by Jeremy Dwyer
“I will leave you to select the most appropriate crystals for the work ahead…and this key,” Sebastian said, handing Cassius the key to the vault. He didn’t want them to become trapped in a room that admitted little air if the door should be accidentally closed and locked. Cassius was still knowledgeable and useful for Sebastian – as was Fantine – and asphyxiation produced a rather unpleasant smelling cadaver. The key, however, would only grant them access to this room, so it was of little risk to Sebastian to let them keep it.
Sebastian then left the room and returned to his study.
~~~
A knock at the main door followed, and Sebastian reached out with his mind to learn who it was. He was angered when he realized that it was an officer of the central bank – a fifty-three (53) year old man named Tucker – who wanted to discuss the terms of the loan that Sebastian had earlier been denied.
Sebastian also scanned to see if he could hear the thoughts of someone else in the room – someone who could not be seen. Viveka – a drinker of the waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean – used its powers to hide under the cloak of darkness. She bore a very sharp dagger and some metal wires, as well, and was thus prepared to pounce on anyone who might threaten Sebastian, and apply lethal force.
Persephone – now four (4) months pregnant – heard the knock at the door from the nearby room where she was resting. She got up to see what was happening, and immediately drank the Elanatin Ocean waters from her own vial. She was thereby energized, and began scanning the minds of Sebastian and the person at the door.
Sebastian looked to Persephone and said: “You should rest. There’s no need to concern yourself about this.”
“I’ve rested enough. I’m already four (4) months along, so I need to move around a bit more,” Persephone said.
Sebastian opened the door and saw Counselor Tucker, who had a dark beard and mustache and was attired in fine clothes and metal pins that indicated he was employed in the banking profession.
“Would you have a moment to discuss a few banking concerns about the loan you recently requested?” Counselor Tucker asked.
“Just a moment, no more, Counselor Tucker,” Sebastian said.
Tucker handed Sebastian a stack of papers and asked: “Would you please take a close look at this? Just the first page is all you need. And can we speak in private?”
Sebastian looked to the first page of the stack, saw that it was an offer for the loan, and handed it back to Tucker, and said: “There is nothing here that I need – or want. Thus, there is no need to discuss anything in private. Good day, Counselor Tucker.” Sebastian then closed the door and left the man outside.
“The bank wants to lend you the money you requested, don’t they?” Persephone asked, not actually needing to ask, because she could read his mind, and had overheard anyway.
“Governor Lux – he’s the one who approved the loan. I saw his name on the documents,” Sebastian said.
“You still refuse to trust him?” Persephone asked.
“Yes. Still and always. I hope you don’t think that I should,” Sebastian said.
“No. I’m not saying you should trust him. I’m saying that you shouldn’t trust them, either: the old man, the architect. You know what he did – and how many he killed with that earlier machine of his. I read his thoughts too, you know,” Persephone said.
“Yes, I know. He’s only motivated by wealth, so we’ll let him have a share. He can make this machine work,” Sebastian said.
“On a small scale, maybe. But you want to build a walled city – a world within a world. Why? Why is that so important? You already have so much,” Persephone said.
“This is a dangerous world. People like Cassius get their knowledge from even more dangerous people. And then there was the tempest, and now the dark skies,” Sebastian said.
“Is there going to be another storm? I thought she was dead, and that tiara was destroyed,” Persephone said.
“The tiara is broken, so I’ve heard. But the darkness is worse than before. This is a world of tremendous power…and risk. Who knows what else can happen? We have to protect as many people as we can with this city. That’s why it has to be built on a large scale,” Sebastian said.
“That’s what I mean. There’s danger everywhere. You shouldn’t trust either of them: they’re part of the problem. She’s not even a woman – or even a person. She only loves architectural designs, and ideas. She cares about people only if they’re smart, or useful. You know Fantine’s as cold as ice, so you can’t have her. And you’re mine, anyway,” Persephone said.
“I never desired her. I know who and what she is. There’s a lot of pain there. Her parents never loved her…they only loved what she could design. So that’s what she did: she designed every kind of structure she could, and learned every technique she could possibly find or discover. She gets her validation from it. That’s why she doesn’t take care of herself…she’s unattractive on purpose, so that men won’t look at her, and she can focus on her work,” Sebastian said.
“But you still look at her,” Persephone said.
“Out of pity. There is good in her – she builds so that others can benefit, and give her credit. She’s emotionally cold…but not murderously cruel. Not like him,” Sebastian said.
“Yes, Cassius is worse, but you had better not trust her, either. If you do, you know what will happen,” Persephone said.
“I’m not attracted to her. She doesn’t want a lover of any kind,” Sebastian said.
“Come to me. Show me how attracted you are to me, now,” Persephone said.
Sebastian then looked at Persephone and released his earlier focus, and switched his attention to her, and her body, and he desired it. They went to her small room upstairs – an ornate room having walls adorned with pearls and silk sheets on the bed – and they indulged in each other, making love through the night.
~~~
Counselor Tucker returned to Haza’Kedro’Maral Island in the Pirovalen Ocean – traveling for six (6) days over sea and land by hired transport, because the darkness made for difficult navigation and a slow journey. When he arrived, he went to the building known as Trading Center One, where Governors Sullivan and Parry were waiting, along with Duchess Uliana at the head table overlooking the financial activity on the floor. Hundreds of bankers and traders were at work, and the room was filled with their chatter. Standing beside the duchess and the governors was the blue-skinned Blazer Luken of the Torches of Majesty, who had been sent to enforce Duchess Uliana’s authority with the power of blue fire, which flickered in his powerful hands.
“Well, Counselor? Did he sign to accept the loan?” Counselor Sullivan asked.
“No. He merely looked at the papers and refused the loan, and then closed the door. He was short with me to begin with, so he may have made his decision well before I arrived,” Counselor Tucker said.
“Then offer him more favorable terms, in return for a greater share of the profits his city will generate,” Duchess Uliana said.
“The new terms have to be calculated correctly. We cannot jeopardize the banks’ solvency by giving too generous a loan that does not factor in the risks and the time value of money correctly. In addition, the profitability of the new city needs to be estimated. We do not even have the plans for its design, so there is a great deal of uncertainty,” Governor Parry said.
“Then make your calculations,” Duchess Uliana said.
“Governor Lux wrote this loan offer. He will have to adjust it, as he has authority over us,” Governor Parry said.
“Have Governor Lux make the adjustments. Do not trouble me with your bureaucracy, Governor. I have authority over all of you, and Blazer Luken will enforce it, if necessary,” Duchess Uliana said.
~~~
Mixed in with the crowd of traders and bankers, Danielle was quietly reading the mind of Duchess Uliana. Danielle drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean and was energized, so that she could have her telepathic powers at the
ir utmost. She knew that Uliana was not able to readily get the wealthy Sebastian to accept the bank’s loan. Danielle had been instructed to instigate a war pitting Uliana and her sun-worshippers against the rest of the world by means of promoting unfair trade and resentment – which is why she manipulated the mind of Uliana into intimidating and controlling the bankers with the help of the Torches of Majesty to lend their might.
The idea that Sebastian would ask for a loan – which she knew that he did by reading the minds of the bank’s governors – and then refuse it was perplexing to Danielle. Not knowing how it might serve her mission, she did not wish to be caught unaware, so she planted a suggestion into the mind of Duchess Uliana.
Danielle also knew of the other matter on the mind of the duchess: the message from Blazer Endrit about the luminaries which brought darkness when lit, and the fact that Blazer Endrit had captured one (1) of them. Regarding this, Danielle was alarmed.
~~~
“However, before we alter the loan, first send a spy to watch Sebastian: someone with the powers of darkness, that they might be able to discern his actions and purposes, and that we might know why he would ask for a loan, and then refuse the offer. He wants something more from us, no doubt. And learn what you can of the design for his city,” Duchess Uliana commanded, when the thought occurred to her. It was not her original thought, however.
The Governors looked among their clerks and they had a twenty-three (23) year old man named Dawson – a drinker of the Ikkith Tar Ocean waters – whom they would occasionally send to spy on those who had missed loan payments and possibly disappeared. Dawson would often have to find what hidden wealth those delinquent borrowers might have as collateral, or to help return them in person to be held accountable. Dawson was taken into a small room and given his instructions by Governors Sullivan and Parry and Duchess Uliana:
“You are to discover whether Sebastian has found another source for his loans, or some other income stream, or if he is attempting to pressure us into negotiating different terms for this loan. If he wants something more, or if he has some alternative, we need to know. Discern what you can of his plans for this city he intends to build, in its dimensions and location and every other detail that is relevant,” Governor Sullivan said.
“What confiscatory authority do I have, if any?” Dawson asked. Under certain conditions, he was authorized to take from the possessions of a delinquent borrower an amount up to twice what was owed. However, since Sebastian was not a borrower, the banks had little authority, unless they could prove he owed them something for some other reason, or that he had deceived them.
“You have only observational authority. Any documents in his possession, you may inspect and report to us,” Governor Parry said.
“Do not return without an informative report,” Duchess Uliana said.
At this, Dawson left the building and made his way to the continent of Baradaxa. Owing to the darkness, navigation and travel were significantly slower than usual, taking him six (6) days of travel on hired transport over land and sea.
Upon arriving in the northern central region of the continent, Dawson drank anew of the waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean and was energized with the powers of darkness. He created a cloak of darkness to conceal himself and he found his way to Sebastian’s estate, waiting and watching to learn what he could.
CHAPTER 4: Gathering of the Society of the Dead Waters
In the city of Emeth, in the Eleventh Hall, a fifty-one (51) year old man named Ulrich studied the sciences of crystals and stone. Taking a brief respite from his specialized research, he perused the many sculptures nearby – as this was also the hall of architecture – and marveled at the brilliance of the works made of diamond and sapphire and even ruby, emerald and citrine and other, less valuable gemstones. Others were made entirely of granite, or sandstone, and still others were elaborate arrangements of many stones of different types. Some were statues of legendary admirals, others were replicas of famous bridges or temples or pyramids – both stepped and sloped. Some works – such as a full-size model of one of the Jeshirinko Pyramids – were over two-hundred-fifty (250) feet in height, and were even built in deep wells cut into the floors of the hall to accommodate their height. A spiral staircase led to the bottom of one such well, and then another spiral staircase led from the bottom of the well up to a walkway leading to the apex of the pyramid. The entire structure was made of three million two hundred thousand (3200000) sandstone blocks. Nearby, there were writings on obelisks which gave a brief synopsis of the history of the work, with references to other sections of the Eleventh Hall where a richer body of knowledge could be found.
Ulrich read the writings on the marker obelisk, which indicated that the four thousand nine hundred (4900) individual pyramids which stand along the Tormentor’s Valley roadway, winding through the Jeshirinko Barrier land bridge running east to west, and then continuing onto the Elaja’s Walkway land bridge running south to north, were built to cast inspiring shadows over those nearby – exalting the power of darkness – so that onlookers would be encouraged in their devotion against the sun worshipping cultures of the continent of Nataloridivu. Although the structures were certainly not large enough to actually cast shadows over that continent, the antagonism did not go unnoticed and prompted a war with various sun-worshippers when the pyramids were constructed two hundred forty-three (243) millennia ago.
He was a perpetual student, and though he was devoted to his primary study of the alchemy of crystals and stone, he never considered his travels to Emeth complete without taking time for other subjects which interested him. Eager to practice, he had taken his binding to the Kazofen Ocean waters at the young age of fifteen (15). He lived his early life on the many islands of the Kazofen Ocean, traveling from one island to the next, seeking enough privacy to study his alchemical techniques and master the use of the so-called ‘diamond waters’. He was ever in awe of the virtuous cycle of the alchemy which these waters enabled. The logic of this cycle was that he could drink a potion of low purity waters of the Kazofen Ocean and they would give him at least some power over the manipulation of stones and crystals, and that he could then use these powers to raise the purity another quantity of Kazofen waters – or any other waters – by manipulating the crystal impurities it contained, such as salt and other minerals, and which diluted the water’s powers. If he executed this alchemical procedure specifically on the Kazofen waters, he could then drink this more pure potion and be given even greater power over crystal and stone manipulations, including the performance of even higher quality purifications.
Ulrich was paid for his service in purification, for all waters, except the Ursegan waters. Most of the Chroniclers drank those waters and they were never expected to pay for anything – their lives were lived at everyone else’s expense, as long as they kept the Oath to record and tell the truth. They could freely travel the world for centuries – or millennia – and see and learn nearly everything. This made him envious for their lifestyle, and occasionally regretful of his choice of waters. The law of the oceans, however, prevented him from changing his decision. His Kazofen waterbinding was permanent, of course, and even a sip of any of the others meant crixalethicis, which guaranteed a quick yet horrid death. Still, traveling the world to study many subjects was something he determined he would do to the best of his abilities, and the oceans had no law against that. Visiting Emeth, then, was a cherished habit, and he made every effort to visit for no less than twenty (20) days a year.
After spending thirty-two (32) days in Emeth on this most recent visit, Ulrich decided that he had reached the point at which his need for practice outweighed his need for study, and that he should apply some of the alchemical techniques he learned for the service of his other associates – members of the Society of the Dead Waters. He left the Eleventh Hall and made his way to the docks, along the eastern coast of the Emeth land bridge, which shared its name with the City of Emeth.
Ulrich noticed the darknes
s in the sky above – the darkness for which no one seemed to offer an explanation – and he kept that in mind when he was asked to pay four (4) platinum coins rather than the usual two (2) for transport on a ship taking him to Mezkarilith Island in the Dead Waters Ocean. There, he would connect with another ship to another island, and meet with other members of the Society.
He traveled four (4) days on this hired transport. The ship sailed east over the Ursegan Ocean, then converted to its airship configuration, ascended to one hundred twenty (120) feet of altitude and passed briefly over the Bazavadoran Isthmus land bridge, then returned to sea level in the Nabavodel Ocean and continued sailing northeast. The ship then converted to airship configuration again to pass briefly over the Crypt Trail land bridge, returning to sea level to sail upon the Dead Waters Ocean until reaching Mezkarilith Island.
The island was home to many cities, many famous for their depravities, such as marriages between the living and corpses, and young women burying their would-be lovers in graves to test their masculinity in being able to escape: many did not, but the women married their remains and consummated the union only after decay set in. There was even a wealthy woman named Lunete of Bazavador who paid to have built an elaborate temple of obsidian and iron wherein she kept the remnants of the men who died to marry her, and wherein she gave them worship for their bravery and masculinity.
The temple – known as the ‘Shrine of the Ashes of the Groom’ – was real, and could be seen from the western city where Ulrich’s hired ship arrived. The temple stood two hundred sixteen (216) feet high and was only three (3) miles to the north. Upon setting foot on the island, Ulrich stared at the temple and thought of what it meant, and this moment was too long, for it enabled him to consider its filth and he began to feel uneasy and to sense the beginning of nausea.
“She’s still alive, you know,” a younger woman said, in a melodious voice that seemed inappropriate for the topic, but did ease his sense of sickness.
