He looked at the other wizards and saw that tears filled the eyes of some. The two who remained the most composed, Maaddar and Tretiak, sat looking down at their hands, presumably to spare their king any further embarrassment. Wigg could always count on Tretiak.
Nicholas sat back heavily into his chair, and it was apparent to all that the weight of the world had just landed upon his shoulders. Inwardly Wigg winced at the thought of the additionally unsettling information that he must now put before them all. Salt into the wounds, he thought. He got up from his chair and stood behind it, placing his hand on top of the chair back where his name had been so intricately carved into the wood.
“I am sorry to have to inform everyone here that there is still more to tell you.” Anyone looking hard enough would have been able to see the muscles in his jaw clenching. “The prince’s clothes are stained in red. The red. Again, I am sad to say that there can be no mistake. I believe he has either bathed in or at the very least washed some parts of himself in the water of the stone pool. I need tell no one in this room that these actions are without precedent. We are truly walking into the unknown, and we have been innocently led there by one of endowed blood whom we all love very much.” He paused and gazed directly at the king, so that Nicholas could not escape his meaning. “We must all try to remember that sentiment in the difficult days ahead.” As he had hoped, he saw the king’s countenance begin to soften.
“Unfortunately, we must also assume that Tristan has seen, if indeed did not also try to enter, the Tunnels of the Ones Who Came Before,” he continued. His brow furrowed. “Have any of the members of the Directorate felt a disturbance in the wizard’s warp that guards the tunnels’ entrance?” None of the wizards spoke. “Good. However, it must be said that this afternoon I myself felt a definite shudder against the warp at the gateway to the tunnel. Perhaps I felt it only due to my closer proximity to the Caves. But I can also tell you with certainty that the tunnel portal has not been breached. The Tome is intact.”
“Wigg,” Nicholas began again, “will the azure glow be about him always?” There was both concern and a bit of uncharacteristic timidity in the usually commanding voice.
“No, Your Highness,” Wigg said with compassion. “I am pleased to say that the aura will be gone from him in a few days. I do not believe that it can remain without repeated visits to the Caves. And I’m sure everyone agrees that under no circumstances can the prince return there.”
Wigg laced his long, ancient fingers together upon the back of the chair. “It is also a good thing that no one other than myself will be able to discern the glow. Even the prince himself cannot see it. We should, therefore, be able to contain the secret among the men in this room. The unenlightened populace and even the rural wizards would never understand its meaning. And any explanation might cause only misunderstanding, perhaps even alarm and riot.”
Egloff had a question. “Does Tristan now illustrate an even greater interest in the craft?” he asked. “For as long as I can remember, we in this room have been of the opinion that touching the water in an uncontrolled manner may unleash a desire to learn such as we have never seen. If I am not mistaken, I believe the Tome itself makes mention of it.” A smallish man who was always concerned with details, Egloff placed the ends of his thumb and middle finger of one hand against either side of his long nose and closed his eyes, his mind already deep into his unparalleled memory of the Tome. After observing his knowledge and eccentricities for over three hundred years, the other wizards knew it best to allow him to think without interruption. Egloff was known among them as the Master of the Tome, and if any one of them knew the answer to a question about the great book, it would be him.
“Yes,” he said, finally breaking the silence and opening his eyes. “I remember now. The Tome does indeed mention it in one of the later chapters of the Vigors. Tell us Wigg, does the hunger burn as bright in his eyes as the Tome foretells?”
“This, my friends, was the last thing that it was my unfortunate duty to tell you,” Wigg said slowly. “Yes, his eyes are alive with it. Just as his mind is alive with forming questions and his tongue is equally alive with asking them. And given the nature of his birth, I fear that this, unlike the aura, will not go away anytime soon. He may become completely unmanageable. Perhaps he has even done irreparable harm to himself. Only time will tell.”
The Lead Wizard took a long, deep breath. Once again he searched the king’s face for a clue as to how Nicholas would deal with all of this. There was only one thing to do, of course, and each wizard in the room knew it.
“Sire,” Wigg said gently, “I feel it is time that we addressed Tristan directly. He is, of course, your son and your blood, but I believe I speak for the Directorate and for the nation as a whole when I say that Tristan must be forbidden to go near the Caves. We must also take the responsibility of watching him very carefully until the coronation.”
The path was obvious, but ultimately the decision had to be Nicholas’. Wigg remained silent, as did the other wizards, waiting for the hopefully inevitable order.
Nicholas drew himself up in his throne once again, his regal posture reinstated, and looked Wigg in the eye.
“Lead Wizard,” he said quietly, “go and bring the prince to us.”
Without speaking Wigg stood, turned on his heel, and began walking to the door.
Still seated in the supplicant’s chair, Tristan wasn’t aware of anyone behind him until he felt the tap on his right shoulder. He turned around to see Wigg standing over him. He had neither heard nor seen Wigg’s approach. Most times, people never did.
“Your father has summoned you to appear before himself and the Directorate,” the wizard said. Tristan looked glumly up into Wigg’s unforgiving gaze, knowing there was no way out.
Tristan’s heart sank. “What about the inspection ceremony?” he countered. “Don’t we all have to appear very soon in the Great Hall?” It wasn’t much of an excuse to get out of the meeting, but it was all he could think of.
“The ceremony can come later,” the old one said. “And will, make no mistake. But this comes first. Besides, how do you think it could be held without you, your father, and the Directorate?”
Tristan glumly accepted his fate and rose to his feet. He had taken only one step toward the double mahogany doors when he heard the old wizard call out to him again.
“We’re not going that way,” Wigg said. He blatantly looked the prince up and down, noticing how much dirtier Tristan had become. Tristan’s appearance would do nothing to improve the king’s mood. “Follow me and be quiet. Try not to live up to any of our expectations.” The wizard turned away from the direction of the double doors and began to walk out of the Chamber of Supplication in the opposite direction, with the glum-looking prince of all Eutracia in tow.
After crossing the rose-colored marble floor of the chamber, they entered the hall outside. People were still scurrying about in preparation for the ceremony, and upon seeing Wigg many of them lowered their heads and gave him a wide berth. But the Lead Wizard seemed to take no notice of anyone at all as he led Tristan farther and farther down the long marble hall, finally turning into an area that was relatively unknown to the prince.