by Jeremy Dwyer
Emerond heard this and went on deck to answer, and saw one of his top scholars, Romana, accompanied by a Chronicler. He was not keen on discussing matters with either of these two at this moment. “Esteemed scholar, Romana, how may I be of service to you,” Emerond asked, as he was required to show her proper respect given her status and continued good service.
“I have financial proceedings I wish to report as part of my scholarly studies and assistance rendered to other communities. According to our laws, these must be recorded in our official books. I am requesting transport with you to Revod,” Romana said.
“Is this matter urgent and strictly necessary at this time?” Emerond asked, hoping to delay her.
“I have much to report, and have been away for a year. Sufficient time has passed that it is now proper to return,” Romana said.
“There are great dangers in our world, scholar. Does your report relate to the most pressing of matters?” Emerond asked.
“Reports of knowledge enable proper choices, those proper choices enable excellence, and that excellence enables surplus wealth. In turn, that surplus wealth enables power, and power is what we need to deal with the most pressing matters. This is the way of the Jenaldej Empire,” Romana said.
Emerond knew this. However, because she explicitly stated the principles, he was obliged to cooperate. “Please come aboard, scholar,” Emerond said.
Romana walked up the ramp to board the Lucent.
“Under the authority of the Chronicler’s Oath, I also request to come aboard,” Judith said.
“Please come aboard, trustworthy Chronicler,” Emerond said, very annoyed that the long-hidden, dangerous knowledge of Duke Hagan’s castle was soon to be inevitably shared with a Chronicler. That was unless, of course, she found something else more interesting to steal away her attention, but that was by no means certain.
Judith followed Romana up the ramp and boarded the Lucent. She stayed close to Romana during the entire voyage – partly to be sure that she heard the report, and in no small part to have the companionship of her friend.
They set sail, westward across the Medathero Ocean, to return to the continent of Revod, which was the Jenaldej Empire homeland.
CHAPTER 16: Venture to Castle
The Lucent arrived in a port along the eastern coast of Revod, with Imperial Prince Emerond, Lady Ismene, Romana and the Chronicler Judith aboard.
Hoping to avoid spending time with the Chronicler, Emerond said to his passengers: “I have a report of my own to give. I’m certain there is plenty of activity here in port to keep you occupied until I return.”
~~~
Emerond then disembarked from the Lucent and traveled inland, via one of the many riverboat services, to the military academy. Once there, he returned to his office and called for General Joshua, who reported to Emerond indirectly, through an admiral. Previously, it had been Admiral Cassandra, until she had been demoted.
Before he could meet with General Joshua, Emerond was visited by a high ranking officer, Admiral Gavin, who stood in the open doorway to the office and said to him: “Your Majesty, I must speak with you in private of a serious matter.”
“Come in, please, Admiral,” Emerond said.
Admiral Gavin entered the office of the Imperial Prince and closed the door behind him.
“Inform me of the details, Admiral,” Emerond said.
“A fleet of twenty-two (22) of our ships has been lost. They were destined for Athekriptole Island, in the Dead Waters Ocean. No remains or wreckage was found by our scout ships, and no reports from any spies reveal what might have occurred,” Admiral Gavin said.
“Can we even verify that they reached the island?” Emerond asked.
“Not with absolute certainty, but there is no reason to believe that they encountered any obstacles or adversity from pirates along the way,” Admiral Gavin said.
The admiral was fifty-eight (58) years old and had considerable experience in ocean travel and naval combat. He found it unlikely that a well-armed fleet of that size had been destroyed along its route by an enemy force or by natural difficulties.
“Send a larger fleet there, at least three (3) times its size. Add to that several scout ships, along with light scouts, to give us eyes onto the island from a distance. Add several more ships to defend those scout ships. The light scouts on the ships can bend the light so as to scout ahead, and see far enough into the distance and either avoid a repeated loss, or, at least, reveal the source of the problem. If someone or something of importance is on that island, I want to know,” Emerond said.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Admiral Gavin said, and then he left to carry out his orders.
~~~
Emerond left his office to find General Joshua for himself. Emerond soon met with Joshua in a private room and informed him that his service would be required.
“I heard that you were looking for me, Your Majesty,” General Joshua said.
“Yes, I was. General, I’ve known you for a number of years, and your service and character have been exemplary, well above those around you. You have been willing to live your life by a higher standard of excellence and focus. Your performance has shown this. You have accepted dangerous assignments, and have been willing to accept personal risk, whereas others have sought avoidance of these same things. Now, I need you to provide assistance in a way that is above normal,” Emerond said.
Joshua was a forty-nine (49) year old general, both wise and extraordinarily physically fit. That fitness was due to his drinking of the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean, and a high innate potential for speed and strength. “How might I be of service, Your Majesty?” General Joshua asked him.
“By continuing to live the exact same virtues which have defined your life. There are things in this world that only one such as you can hold, due that rare characteristic you possess,” Emerond said.
“I trust you, but I am not fully understanding you,” General Joshua said.
“You will, at the right time. Please follow me, General,” Emerond said.
Emerond and Joshua walked the halls of the military academy until they arrived at the office of the regional resource coordinator, Nathan. He was an intelligent man, and Emerond sought his guidance on many things related to careful calculation. Nathan was a drinker of the waters of the Medathero Ocean, which multiplied his intelligence many times, enabling him to formulate mathematical equations to describe a situation and then solve those equations, quickly and accurately. Despite his short stature, he commanded respect due to his reliability and efficiency.
“Imperial Prince Emerond, for what matter do you seek my assistance today?” Nathan asked.
“Nathan, I request that you come with me to a location of great interest – which must be kept in confidence. There, you can leverage your analytical abilities for the resolution of a number of complex obstacles,” Emerond said.
“My services are needed here, for all manner of essential resource management duties, which are well defined. Are you stating that your matter is that much more pressing, as vague as it is?” Nathan asked.
“Yes. Details are something I would like to discuss as needed, in private,” Emerond said.
Nathan closed the doors to his office and locked them. “We have privacy now. Please tell me what you can,” he then said.
Emerond spoke to Nathan and General Joshua, saying: “This remains in complete confidence. There is an ancient castle, in the Trerada Ocean, inside of a mountain. It is the castle of Duke Hagan, the legendary architect from several millennia back. There is considerable power hidden there, including an item that is of interest in our impending conflict with this Ahitan woman. This item can only be held by a person of great virtue. And the castle itself can only be entered by someone of sufficient cleverness to overcome its traps and puzzles. I need both of you, for your superlative status in each of these measures.”
“What is this item of great interest? How can it help?” Nathan asked.
“And why can only a per
son of great virtual hold this item?” General Joshua asked.
“The item is a weapon that can help us to find Victoria, and possibly cut her off from the power that protects her – the demon that the Ahitan Empire worship. Somehow, the item is limited to only be used by someone morally upstanding,” Emerond said.
“How do you know these things?” Nathan asked.
“I’ve learned from different sources. So that you don’t think this is hearsay, I have been to the castle. Some of Hagan’s architectural works are still there. That’s how we discovered the design for the crystal archways.” Emerond said.
“That does suggest Hagan’s castle is a storehouse of valuable knowledge. Still, I am not yet convinced that going there will help,” Nathan said.
“There is more to this story, isn’t there?” General Joshua asked.
“Yes. You’ll soon see quite a bit more,” Emerond said.
“We need to focus our energies on dual concerns: locating this Ahitan woman before she uses the tiara and preparing our defenses in case we fail. Going on an expedition seems like a distraction,” Nathan said.
“Finding her quickly is our best way forward. This item of interest should serve that purpose,” Emerond said.
“You believe this because?” Nathan asked.
“My sources of information were very reliable. That earned them a certain amount of trust,” Emerond said.
“You trusted Captain Pradrock. Despite the good outcome, his wager was a high risk decision. Are you confident your trust is well placed this time?” Nathan asked.
“Yes, based on things I’ve seen for myself,” Emerond said.
“If you have good reason to believe that this is the correct way forward, I will assist you. We must leave an assistant in my place, however,” Nathan said.
“If this item is to be of use against our adversary, then we must move to secure it quickly, as our time is short before she has an advantage against us beyond being elusive,” General Joshua said.
“I know. I don’t want to be a ship sailing in that storm,” Emerond said.
Nathan opened the doors to his office again and called one of his associates to assume his duties for a while.
After this, Imperial Prince Emerond, General Joshua and Nathan began to make their way back toward the Lucent.
~~~
When Romana and Judith disembarked from the Lucent, Romana made her way to the office of the resource coordinator, Nathan, to whom she ordinarily made her financial reports. She planned on detailing the work she had done on the farms in the continent of Baradaxa, and the economic impact of her work. Additionally, she planned to report on the progress of the recoveries of those who were still in the protective shelters that had been built there, as well as the progress of the construction of additional such shelters. All these things, even though outside of the Jenaldej Empire, were of interest to the resource coordinator, as it could affect what resources he would be willing to send there and to other locations, and what price would be charged.
Judith followed Romana and planned to record everything that Romana reported, and to stay close to her for some time.
However, just as they arrived, they did not find the senior resource coordinator in his office. Instead, they found one his associates who was clearly very busy with the extra responsibilities and had no availability to accept her report. Romana thought that the only way to find a senior resource coordinator might be to inquire of Emerond, and that he would be near his ship, so they made their way back to the Lucent.
When Romana and Judith returned to the pier at which the Lucent was anchored, they found Nathan, along with Imperial Prince Emerond and another man, who was clearly a military general.
Given their importance to the tactical operations of the empire, resource coordinators only extremely rarely left their posts, and both Romana and Judith knew this. The irregularity was interesting to Judith, who wished to know more, and now she planned on using her authority.
“Resource coordinator – under the authority of the Chronicler’s Oath, I should like to see your written notes of your work,” Judith said to Nathan.
Nathan knew, by this woman’s attire and the book which she openly carried, that she was a Chronicler of the Oath. Emerond knew for sure as he had just brought her here, but only under the authority of that same Oath.
“You are free to look through each and every one of my books, which are clearly marked, and written according to all standards, trustworthy Chronicler,” Nathan said.
“I will do exactly that, after I have learned of another matter, that of where you are going that merits your leaving your post, essential as it is in the proceedings of the Jenaldej Empire. It is clear that your departure is an irregularity. Under the authority of the Oath, I wish to accompany you, so as to chronicle all events of interest,” Judith said.
Emerond was now furious, as he wished to conceal the location – even the very existence – of Duke Hagan’s castle from all but a few, and this Chronicler was about to discover something that he was specifically working to hide from her. If she learned of the castle, she would record the knowledge, and then carry it to Emeth. Then, the world would come to know, and there is a reason that the castle had been shrouded in secrecy for all these years.
“Some things can only be shared in confidence, trustworthy Chronicler,” Emerond said.
Judith knew these people had standing, and so she accepted this.
“Then, in confidence, I will accompany you and record the proceedings, for revelation at a sufficiently later date,” Judith said.
Emerond was thirty-two (32) years old with a life expectancy of, perhaps, ninety (90) years, so for him, a much later date could be fifty (50) or sixty (60) years. Confidences had to be kept past the lifetimes of those involved. However, this is one he was hoping could be kept for millennia. Hope, however, would not overcome reality. He would have to accept the authority of the Oath, and the limited delay of release of information that the Chronicler obtained would have to suffice.
“You shall accompany us in confidence, trustworthy Chronicler,” Emerond said.
Emerond then considered the challenges ahead, and the fact that Romana, who was a scholar, was also a citizen of the Jenaldej Empire over whom he had authority. And she was noteworthy for her own wisdom.
“Esteemed scholar, your knowledge and wisdom shall be of service to us on our voyage. As you are a citizen of this empire, I hereby order you to accompany us and provide your own guidance to us,” Emerond said.
“I accept your authority to give such orders, and will accompany and provide counsel as needed,” Romana said.
On board the Lucent were Imperial Prince Emerond, Resource Coordinator Nathan, General Joshua, Romana and Judith, along with Lady Ismene, who had remained.
They set sail, traveling southwest over the Medathero Ocean until reaching the land bridge of Emeth. Then, the Lucent was converted to airship mode, turning the sails to the sides of the ship to act as wings, for both direction and stability. The sails of the ship had embedded crystals, which collected energy from the suns. The light from the suns provided the power for airship travel, which was abundant in recent times due to the inferno. They would only travel at tolerable altitudes – one hundred twenty (120) feet above sea level – so as not to receive even more sun exposure, which could damage the ship and kill the crew and passengers. To reduce the impact of the intense heat and light of the many aligned suns, crystal shelters had been built over the deck of the ship, and provided safety.
As an airship, the Lucent quickly crossed over the narrow land bridge and mountain range in which the ancient City of Emeth was located, and returned to sea level on the southwestern side, in the Trerada Ocean. From there they sailed to the mountains in the middle of the ocean, and navigated close to one that extended five hundred (500) feet above the surface. There was a cavernous entrance at the base of the mountain – that is, where the mountain met the surface of the water, as the mountain cert
ainly extended downward to the ocean floor, which was its true base.
Judith was attentive to this, and carefully recorded their travels along the way. She carried a compass and a telescope and a soft metal plate. The light of the many suns shone through the telescope and seared the metal plate with a path that indicated the route traveled. She also carefully marked the starting position. Now, there was a written record of this location, whatever it was. Emerond saw what she was doing, and had no authority to stop her, and only hoped that what she now knew in confidence would be held in confidence long enough before its revelation.
“The waters at the entrance to the cave are much too rough to enter at sea level. The cave ceiling is too low to enter as an airship, although that would have been the way to travel above the rough waters,” Emerond said.
“If I remember correctly, Prince Emerond, you crystallized the minerals in the water and were able to walk on it last time, didn’t you?” Lady Ismene asked him.
“That is true, Lady Ismene. However, that is not so easily done. I will need assistance, or it will be a slow process. I had another crystal bender to help, and two (2) working together are much more than twice as effective as one (1).” Emerond said.
“I believe that there may be another way. However, it depends on just what’s under the water,” Romana said.
“What do you mean?” Emerond asked.
Romana than drank the waters of the Gradaken Ocean that were in the vial she carried on a chain around her neck. She was energized, and the power over living things – plants and animals – that was within her was now multiplied greatly.
“There is abundant plant life in the waters. If there is some here, we may be able to use it to our advantage. I need to touch the water,” Romana said.
Emerond took a rope ladder and hung it over the edge of the ship. “Be my guest,” Emerond said.
Romana climbed down the rope ladder, and Judith looked down to see what was going to happen, if anything.
Romana touched the water with her hand, and could feel and see the algae in the water. It was plentiful, but she wondered if it would be enough. She concentrated her own powers, and the algae began to gather together, forming long and thick lines. That, however, simply would not be enough. What came next, however, was of use. Various patches of sea weed, which were thick and strong and which were underwater and out of sight, started to sprout up, becoming visible. They formed a narrow walk way, and she stepped out onto it. Then, she walked on it to be sure it was steady, going two hundred (200) feet out and then walking back.
