Savage Messiah

Wigg nodded. The boy turned to look at Tristan.

"You, Jin'Sai, will be the first human in all of history to willingly give up his Forestallments," he said. "Ridding you of the Forestallments that Succiu imparted to your blood is the only way that your blood can be changed back to red."

Stu

"It is important that you see and understand this place," the Scroll Master said, "because if your Forestallments are not collected successfully, your body and soul will be condemned to this place for all of eternity. If that happens, then being the Jin'Sai will no longer have any meaning."

Tristan looked back down into the writhing mass of tortured souls. Closing his eyes, he hung his head as he contemplated such a fate. But, he knew, there could be no going back now.

"You say that his Forestallments are to be 'collected,' " Wigg said. "What do you mean by that? When a Forestallment dies, it simply vanishes into nothingness. Isn't that so?"

"No," the boy answered. "But I may only share the answer with the Jin'Sai-or the Jin'Saiou, should that become necessary. I am forbidden to reveal it to any other. Should Tristan survive, he shall become part of one of the most hallowed, most intricate of the many processes left behind by the Ones Who Came Before. He shall also be witness to one of their greatest constructs. They knew his blood might turn to azure should he somehow fall into the wrong hands. I was placed here aeons ago to help him should such a fate befall him."

"Are you one of the Ones Who Came Before?" Wigg asked.

"No," the boy said. "I am but one of their servants." He looked at Tristan again.

"What say you?" he asked. "Are you prepared to come with me?"

Tristan did not look up. "Yes," he answered softly. "There is no other choice."

He turned toward Wigg. "If I never return, tell Celeste how much I loved her," he whispered. "And tell Shailiha to be brave, for with me gone she will have to carry on the struggle to unite the two sides of the craft."

Tristan walked over to Celeste and took her into his arms. She felt cold and lifeless, as though she were already gone. A tear escaped from one of his eyes to land upon her wrinkled cheek. He kissed her gently on the lips.

"Goodbye, my darling," he said softly.

He carried her over to Wigg and placed her into her father's arms. Saying nothing, he touched Wigg gently on the shoulder and went to stand next to the boy.

Wigg watched as an azure glow surrounded them. As the glow brightened, the figures of Tristan and the boy slowly disappeared. Then the glow vanished, leaving nothing behind.

Wigg gently laid his only daughter back down on the floor and settled her head on his lap. As he cradled her, the wailing and crying continued from the Abyss of Lost Souls, and soon his own sobbing became no less plaintive.

CHAPTER LXXVIII

Wulfgar stood before the newly cut pass through the Tolenkas, stu

Wulfgar was fresh from his victory at the Minion outpost, and his Black Ship had crossed the fields of Farplain to reach the majestic Tolenkas in a single day. The journey to the pass had been uneventful. If any sizable Minion force searched for him along the way, they hadn't shown their hand.

The glowing azure wall climbed high into the fog lying quietly upon the peaks of the mountains. Its surface was as smooth as glass, stretching from one side of the pass to the other. White-hot flashes of raw energy shot to and fro within its silent depths. Wulfgar felt as though the wall was begging to be opened. He yearned to see the wonders waiting on the other side come streaming through.

Wulfgar turned and looked down the mountainous slope. The Minion warriors who had watched over the pass had died the same way as those at the coastal outpost. There had been fewer of them to contend with, and they had perished valiantly but quickly.

His lone Black Ship sat heavily in the grassy field below. Lit torches had been shoved into the ground, their flames highlighting the dark lines of the vessel and lending the scene a surreal, ghostly quality. The corpses of warriors and demonslavers littered the nearby ground. The surviving demonslavers milled about, watching the azure wall from afar. Some scavenged the bodies of the dead Minions for dreggans and returning wheels.

Smiling, Wulfgar turned back toward the pass. As he did, he felt the touch of the Heretics on his mind. The mixed chorus of voices was as lovely and commanding as ever. He went to his knees.

"Wulfgar…"

"I am here," he answered silently.

"It is time to reach deep into your blood and call forth the special Forestallment that allows you to breach the azure pass. Do not be alarmed by what emerges from its depths. They do not possess the intellect of your dark captains or even your demonslavers, but your new servants will be the blunt instruments of your eventual victory. The Old Eutracian word for them is K'ton. Unlike the Minions of Day and Night, they know no hierarchy within their ranks. Bring them now, Wulfgar. Bring them and watch their swift evolution take place before your eyes. Then you must leave this place and travel to Tammerland. As you near the city, we will speak with you again."

"As you command," Wulfgar replied.

He stood and raised his arms. Bolts streamed from his outstretched fingers. Streaking up the slope, they snaked over the surface of the wall to form a vertical line, separating the pass into two equal halves. He moved his hands apart, and the line split and moved toward either side, opening a dark gap in the wall. Then he lowered his hands, and he and Cathmore backed away.

Snarling, grunting sounds came out of the darkness, becoming louder as something neared the entrance to the other side of the world. Finally one of the K'tons walked through to stand and face the Enseterat in the moonlight.

Wulfgar held his ground as he looked at the first of his new servants. Standing at least seven feet tall, the K'ton had skin of the darkest black. It stood on two massive, humanlike legs; simple, black warrior's sandals adorned its feet. The massive arms and torso rippled with bulging muscles. Its head was huge-even in relation to its great body. Its dark, straggly hair fell down past its shoulders.

The K'ton's bright red eyes were small, giving its gaze a furtive look. Its nose was wide and constantly testing the air. Its thin lips and pointed teeth were covered with drool. The only garment it wore was a black, fringed warrior's skirt. As more K'tons appeared, Wulfgar saw that their only weapons were either short swords or huge, bulbous clubs with silver blades extending from the club heads.

As they gathered to stand before Wulfgar, the K'tons' collective snarling and grunting grew ever louder. As the night wore on, they continued to march out to stand in the torchlight. Wulfgar suddenly wondered how he could load so many aboard a single Black Ship. But then the monsters started to change and he had his answer.

One by one, they became surrounded by azure. Twisting and turning, crying out in agony, they sank to their knees or fell to the ground. The sound of ripping and tearing filled the air. As he watched, Wulfgar recalled part of the Heretics' last message:

"Bring them," they had said. "Bring them, and watch their swift evolution."

Wulfgar suddenly understood: Having been released to the world, the K'tons were changing.

The skin of their backs split open down the center. Fully exposed spinal columns rose to rest upon the surfaces of their backs. Then their shoulders split open. Appendages extended from within the fresh wounds.