"Only one of you shall be allowed to enter the chamber," she said. She pointed her blanched, bony hand at Wigg. "It shall be you," she added coldly.
"Why?" Wigg asked.
"The herbs you request are among the rarest in existence," she answered. "Therefore the psychic price to be paid is exceedingly high. Of the two of you, the cripple has far less chance of survival. I can sense that his mind is always struggling to control the pain in his legs. The added burdens that await in the Chamber of Penitence shall be more easily borne by you-which is not to guarantee your survival, either. The choice remains yours: Decide."
Wigg looked down at Faegan and nodded slowly. If he died here in this place today, then so be it. But no matter what else might happen, no harm could come to the Paragon.
Faegan looked up at Wigg with wet, guilty eyes. "I'm sorry, my friend," he said, his voice cracking. Then he looked down at the stark wooden chair that was at once both his freedom and his prison. "I have far less to lose," he added sadly.
Wigg placed a hand on Faegan's shoulder. "It's all right," he said softly. "But if I never come back, please do all you can to help Celeste come to terms with her past. I have only just found her, and I would like to know that my oldest, best friend will be looking after her. Just as I know you will also care for Abbey and the Chosen Ones."
Lowering his head slightly, all Faegan could do was nod.
Wigg looked back at the faceless woman. "I am ready," he said.
She turned and walked through the doorway and into the darkness beyond.
Taking a deep breath, the lead wizard followed her inside.
CHAPTER
Thirty-five
"Y ou're insane," Wulfgar breathed softly, incredulously, as he stared at the wizard. "Even you, in the warped, twisted world of this bizarre island you command, cannot believe everything you have just said! And even if you do, such things are not possible! What you propose is monstrous, and I will have none of it, do you hear? None of it!"
Smiling slightly, Krassus stood from his chair and came to stand by Wulfgar's side. Looking out over the nighttime sea, he saw the running lights of several slave ships approaching the underground pier. Counting them, he saw that there were five. He smiled again. With the exception of the ship Janus and Grizelda had just departed in, most of his fleet was now home. And here in the protection of the Citadel was where they would stay, at least for the time being.
With the discovery of Wulfgar, he had no further need for the taking of R'talis slaves. Even before the half sibling of the Chosen Ones had been found, Krassus had already secured more of the endowed captives than he needed to fulfill the other, more esoteric part of Nicholas' plans. Nor did the wizard need more Talis slaves, even though they had been brought here for an entirely different purpose. And so he had told Janus to order all of the slaving activities in Eutracia abandoned. Soon his entire fleet and most of his demonslavers and consuls would be back at the Citadel, awaiting his next orders.
From the moment he had first entered these rooms and looked Wulfgar over, Krassus had been pleased. Tall, broad shouldered, and muscular, Wulfgar had intense hazel eyes that burned brightly with both his innate intelligence and the strength of his uniquely endowed blood. His rugged good looks were not what one might have called classically handsome, but he carried with him a defiant sense of purpose, just as did the other two offspring of the late queen Morganna.
Krassus could barely contain his eagerness to discover just how strong Wulfgar's blood would eventually prove to be.
But first he would need to consult the Scroll of the Vagaries.
For the last two hours Krassus had been explaining his plan in great detail to the unbelieving man seated beside him, telling him why he had been brought here and what was about to happen to all of the other slaves, both Talis and R'talis alike. Some of it, the wizard had said, was already going forward at the hands of the consuls under his control.
As Krassus had gone on talking, the look of extreme horror on Wulfgar's face had turned to one of pure rage. At one point he had actually tried to attack the wizard. But Krassus had, of course, been able to control him, painfully but gently showing him the error of his ways. After that Wulfgar had simply paced, seething, knowing that there was nothing he could do but listen to the impossible-sounding plans of the wizard with the long, white hair and the strange gray-and-blue robe.
Krassus had fully expected Wulfgar to react this way. In fact, he would have been bitterly disappointed if the son of Morganna had not. But he also knew that Wulfgar's feelings would change soon enough. And there would be absolutely nothing Wulfgar would be able to do to prevent it.
When Krassus had explained that Wulfgar was in fact the bastard half sibling of Tristan and Shailiha, the Chosen Ones themselves, Wulfgar had laughed, calling the wizard insane. But after Krassus had explained to him about the wizards' orphanage and the fact that he had been given over to a couple named Jason and Selene of the House of Merrick, his derisive attitude had slowly subsided. And when Krassus had shown Wulfgar the blood signatures of all three of Morganna's offspring, and then gone on to explain how they had been formed by the craft, for a time Wulfgar had become strangely silent.
"Why Serena?" Wulfgar finally asked, his mood quieter now.
"What do you mean?" Krassus responded politely.
"It was painfully obvious that that freak Janus wanted us together, and in a very bad way," Wulfgar answered. "I had never asked for a woman. Yet there she suddenly was. Presented to me on a silver platter, to supposedly do with however I wished. I now partially regret to say that it worked. I care very much for her, as she does for me. But you know that already, don't you? So tell me, why was it so important to you that we meet?"
"I handpicked Serena for you myself, as the dead son of the Chosen One commanded me to do, just before his ill-fated attempt to empower the Gates of Dawn," Krassus answered perfunctorily. "Serena is not only quite beautiful, but also highly intelligent. The assay rating of her endowed blood makes her an excellent match for you. It is in fact a value of three-very high quality, indeed. And her blood signature leans far to the left, just as your does, making her even more suitable. But as of yet, of course, she is completely ignorant of such nuances."
Still confused, Wulfgar scowled at the thought of how easily he and Serena had been manipulated. But his love for her was real. Now he knew why she had been taken away by the demonslavers this morning: so that the wizard called Krassus could come here and speak to him privately. Suddenly more concerned than ever for Serena's well-being, he glared at the wizard sitting so calmly across from him.
"You still haven't answered my question," he demanded. "Why was she presented to me? It couldn't have simply been for our sexual gratification."
"No, no, of course not," Krassus answered happily, crossing his legs and taking a sip of the excellent red wine on the table before him. "Although an offspring from your union would certainly be useful, that is not my goal. Other, more pressing matters must take precedence. As I have told you, you will eventually become the ruler of not only this island, but a good deal more, as well. And every king needs a queen. The woman behind the throne, as they say. Serena was the obvious choice, and is also the woman you will no doubt bestow this honor upon when the time comes. When all is said and done, you will eventually find that the two of you are compatible in ways you could never have dreamed."
Wulfgar thought for a moment. "Assuming that all of this insanity is in fact true, how can you be so sure that I will choose Serena?"
"Because even though you don't realize it yet, you are a highly superior specimen of the craft," Krassus said calmly. "At some point even you will finally understand that only the best will do. Your position, the quality of your blood, and the left-leaning nature of your signature will eventually demand it. And Serena is without question the most highly qualified woman here."