecting the wreck from the ships’ decks would be difficult.”
“How far away is she?” Wigg asked.
The young Night Witch thought for a moment. “Distance is difficult to gauge here, but I would guess that the site is about two leagues off our bow. Fresh warriors should be able to keep a litter hovering for a sufficient time as you search the wreck and then bring you home without difficulty.”
“Thank you,” Tristan said. “You have done well. Go and rest.”
After clicking her boot heels together, the tired young warrior gave Tristan a short bow, then went off to go belowdecks and find a place to sleep.
Tristan gave Wigg a wry smile. “What say you?” he asked. “Do you feel up to a little adventure?”
Perhaps it was only his earlier thoughts come back to haunt him, but Wigg sensed peril up ahead. The discovery of a vessel resembling a Black Ship gone aground in this newly birthed channel seemed impossible. Of even greater concern was whatever terrible force had tossed her onto the rocks, and that the channel narrowed markedly. Even so, he knew that this find must be seen.
“Very well,” he answered Tristan. “But we must be careful.”
Tristan looked over at Scars. “Wigg, Tyranny, and I will go,” he ordered. “Have a litter made ready at once. Two hundred armed warriors will accompany us. Tell them to stay alert, because we cannot know what awaits us. You and Jessamay will stay here to mind theTammerland. And send a messenger to theEphyra, informing Astrid and Phoebe what’s going on.”
As Scars rushed off, Tyranny gave Tristan a grateful look. “Thank you for taking me along,” she said. “Truth be told, if you hadn’t asked me, I’d be pitching a fit right now.”
Tristan let go a short laugh. “I know,” he answered. “But don’t chalk it up to kindness. I will need a maritime expert out there, and that’s you.”
He turned to see a litter being untied from the deck and a host of warriors rushing to man it. “Let’s go,” he said to Wigg and Tyranny. “If nothing else, this should prove interesting.”
Wigg raised an eyebrow in Tyranny’s direction and the privateer smiled back, acknowledging Tristan’s gift for understatement. They climbed into the litter, and the Minion bearers took it aloft.
No sooner had the litter become airborne than its passengers heard a great tumult from theTammerland ’s crowded decks. As hundreds of Minion warriors cried out in wonderment, Tristan, Wigg, and Tyranny turned to look.
The subtle matter secured in Wigg’s quarters had somehow freed itself from its glass vial and come soaring through one of the open windows on theTammerland ’s starboard side. The amazing substance twinkled brightly in the light of the radiance stones as it flew in a long stream to find its freedom in the air above the water. Everyone stood gaping as it collected near the departing litter for a moment, then streamed away over the water and down the length of the channel.
Knowing how important the magical substance was to their safe return home, Tristan shouted out orders to the litter bearers to follow it and keep it in their sight. Like Wigg, he was terrified that they might lose possession of the subtle matter forever.
What is it doing? Tristan asked himself as he felt the litter lurch forward and pick up speed. And what in the name of the Afterlife caused it to so suddenly free itself? Suspecting correctly that the ride was about to become a wild one, Tristan gripped one side of the litter for dear life, then shouted to Wigg and Tyranny to do the same.
As they tore down the length of the channel in pursuit of the subtle matter, the oncoming wind ripped at their hair and clothing and caused their eyes to water. Tristan had never seen Minion warriors fly so strenuously, and he knew that they couldn’t keep this pace up for long. But the priceless subtle matter was pulling away from them, despite how hard the straining Minions pulled the litter through the sky. Knowing that they would soon lose track of it, Tristan made a decision.
“Despite your injuries, can you empower this litter and fly it faster?” he shouted at Wigg. “We’re falling behind!”
“Yes!” Wigg shouted back, trying to be heard above the rushing wind. “But if I do, the litter bearers must release us and then follow as best they can! That means we will arrive at the shipwreck unguarded, and there is no guarantee that I can keep pace with the subtle matter! I won’t be able to keep this speed up for long, but it seems that I must try if we are to have any chance of staying with it!”
“Then do it!” Tristan shouted back.
He immediately worked his way to one side of the litter, then the other, as he barked out identical orders to the bearers. On his hand signal, the Minions simultaneously let go of the litter, then started trying to keep pace alongside.
To Tristan’s horror, the litter plunged straight down toward the azure waves. Just as it was about to hit, Wigg’s use of the craft blessedly took hold and the litter lurched upward again and gained more speed. But as he strained to look ahead, Tristan could see that their maneuver had cost them precious time and that the subtle matter had gained even more ground in its chase toward the unknown.
Suddenly a sharp right turn loomed up ahead. The subtle matter veered effortlessly to negotiate it, then disappeared around the bend between the two rock walls. Hanging on as best they could, Tristan and Tyranny nearly fell from the careening litter as Wigg banked it hard to the right, trying to make the dangerous turn. Zooming through the narrow bend, the litter righted quickly and tore on in pursuit of the fleeing subtle matter.
Tristan strained his vision to try to make out the subtle matter, but the oncoming wind made seeing difficult. Holding onto the litter for dear life, he inched his way closer to Wigg.
The strain showed clearly on the wizard’s face, forcing Tristan to wonder how much longer Wigg could keep them aloft. No one knew what effect the azure water might have on humans should they crash into the channel, and the prospect terrified him. Inching closer, he placed his mouth near Wigg’s ear.
“Can you see the subtle matter?” he shouted.
“Yes!” Wigg shouted back, the wind whipping violently at his hair and robe. “But it still gains ground! When we reach the wreck we must decide!”
“I know-we must either carry on after the subtle matter or stop and view the wrecked ship!” Tristan answered. “But the ship is going nowhere! We must keep after the subtle matter at all costs!”
