by Jeremy Dwyer
“Mostly beautiful, but don’t be too particular, captain. I need you to bring more women, that I may be entertained,” Baron Thurston said.
“Yes, my lord. We will go at once,” the captain of the guards said. He then called forth one hundred thirty (130) other guards and they exited the castle, boarded a riverboat belonging to the baron, and traveled over a winding river leading toward a major port town. When they arrived, the captain said: “Stealth and surprise are key.”
The guards drank anew of the waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean from their vials and were energized. They then created a cloak of darkness around themselves and entered the port town unseen.
~~~
Ewan walked side by side with Gisella, and she listened to him go on about his travels.
“Captain Ewan, are you a man of sports and games?” Gisella asked.
“Why, yes, I play numerous games with cards, balls and mallets, various puzzles with numbers. However, my favorite is ‘island scouting’ – wherein a group of us likeminded travelers get together and one of us agrees to conceal mementos on different islands, leaving clues as to their whereabouts. Then, the others must use their wits and waterbindings to find them,” Captain Ewan said.
“You travel as a game? That is interesting. Is there a time limit in this game?” Gisella asked. She was writing everything down into her book as the captain said it.
“Indeed there is. Thirteen (13) days at most, so that we can move on to other things and each of us gets a chance as the concealer,” Captain Ewan said.
As they entered the center of the port town, they heard screams of women and saw a few of them disappear before their eyes.
“We often do use the darkness to conceal things. Yet, this does not appear to be a game, for we never conceal people. Look and listen, my dear. This is dangerous,” Captain Ewan said.
Gisella noticed more quickly than Captain Ewan – because time was slowed down for her, due to the waters of the Ursegan Ocean flowing through her – and she witnessed the quickly moving events. It was clear that a malicious act was taking place.
Gisella looked for signs of where this was going, but she could not see into the darkness.
Captain Ewan could see as Gisella struggled to locate the abductors and their captives, but he understood that she did not have the powers to do that, given her waterbinding.
“There are clues – footprints are not the only indicators. Look and listen for broken sticks. Look for tree branches and crates pushed out of the way. Listen for the sounds of muffled screams,” Captain Ewan said.
Several other men nearby heard this and ran in various directions, not knowing where to go. However, one of them did, and seemed to have a sense of the direction of the abductors.
Gisella followed that other man and Captain Ewan said: “Be careful where this takes you. I realize that you are safe from harm, but it will be most unpleasant to see, and you won’t be allowed to rescue them.”
“I record history. I don’t judge it, or look to avoid the more unpleasant parts, Captain. Are you coming?” Gisella said, and she followed the man who seemed to have a sense of the trail of the hidden abductors.
“I’m sorry, my dear Gisella. It would not be wise for me to become entangled in this matter,” Captain Ewan said. He didn’t have the hidden protection that Chroniclers of the Oath did.
Gisella moved on without looking back. When she caught up with the other man, she said: “I am Gisella, Chronicler of the Oath of six thousand eight hundred sixty-one (6861) years. I will be accompanying you.”
“My name’s Stafford. I drink the Lujladia waters, so I see where they’re going. This isn’t good. Please be quiet, so that I can track them,” the man whispered. He motioned with his hands for her to be quiet.
Gisella saw and heard this and cooperated, but traveled alongside Stafford.
Stafford – a tall, thin man of thirty-one (31) years – drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from his vial. He was energized with the powers of light and used these to bend light around himself and around Gisella, since she was going to be his traveling companion for a while. This bent light would conceal their appearance – anyone looking directly at them would see around them, not even realizing the periscopic effect that caused their vision to bypass the people hidden within it.
The guards for Baron Thurston looked back but didn’t see anyone following them; instead, everyone in the port town of Oxatrissa was scrambling in different directions, unsure of where to go to avoid abduction. The guards then took their captives – eleven (11) new women – and hid them under the cover of darkness while they placed the women on the riverboat on which they arrived. Then, they set sail along that river toward Baron Thurston’s castle.
~~~
Hidden from sight by his light bending illusion, Stafford and Gisella also boarded the riverboat, not speaking or making any noise.
~~~
After the riverboat arrived at a port near Baron Thurston’s castle, the guards disembarked with their captive women and headed toward the castle. They were still shrouded in the cloak of darkness.
~~~
Unbeknownst to the guards, Stafford and Gisella were immediately behind them. By his power over the light, Stafford could see into the darkness concealing the guards and the captive women. By their power over darkness, the guards couldn’t see him or Gisella, however, because they did not realize that there was a false light to be dispelled, so they didn’t focus their darkness powers in the proper direction to do so.
~~~
The guards took the abducted women and entered Baron Thurston’s castle where they eased their powers of darkness to reveal themselves and their captives.
~~~
Stafford drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from his vial to maintain the energy for the concealing illusion as he and Gisella followed the guards into the castle. Both he and Gisella noted the eleven (11) headless corpses and the eleven (11) severed heads in the throne room where they stood, sight unseen. They also saw the nine (9) women chained together, huddled and afraid near the wall, away from the throne where a noble lord sat and a jester stood by his side.
Gisella recorded all of this into her book, quietly.
~~~
When Baron Thurston saw his guards appear out of the darkness with eleven (11) new women, he said: “I am Baron Thurston. It is delightful to have you here as my guests! Imagine the fun to be had, now that we can resume the game. Now, where were we? Oh, yes. We have the Fifteen (15) of Daggers and now nine (9) women plus eleven (11) new women to make twenty (20) total. Excellent, now the other card was the Seven (7) of Hourglasses, was it not, Hamblin?”
“Yes, my lord,” Hamblin said.
“The hourglasses indicate that I need to kill them slowly: it must take seven (7) strikes more than usual, and only the final cut should be fatal. The daggers are clearly meant to fulfill that purpose, making for a more entertaining experience. Those are the rules of the game, so you must be prepared,” Baron Thurston said. He then took his sword from earlier and began to curve it in new ways, breaking it in half, and shaping those halves, until he had a pair of daggers. Then, he used these daggers to sever the limbs from several of the women, killing each of them in eight (8) slashes, until fifteen (15) more were killed, screaming in agony the entire time. The remaining five (5) women shrieked in terror.
~~~
From under the cover of the cloak of false light that concealed her and Stafford, Gisella recorded these events into her book. This baron was clearly a monster, and she would enjoy seeing his downfall, but it wasn’t her place to do anything about it. This was a definite downside to being a Chronicler.
Ordinarily, the non-interference requirement of the Oath was essential, so that a Chronicler could be allowed to observe and record the secret deeds of kings, general and nobles in confidence and then have the report made public in a later century. The public disclosure of the confidential knowledge at a much later date would form a va
luable historical record, rather than revealing things at the crucial moment and interfering with the course of history. Confidential observation of the battle plans of a military leader were the prime example of this tenet of the Oath, whether or not the battle was justified. The Oath also forbade judgment, so that a Chronicler was not allowed to undermine either a tyrant planning a massacre or a benevolent king planning a legitimate strike against a tyrant. Even when a Chronicler was not observing under confidence – Gisella’s presence was hidden at the moment – giving advance warning of an attack was a forbidden form of judgment and interference.
Too often for Gisella, her work was a matter of observing a vile individual planning to strike against the innocent and vulnerable, but she watched and kept the Oath. This Baron Thurston was among the very worst she had ever met, however. Keeping the Oath did not sit well with her today.
~~~
“Please draw the next two (2) cards, Hamblin,” Baron Thurston said.
Hamblin drew two (2) more cards and announced them, saying: “Two (2) of Shadows and Three (3) of Shadows, my lord,”
“What good luck! I may actually win this time. The cards don’t always play out in my favor, so when they do, it’s a treat. Two (2) plus three (3) make five (5). Five (5) Shadows and five (5) remaining women are perfectly matched.”
The five (5) remaining women screamed and cried. They spoke up, saying: “Please! Just let us play a different game. If you let us live, we will play any game you like. Just not this! Please don’t hurt us! Please let us live!”
“Oh no! I must kill you! This is my favorite game. Even when I lose, I have so much fun. Today, I win, so it’s even more enjoyable,” Baron Thurston said. He then called his guards and said: “Dark brings cold, and cold brings the final sleep. If you will, these women must get their rest,” Baron Thurston said.
The guards drank anew of the waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean from their vials and were energized. They projected shrouds of deep darkness – so intense that it was bitterly cold to be within their reach. These were used to surround the five (5) remaining women and freeze them to death. Their chilled corpses slumped to the floor.
“After so many tries, all the numbers worked out, and I finally won again! Very rare, yet wonderful,” Baron Thurston said.
“Yes, my lord. Perhaps a feast is in order to celebrate your victory,” Hamblin said. He was sickened by all of it, but had no means of stopping it. What shocked him more was the cruelty of the guards who assisted the baron: they were no less depraved.
“I am not at all hungry. Yet, a celebration is indeed in order, Hamblin. A dazzling display of bright lights would be best, don’t you think?” Baron Thurston said.
“Whatever suits your tastes, my lord,” Hamblin said, hoping that didn’t include harm to him.
~~~
From under the cover of the cloak of false light that concealed her and Stafford, Gisella recorded all of this into her book. She was repulsed and saddened by the senseless violence on display. This Baron Thurston was irrational and cruel in the extreme, and she had no authority to warn anyone about him, even though she wanted to. The Oath clearly forbade such interference…by her, anyway.
Stafford was disgusted by all of this, having seeing the total and senseless cruelty of this Baron Thurston. He intended to do something, if only to prevent anyone else from falling victim to his perverse games. He drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean to be energized and maintain the concealing illusion until he could form a plan.
CHAPTER 19: Tyrant over Farmers and Miners
In one of the farming villages in the territory of Baron Vizakrid, a forty-six (46) year old woman named Elise was in the bedroom of her two (2) room cottage. She shared the home with her husband – a fifty-one (51) year old man named Odhran – who drank the waters of the Gradaken Ocean and worked long hours in the fields. His work yielded large quantities of high quality crops because of those waters. Elise worked alongside him for many of those long hours, but she drank the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean, so she was a poor farmer, producing little yield and low quality crops.
During her rest time, Elise was kneeling by her bedside in fervent prayer, for she knew the horrifying greed of Baron Vizakrid. She also knew that their farming village had fallen short of its quota recently. She drank anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean and was energized, so that her voice would have a pleasing sing-song quality while she prayed out loud: “Dear God, Loving Creator and Father, have mercy on us, that our burdens may be lightened. The farm land and the harvest waters are gifts from you, and we work as diligently as we can to cultivate the fields and produce food to eat and to sell. Yet, please forgive me, Merciful God, that I cannot yield as much as the others, no matter how hard I work in the fields, because I drink the song waters, so that the crops I grow are few and poor. In my foolishness, I chose a water that is not of service to these farmers, and now, because of my deficiencies, they have fallen short in their harvest, unable to profit enough to pay our taxes, so that the anger of the baron will soon afflict us. I pray to Thee, Loving God, for Your Mercy and Your Protection.”
~~~
Ruth returned to her stone cutting work alongside many other women and men in her mining community. She drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from her vial to be energized for the day ahead, separating and molding the sandstone and granite after extracting them, helped along by her pickaxe. No one flirted with her or interfered with her work, so she could be as productive as usual, in addition to her extra productivity, covering for Sophie’s winnings at the game. Molly, Courtney, Sean, Ciaran and Sophie worked nearby. Molly was struggling and Sophie was taking it easy.
While many men and women worked to extract the stones, several others transported it and a few were responsible for counting it and negotiating the sale price with the stone merchants based on quantity and quality. The work was clearly defined, mildly interesting, but very tiring, and Ruth was not able to rest often. Quotas had to be met to generate enough revenue and pay enough taxes to the baron on there would be dire consequences.
“Step it up, we’re falling behind our hourly production quota,” a man said.
“There is no hourly quota, Patrick. Just a monthly one,” Ruth said, annoyed.
“An even pace is more reliable, Ruth. If we fall behind now, we have to do all the extra work at the end,” Patrick said.
“The stone isn’t all the same quality. The density of the mountain varies at different extraction sites. Some areas give more valuable material: granite brings in more revenue than sandstone, even if the quantity is smaller,” Ruth said.
“I know that, that’s why I’ve adjusted the hourly quota. Still, the market has varied demands – sometimes they prefer sandstone for selling in volume for smaller construction projects. We have to produce enough to bring in adequate revenue for tax payments to the baron,” Patrick said.
“Then we need more help. I’m going as fast as I can,” Molly said.
“Give us a break, Patrick. Some days are great, some days are good, some days are not so good,” Sean said.
“I’m not the one who makes the quotas. I’m here to help you meet them. I try to negotiate good rates with the merchants, so we can get more for our stone yields. But there’s no promise – market prices vary. I’ve been timing the markets to sell what is most valuable based on the buying patterns I’ve seen. Still, the market fluctuates. I’d help you if I could, but I don’t drink the Kazofen waters,” Patrick said.
“He’s just trying to keep us on track. A steady pace is maintainable. Frantic work at the end will make us sick, and might not meet the quota,” Ciaran said.
“Not this pace. I’m barely able to keep up,” Molly said.
“Maybe if Sophie didn’t cheat, you wouldn’t have to work extra,” Courtney said.
“Give it a rest, Courtney. You know the rules, and I didn’t cheat,” Sophie said.
“What are you talking about?” Patrick asked.
&nb
sp; “Never mind, Patrick. Molly, you can just do your regular work,” Sophie said.
“You did cheat and now you’re feeling guilty and letting her off easy, aren’t you?” Courtney said.
“Aren’t you bitter, Courtney? It’s a little card game among friends. No bet is worth this kind of anger. Forget the whole thing,” Sophie said.
“So I don’t have to do extra, either?” Courtney asked.
“No. Just do your regular work. Forget about all of it. We’ve got to look out for each other. The game was supposed to be for fun,” Sophie said.
“Thank you,” Sean said.
“Very kind of you, Sophie. I thank you,” Ciaran said.
Sophie looked to Ciaran and gestured with her eyes while she whispered to him: “Thank me tonight.” She had needs, and she respected the man’s calm demeanor. Ciaran was level-headed, confident and the kind of man she wanted to be close friends with – very close, indeed.
~~~
Baron Vizakrid thought of the underpayments and grew angrier by the minute. He was determined to extract more taxes out of the villages in his barony, by any means necessary. He visited his guard captain in the castle armory and commanded him to prepare one hundred fifty (150) troops. The guard captain and the troops all drank anew of the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean from their vials to be energized with strength and speed. They followed Baron Vizakrid, who also drank anew of the Nabavodel waters from his own vial and exited the castle, crossing the bridge over the swamp onto dry land. From there, they boarded a riverboat and pivoted the masts and sails to the proper angle. The many suns had energized the crystals embedded within its sails so that, at the angle at which the sails were tilted, the energy was released and propelled the ship westward along a river that wound through the barony, past its many villages.
When the ship arrived at the riverbank near the first of the three (3) villages identified as underpaying, the guard captain led the troops ashore, surrounding Baron Vizakrid for protection. They walked into the center of the village and Baron Vizakrid announced: “You have disappointed me with your underpayment of taxes. You know that you have to farm these lands efficiently to produce the necessary revenues. The Gradaken waters let you cultivate the soil – you do drink them, do you not? Then why do you not produce that which I demand?”
