Haunt & Havoc

by Jeremy Dwyer

  Crowds of people arrived and departed around them, as dozens of other ships entered and left Emeth. Their chatter could be heard, along with news of the king having been sent away, by a powerful song, and that his resting place had been destroyed.

  “We’re back in the city of truth and knowledge,” Taesa said.

  “Under a far brighter sky,” Emerond said.

  “And now we hear that the king is gone,” Zoe asked.

  “Never to come back,” Brant says.

  “We’ve had enough problems. Too much fighting. Too much travel. Not enough peace and rest,” Zoe said.

  “I want this child to grow up away from all of that. Peace is what he needs, and rest is what his mother needs – no more adventure,” Caroline said.

  Taesa reached out to Caroline to receive the baby again. Caroline then returned Trent to his mother so that Taesa could hold him in her own arms.

  “You’re all the adventure I need or want, little boy. I’ve never loved someone so quickly, before I even got to know them,” Taesa said.

  “We’ll teach him all that we can, and raise him in a quiet home, away from all of that,” Emerond said.

  “You’re still looking for adventure, aren’t you?” Caroline asked, looking to Judith.

  “I am still a Chronicler of the Oath, and I follow where the events of history lead me, to record what I see,” Judith said.

  “And my daughter was – all too often – a part of that history,” Caroline said.

  “She is in my book, as well as her songs, and what happened because of them,” Judith said.

  “That’s more than enough excitement for any young woman’s life. I hope she never catches your attention again, unless you like to write about a quiet and simple family life,” Caroline said.

  “I do. I write about all things, both the extraordinary, and the mundane,” Judith said.

  “When you’re ready for something mundane, come and visit us from time to time, and watch the baby grow up,” Caroline said.

  “Thank you,” Judith said.

  “I’d like to see you again, Judith – but as a friend,” Taesa said.

  “Until then, we wish you the best in your travels, Judith. We need to be getting home – after we decide where home is going to be,” Emerond said.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I really don’t want to see any of you again. It’s been too much trouble, and I’m not going to live forever,” Zoe said, and she walked off without looking back. Brant followed her, and the pair of them went looking for another ship, as well as a place to go for some rest.

  ~~~

  Marzia and Roxanne each carried one (1) of the candelabras – which held a combined total of eighteen (18) luminaries – under their coats. They were accompanied by Amaltheia, and they booked transport on several ships heading northwest from the Colossal March Warpath land bridge.

  Along the way, while in their private quarters on board one (1) of the ships, Marzia explained what was to happen, saying: “We know what you’ve been through – even what you didn’t tell us. Once your daughter is delivered, we’re going to need your assistance to carry out the experiments on the Dead Waters that you observed. We also want you to help us to understand these luminaries. You’re going to be better off with us – we do seek knowledge, but not by creating havoc and destroying everything in our path, like that lunatic did. You have to leave that tradition of madness behind you.”

  “I left them behind long before you met me. Pandaros was a traitor. He thought himself to be the greatest explorer – he was just a destroyer and a madman. I was just waiting for the moment to leave,” Amaltheia said.

  “I’m glad you understand. You will be like a sister to us, and so will your daughter,” Roxanne said.

  When they reached Av’Tovenka Island in the Ikkith Tar Ocean, Roxanne and Marzia helped Amaltheia make her way to a hidden passage that led into the water-worshipper’s temple.

  Once there, they went to the Matriarch’s Room and knocked at the door.

  “You may enter!” Tanith Orenda said when she heard the knocking.

  Roxanne and Marzia, with an eight (8) month pregnant Amaltheia between them, entered.

  “Her name is Amaltheia. She is expecting a daughter,” Marzia said, anticipating the question.

  “And I am expecting an answer: what of the luminaries?” Tanith Orenda asked.

  Roxanne and Marzia each produced from their coats one (1) of the candelabras, which held the unlit luminaries.

  “We have eighteen (18) of them. We killed two (2) of the men who gathered and lit them. One (1) man escaped by the power of music,” Roxanne said.

  “You have what matters. The man who escaped is of little concern…for now,” Tanith Orenda said.

  “And we discovered their true purpose,” Marzia said.

  “The true purpose is more than just to bring darkness, I would imagine,” Tanith Orenda said.

  “The luminaries are designed to give power to Thalkalana – which is a mechanism at least as much as it is a city – so that it can consume the suns in the sky and produce the waters of the ocean below,” Marzia said.

  “Fitting that the waters would rise and the suns would fall, when these candles are lit and put in their place. Better still that we are the masters who shall decide the time,” Tanith Orenda said.

  ~~~

  The Resolute Traverser arrived in Emeth and Captain Pradrock was the first to walk down the boarding ramp onto the docks.

  He was followed by Akylas and Akantha, then Massimo and Fritz, then Jolene and Torin, then Luuk / Tallak, then the Chronicler Niels. Behind Niels was Admiral Gabrielle Ramalaxis.

  Niels then said: “I will now submit my book to the Verifier.” After that, he walked toward the Library of Tedorik to hand over his book for the accounts of events within to be verified.

  “They might not be confident in what he has written about your return, Admiral,” Pradrock said.

  “Chroniclers don’t lie, unless they want to be executed. That’s the way it was back then, anyway,” Admiral Gabrielle Ramalaxis said.

  “It’s not that they will believe that the Chronicler is lying, but that it is only improbably true, so they’ll assign a low confidence,” Pradrock said.

  “Maybe I should meet with the Verifiers and speak for myself. That way, I can give an account of what really happened in that battle. It’s not what you might expect,” Admiral Gabrielle Ramalaxis said.

  “Whatever happened, was there someone alive then and there, who would be alive today and here, to contradict your account?” Akantha asked.

  “Alive – I doubt it. But the ghosts of the dead can speak, and spirits can be vengeful,” Admiral Gabrielle Ramalaxis said.

  “I’ve felt the vengeance,” Akantha said.

  “And I’ve felt the need to get some rest,” Massimo said.

  “It’s been rough, and kind of crazy. When it was dark, it felt like all we did was work. Now that it’s light, all that I want to do is rest,” Akylas said.

  “Speaking of rest, I think it’s about time someone rested, and someone else awoke,” Akantha said.

  She drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from her vial and was energized. Then, she placed her hands on Luuk / Tallak and pushed the spirit of Luuk away, and the spirit of Tallak – whose body it truly was – awakened.

  “Didn’t think I would ever get back. In fact, I didn’t think at all – I remember nothing, other than something taking a hold of me. Then everything went black,” Tallak said.

  “Things are looking brighter now,” Massimo said.

  “We may be able to get back to business,” Fritz said.

  “First, we need some time for rest and relaxation,” Jolene said, taking Torin by the hand.

  “Where are we going?” Torin asked.

  “I could use a drink. I want you to buy me something to relax,” Jolene said, and she and Torin headed off to a nearby tavern. There were many, because Emeth was among the most vis
ited cities in the world.

  “She wants more than a drink from him,” Akantha said.

  “I know. He needs something better out of life. Maybe she’s it,” Akylas said.

  “We’ve all been through some challenges. It’s time we shared the knowledge we’ve gained, and set the record straight,” Pradrock said.

  “Yes, now is the time,” Admiral Gabrielle Ramalaxis said, and she headed in the direction that Niels had gone, planning to give a firsthand account of the battle about which many tales and distortions had been told.

  Pradrock, Akylas, Akantha, Massimo, Fritz and Tallak all followed the admiral, to hear for themselves what she was planning to tell the Chroniclers and Verifiers of Emeth.

  ~~~

  Spies and couriers coming from Emeth, Waderav, Ihalik and Meridianus arrived in the Bazavadoran Isthmus, and entered the castle of King Hamza Bazavador.

  One (1) of these couriers approached Captain Duvall while he stood guard and said: “We bring news of King Xander. He has fallen, and been sent away, by powers of song and spirit.”

  Another courier said: “And the darkness in the sky has abated, so that navigators can hear the sounds of the stars once again.”

  “I will tell His Majesty, King Hamza Bazavador, of this news. Now, return to your posts,” Captain Duvall said, turning on his heel and entering the throne room, closing the door behind him.

  The couriers and spies left the castle and made their respective journeys back to their posts in various locations throughout the world.

  When Captain Duvall entered the throne room, he said: “Your Majesty, I bring news of King Xander, and of the stars in the sky,”

  “I am confident that the news is good, Captain, or you would not have awakened me,” King Hamza Bazavador said.

  “It is, Your Majesty. King Xander has fallen, and been sent away. Furthermore, the darkness in the sky has abated, so that navigators can hear the sounds of the stars once again,” Captain Duvall said.

  “I had no doubt that it would come to pass, Captain. Now, we are in a time of peace, in between times of sorrow,” King Hamza Bazavador said.

  ~~~

  Admiral Quin’Va’Pitar looked through his telescope again, seeing no sign of wavering in the brightness of the stars around Thalariveth now that they had returned. The heat of those suns, he knew, would prevent a ship from successfully traveling via burnpath. He was confident that the cargo shuttle and ground support troops had arrived, but he did not know the degree to which they had succeeded in acquiring the rich ocean waters of that planet prior to the emergence of its suns from darkness.

  If either the cargo shuttle or the ground support troops had been in transit at the crucial moment, then they would have been instantly destroyed, because any heat seeker – whether a computerized version or the innate human heat sensing ability – would have misguided them into those burning suns, instead of leading them to their destination. If they had left a moment sooner, then they would have returned by now. However, if they had still been on Thalariveth when the suns were restored, then they were certainly confined there, until a new window of opportunity opened up. Most likely, that was the case, meaning that the mission was delayed, rather than defeated.

  Admiral Quin’Va’Pitar considered many possibilities for reopening the pathway to travel to Thalariveth. Some of his notions were quite extraordinary, involving great risk to the most valuable assets of the military. He considered taking these risks because he knew from the research done by Lieutenant Zilara’Rasina’Nuatium that those waters had extraordinary value. He had every intention of regaining access to Thalariveth so that his forces could gather the waters of its oceans and bring vast quantities of those waters to him. He knew that they gave all powers, and lamented that he, personally, could choose only one (1) of those ocean waters and the extraordinary power it gave.

  END