“Simply put, in Old Eutracian, Crysenium means, ‘Place of Peace,’” he explained. “Crysenium is not a country, a province, or even a city. It is a stand-alone construct of the craft, lovingly built and maintained by the gifted people you see at this table. Crysenium serves but one purpose-to secretly welcome you into our midst. Until Crysenium existed, we could not guarantee your safety. We painstakingly built Crysenium just after the Orb of the Vigors sliced through the Tolenka Mountains, joining the world’s two sides.”
“Where are we?” Tristan asked.
“We are even deeper inside the territory where Borderlands sometimes rage,” Hoskiko said. “Even so, the Borderlands occupy but a small portion of our world’s total landmass. Xanthus has already explained your journey, and what you endured to reach us. We therefore know that you already understand the Borderlands’ changing nature. Had we known that an army of the Ones was advancing, we would have waited, then sent Xanthus to fetch you later, when it was safer. As a group, we humbly apologize for the hardships you endured.”
“You say that you created Crysenium deep inside the Borderlands,” Tristan said. “It seems that you must have used magic to do so. But Xanthus told me that magic was of no use in the Borderlands.”
“True enough,” a female voice said from the table’s other side. “But there is more than one way to skin a cat, as you on the world’s other side are so fond of saying.”
It had been Alma who had spoken. Alma was easily as old as Hoskiko, with short gray hair. Even from across the table her eyes bored into Tristan’s.
“I don’t understand,” Tristan said.
“Even though magic is useless when the Borderlands are activated, the vast majority of time the area is the way you see it now, through this room’s window,” Alma said. “Crysenium was constructed quickly during those conditions, under cover of a spell allowing us to cloak our work. With the construct finished, another spell ensured that Crysenium remains cloaked. It’s true that the Heretics watch for intruders like the army you and Xanthus saw annihilated. But because of the vast distances involved, smaller groups of people are far more difficult for the Heretics to notice. The Heretics use the Borderlands to search for and destroy great enemy hordes-not groups of ten or twelve. Even so, we took a huge risk in building this place. Luckily, our spells held and we were successful. As long as our cloak remains in place, Crysenium is invisible to the Heretics. The Heretics rarely venture here, so this region is perfect for our needs. Rest assured that we have deceived them. If not we would be dead, and Crysenium destroyed. The more fanatical Heretics are not ones to leave stones unturned.” She smiled again.
“Besides,” she added, “the deadly Borderlands are the last place they would search for a secret craft construct.”
Tristan was stunned. “Do you mean to say that you risked your lives to build this place just for me? Why would you do that?”
“So that we could finally meet with aJin’Sai in secrecy,” Faxon said. “Even though the Ones and the Heretics remain embroiled in a deadly war, what happens on your side of the world is equally important. Three momentous developments have recently intersected in time. That is why you have been brought here. We must act quickly, for such a wondrous set of occurrences might never merge again.”
“What are they?” Tristan asked.
“The first is the creation of the azure pass,” Suzu said. A member of the Ones, he sat on Tristan’s left side. A gray, bushy beard adorned his face.
“The cutting of the pass through the Tolenka Mountains by the Vigors orb was an event much heralded by the Heretics,” Suzu added. “Despite appearances it was a random, unexpected occurrence. We know of no other force in the world powerful enough to have done that. In any event, the unexpected result of Wulfgar’s failed plan was the Tolenkan pass. When they learned of it, the Heretics were overjoyed.”
“Why?” Tristan asked.
“Because for aeons the Tolenkas had been insurmountable, even to the Ones and the Heretics,” Hoskiko answered. “Unfortunately, the pass exited this side of the Tolenkas in Heretic-controlled territory. At long last they had found a way to enter your side of the world, while the Ones could not. Now they can much more easily influence Eutracian and Parthalonian history. As an additional assurance that only they might use it, they immediately flooded the pass with convoluted magic. A special Forestallment is needed to safely navigate its length. Should anyone enter the pass without the Forestallment’s protection, death is immediate.”
Tristan looked across the table at the Darkling. “And Xanthus’ blood carries that Forestallment,” he mused.
“That’s right,” Hoskiko answered. “It also protected you.”
“You mentioned three important events,” Tristan said. “What are the other two?”
“One is your world’s discovery of how to alter the lean of a blood signature,” Faxon answered. “That is a major leap forward in your primitive understanding of the craft.”
“And what is the third development?” Tristan asked.
Leaning forward, Faxon stared intently into Tristan’s eyes. “With the coming of the pass, the Heretics saw it as a way to capture you, and keep you from fulfilling your destiny,” he said. “Among all theJin’Sai s ever born, you have come closest to honoring the Tome’s prophecies. The Heretics knew that your wizards would never allow you and your sister to enter the pass at the same time. But if they could first tempt you, they would then try to seduce Shailiha. And so they hatched a plan-one that involved Xanthus, and that they believed you couldn’t resist. In the end, it nearly worked. Had it not been for us twelve Envoys, you would be in the Heretics’ grasp this moment.”
Tristan looked across the table at the Darkling. “So the Heretics sent you to Eutracia to steal the Paragon and commit atrocities until I agreed to accompany you through the pass,” he said. He looked at Hoskiko. “But you said that Xanthus serves you all,” he protested. “What did you mean by that?”
“You have been told only part of Xanthus’ story,” she answered. “Rather than take you to the Heretics, he followed our orders and brought you here. No matter what you think of him, he is the only reason you’re still alive.”
“That might be,” Tristan said. “But not one of you has answered my first question. Why do the Ones and the Heretics sit peacefully together at the same table? Don’t tell me that all this has been done simply to save my life. You want something, and for some reason you need my help to get it.”
Hoskiko reached out to touch Tristan’s hand. “You must hear us out,” she said gently. “The three concurrent events we mentioned have granted us an unparalleled opportunity to finally secure peace between the two orders. That is why we built Crysenium. That is also why we brought you here.”
“That still does not explain why Ones and Heretics sit together at this table,” Tristan pressed.
Leaning closer, Faxon searched the prince’s face. “The simple truth is that not all the Heretics think alike anymore,” he answered. “We six represent a larger splinter group, hungry for peace. Unknown to our other Heretic brothers and sisters, our secret group is growing. But the fanatics who so vastly outnumber us wish to see the Vigors wiped out forever. That is why they have been meddling in your world’s affairs, Jin’Sai. They want to stamp out the Vigors wherever they find it. You and your sister have done amazingly well in your efforts to stop the Heretics’ destructive plans. But your struggles against them have been mere skirmishes in the overall battle between light and dark. For hundreds of generations, untold numbers of Ones and Heretics have been fighting and killing one another. And for what reason? we Envoys ask ourselves. The Ones know why they fight-the Heretics are so unrelenting in their attacks that the Ones must battle back simply to survive. The War of Attrition has been going on for so long that either side can scarcely remember why it started.” Pausing for a moment, Faxon sat back in his chair.
“Despite my wish for peace, I am still a high-ranking member of the Imperial O
rder,” he added. “That is our military wing. During my career I have ordered the deaths of countless Ones. Perhaps that is why I want a resolution so badly. Once I started discreetly making my feelings known, I was amazed to learn how many other Heretics shared my concerns. Soon a secret splinter group was born. The other Heretics here with me can all be trusted, Jin’Sai. They each want peace as badly as I do. That is why we call ourselves Envoys. We need help-help that only you or Shailiha can grant us.”
“But how can I, a person of untrained blood, ever hope to helpyou ?” Tristan asked. “Your powers and skills dwarf even those of my wizards!” Turning to look at the table as a whole, Tristan’s eyes searched every Envoy’s face. “It’s time you told me why you have brought me to this place,” he said. “It’s a story I’ve been destined my entire life to hear.”
Hoskiko nodded. “We know,” she said, “just as we have been waiting for aeons to welcome aJin’Sai into our midst, and to tell the tale. We are responsible for your and your sister’s existences. In turn, you and she are responsible for helping our world, here so far away. It has been this way since the War of Attrition started. With your coming, we hope to change things. We need each other-perhaps more than at any moment in our history. Please listen carefully as we explain your destiny’s true meaning.” Reaching out, she lovingly placed one hand against his cheek.
Gently, she said, “In many ways, it’s not what you have been led to believe.”
CHAPTER XXXI
“YOU STILL HAVEN’T SAID WHY YOU’RE TAKING US FORa carriage ride at this hour, old man,” Abbey chided Wigg. She playfully poked one elbow into his ribs. The First Wizard winced. “What are you up to?” she asked.
Even though she was as confused as the herbmistress, Shailiha smiled. “I agree,” she said. “The least you could do is to tell us what’s going on. You were so secretive back at the palace!”
Tyranny would be next in line to complain. Sitting beside the princess, she crossed her arms and scowled at the First Wizard.
“Scars and I should be with the fleet-not out on some midnight joyride!” she protested. “Much remains to be done! We sail for the Citadel tomorrow, you know! Or have you lived for so many centuries that your memory is finally starting to go?”
Shailiha snorted a short laugh down her nose, but Tyranny found no part of this mysterious trip amusing. She lit a cigarillo and angrily blew the smoke toward the carriage roof.
Scowling, Wigg took his gaze from the passing street to regard the three strong-willed women traveling with him. They could certainly be a handful. Worse, once they learned why he had asked them to come, there would be no end to their questions.
It was a cool, pleasant evening. Streetlamps cast their welcoming glow across the nondescript coach-and-four as it rattled its way down a busy Tammerland thoroughfare. Scars sat up top driving the team.
Letting go a sigh, Wigg gathered his gray robe closer against the chilly night air. He had chosen this garden-variety coach from the palace stables because he wanted no heraldic adornments giving away its passengers’ identities. The First Wizard cleared his throat.
“I’m killing two birds with one stone,” he replied. “First, I wanted to talk to you about Tristan. I needed a private place in which to do it, so I chose this coach ride. Moreover, we head to a place where I hope to unravel a riddle. You will find it interesting.
“Besides,” he went on to say, “had I not brought you along, then told you all about it later, there would have been no end to your caterwauling! Faegan agreed that this trip was needed, but he chose to stay behind to remain immersed in his work.”
At the mention of her brother, Shailiha leaned closer. “What are you talking about?” she demanded.
“The fact is, Faegan, Jessamay, and I believe Tristan might return soon,” Wigg answered.
“What!” Tyranny exclaimed. “How could you know that?”
Pursing his lips, Wigg looked thoughtfully down at his hands. “We can’t know for sure,” he answered. “But we have reasoned it through, and we believe we’re right.”
Abbey gave him a wry look. “Out with it,” she said, “or we’ll have to gang up on you.”
Wigg took a moment to gather his thoughts. “We all know that Xanthus could have killed Tristan that night during the masquerade ball, but he didn’t,” he answered. “That means that the Heretics need him for something. Then there is this equally strange business about the Darkling granting the index forestallments to Faegan’s blood. Perhaps even more important, the Darkling spoke about Tristan’s possible return. If that comes true, Faegan and I believe that Xanthus might be needed to guide Tristan home again. The azure magic that fills the pass still has us baffled-it’s like nothing we have seen before. But we are reasonably sure that a unique spell is needed to safely navigate its depths. Moreover, we have reason to believe that the Heretics alone control the pass, because no Vigors servant has exited it. If that is all true and Tristan returns, we might have to take some unusual steps on his behalf.”
“What do you mean?” Shailiha asked.
“When next we see theJin’Sai he could be a changed man,” Wigg answered soberly, “and perhaps not for the better. Why would the Heretics want him? He is untrained in magic, so he cannot add to their craft knowledge. They might want his blood to somehow help win their long-standing war against the Ones-but Faegan, Jessamay, and I can’t imagine how. In the end, we can come up with but one logical reason why they would summon him into their midst, only to return him to us.”
Although she was immensely interested in Tristan’s welfare, Shailiha was hesitant to hear what Wigg had to say. Finally her curiosity overcame her worry.
“What is it?” she asked.
Thinking, Wigg looked out the window for a time. When he returned his gaze to them, his expression was grim.
“Simply put, they want to interfere with his destiny,” he said. “And yours as well, Princess. Somehow they want to keep you and your brother from combining the craft’s opposite sides. If they return him to us a changed man, they might well succeed in doing just that.”
“But if that is the case then why return him to us at all?” Tyranny asked. “Simply keeping him on their side of the world would do that.”
“Yes,” Wigg answered, “but perhaps at a far greater risk to them, and with less effectiveness.”
“But how so?” Abbey asked. “What Tyranny said seems sensible enough.”
“At first glance, it is,” Wigg answered. “But you are forgetting something. The Ones also exist on the world’s other side-or so we believe. If that is the case, then-”
“The Ones might somehow rescue Tristan from the Heretics,” Shailiha mused. “He would then becometheir ally. It might make more sense for the Heretics to change his thinking in some way, then send him back. If his blood was gifted with their Forestallments, he could do incredible damage to the Vigors.”
“Precisely,” Wigg said to the princess. “The azure pass might be just the thing the Heretics have been wanting for aeons. They once sentK’tons through the pass to serve Wulfgar. One can only guess what might come next. Tristan, perhaps, with a Vagaries army all his own and bent on destroying the Vigors? Only time will tell.”
The travelers went quiet for a time as they considered Wigg’s ominous warning. Finally Abbey broke the silence. “You said that should Tristan return, we might have to take some unusual steps,” she said. “What did you mean?”
“If the prince comes home, we must watch him closely and perform regular examinations of his blood signature before we can rest assured that he is unaffected,” Wigg said. “We might even be forced to affect his memory, then lock him away, as we have done with the traitorous consuls. Such things are painful to imagine, I know. I don’t like it any more than you, but there it is.”
Her heart heavy, Shailiha looked out the carriage window. Tristan becoming their enemy was frightening in the extreme. Moreover, since his disappearance she felt immensely guilty about doing so l
ittle to try to find him.
But she also knew that Jessamay and the wizards were right. Trying to send someone through the azure pass without first knowing its secrets might be a death sentence. Worse, should the Heretics detect any tampering with the pass’s magic, they might somehow close it. That could make Tristan’s return impossible, imprisoning him on the other side forever. Then she remembered his last words to her, just before he disappeared with the Darkling.
“Promise me that you will attack the Citadel!”he had ordered. In truth that was all she could do. But with the Black Ships sailing tomorrow, she felt like she was abandoning him. She turned back to Wigg.
“Where are you taking us?” she asked.
Sitting back in the seat, Wigg folded his arms across his chest. “I want to learn aboutK’Shari, ” he said simply. “I think it has more to do with our problems than we might suspect. Faegan believes that besides a lifetime of martial training, the gift might also be granted by Forestallment. In fact, using his newly acquired index Forestallment, he has discovered scroll calculations to that effect. Perhaps that’s how the Heretics granted the skill to Xanthus. I know someone who might be able to shed some light on the subject. But it’s been a long time-I’m not sure I’ll be granted an audience.”
“Is learning aboutK’Shari worth our time and trouble tonight?” Tyranny asked. “We sail tomorrow!”
“I understand your concern,” Wigg answered. “But we need to learn all we can about Xanthus, and any weaknesses he might have. I believe we haven’t seen the last of him. And I have another reason for making this visit.” The wizard’s face grew wistful.
“The truth is that I need to offer my belated condolences to someone,” he said. “Since Wulfgar’s defeat, I have been negligent in that responsibility. And by coming with me, you will learn about another facet of Eutracian history. By previous agreement, the late Directorate swore never to speak of it. I am without question violating that promise. But the Directorate is no more, and I have resolved to do this thing.” His mind made up, the First Wizard stubbornly gazed out the window again.
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