by Jeremy Dwyer
“You’re out of the game, Ciaran. Duels with daggers knock out the loser,” Sophie said. She then took the dagger cards from the duel and placed them in a discard pile next to the deck. She also placed Ciaran’s earlier cards into that discard pile. Ruth kept her cards as they were, except for the dagger card she played from the duel.
“I’ve got nothing more valuable, and nothing that can take a card from the shadows. I fold,” Sean said.
“That’s why I like these quick games. Make your best plays early and get to the point,” Ruth said.
“I thought you had strong cards to play, Sean,” Courtney said.
“But I’m the one wearing the diadem,” Ruth said, holding up the Thirteen (13) of Diadems over her head for the moment and then placing it back down on the table.
Sophie took Sean’s cards and placed them into the discard pile.
Molly played the Fourteen (14) of Rubies and asked: “These glitter more than gold, right?”
“Nice move, Molly. But will Ruth lay royal claim to it? The diadem gives her the right to take even a ruby numbered (1) higher,” Sophie said.
“How would she lay claim to it? This is the last turn, so it won’t come back around to Ruth,” Courtney asked.
“The diadem holder can lay royal claim to other treasures, one (1) point higher, when they’re revealed. But it will cost her the diadem in exchange,” Sophie said.
“I’ll claim it,” Ruth said, and she gave her Thirteen (13) of Diadems to Molly in exchange for the Fourteen (14) of Rubies, which she hid under the Eight (8) of Shadows.
“Fearless queen you are, Ruth my dear,” Sophie said, smiling knowingly.
“I hate when she talks like that. She’s up to something,” Courtney said.
“And you’re not up to something, you little snake charmer?” Sophie asked.
Courtney then played the Seven (7) of Hourglasses and said: “Seven (7) extra plays, but I don’t have to play them all. So, I’ll just do this…” She then played then Twelve (12) of Shields and Fifteen (15) of Daggers and pointed to Molly’s Thirteen (13) of Diadems, saying: “Sorry, Molly.”
“Backstabber, too, aren’t you, Courtney? Well, Molly, you know who you can’t trust. You’re out of the game now – that Fourteen (14) of Shields isn’t strong enough,” Sophie said.
Courtney took the Thirteen (13) of Diadems from Molly and Sophie placed Molly’s remaining cards into the discard pile.
“Who’s in charge now?” Courtney asked, thinking of using the diadem to capture the Fourteen (14) of Rubies from Ruth.
“You’re still not winning, Courtney. You can’t use the diadem you just gained to make a royal claim until next turn,” Sophie said.
“And there is no next turn,” Ruth said.
Sophie then played the Six (6) of Hourglasses and said: “Well, what shall I do with my six (6) extra plays this turn? Might not even need them all…”
Sophie then played the Fifteen (15) of Flames and said: “Flames melt rubies of a lower number, even in the shadows. Sorry, Ruth. No win for you.”
“And people say that I’m the one with the hot temper and tendency to break things,” Ruth said.
Sophie took the Fourteen (14) of Rubies from Ruth and placed it into the discard pile.
“Now my diadem is worth the most. I do have the winning card, Ruth,” Courtney said.
“Sophie’s not done. Just wait,” Ruth said.
Sophie then played the Eight (8) of Vipers and the Ten (10) of Vipers and the Eleven (11) of Lyres.
“A lyre allows lower numbered vipers to add up to bite through a shield. Sorry, Courtney. Hand that diadem over,” Sophie said. She took the Thirteen (13) of Diadems from Courtney and said: “It looks like I’ve got the best remaining card of the night. And, we’re at the turn limit. Thank Ruth for the quick game. There’s so much more we could have done, though,” Sophie said.
“You we’re right not to trust her, Courtney,” Ruth said.
“She always finds a way,” Courtney said.
“Not always, but usually,” Ruth said.
“Another game?” Sean asked.
“No. I need sleep. We all have to work a little harder. That way, Sophie can work a lot less. Remember the bet?”
“I’m going to be tired, too,” Molly said.
“Just a little bit,” Ciaran said.
“Get your rest, all. I know that I’ll get mine,” Sophie said as she took her cards and dice back and the group of friends left Ruth’s cottage.
Ruth closed the front door and laid down on her soft mattress where she slept soundly, knowing that she’d have to work just a bit harder. She wasn’t sure if Sophie cheated, or was just smart and lucky most of the time. Ruth had come out a winner against Sophie, on maybe two (2) occasions, but they were few and far between.
CHAPTER 12: Mysteries of Stars and Sounds
A major outpost of Redfire Sentinels was located on Loravixian Island in the Ikkith Tar Ocean. While standing on the island’s highest hill, Farovaxen drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and was energized. He then concentrated, listening to the sounds of the stars to know of their positions and movements, so as to be able to give guidance to ships traveling the dark waters ocean around him.
He received a message coming through the red stars, sent from Haltavna’Sytoris who lived and worked in the outpost on Ixilonotu Island in the Kazofen Ocean. The message concerned the disappearance of three (3) ships – as reported by an associate Redfire Sentinel at that outpost named Pelathata, who drank the Lujladia waters – as well as a strange sound that seemed to be of pain coming from a solar source, but that was not the ordinary blue, yellow or red suns, and not seeming to come from above.
Farovaxen then concentrated to hear the solar abnormality for himself, but there was no trace of that unusual sound. Still, he did not distrust the report – it was likely a transient condition. The sky could change, and he knew this all too well from the time of darkness, so it would be wise to continue to listen. He was also concerned with the disappearance of the three (3) ships, but this was something that left no trace, and he could not see over the vast distance to the other ocean, so he set that matter aside for a moment.
~~~
Polyxene formed an aperture in the diamond-covering around her mouth. She then drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from her vial and was energized. After closing the aperture, she assessed the quality of the diamonds that had been unloaded from the ships by peering into their low-level structure. While many were of excellent quality, others were of various lower grades. She made slight alterations to the nearly-excellent gemstones, while she found some of them to be mediocre, requiring some more effort to alter. A significant proportion of the diamonds were so impure as to not be worth the effort. She became angry at this deficiency but realized that there was only a single useful response.
Polyxene glided across the crystal floor to stand near the first ruby spire and said: “Evethixomar, I have further orders for you.”
Once again, the swirling blackness in the first ruby spire came to a standstill in response to her words.
“What will you have me do now?” the voice of Evethixomar asked, vibrating through the first ruby spire.
“Dispatch these ships and assume control of yet more vessels. I need you to take control of additional frigates and galleons,” Polyxene said.
“Shall we make war soon?” the voice of Evethixomar asked, vibrating through the first ruby spire.
“The conflicts will occur as needed to further my goals. Now, we must gather more resources. The frigates are for defense of my galleons as well as to capture more ships. Still more diamonds will be loaded onto the newly acquired galleons,” Polyxene said.
Polyxene then glided across the crystal floor toward the fortress wall, which she modified to create an opening large enough for the ships to sail through.
Evethixomar commanded his subordinate spirits that had authority over the captains and crew of
the seven (7) frigates and eleven (11) galleons and directed them to set sail, leaving the fortress through the opening in the wall. After the vessels departed, setting sail on the Kazofen Ocean once again, Polyxene then modified the structure of the fortress yet again, sealing it.
~~~
Captain Sjaak steered the wheel of the one hundred twelve (112) foot long frigate, Dusk Breaker, but he was under the command of a power he could not refuse. It was within him, whispering commands and directing him where to go. He was a thirty-eight (38) year old drinker of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean and could navigate by the sounds of the stars, so he drank anew of those waters from his vial to be energized. The stars guided him on his voyage eastward across the Kazofen Ocean. Yet, he knew that he was acting in service to the person – who had the voice and body shape of a woman – wearing the diamond-covering inside of the fortress. He believed that she commanded some spirit that in turn commanded him to go to collect the diamonds. Now, however, he would have to attack other ships and take command of them to enable the collection of yet more diamonds.
He turned to the man standing beside him and said: “Gillis, watch for additional ships: galleons with little defense. Signal to the other six (6) frigates to do the same. We will target them.”
Gillis was a twenty-nine (29) year old man, also under the influence of some unseen power, and so he was bound to obey, following the captain’s specific directions to that end. Gillis drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from the vial he wore on a chain around his neck and was energized. He created a bead of light and signaled to the other frigate captains in the small fleet to be on the lookout for galleons offering little defense. He himself then looked out at sea for over two hundred fifty (250) miles, scanning in various directions for a suitable ship.
Before long, Gillis spotted a ship and said: “Captain, one eighty-three (183) miles to the southeast. Three (3) galleons and two (2) frigates.”
Captain Sjaak had sailed these waters for thirteen (13) years and was responsible for defending against piracy, not for initiating attacks against other ships. Yet, he felt compelled by the adversarial spiritual power within him to issue his next order, saying: “Attack the frigates when in range – board and disarm them, do not destroy,” He then began sailing the Dusk Breaker in the indicated direction.
Gillis signaled to the other six (6) frigates in the fleet and they waited for the target ships to sail within sight. The eleven (11) galleons they already escorted followed them.
When the two (2) target frigates were within range, the Dusk Breaker and the other six (6) frigates turned their masts – two (2) sets of double-masted sails each – from the upright positions to the sailwing positions, ascending thirty (30) feet as they did so. Then, the trained combatants on board the frigates drank anew of the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean from their vials, becoming energized and ready for the conflict. They lowered themselves on ropes down to the decks of the two (2) target frigates, subduing their crew by overwhelming them in physical combat.
The spirits under the command of the demon Evethixomar then took possession of the spirits of the defeated crew and their captains, compelling them to follow instructions. After this, they did the same to the spirits of the crewmembers and captains of the three (3) galleons. Now, there were fourteen (14) galleons and nine (9) frigates in the fleet, all under the direction of Captain Sjaak on board the Dusk Breaker, whereas he was under the authority of the spirit within him. All of them, in fact, were possessed, and bound to obey the spirits, ultimately.
Captain Sjaak repeated this maneuver again, and again, until the fleet grew to thirty (31) frigates and sixty-eight (68) galleons. He directed this larger fleet eastward across the Kazofen Ocean toward the west coast of the Glivoran Trail land bridge, at the point he had visited earlier. There, they waited to receive diamonds and load them on board the galleons. Soon, all sixty-eight (68) galleons were loaded with large quantities of diamonds by the indigenous stone cutters who mined the mountains of the Glivoran Trail. They, too, were under the command of spirits, and had no choice but to obey. After the holds of the galleons had been filled with diamonds, Captain Sjaak drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and was energized. He listened for the sounds of the stars – which told him their current positions and movements – and he used this knowledge to plot a course to return to the fortress, whose position he remembered based on the positions of the suns at that time and place.
~~~
Polyxene modified the structure of the fortress wall to gaze out upon the Kazofen Ocean, and around the nearby mountains, while she awaited the return of her fleet. After twenty-two (22) days, she saw the much larger fleet come into view. She modified the structure of the fortress wall to allow them to enter, and the fleet of thirty-one (31) frigates and sixty-eight (68) galleons passed through the fortress wall, disappearing from the sight of anyone outside. Once all the ships had entered the fortress, Polyxene modified the structure of the fortress wall, sealing it again.
~~~
On Ixilonotu Island, Pelathata was back in the lantern room of the lighthouse while she was watching various ships sailing across the Kazofen Ocean. She observed a large fleet of ninety-nine (99) ships suddenly disappear from sight, in the same manner as the previous ships. She was more alarmed than before and left the lighthouse to speak again with Haltavna’Sytoris.
When Pelathata reached her, Haltavna’Sytoris was listening to the sounds of the stars for something unusual, but heard only the ordinary sounds.
“Haltavna! More ships have disappeared at sea while I watched. Ninety-nine (99) of them vanished before my very eyes. There was no darkness and they did not sail out of range of my vision: they simply disappeared,” Pelathata said.
“I will tell the others of this news. This is clearly quite serious. Yet, I have not heard of this in the other oceans, where the powers of their waters would more likely cause such a loss. Neither the dark waters nor the light waters are safe – both oceans are known to misdirect travelers at sea. These waters are well-traveled and are not known for such things,” Haltavna said.
“The Kazofen Ocean is known for many mountains, yet I can see around them, within my range of vision, for hundreds of miles. These ships did not disappear behind a mountain range, nor did they crash into a mountain and sink. This is altogether different from any of those perils,” Pelathata said.
Haltavna’Sytoris drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from her vial and was energized. She then reached out through the red suns and sent a new message, meant to warn all other Redfire Sentinels, who had outposts in every ocean.
~~~
Polyxene directed the captains of the galleons to unload the diamonds from their ships onto the fortress floor. Again, she drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from her vial, taking them through a momentary aperture in her diamond-covering, which she then sealed. She became energized and began to inspect the newly acquired diamonds at their low-level structure. She found a great many more of them to be of adequate quality – enough that she could conduct several experiments. She then took a portion of these diamonds and connected them into a fabric so that she could quickly manipulate them all at once. With a controlling touch, she guided this diamond fabric to flow over the top of the third smoky quartz dome, touching only the edges of the fabric while she stood on the crystal floor of the fortress. She altered the low-level structure of the diamonds in this fabric according to a new design she had recently conceived.
She then activated the Thalkalana machine again, which extracted some of the energy of the violet stellar core inside that quartz dome. The violet light was emitted and burned through the quartz dome and then through these newly acquired diamonds, etching into them a deep and complex pattern. These diamonds would not be suitable for creating her personal diamond-covering; instead, they would be used for manipulation of the Dead Waters. Afterwards, she removed the modified diamond fabric much as she had put it into place, setting the
fabric aside, away from the quartz domes.
Polyxene separated some of these modified diamonds from the fabric and placed them into a large jar, two (2) gallons in capacity. She took a quantity of Dead Waters from another container she kept in her fortress and poured some into a different jar of the same size. With these ingredients in hand, she glided across the crystal floor toward another circular depression – five hundred (500) feet in diameter and three (3) feet deep – that did not already contain the thick, yellow liquid that was a waste byproduct of her earlier experiments.
She poured the contents of both jars – the Dead Waters and the newly modified diamonds – into the empty depression and they mixed together. The results, this time, were even more explosive: a brighter flash and a more concussive blast that knocked her backwards. She actually felt a tinge of pain from the impact, although the time-slowing effect of her diamond covering diminished the speed to where it was a minor ache rather than a fatal injury.
Polyxene stood up and saw something that truly troubled her – a violet light seeping out through each of the three (3) smoky quartz domes. She realized, horrified, that this latest experiment had created fractures which she would have to repair.
~~~
On Loravixian Island, Farovaxen heard the second message from Haltavna’Sytoris about the ninety-nine (99) ships vanishing in the Kazofen Ocean. However, he also sensed the sudden sound of pain from three (3) different stars – they were most certainly stars, albeit stars that he had never heard before – and their sounds were not coming from the sky above but from the air around him, some distance away, possibly in the Kazofen Ocean. He was alarmed and realized that the matter had to be investigated.
Farovaxen left his post and walked toward the center of the island where he met with a number of other Redfire Sentinels. Their benefactor, Father Isaac, was there and so he approached the ancient man.
“Father Isaac, I have alarming news to share,” Farovaxen said.
“What information do you have, Farovaxen?” Father Isaac asked.
