Traax's strong, commanding voice rang out. "We will beat him back, I swear it," the Minion said sternly. "No fighting force on earth can overcome our warriors. We will give him a reception he shall never forget."
Tristan looked over at him. "Forgive me, my friend," he said with concern, "but that may not be the case. I have seen the demonslavers fight. While they do not have the gift of flight, they are nonetheless ferocious adversaries, and they care absolutely nothing for their own safety. Our forces were drastically weakened during the battle with Nicholas' flying creatures over the fields of Farplain. Even worse, the demonslavers will have a full-fledged wizard of Morganna's blood leading them." Thinking to himself for a moment, he looked out over the balcony, then back to Faegan and Wigg.
"If the Minions cannot keep Wulfgar from reaching the coast, can your combined gifts beat him back?" he asked them bluntly. "Is there any way we can win this?"
"There will be no way of knowing that until it happens," Wigg answered grimly as he placed his hands into the opposite sleeves of his robe. "The powers of the Enseterat will be great, indeed."
Tristan narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "What is the Enseterat?"
"Enseterat is a word found in the scroll, and is the title by which Wulfgar will no doubt wish to be known. It is Old Eutracian for 'lord of the Vagaries.' The scroll says that once the Chosen Ones finally mature, and their blood has been gifted with Forestallments, then they are to be known by such names."
Tristan looked over at his sister. "So what are Shailiha and I supposed to be called?" he asked softly.
Wigg looked carefully first at Tristan, then Shailiha. "Tristan, you are to be known in the craft as the Jin'Sai, or 'The Combiner of the Arts'. And Shailiha is to be known as the Jin'Saiou, the feminine version of the same phrase.
"We first heard these words spoken by the watchwoman of the floating gardens," Wigg said. "But when she realized that we were unfamiliar with them, she would tell us no more. Now we know. Or should I say, at least we know more than we did."
"But why?" Shailiha asked. "Why would the Ones give us such names?"
"As is the case with so many things of magic, we do not know," Faegan answered. "We have theorized that it may be so that future beings of the craft you encounter in your struggles to join the two sides shall know you for who you now are, and therefore willingly accept your aegis over them. Or there may well be deeper, even more meaningful reasons for this. Only time will tell. And time is the one thing we don't have."
Despite all that Tristan had heard, the thought that had been going through his mind since he had sat down needed to be addressed before anything else was done. Wulfgar and his fleet could be there at any time, and they had to be as ready for him as they could.
"We must deploy the fleet," he said sternly. "And we need to set up a system of warning, should they see Wulfgar and his slavers approaching."
"Our thoughts exactly," Wigg said. "What do you suggest?"
Tristan turned back to Traax. "What you must do is to keep the fleet concentrated in strength, so that it can be ordered to move as a unified force at a moment's notice. I want the fleet maneuverable, without having our backs up against the coastline. Sail east from the delta, but venture no farther from Tammerland than your best warriors can fly without stopping to rest. Hold your position there. Then order a small contingent of scout vessels farther east, but again no farther than the warriors can safely fly back to the main body of the fleet. Send warriors flying out from the decks of the scout vessels to scour the sea as far to the east as they can. When the slavers are finally sighted, send a message to me at once. If we can destroy his fleet and keep him from reaching the coast, we may be able to save the orb."
Tristan looked over at the wizards. "Agreed?" he asked. They both nodded.
Tristan thought to himself for a moment, then looked back over at Traax. "Do you remember the officer named K'jarr?" he asked. "His intelligence and bravery impressed me during the sea battle with the pirates."
"Of course," Traax answered with a smile. "He is one of my best. Still a bit young and impetuous, but very capable."
"Good," Tristan answered thoughtfully. "When you return to the fleet, find him and keep him by your side. He is not to participate in any of the flying search parties. When I finally join you I may have a special use for him, and I want him available. I may also want a special litter built. I will tell you about it later."
Traax bowed his head slightly. "I live to serve," he said. Then his strong, rather menacing-looking smile emerged again. "It shall all be as you order, Jin'Sai."
On hearing himself called that for the first time, Tristan sighed and shook his head. He had never been one for titles, and now it seemed that still another one had been heaped on him. He looked over to Shailiha, and saw her smile slightly.
"And for your part, what will you be doing?" Tristan asked the two wizards.
"What we have been doing for the last week," Wigg answered. "Specifically, trying to find a way to combat the Forestallment gifted to Wulfgar that will result in the destruction of the orb. But I must tell all of you here that given the quality of his blood and the still-unknown nature of the various gifts he has surely been imbued with, the likelihood of our stopping him will be remote, at best. And if we fail, all that we know and love may soon vanish." As he finished speaking, a tense silence descended over the table.
Tristan looked over at Traax. "Go now," he ordered. "Take the fleet out, but leave a sufficient number of troops here to defend the palace, should it come to that. Once at sea, follow my directions to the letter. I will await your word."
Nodding, Traax stood. He walked a short distance to the side of the balcony, snapped open his wings, and took to the air.
Looking down at the scroll on the table, Tristan took a deep breath. Rising, he stretched his long legs and walked over to the balcony wall. He kept his dark eyes on Traax as the loyal warrior became smaller and smaller against the backdrop of the sky, then finally vanished.
He knew that if they were not exceedingly fortunate, they would lose this fight. Then the warrior K'jarr crossed his mind again. There might yet be a way-one that he had not discussed with the wizards.
Suddenly, despite the loved ones sitting just behind him at the table, the newly anointed Jin'Sai felt very much alone.
CHAPTER
Sixty-four
T he baby girl coughed yet again as she lay struggling for her life in the plain, wooden crib. As she did, the woman in the robe sensed that this gentle but sinister convulsion would be the child's last. Long past grief, the baby's mother and father huddled helplessly near their child, their eyes red and crying as they watched her die.
Closing her eyes, the woman called upon the craft yet again in her efforts to help the infant breathe, at the same time trying to make sure the familiar azure aura did not form, thereby alerting the parents of her secret abilities. But she knew she was losing this battle, and the end would come soon.