by Jeremy Dwyer
After this, Roxanne picked up the single fallen – and lit – luminary and placed it into the second candelabra, so that there were eighteen (18) total luminaries that were aflame and giving off their darkness instead of light. Then, she began to blow out their flames, one (1) by one (1), until all were extinguished. As each was unlit, the skies outside grew brighter, until all seventy (70) suns burned once again in their full glory: the nine (9) large, hot blue suns; the twenty-four (24) medium, warm yellow suns and the thirty-seven (37) small, cool red suns.
The light poured into the cave and Amaltheia suddenly smiled at the new day that had come.
“A new, brighter day has arrived. You should be happy. The child within you is a girl,” Marzia said, also smiling.
“They were lighting these flames to see what happened in the darkness. That’s insane – only a fool would do that,” Roxanne said, having been given the details telepathically by Marzia.
“Only a man would be such a fool,” Marzia said.
“Pandaros was a fool; and Abrax, as well,” Amaltheia said.
“The singer escaped by the sound, it seems. I know he was here because I read the thoughts of Pandaros,” Marzia said.
“That was Erikkos. He was almost as bad: he left me to die when he saw the danger. This child may be his. Without him, I’m going to need help,” Amaltheia said.
“Come with us, and lend us your skills. Then, you and your daughter will be cared for,” Marzia said.
“I suppose that is my best option. These men brought death and darkness, but no real knowledge,” Amaltheia said.
“Help us to seek true knowledge…and light,” Roxanne said.
Marzia then took the candelabra holding thirteen (13) unlit luminaries and placed it into her coat, hiding it. Roxanne took the other candelabra, which held five (5) unlit luminaries, and concealed it in her own coat.
“Please tell me you’re not going to light those again!” Amaltheia said.
“No. We just need to make sure no one else does. If another man were ever to find them, woe to the world,” Roxanne said.
Marzia and Roxanne each took one (1) of Amaltheia’s arms and helped her to walk gently down the mountain path. When they reached the bottom, they headed to the docks to find available transport on board a ship.
“Let’s hope travel is a lot less expensive now. With the darkness ended, navigation should be easier,” Marzia said.
“It will be. Too bad I didn’t have time to make extra money while my light powers were in high demand,” Roxanne said.
~~~
The spirit of Abrax found himself in a place of darkness and confusion. A deep and terrifying voice which he had never known spoke to him, saying: “By your murderous actions in life, you are now condemned for eternity to suffer here, in the Maelstrom of Vengeance. I am the Master of Spirits in this domain, and I will see to your endless torment. In life, you sought knowledge at any cost; now, you will have only confusion and emptiness.”
The spirit of Abrax screamed and suffered without end and gained nothing for his efforts in life, because of his unrepentance. The only knowledge he had was of his own unending pain.
~~~
The spirit of Pandaros found himself in a place of both darkness and light, both confusion and clarity. He stood between two (2) great spirits who leered at him.
The first of these spoke in a deep and terrifying voice, saying: “Your heartless murders and manipulations for the pursuit of mere knowledge have condemned you to suffer under me in pain and confusion. I am Gadamalto, the Master of Spirits in this, the Maelstrom of Vengeance. Here, I will torment and trick you without end.”
The other spoke and said: “Debtsss to me mussst all be paid. Your ssspirit isss mine, in no sssmall part.”
The spirit of Pandaros was then ripped in half, each portion being given to one (1) of these spirits, and made to suffer endlessly, while learning nothing, for the spirit of Pandaros had truly been broken, and nothing made sense in this eternal confusion and pain.
~~~
Blazer Endrit suddenly felt understanding return to him, along with his health. The spirits of confusion and illness had left him, and all of his strength and determination returned. He stood up and went outside the room, and walked onto the main trading floor.
The bankers and traders – who were usually engaged in discussions of finances – suddenly stood up to look outside when they noticed that the light of the many suns was pouring in through the windows and the doors of the Trading Center One building. There was considerable chatter among them which piqued Endrit’s curiosity.
Blazer Endrit saw the bright lights and then exited the building to see the sky. Once outside, he saw that the towers of the Temple of the Sky’s Nine (9) Kings were glistening in the light of the many suns, and that the world seemed right again. He made his way through the crowd and ran toward the temple.
~~~
The traders and merchants returned to their business as usual, adjusting prices and negotiating rates, because of the changing values of products and services now that the darkness had ended. Whether in a time of tragedy or prosperity, the markets adjusted accordingly. Companies of light benders – and their services – were no longer able to charge a premium. Nor could there be an extra charge to purify the Lujladia waters that they drank, for the same reason. Those who drank the Atrejan waters were employable again, and companies which offered their services could now reap profits. Adjustments were made regarding the relative values of services of those who drank the other waters as well. Individual companies could charge their own rates, but they would be competing with the trade organizations who charged the standard prices determined in the central banks.
~~~
Blazer Endrit joined Blazer Luken and Nehexalor. Duchess Uliana was with them, holding the baby boy she had delivered.
“By whatever power, the suns have returned. We must begin the ritual at once,” Duchess Uliana said.
Halina and Danielle stood nearby, hidden under the cover of darkness provided by Halina. Danielle telepathically instructed Halina to take the baby boy to interfere with the sun worship ritual.
~~~
On the western shore of Haza’Kedro’Maral Island, Blazer Darakizar watched and listened to the lookouts on the docks. Most of these were drinkers of the Lujladia Ocean waters and could see out at a great distance. They were charged with the task of counting the ships arriving and departing and giving warning of piracy as well as maritime accidents, cargo spills and any other event that might impact the markets.
The lookouts soon announced that a fleet of ships was approaching and it appeared to be led by a large vessel whose markings indicated the name Eminence of the Oceans. “The King is approaching. He’s come to take the island!” several of the lookouts announced.
Blazer Darakizar drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and was energized. He then reached out with his hands and drew a stream of water from the surrounding Pirovalen Ocean toward himself, turning the water into fire and holding himself aloft by the flames. He rose into the air and moved toward the Temple of the Sky’s Nine (9) Kings. He returned to the ground near the other Torches of Majesty and said: “The King’s fleet has arrived. We must be ready to attack.”
“We must complete the ritual quickly,” Duchess Uliana ordered.
“No, we must not begin the ritual if we cannot complete it. If we are interrupted, the sacrifice will be wasted,” Nehexalor said.
“We will destroy the king’s fleet, my lady,” Blazer Darakizar said.
“All of us,” Blazer Luken said.
“Water shall become fire, and ships shall become ash,” Blazer Endrit said.
~~~
The Eminence of the Oceans rounded Haza’Kedro’Maral Island and soon those on board could see the towers of the Temple of the Sky’s Nine (9) Kings. The fleet of two hundred forty-one (241) ships followed closely.
“The temple of the sun worshippers stands in defiance, as
if the wealth of the world belongs to them. We will crush them, and then take the bank and its wealth for ourselves,” King Xander said.
“Shall we fire cannons upon the towers?” General Povaximus asked.
“Yes. Perhaps a song could pierce their crystal towers and weaken them,” King Xander said, looking to Aura.
Aura was filled with anger toward the king for more than just having had intimate relations with Rivka while rejecting her – she knew about that, after all, and confronted him until he promised to give her his seed after taking Revod. She was much more furious that both the king and Rivka thought her to be a fool who was never to be loved, as Rivka had admitted. Yet, Aura had been loved – the handsome guard satisfied her needs and she now thought him to be greater than any king, and his seed had taken root in her, which was better than the seed of this royal betrayer. She no longer believed the king’s promise to eventually give her a child – especially since he didn’t maintain his hold on Revod.
Aura drank anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean from her vial and was energized. She then sang a few scales with little effort, only to say: “The tower is too strong for me to weaken its structure, Your Majesty. Your fleet will have to show its strength and hope that their best is enough.”
“Fire at will! Focus on the outer towers, moving inward!” General Povaximus ordered the artillery men on board the Eminence of the Oceans . The other ships in the fleet followed their lead.
~~~
A swarm of spirits moved across the Kazofen Ocean, then across the Trerada Ocean and then onto the Pirovalen Ocean.
These spirits had been called by Gadamalto to destroy the king. What they found was a small island surrounded by a small fleet. Among the ships in that fleet they found the ship carrying the man known as King Xander and they moved toward him, as Gadamalto had instructed.
~~~
On board the cargo shuttle, Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin contemplated the overwhelming danger of what had just occurred. He sat in his chair at the control panel, with Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano seated beside him.
“We cannot return in these conditions – look at the instruments: there is no question of it. The heat signatures of all the suns combined make burnpath travel impossible. If even one (1) was absent, maybe we could risk an attempt,” the captain said.
“We don’t know why the suns went dark, we don’t know why their light returned. So we can’t know when or if it will happen again,” Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano said.
“Correct, Second Lieutenant. Thank you for stating the obvious,” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin said.
“Yet, we have the liquids. What are they good for?” Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano asked.
“Each gives a different power to the person who drinks of them. But you can drink only one (1), and then you’re bound to it for life,” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin said.
“What powers?” Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano asked.
“I don’t know, and I’m not sure which gives which,” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin said.
“One (1) of them might be the solution to the problem,” Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano said.
“We weren’t given a detailed report, Second Lieutenant, so you only get one (1) guess,” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin said.
~~~
The swarm of spirits attacked King Xander. He sensed them tearing at his own spirits – both the dominant spirit and the spirit which had been subjugated. He drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from his vial and was energized. By the powers he thus gained, he personally drove away the swarm of spirits, such that they could not trouble him. If the demon had sent these, it was a futile attempt to dethrone him.
Instead of attacking King Xander, the spirits traveled to the land in the north, for there was a gathering of many other angry spirits around a man who had incurred their wrath.
~~~
Cannon fire fell upon the towers of the Temple of the Sky’s Nine (9) Kings and Duchess Uliana screamed and ran, holding the baby boy.
Halina and Danielle followed her, both to maintain control and to avoid the combat.
The Torches of Majesty – Blazer Endrit, Blazer Luken and Blazer Darakizar – all flew through the air toward the fleet by using their power to turn water into fire and thus hold themselves aloft. They then began drawing more water from the ocean below, turning it into flames and sending the flames at the ships, although the cannon fire continued.
Nehexalor looked and saw that little progress was being made, so he decided to take matters into his own hands. He drank anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean from his vial to be fully energized and words for a different song – not related to the sun worship ritual – came to him quickly. He then began singing:
Sky on Fire,
Ever-burning blue and bright.
Let there be no king higher,
Above the nine with fire's might.
Hear the praise
Of the ones who kneel before,
Your astral thrones,
Worshipping you ever more.
(Refrain)
Burning stars...nine blue kings of all the skies.
Voice of flame...by ocean's power these words rise.
Sky Ignited,
With a fearsome, scorching wrath.
Injustice righted,
When your enemies are turned to ash.
See their attacks,
Upon the lands of your domain.
Scorch them all,
In a world of endless pain.
(Refrain)
Sky Ablaze,
Ever-burning by your decree.
Upward to the kings we gaze.
Admiring your majesty.
The nine blue kings
We must always glorify.
We are the ones,
Who stand and sail beneath their sky.
(Refrain)
Sky Infernal,
With majestic burning might,
You bring the day,
Ending the reign of the night.
Hear us exalt,
The nine who illuminate.
Your fire will never halt.
The blue suns alone shall rule our fate.
(Refrain)
Balls of fire and flames came down from the many suns, scorching the ships of the king’s fleet, along with many merchant vessels that had no part in this war. Over two thousand three hundred (2300) ships were destroyed, including one hundred ninety (190) of the ships in the king’s fleet.
The Eminence of the Oceans was struck and burned but did not sink, and General Povaximus was killed. Aura laughed as his corpse burned, and hoped for the same fate to meet the king who had betrayed her.
King Xander ordered: “Leave now! Return to the palace! We shall strike again at another time, with a larger fleet!”
The Eminence of the Oceans and the fifty-one (51) surviving ships in the fleet quickly fled the area. The flames were extinguished by on-board bucket brigades and the powers of some crew members who drank the waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean from their vials and then smothered the flames in cold and darkness.
~~~
“Evade! Evade!” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin yelled, steering the cargo shuttle out of the way of the balls of fire that were falling from the sky. The shuttle did not handle perfectly, given the damage it had sustained from the explosions, but it was adequate.
Until it wasn’t adequate.
The cargo shuttle was burned severely and sent plummeting to the ocean below. Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin and Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano were both shaken by the impact with the water.
“Get to the reserve shuttle!” Captain Mendis’Kanto’Petarin said, running toward that ship in the cargo bay and boarding it.
Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano moved to follow the captain, but the hull of the cargo shuttle ruptured and the ocean waters flooded in, knocking back the second lieutenant. The captain was forc
ed to take off in the reserve shuttle without him or not escape at all.
The second lieutenant escaped the cargo shuttle through the top hatch, where he found himself floating on a wreck in the middle of an ocean he did not know, as he watched the reserve shuttle take off into the air.
Second Lieutenant Vy’Jaden’Rokano wondered what good this escape would do the captain – the reserve shuttle couldn’t travel back via burnpath for the same reason the cargo shuttle couldn’t, and he didn’t remember loading the tanks on board the reserve shuttle with any of the liquids from this world’s oceans, so it would have been a failed mission, even if the captain could have made the journey back to the home world.
~~~
Under the cloak of darkness, Halina and Danielle caught up with Duchess Uliana while she hid inside of her private room in the Trading Center One building. Danielle then took control of Uliana’s mind using her telepathic powers. While the duchess was subjugated, Danielle and Halina seized the baby boy from her arms and then disappeared.
Duchess Uliana realized only later what had happened and wept bitterly, not out of sympathy for the child – who was to be sacrificed to the many suns as part of the ritual – but for the fact that she would now have to wait until she could have another child. She left the building and met up with Nehexalor, who was waiting for her. The Torches of Majesty surrounded him, awaiting orders from the duchess.
“Duchess! We sent away the king by the power of the suns! Now it is time for the ritual. Where is the child?” Nehexalor asked.
“He was taken from me, by powers in the darkness. Our moment has been stolen, yet again,” Duchess Uliana said, seething with anger.
“Then we will prepare, yet again,” Nehexalor said.
“The temple is ready,” Blazer Luken said.
“The spirits of the suns can now be invited to dwell within it, by completing the consecration ritual,” Blazer Endrit said.
“A ritual which is impossible without the child,” Duchess Uliana said.
“What would you have us do now?” Blazer Darakizar asked.
