Architecture & Adversity

by Jeremy Dwyer

  ~~~

  The Chronicler Ovid stood on the ground on Yihartec Island amidst the explosion. He was protected by Ondothel, the Guardian Angel of the Chronicler’s Oath, so the force of it did not impact him or harm him in the slightest. The waters of the Ursegan Ocean flowed through him, allowing him to see things moving about slowly, despite the speed at which they occurred. He recorded the details of the explosion into his book, although he did not know why it occurred.

  ~~~

  On Ixilonotu Island in the Kazofen Ocean, in the lantern room of the lighthouse she lived and worked in, Pelathata caught sight of a sudden explosion some three hundred fifty (350) miles to the north. There was a momentary blizzard of blue crystals being splintered and scattered in every direction. She watched as two hundred seventy-three (273) nearby ships were pierced, shredded and sunk around the location she knew to be Yihartec Island.

  Pelathata hurried down the stairs and out of the lighthouse, running to the side of her fellow Redfire Sentinel, Haltavna’Sytoris.

  “Haltavna! Something terrible has happened! I counted and watched as no fewer than two hundred seventy-three (273) ships were destroyed near Yihartec Island. Millions of blue crystals suddenly shattered and cut the ships into pieces and sank them!” Pelathata said.

  “I will send this message to the other Redfire Sentinels, to alert them to the danger,” Haltavna’Sytoris said. She drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from her vial and was energized. She then reached out to the red suns and sent the message, describing what had happened. Anywhere in the world that Redfire Sentinels were, there would be another Atrejan drinker among them to hear this message. Whether or not the warning could avert another such disaster was a different matter. This was serious – though it was different from the danger before, where the ships were vanishing and reappearing. However, the destruction may still have been related, and she feared something much more terrible was to come.

  ~~~

  Standing on the deck of the Incisive, while it was still sailing the Kazofen Ocean but no longer enveloped within the aurora, Agent Gavriela caught sight of an explosion in the distance. She ran into the wheelhouse and said: “Admiral! One hundred nineteen (119) miles to the southwest, a crystal city has shattered into millions of shards. Two hundred seventy-three (273) ships around it have been destroyed in the explosion!”

  “What is the precise direction, Agent Gavriela?” Admiral Tiede asked.

  Agent Gavriela generated a thin beam of light and pointed it in the precise direction.

  “Agent Noach, where is that on the map?” Admiral Tiede asked.

  Agent Noach drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and was energized. He listened to the sounds of the stars to learn their positions and movements and correlated this to the charts he kept in an atlas on a large table in the room. Taking into account the direction Gavriela indicated along with the solar configuration, he determined the location and said: “Yihartec Island, Admiral.”

  “Agent Noach, set your course for Yihartec Island. I want to investigate the matter directly,” Admiral Tiede said.

  Agent Noach took the ship’s wheel and steered the Incisive southwest across the Kazofen Ocean toward Yihartec Island.

  ~~~

  Polyxene looked through the lens she had formed in the outer wall of her crystal fortress. Enabled by its telescopic and periscopic crystal properties, she peered four hundred fifty (450) miles out into the distance and around the mountains, where she caught sight of the explosion. From the evident power of the blast, she knew that she would have to design the container differently before testing the next subset of yellow-green gems. She would also have to change the way she molded the gems themselves, so as to get a useful result. The destruction of the crystal city in the distance was not her concern, nor were the deaths of the people in it, or on the ships sailing near it.

  ~~~

  Counselor Teague stepped out of his office and greeted a young woman, a man and an older woman who was holding a young boy.

  “I am Counselor Teague of the central bank. Please, come into my office so we can discuss your needs. I like to put families first,” the counselor said.

  Taesa, Emerond and Caroline – who was still carrying Trent and his bag of extra clothing – followed the counselor into his office. The counselor then closed and locked the door.

  “The central bank is not all about business – certainly, we care about fishing, mining, farming, alchemy and all of that. But we also care about families,” Counselor Teague said.

  “We’re just looking for a place to live and work, at reasonable rates that we can afford,” Emerond said.

  “He’s still young, and I really would rather we stayed in one place for a while, rather than sailing all over the world. That’s not what he needs,” Caroline said, holding Trent close.

  “I’m ready to settle down now,” Taesa said, holding her hand over her stomach, convinced now that she was waiting on her second child.

  “Of course you are. Of course you are. Now, long term residential arrangements – twenty (20) or more years, with a signed contract – can be discounted, with very favorable rates, twenty five (25) percent less than what is listed,” Counselor Teague said.

  “That sounds more reasonable for living. What about working here? Your taxes are high, especially for crystal bending and alchemy,” Emerond asked.

  “A fifteen (15) percent reduction is possible, if you remain in that profession for twenty (20) years,” Counselor Teague said.

  “I like what I’m hearing. Why couldn’t you list this outside, and save yourself a lot of time? Plenty of business people, more important than us, are waiting out there to make their own arrangements with you,” Emerond asked.

  “I can see that you’re very special,” Counselor Teague said. He took a paper from a book that had the ordinary residential living agreements written on it with blank lines for signatures. He then wrote on it additional terms listing the duration of stay and the discount to the rental rates and taxes and handed it back to Emerond.

  “Sign here, and your whole family can begin living and working in the Port of Reliance today,” Counselor Teague said.

  Emerond, Taesa and Caroline all reviewed the document.

  Counselor Teague probed Taesa’s mind: she was the girl with the deadly voice; she was the one so many wanted dead; she was the one people would pay vast fortunes to find the location of so they could exact revenge for the Sail to Me horror. All that he had to do was find the ones who were angry enough – and wealthy enough – for the information while he kept her in this city.

  CHAPTER 38: Island of Danger and Wealth

  “I have an idea for you to still make a profit, based on my experiences dealing with the pirates sailing this ocean,” Gabrielle Ramalaxis said.

  “What’s the idea? Change careers?” Nina asked.

  “Since we’re in the Zovvin Ocean, we can go to Vobarin Island. Pirates frequently made a haven there,” Gabrielle Ramalaxis said.

  “I’ve read reports about that island, and overheard several more things about it. It has a few large temples dedicated to worship of the snake-jaguar deity – they’re the symbols of the deity known as Havatissa,” Tomiko said.

  “Long ago, the temples used to contain emerald and citrine ceremonial implements. The pirates supposedly took everything they could and killed the priests. Then, some of them used the island as a hideout and they attacked my ships from there,” Gabrielle Ramalaxis said.

  “That’s going to be very dangerous. A temple where the relics were stolen and the priests were murdered will be swarming with angry evil spirits,” Carter said.

  “And an island where pirates took over is going to be swarming with angry evil pirates,” Nina said.

  “It will be very dangerous. I agree,” Gabrielle Ramalaxis said.

  “I need to change careers – now. Does anyone agree with that?” Nina asked.

  “Calm down, Nina. We’re not going to
go anywhere without making some preparations and taking precautions,” Yared said.

  “Before we do anything, the question remains – what profit is there to be made? You just said that the temples used to contain emerald and citrine and then the pirates took everything they could. I’m hearing about elevated risk with little reward,” Tomiko asked.

  “I’m not trying to dissuade you from going there because of any danger, or suggesting that there is nothing valuable left. My point is that much of what is valuable – and easily obtained – has likely already been taken at the first chance that the pirates had. What’s left behind – and I believe that it is considerable, based on my knowledge of these waters and the islands – will be hidden and very difficult to find,” Gabrielle Ramalaxis said.

  “What knowledge, specifically?” Tomiko asked.

  “The architects who designed and built the snake-jaguar temples were supposedly very clever, so they knew how to design traps and hidden chambers. I’ve heard quite a few tales of pirates coming here to find a large cache of hidden treasure and never being heard from again. When other pirates heard these stories, many decided to see for themselves if there was still more treasure that was too well hidden for anyone else. They didn’t come back, either. This happened a few times. As the losses grew, so did the speculation about the size of the hidden wealth,” Gabrielle Ramalaxis said.

  “If angry spirits attacked, then that could explain their disappearances,” Carter said.

  “The traps you mentioned could also be the reason for those pirates being eliminated. Still this is not a promise of a proportionately more valuable treasure. Pirates can be foolhardy,” Tomiko said.

  “I can’t make any promises, but I can tell you this: I did lead a fleet of navy ships patrolling this island. We saw more priests – the ones truly devoted to Havatissa – continue to visit the island, and they brought more of their citrine and emerald relics with them. No one can be sure that the pirates found all of it. I believe it was hidden within the secret chambers of one of the temples,” Gabrielle Ramalaxis said.

  “Now that is more substantial, I will admit. And finding things that are hidden is our specialty,” Tomiko said.

  “Again, there are no guarantees. My recollections are from tens of millennia ago, although my recent studies in Emeth confirm that the pirates are still coming here looking for those lost treasures in recent years,” Gabrielle Ramalaxis said.

  “There could be nothing, or we could fail to find it. We’re not always lucky,” Nina said.

  “We factor that into the prices we negotiate when selling the items,” Tomiko said.

  “Can you ever be positive, Nina? We have succeeded many times, despite the setbacks,” Yared asked.

  “She’s still not at peace. I can hear it in her voice. You sound a little nervous. Relax. You need to listen to more of my music, or somebody’s music,” Stephan said.

  “I need to listen to myself and find a new job,” Nina said.

  “If you don’t want to deal with the challenges, just be our navigator and stay on the ship, and we’ll pay you for that. After we’re done, you can go your own way,” Tomiko said.

  “You need a new job, too,” Nina said.

  “What do you mean? This is what we do,” Tomiko asked.

  “No. Think about what she said for a minute. The valuable items – those emerald and citrine religious relics – if they’re here at all, are here because more priests kept showing up with them. What do we do if we meet up with these priests in the middle of performing a religious ritual? We’re not going to make any profit – we can’t just take what belongs to them,” Nina asked.

  “No. Of course not. We’re not there to take what belongs to anyone else. We never do that. We take only what’s left behind…things that have long been abandoned,” Tomiko said.

  “But there’s still a solid chance we don’t make a profit,” Nina said.

  “Unfortunately, that is true, so we may have to move on to another location,” Tomiko said.

  “Assuming we don’t run into some of those pirates and get killed like the priests,” Nina said.

  “Telepathic awareness can help us to prevent that. I’ll make a point of probing the area, carefully,” Yared said.

  “The angry spirits will still pose a risk,” Carter said.

  “We’ll need you to watch for just that and warn us if they approach,” Tomiko said.

  “Just be careful that you don’t get killed by the priests themselves. Many of them practiced human sacrifice back then. Religions don’t change, and they might still visit that island,” Gabriel Ramalaxis said.

  “Which means that the island and its temples could be severely haunted,” Carter said.

  “Soon to be haunted by us, too. Being a ghost is not the new job I had in mind,” Nina said.

  “I don’t think I’m prepared to deal with any of this. I’ve seen enough trouble. I still have music students to instruct when I get back, and I’ve been away for longer than I expected,” Nerine said.

  “I want you to stay on the ship, Nerine. After this visit, whether it’s profitable or not, we’ll head back to Emeth so you can return to your music. You’ve helped us a great deal at navigation through the aurora haze by your song, but I never expected you to confront anything dangerous,” Tomiko said.

  “If we survive this visit, then we’ll return. That’s the part he meant to say, but didn’t,” Nina said.

  “Nina, you’ve made your concerns clear. I want you to just navigate to Vobarin Island for us, but remain on the ship,” Tomiko said.

  “I just might…unless you really need me,” Nina said.

  “I’d like to remain as well. I’m not done with analyzing the results of some of our earlier experiments. They’re valuable, and we need to make sense of the data,” Genevieve said. She held up her laboratory notebook, opened to a page where she had been working to analyze the data as best she could.

  “I agree that the water experiments were valuable. I would have Tristan work with you on that, but first I’m going to need him to go with us onto the island. Later, when he has some free time, he can help you again,” Tomiko said.

  “Let me show you a star chart that will get you there – there are several islands close together, which makes navigation difficult. Take a close look at this map,” Gabrielle Ramalaxis said. She took a book out of her coat and opened it to a page that showed a star chart.

  Just as Nina looked at the star chart, the Chronicler Niels also looked at it, and copied it into his book, along with the rest of the conversation.

  “Nina, can you use that star chart to set a course for Vobarin Island?” Tomiko asked.

  “Let me listen to the stars and figure that out,” Nina said. She drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from her vial and was energized. After this, she listened to the sounds of the stars to learn their paths and positions. Nina then compared that information to what was on the star chart, seeking out the positions of the stars in the sky that corresponded to it. She found multiple configurations of the stars, according to different solar paths at different times.

  “The information is ambiguous. There’s more than one solar configuration that matches. I can’t be sure,” Nina said.

  “Draw out the paths for me,” Tomiko said, handing a book and a pen to Nina.

  Nina sketched the solar paths onto the page as precisely as she could, drawing a set of three (3) interlocking elliptical paths and a spiral path.

  Tomiko and Gabrielle Ramalaxis both looked that the sketch and worked to solve it. Each of them drank the waters of the Medathero Ocean from their respective vials and were energized. Then, they worked to determine the most likely path based on the orbital frequencies and path lengths.

  Gabrielle Ramalaxis pointed to a location on the solar path sketch and said: “I believe that path is the right one – it’s more likely based on the more common orbital frequency. That makes this the island’s proper location.”

  “I
came up with a different answer based on a more common path length. I’ll defer to your answer, however, since you’ve patrolled these waters,” Tomiko said. He pointed to another location on the sketch.

  Niels recorded the solar path sketch and the competing interpretations into his book, along with the decision.

  “I’ll go with that path, then,” Nina said. She steered the Escapade according to the chosen solar path across the Zovvin Ocean.

  When the Escapade arrived at the northern coast of Vobarin Island, Nina docked the ship along a rickety wooden pier.

  “Now that we’re here, we must all be on our guard. Remember the concerns we discussed. Listen for sounds, spirits or emotions,” Tomiko said.

  Stephan drank anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean from his vial and was energized. He listened for sounds of anything and said: “I hear people moving in the jungle.”

  Yared drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from his vial and was energized. He probed the area for signs of malevolent thoughts, but found none. However, he did find that a gathering of priests was approaching, having just completed a ritual in a temple at the center of the jungle. He could not see them, as they were hidden by the vegetation, but their thoughts were clear to him.

  “The people you hear are a gathering of nature priests – thirteen (13) worshippers of trees and stones – coming out of the jungle. I can’t see them, but they’re behind the vegetation. They just completed a ritual at a temple near the island’s center,” Yared said.

  “I thought the snake-jaguar priests frequented this island,” Tomiko said.

  “I never said it was only them. They were definitely the most frequent visitors, though,” Gabrielle Ramalaxis said.

  “Carter, are there any dangerous spirits here?” Tomiko asked.

  Carter drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from his own vial and was energized. He connected to the spirit world around him and found that there were, in fact, some malevolent spirits, but they were gathered around the center of the island.