by Jeremy Dwyer
“Is there a drawing of what the temple looked like before it fell?” Przemek asked.
“Yes, but it isn’t very good,” Laurentius said.
Przemek looked at it more closely and said: “There’s not adequate information here. It reads as if this Judith was in a hurry to save her own life from the collapse, and didn’t have time to capture the details we need.”
“The sound that she heard – we need to know what that was,” Laurentius said.
“It wasn’t likely to have been a supporting structural member emitting stress sounds prior to collapse – not given the material I see here, anyway,” Przemek said.
“Her description did not include volume or other sound characteristics. It’s almost impossible to know for sure without visiting the site,” Laurentius said.
“Where is the site?” Przemek asked.
“The Admiral Ramalaxis Bridge,” Laurentius said.
“Do we really want to travel that far? From what I read, I already have some thoughts about how to improve the sailing crystals, so I don’t think we need to go travel the world,” Przemek said.
“Not the whole world – just there,” Laurentius said.
“We’re trying to prevent this sort of crystal structure failure, not to replicate it,” Przemek said.
“We can learn as much from failure as we do from success, and there’s a history to that temple that’s more important than what it’s made of,” Laurentius said.
“You’re in a hurry to go there?” Przemek asked.
“I am. What happened there represents a danger to all of us, even centuries later. I’m still living with the repercussions,” Laurentius said.
“Are you much older than I think?” Przemek asked.
“No. My family was blamed for the collapse, which nearly led to a religious war, and it still could happen,” Laurentius said.
CHAPTER 28: Plotting by the Remnant of the Envious Sisters
In the northern palace in Ihalik, Aura went to the throne room of King Xander, but did not find the king present. The guards were present and said that the king was in his private chambers, and not to be disturbed.
Aura became angry and exited the throne room another way, going down a hallway to a room and knocking at the door.
The door opened and Rivka answered, surprised to see her sister. “What is it, Aura? Why do you disturb me while I am making preparations to serve the king yet again?” Rivka asked.
“We must speak,” Aura said.
“Come in, but be brief,” Rivka said, stepping aside.
Aura entered Rivka’s quarters and Rivka closed the door for privacy.
“What brings you, my dear sister?” Rivka asked.
“I have served His Majesty well, proclaiming him with music,” Aura said.
“And I have brought his spirit back into this world. What of it?” Rivka asked.
“Without us, he would not be here,” Aura said.
“You think so? Others would serve him, no doubt,” Rivka said.
“Why? Would they not expect a reward? Like the reward we have yet to receive?” Aura asked.
“What reward were you promised that you did not receive?” Rivka asked.
“He refuses to take me into his private chambers as his woman, that I may enjoy his flesh and carry his seed. Instead, he has been bringing other women to his bed,” Aura said.
“Did he promise you that he would love you?” Rivka asked.
“No. His love and attention should be given without my asking – he does not desire me, yet I am attractive,” Aura said.
“You are an attractive woman, no doubt, and quite unlike me. However, you are nothing – merely a dying weed among lush, blooming roses and orchids – when compared to those women who drink the Trerada waters. Your face is pitiful – and mine is diabolical – relative to theirs. Such magnificent beauty of appearance is a gift we will never receive, for the waters we drink do not grant it,” Rivka said.
“Our choices of waters were wrong, then. We are unloved women,” Aura said.
“Find a lesser man to fill your womanly needs, and you will have great pleasure. There is no shame in that, as only a few can taste of the intimate flesh of the king,” Rivka said.
“We brought his kingdom here, so we should be the ones to continue it,” Aura said.
“Tell the king how you feel,” Rivka said.
“I told him, but he said much as you did,” Aura said.
“If you wear jewels, perhaps, then the king will be dazzled. It is the best that I can suggest, and, perhaps, your only hope, though it has little chance of succeeding,” Rivka said.
“I don’t want little hope. I want the kingdom – which I helped him to build – to have an heir, growing within me,” Aura said.
“What about me? Do I not deserve to have an heir to the king within my womb? If you dress in fine attire and bejewel yourself, you have hope, for you are not ugly, as am I. No man has ever entered me, or I would have given him my fullest passion and raised his child,” Rivka said.
“He would have taken Lyssa, no doubt. Men burned for her beauty – rich men gave of their wealth to buy time in her bed, strong men killed to be with her, celibate men renounced their vows to taste of her even once knowing that their religious order would execute them,” Aura said.
“I know of her looks and her affairs. When we were young, she brought home every man I dreamed of, but could never hope to make even smile. I was envious of her looks, and my nights were lonely and sorrowful while I listened to her cries of passion and pleasure. How I wanted to be her, and have those men in my womanly grip, but they turned quickly from the sight of me. The wrong water has condemned me to this emptiness,” Rivka said.
“Our foolish father decided our waterbindings when we were ten (10),” Aura said.
“Your voice was pleasing to him, and so he wanted you to fulfill your potential with the Pirovalen waters,” Rivka said.
“What of you pleased him? He did not care for anyone talking to spirits, so why would he order you to drink the Zovvin waters?” Aura asked.
“Our mother was against speaking to spirits, and she spoke ill of the practice to him. Yet, the old spirit woman who helped our foolish father win his many wagers showed him that he needed the wisdom from beyond. He chose me to seek the good luck blessings from spirits rather than continuing to pay her. He gave me Zovvin waters, which I drank to consult spirits for him, in return for five (5) percent of his winnings,” Rivka said.
“So that is why you always had such fine clothes and books!” Aura said.
“The books helped me to learn the proper ways to commune with the more powerful spirits. Mistakes can be dreadful, and a spirit called to help can come to do harm instead,” Rivka said.
“Could you not bewitch a man into pleasing you with the help of one of these spirits?” Aura asked.
“A spirit of lust might act on me directly, which is far too dangerous,” Rivka said.
“How about a spirit of deception, to lure one of Lyssa’s lovers to see you in a better light?” Aura asked.
“I tried that, of course, but her true beauty transcended the spirit’s powers. The Trerada water that Lyssa drank multiplied her attraction many times, and far exceeded my control over the spirit, who could not distract the man enough,” Rivka said.
“Was the Zovvin water that you drank not pure enough?” Aura asked.
“I drank the purest Zovvin waters. And I secretly poured grains of salt into her Trerada waters to lower its purity, but not enough, lest she taste it,” Rivka said.
“This is disappointing me further. I cannot even use a spirit to lure this king,” Aura said.
“You can have more than what you want…if you learn to want less, or want something different,” Rivka said.
“You mean surrender? That’s not what I do. I always find a way,” Aura said.
“Your songs are powerful, of course. Why don’t you use them?” Rivka asked.
“The pow
ers of song soon fade, whatever their effect,” Aura said.
“And spirits depart, when their time to serve has ended. There are limitations to all the powers,” Rivka said.
“Lyssa had no limits: every man burned for her, and she smiled brightly each morning, looking down on us – the ugly, loveless ones,” Aura said.
“Of course she had limits! Don’t you remember?” Rivka asked.
“Yes, of course I remember. But it’s not enough,” Aura said.
“She’s dead! How is that not enough? You and I, together, poisoned her with the wrong waters, and her face – once so stunningly beautiful – burned and dripped and melted away. Crixalethicis gave her the final humbling, and it gave us the victory,” Rivka said.
“That was not victory! We dethroned that queen of all whores, but we never took her throne for ourselves!” Aura said.
“You have tasted a man…or a few…have you not?” Rivka asked.
“No. I have waited for a suitable lover,” Aura said.
“Kassia also waited. She deserved a good one, too,” Rivka said.
“Kassia was brilliant. No man touched her, but I don’t think she was waiting for one. She only wanted knowledge,” Aura said.
“She did get more respect than either of us. Lyssa never mocked her, or even so much as gave that haughty glance,” Rivka said.
“And Kassia never looked down on us. She spoke of her studies – not of herself – and was always the bright spot in the day whenever she talked about her research. Kassia was very enthusiastic about it, so it was hard not to be glad along with her,” Aura said.
“She was a good friend. And she told me some interesting things about topaz crystals,” Rivka said.
“Interesting?” Aura asked.
“Toward the end, she traveled back and forth between Emeth and a ruined sun worship temple,” Rivka said.
“Why? She didn’t mention that to me, and she told me a lot,” Aura asked.
“I talked to her more than you did, and I picked up something new each time,” Rivka said.
“What was interesting about topaz crystals?” Aura asked.
“She was studying the ruins of the Temple of Mev’Kna. That’s why she went to the Admiral Ramalaxis Bridge,” Rivka said.
“You’ve been there…didn’t you tell me it was dangerous?” Aura asked.
“It is, for many reasons. Gabrielle Ramalaxis had no place calling on legions of spirits she did not know without protecting herself just as many times over. I don’t care what enemy you’re facing, that was a fool’s gambit,” Rivka said.
“Didn’t she win the battle?” Aura asked.
“Yes, triumphantly…if you overlook the consequences of being haunted and possessed by legions of spirits. And you can’t overlook it…because she went insane,” Rivka said.
“And the land bridge was named after her to commemorate her victory, right?” Aura asked.
“That’s right…a victory she will never enjoy,” Rivka said.
“What did Kassia tell you about the topaz?” Aura asked.
“She studied the ruins and looked for flaws. Crystal benders went with her, and no one could find anything wrong with the design of the temple, or its construction. She used a lot of math, and they looked deep into the topaz and other crystals for impurities,” Rivka said.
“She was clever with math. She even helped me to understand it…a little,” Aura said.
“She found something strange, though. There were fractures that followed a pattern, like a soundwave,” Rivka said.
“I don’t know that much about crystals, but I know a lot about sound and music. Why didn’t she tell me?” Aura asked.
“She was in a hurry. She looked for you, but you were away on one of your singing visitations. It was the last time I saw her,” Rivka said.
“Is that all she said…that it looked like a soundwave?” Aura asked.
“She said that a high pitched sound – or some combination of sounds, like a song – cracked the crystal that made up the temple,” Rivka said.
“What happened after the temple collapsed?” Aura asked.
“You never studied the history, did you? I did. The architect was blamed, and there were threats by the sun worshippers of the time. It almost blew up into a religious war,” Rivka said.
“Wasn’t that centuries ago? Why do we care now?” Aura asked.
“The sun worshippers tend to be vengeful, and that war could still happen,” Rivka said.
“Won’t our king be able to deal with them again? I thought he already stood up against their strength,” Aura asked.
“Don’t underestimate them…powers rise and fall. Over time, the strong become weak, and the weak become strong, both in the physical world and the spirit world. Remember the tempest, too. Victoria even ruled the great oceans for a short while, but then she was brought down. This king’s good fortune will not last forever,” Rivka said.
“How do we hasten his fall?” Aura asked.
“By hastening his victory. Sing for him, that he may seduce the people of each land quickly to serve him, and then he will seek to move on to the next, and to the next, until he has them all. Along the way, the demon known as Gadamalto will give him favors in battle. When this is done, and the world belongs to King Xander, he has a debt to pay, to the demon, measured in souls that he corrupts to be sent down to the Maelstrom of Vengeance. If he does not repay, he will be destroyed by Gadamalto for failing to deliver the souls to his corruption. If he does repay, his kingdom will be attacked by other powers who reject the corrupt religion of the demon. There is no good end to King Xander, and it is entirely his fault for choosing to make this bargain,” Rivka said.
“How can you be sure that he will not find a way to outmaneuver his enemies? He is clever…this is not his first kingdom,” Aura asked.
“Each of his kingdoms falls, because it is built on illusions, and he seeks what never was. When you speak in his presence, you must pretend to believe – but you must not actually believe – his lies and fantasies. The twelve (12) ocean waters were never unified into one (1) that gives all powers. It is merely wishful thinking, and if he truly believes it, his false hopes will be his undoing,” Rivka said.
“How do you know the waters were never one (1)? That would be a delight. We could be beautiful, and have every other gift,” Aura asked.
“If it were so, it would have led to ruin for most people…it is far better to have to make a choice, and live within the limits of a single water, than to have it all. Remember that some people have much more innate potential than others, and would gain overwhelming advantage from the powers in those unified waters. It would allow them to rise to great heights, and live many ages, in supreme health and stunning beauty, using powers of song to enchant us and powers of spirit to haunt us. From the darkness, they could strike at us with great speed and strength. They could read our thoughts so that we could not make plans against them, while their own strategies would succeed beyond our comprehension. The elite would thus have power that would be matched only by their arrogance, and they could not be stopped. I fear that level of power,” Rivka said.
“You are very fearful, but you may be right. If Lyssa had all powers – and could even read our thoughts – we could not have poisoned her. Then, she would still be alive, and far too beautiful. No man could resist her, and she would live for ages to seduce men and their sons for thousands of generations, leaving none for us to even hope for,” Aura said.
“Her time ended, and so will the time of King Xander. For now, we will fulfill our duties to him, and bide our time,” Rivka said.
CHAPTER 29: Mother of the Child with Darkest Dreams
Tofa made her way from Emeth to Revod, to continue her duties as a Chronicler of the Oath in the land of the Jenaldej Empire. As she had no specific assignment, she was free to go anywhere. She remembered that Mitchell lived there and she admitted to herself that her personal interest in him never left: he was amply handsome and
kind. She hadn’t seen him in thirteen (13) years, and hoped that the years were kind to him.
The darkness in the skies was growing in intensity, and Tofa’s travels were slowed as a result. Still, time was on her side, even if it wasn’t on his. He would be thirty-seven (37) now and probably at the peak of his good looks. She wasn’t as concerned with that, as long as he was still a kind man, with the same romantic spark he once had. If she could find him again, without being led on a digression by some other significant historical event, she hoped to spend a little more time with him. The life of a Chronicler, however, was necessarily transient, and when a substantial occurrence appeared around her, she was obliged to follow it.
Tofa took her Ursegan waterbinding at the age of nineteen (19) to preserve her impressive good looks by delaying the pace of aging – the Trerada waters might have made them several times better, but they would not have lasted, nor would she. She married at age twenty-one (21) and had eight (8) children by the time she was thirty-four (34), but that was over thirteen (13) centuries ago. At the time, she was saddened that her husband and children all lived normal length lives, but she was able to continue dating after accepting the variety of life, including outliving those she loved. She was in no rush to make another commitment – after all, she had lived and experienced marriage and motherhood – but was willing to do it all over again with the right man. However, he rarely came along.
In order to see more of the world – and to have the freedom to see what happened behind the scenes – she became a Chronicler at the age of two hundred ninety-eight (298). As a result, she was able to learn many things – some in confidence to be revealed much later – and thus experience the world in a new way.
Tofa’s life since then was never boring for long, if at all, but it was hard to raise another family under the obligations of the Chronicler’s Oath. She was required to travel, and the men who interested her were often required to stay in a small locality. She wondered if she was naturally attracted to such men because they tended to be reliable economically and emotionally, and she wanted someone who was available. The men who traveled tended to be distant, even though they might be more willing to go on adventures with her. This was similar to the experiences of her friend, the Chronicler Judith, although she had never married or had children, so Tofa felt bad for her. She had even suggested to Judith that she became a Chronicler too early and should have at least once had a family, but the noncommittal responses she received indicated that there was a bit too much trepidation about anything: Judith usually seemed unsure of herself, and her surroundings and her relationships. Tofa, however, was quick to make up her mind, and knew almost immediately if she liked a person or not. And she wasn’t at all afraid, even when the tragedies of life occurred.
