"I have urgent news," Tyranny said. "My fleet sighted a lone demonslaver ship only hours ago, and she-"
She stopped cold when Faegan stiffened and cocked his head to one side.
Then a brief smile overcame the wizard's face-the first in two days. And then everyone became aware of a growing hubbub in the hallway outside. Suddenly, the double doors burst open, and Tristan, Wigg, and Traax staggered through the doorway.
All three were dirty from head to toe, covered with what looked like some sort of ash. Much of the right side of Wigg's robe had been scorched away to reveal right hand and right leg covered with red, blistered burns. Tristan looked unharmed, but his hair had been singed. Traax's long, dark hair had been burned, too, as had part of his leather body armor. All three looked exhausted.
With joyous cries and teary eyes, Celeste, Shailiha, and Abbey stood and raced to embrace the men.
Feeling a bit like an intruder on the tender scene, Tyranny lowered her head and gazed at the inlaid tabletop. She wanted to share her joy at Tristan's safe return, but that did not seem appropriate.
At last, Tristan helped Wigg to his seat, and then he and Traax sat down. Tristan smiled over at Tyranny, and she smiled back. The Jin'Sai nodded his greetings to the rest of the table.
Faegan placed his gnarled hands flat on the tabletop and looked at Wigg.
"You are severely burned, my old friend," he said. "But at first glance your injuries do not appear to be life-threatening. You have treated yourself with an incantation of accelerated healing, I presume? And something to help with the pain?"
Wigg reached to his left and took Abbey's hand, then nodded. He remained silent, knowing full well what Faegan's next question would be. Faegan leaned forward, his eyes shining with curiosity.
"Tell me, is it as we feared?"
"Yes," Wigg said sadly. "But I regret to tell you that there is other news, and it is equally grave."
"What is it?" Abbey asked.
"An entire village is gone," he whispered. "Brook Hollow. The energy dripping from the Orb of the Vigors burned the place to ash. Try as I might, there was nothing I could do to stop it." Taking his hand back from Abbey, Wigg wiped tears from his eyes.
"We were right, Faegan," he went on. "The Orb of the Vigors is torn-no doubt a result of Wulfgar's attempt to destroy it by polluting it with the Orb of the Vagaries. It is dripping the pure energy of the Vigors. For all I know, it may continue to do so for all time."
For several long moments there was only the crackling of the logs in the fireplace.
"How is it that the three of you survived?" Abbey finally asked.
"We lost nearly all the warriors that accompanied us," Tristan answered. "It was only by the grace of the Afterlife that there were enough warriors still alive to catch us as our burning litter went down. We were outside of the main path of the Orb, and were able to build a new litter from freshly felled trees. The surviving warriors flew us home."
"What direction was the orb traveling in when you left?" Faegan asked.
"North, across the fields of Farplain," Traax answered. "Luckily, that area is largely uninhabited. But the orb's path is erratic. It's impossible to say where it might turn next."
"Do you believe that the orb has been dripping energy ever since that night Wulfgar tried to destroy it?" Shailiha asked.
"An excellent question," Wigg said. "No, I do not think so. If that had been the case, then it would have destroyed much of the palace that night, and a good deal of Tammerland, as it moved away. I believe that the orb was weakened that night, and that it finally ruptured later, in some other part of the country."
"We need to know where the orb is at all times," Tristan said. "Traax, I want you to send out several squadrons of warriors to find it. Once they have, they are to set up a chain of communication so that we will receive regular updates, just as we do with Tyranny's fleet. If the orb moves toward an inhabited place, the warriors must do all they can to warn the populace."
"That may be difficult, Jin'Sai," Traax said. "They still do not trust us."
Geldon spoke up at last. "May I make a recommendation?"
"By all means," Tristan said.
"It seems to me that the Minions need someone to travel with them, to act as a human emissary on their behalf," he replied. "I would like to offer my services."
Tristan looked at the hunchbacked dwarf with true admiration. The small man with the very large heart had proven invaluable to them in the past, and Tristan was sure that this new mission would prove to be no exception.
"Of course," the prince said. "And thank you."
Unable to contain her news any longer, Tyranny spoke up.
"I know all of this is incredibly important, but so is what I have to tell you," she said.
"What is it?" Tristan asked.
Taking a deep breath, Tyranny looked around the table. "Only hours ago, a demonslaver frigate slipped through my fleet," she said. "I believe she was making for the Cavalon Delta. If I'm right, she may already be there."
Tristan's face became grave. "How can that be?" he asked. To Tyranny's relief, he seemed to be more stunned than angry. Reaching up, he ran one hand through his dark hair. "I've sailed with you, and I know how skilled you are! How could a lone frigate slip through a dozen vessels under your command?"
The muscles in Tyranny's jaw clenched. "I had her dead to rights," she answered grimly. "I ordered the fleet to fan out in a battle line and take her. There should have been no possibility of escape. As I watched her approach, she was simply there one second, and gone the next.
"Someone of the craft must have been aboard her, and caused the frigate to disappear," she added. "The same way they did not so long ago, just before we finally smashed their fleet." Sitting tiredly back in her chair, she knew that everyone around the table understood what she wasn't saying.
"Could it be true?" Tristan asked Faegan. "Could Wulfgar still be alive?"
Faegan pursed his lips. "It would explain much," he answered. "Still, that may not be the case."
"Why not?" Celeste asked.
"We believe that Wulfgar received his gifts through Forestallments," the old wizard answered, "the calculations for which came by way of the Scroll of the Vagaries. It is possible that he could also have granted Forestallments to one or more of his consuls before he came to Eutracia to destroy the orb. It could have been one such consul aboard that frigate."
He turned to Tyranny. "Don't be so hard on yourself, my dear," he said. "Even Wigg and I might not have been able to find that vessel, once she had vanished. Still, all of this doesn't answer the greater question, does it?"
"Why Wulfgar or one of his emissaries is really here," Shailiha said.
"It must have to do with the ruptured orb."
Despite all of their concerns, Faegan's impish, familiar smile returned. He loved nothing so much as a good riddle, especially when he was the only one holding the answer.
"Oh, really," he teased Shailiha. "And why must that be the case?"
"He has come here to complete the job he started, has he not?" Shailiha asked. "Or he is dead, and his consuls are carrying on in his stead. Either way, they mean to finish destroying the orb."
Suddenly, Tristan knew what it was that Faegan was getting at. He looked over at his twin sister.
"They don't need to destroy the orb, Shai," he said. "Don't you see? As the Orb of the Vigors continues to drip its energy across the land, it will eventually die on its own."
He looked first at Faegan, and then at Wigg. "I'm right, aren't I?" he asked.
"In truth, we do not know," Wigg answered. "This is a calamity that we never thought we would have to face. We cannot be sure the orb will die, or whether the energy inside of it that sustains the Vigors will replenish itself.
"Either way, Faegan and I fear that without the energy of the orb to sustain the Vigors, our side of the craft will soon cease to exist," he went on. "After all, isn't that what Wulfgar wanted all along? So you see, now the real questions become not only whether he lives, but if he does, whether he knows about the continued draining of the orb."