Savage Messiah

"What do you want of me?"

Wulfgar pursed his lips in thought.

"I believe that my plan for the orb will succeed," he said. "But if for some reason it should not yet I survive the day, I wish to leave someone here who is loyal to my cause. Such a person could be of great help to me in the future. The recently departed son of the Jin'Sai knew the value of an alternative plan, should his first one fail. His was to leave the Scrolls of the Ancients in the base of the Gates of Dawn. This very moment one of them floats by my side, while its mate is safely ensconced elsewhere. So you see, my child, Nicholas' lessons were not lost upon me."

He took another step closer. Vivian cringed.

"The small legacy of the craft that I plan to leave in my wake will be you, my dear," he added.

Wasting no more time, Wulfgar pointed at her and enveloped her in a wizard's warp. She struggled to break free, but it was hopeless.

He walked closer. Placing his hand upon her forehead, he smiled down at her. She tried to scream. She couldn't.

"There, there," he cooed softly. "Do not fear, my child. You are about to receive the greatest of gifts. I shall redeem you from the twisted mire that is the Vigors, and deliver you to the light." Wulfgar closed his eyes. An azure glow surrounded them both.

Exquisite pain coursed through her, and her body jangled like a marionette's, dancing convulsively upon some unseen master's strings. Her blood pounded so hard through her veins that she could hear her own heartbeat. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and foam dripped from one corner of her mouth. The torment was unrelenting and all-encompassing. Finally it stopped. Wulfgar removed his hand from her forehead and the glow disappeared. She was drenched in sweat, but otherwise felt unharmed.

"Rise and face your new lord," he said.

Vivian smiled as she stood up from the chair. She had never before felt so alive. Raising her arms over her head, she stretched her lithe body like a cat. Wulfgar saw that her gaze held nothing but adoration for him.

"Whom do you serve?" he asked.

"Only you, master."

"And which side of the craft do you cherish above life itself?"

"Only the Vagaries."

"Extend one arm. I must be sure of my work. Do not be afraid. I will temporarily enhance your vision, so that you might see what I see."

Vivian held out one arm. Narrowing his eyes, Wulfgar caused a small incision to form in the soft underside of her wrist and a single blood droplet to well from it. The droplet hovered in the air and immediately began to twist itself into her blood signature.

As she watched it revolve before her eyes, Vivian gasped. Her blood signature had been altered. It now tilted slightly to the left, indicating her new proclivity to practice the Vagaries.

Satisfied, Wulfgar caused the blood signature to vanish and the incision to heal. Vivian stared at him with rapt admiration.

"How is this possible, master?" she breathed.

"In truth, I ca

Vivian nodded.

Wulfgar explained her new role as his spy here in the Redoubt. He taught her how to mask her blood signature with an image of her old one. He told her who Bratach was, and described his role in their cause. And he taught her how to use the grains of wheat to leave secret messages in the fountain. Satisfied, he had then taken his leave of her to go to the palace roof to confront the Orb of the Vigors.

Wulfgar had not succeeded in polluting the orb that night. But upon reading the first message left for her by Bratach, Vivian had been overjoyed to learn that her new master had survived, and that he would soon return.

Setting aside those memories, Vivian turned another corner to find herself in the roundabout, where the indigo of the coming night played deftly upon the fountain and its dancing waters. She walked to it and sat down upon its edge.

This time she didn't have to wait for the traffic in the roundabout to lessen. There was no one there to see her take the grains of wheat from her pocket, or notice the narrow bands of azure escaping from between her fingers.

The azure slowly died, and Vivian placed her hand into the water.

CHAPTER LIII

As the door hinges creaked, tyra

As soon as they opened the door, the arriving demonslavers would surely see their fallen comrades, and any hope for surprise that Tyra

Tyra

Suddenly they heard a slaver call out, from somewhere along the guard path.

"You, there!" the voice shouted. "No rest for your group yet! Get back to your posts and stay on patrol!"

Still as death, the little war party in the stone room waited and listened. Then they heard some grumbling, and the door was pulled shut. The slavers' footsteps retreated into the distance.

Lowering her sword, Tyra

Shailiha uncoiled a little and shook her head, but though she tried to scowl, she couldn't hold back a smile.

Placing one finger over her lips, Tyra

"Those slavers are back on patrol," she whispered. "Now is as good a time as any to get going!"

Shailiha shot her a look. "Don't tell me you still mean to take us into the Citadel!"

Tyra

She opened the door and cautiously ventured out. The others followed silently. Glancing at the sky, the privateer winced. The clouds had departed, and the three red moons blatantly cast the invaders' dark shadows across the guard path.

Their only option now was to have the Minion warriors fly Tyra

K'jarr hoisted Tyra

"What are you waiting for?" she whispered urgently.

Letting go with one arm, he pointed out to the ocean. "Look! Perhaps now you'll believe me!"

Twisting around, Tyra

Snapping open his wings, K'jarr took several ru

But as the Minions' shadows rolled across the guard path, one of the distant, patrolling demonslavers saw them. He shouted an alarm. In mere moments the Citadel erupted into pandemonium as armed demonslavers began to pour out of the buildings below.

K'jarr started to carve out a turn that would take them all back to the litter, but Tyra

"No!" she shouted urgently. Removing one arm from around the warrior's neck, she pointed down to the sea. "Take us there! We must see this!"