Tempus_The Terraunum Origins Series

by R. J. Batla

  The sun was bright the next morning, waking her at the very crack of dawn. She kept feelers of power out in the water constantly, searching for food. She managed to catch a few stray fish that swam by, then turned water into steam and held it around the fish to cook them and fed everyone as best she could. She was lucky she found any fish at all this far out in open water.

  Alone with her thoughts, her friends still asleep, the time passed slowly, the sun making its way through its arc at a crawl, giving Celeste time to think through every choice she’d made in her life, and how she could have done everything differently.

  Gone. My entire crew gone. All my fault. All my fault!

  She berated herself constantly, grief and heartbreak rising up again and again at the loss of the hundred fifty souls she commanded. But she wouldn’t lose the four she had left. Not now. It was that thought that kept her going, kept her sane, kept her own mind from driving her crazy with guilt.

  Her friends slept on. Bogata must have somehow poisoned the blades and the dose her friends got wasn’t enough to kill them, but was enough to keep them knocked out.

  Another restless night passed. Then another day and then two more. The sun beat down on them constantly. Celeste did the best she could to protect everyone from the drying effects of the sun, using the clothing they had available to cover everyone, and creating ice umbrellas to shade them, but those quickly melted. And without proper sustenance, her strength was failing her, and she tired quickly, unable to use her powers to their full potential.

  Celeste was boiling another fish the next day, it’s fragrance enticing growls from her stomach, when she heard a croaky voice. “You mean to tell me you stayed to keep us alive instead of going after that scumbag?”

  Celeste cried out and rushed to embrace him – the poison must have worn off! “Mate!” Her own voice was strained from lack of use. With more tears streaming down her face, arms thrown around his neck, she said, “Thank God you’re awake!”

  “Yeah, the good Lord took care of me, mostly by leaving you alive. Though if you don’t get off me, you might finish what that bastard friend of yours started. How long have we been out here?”

  “Five days,” she said.

  Mate pulled water from the ocean and pulled out the salt, taking a big gulp before talking. “Five days. Did I hear correctly before I passed out? He’s going to try to destroy our capital?” Celeste nodded. “There’s a heartwarming thought.” Mate looked around, then back at her. “Thanks for keeping us alive, Captain.”

  She pressed her forehead against his. “Pssht. You can’t be a captain without a ship, Mate. It’s just Celeste now. As for keeping you alive, it’s least I can do. Though I don’t know how we’re going to get out of this.”

  Mate looked her in the eyes. “Until I get assigned to a new ship, you’re my captain.”

  Celeste felt a tear form at the corner of her eye – such loyalty. She didn’t deserve it; she’d lost so much, so many lives…

  Wylie groaned and Celeste let go of Mate and rushed to her, now cradling her head. “Water,” she said weakly.

  Celeste obliged while Mate laughed. “One little groan and I’m chopped liver.”

  “Can’t lose my navigator,” Celeste said, sending a jet of water at Mate while helping Wylie sit up before giving her some water.

  “What happened?”

  Celeste and Mate explained what went down, with Leroy and John waking up as she spoke. John seemed like he’d just got knocked in the head, but Leroy had several deep gashes down his legs. Now that he was awake, he grimaced with every motion. She had to repeat herself slightly, but the story was told. Leroy wanted to go after him and kill him, and John was in shock. Come to think of it, Celeste was too, after everything set in. A crew of a hundred fifty-four reduced down to a mere five, adrift on a piece of their own ship in uncharted waters with no hope of going anywhere anytime soon. What a fine mess they’d gotten themselves into.

  For a while, they tried to brainstorm how to get out of their dire circumstances, but all solutions they came up with were impossible – they were just too far out with no idea where they were. Sure, they could just head west, but they would run out of energy before they got close to land, unless they got lucky and happened upon an island. Or if a ship just happened by. And if the weather stayed good, which, looking at the sky, every indication said that the fair weather wouldn’t last. Yet if they just waited, there was no hope for rescue, since absolutely no one was looking for them – no one even knew they were in trouble. And even if a search party was sent out, they’d be looking in the wrong places – no one would venture to the Lost Seas – they had no reason to. With no decision, Celeste decided they should rest that night and figure out their plan in the morning.

  She was up long after the rest were snoring, staring at the night sky. She was still the captain, and that weighed heavily on her heart. She finally succumbed to sleep, only to be woken by a blazing sun a few hours later, the wind as still as could be, like it refused to blow on them for the small level of coolness it would provide.

  The group unsuccessfully tried to catch some breakfast, and had to settle for straight water.

  Suddenly Wylie said, “What was that?” She pointed to a swirl in the water thirty yards north.

  “There’s another one,” John said, pointing at another swirl to the south, trying to back away from the water’s edge.

  “There’s another,” Leroy said, pointing east and backing up while pulling water from the ocean and forming it into daggers.

  “Steady,” Celeste said, pulling water to her hand and freezing it into a spear. The others formed weapons as well. “We don’t know what this is yet. Friend or foe, be ready.”

  “What could be friendly out here?” Mate said, eyes wary.

  “Whatever it is, it isn’t a fish, or we would have sensed it,” Wylie said.

  Another swirl to the west, this one much bigger than the rest. It kept swirling.

  “Something’s surfacing – get ready!”

  Slowly the shape rose out of the water. It was a head. A human head. Well, sort of. If humans had fin-looking things for ears, stringy seaweed hair, and gill slits on their neck.

  “Holy crap, it’s a mermaid!” Celeste said, staring at the beautiful face of the being, despite her fishlike features. Judging by the facial structure, she knew it was female. The mermaid stared back, blinking slightly in the sunlight but looking directly at Celeste.

  Chapter 14

  Neither moved or flinched, just simply staring at each other.

  “Captain?” Wylie said.

  “Shh!” Mate said, as the two continued their stare down.

  What is she doing? The mermaid’s green, vertical-slitted eyes darted ever so slightly to the water coiling and flowing in Celeste’s hand. Is she intimidated? Or transfixed? Taking a chance, Celeste let the magic drop.

  The mermaid slowly rose out of the water to her navel, the skin of her underbelly smooth and scale-less. It was incredible how human she appeared, despite the shimmering blue and green scales and fins. She bowed low, arms extended out to the side with webs between her fingers, and a dark blue dorsal fin down her back.

  “Greetings, Tempus. I am Roma, of the Lago Mermaid Clan.”

  Unbelievable. A mermaid. They were only legends; they didn’t actually exist, let alone have clans – yet here one was, staring at her like she expected an answer. Which she probably was.

  Celeste returned her bow. “Hello, Roma of the clan Lago. My name is Celeste Dumas, captain, er, former captain of the clipper Ajax in the Tempus Navy. And this is my crew.”

  “Glad to meet you, Captain Dumas. These are mine.” A dozen mermaids of all different colors – reds, greens, purples, yellows – poked their heads above the water in a semicircle around them, each rising in turn and bowing.

  Roma smiled and nodded, revealing slightly pointed teeth, moving closer to the group as she talked. “The merpeople have been given dominion over the deep, like t
he Tempus have been deemed the guardians of the ocean’s surface. It is good to see a proper water wielder in our home once again. Not many have ventured here over the last thousand years. And the last…well, you met him. Vile. Deformed. Wicked. Vermin. Not a protector of the ocean.”

  Celeste nodded. “I couldn’t agree with you more. He was once my friend, but now…he’s…different.”

  “And he must be stopped at all costs,” Roma said, her voice grave as she reached out and touched Celeste on the arm. “The one he serves is evil. He will poison the ocean, destroy the life it gives, defile the –”

  “Malstrak?”

  The mermaids all shrieked and splashed, some diving under the water only to come back out again, talking in aggravated tones in their shrill language.

  Roma squeezed her arm tight. “Do not speak his name! He is most hated amongst our people! He’s captured our kind, killed us, hunted us, tortured us.” Roma’s eyes narrowed. “If he steps one foot in the ocean, we will be there to end him.”

  Celeste gulped, but she didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I didn’t realize that…he…had done anything of the sort.”

  Roma visibly forced her breathing back to a normal rate, then spoke a single word in a high-pitched language Celeste didn’t recognize. Her companions settled down, though some now had weapons in their hands. “It is forgivable; you had no way to know. Despite our hatred for that bottom feeder, we have more pressing issues at hand. Your friend, the one who left these waters not too long ago, had the stench of the evil one on him. He will bring about the destruction which he so desperately wants. If the Tempus Navy is destroyed, the entire ocean will lie open to his evil. And with it, maybe even the lands beyond.”

  “What lands beyond? There’s no other land besides Terraunum,” Celeste said, then shook her head. “With all due respect, mermaid Roma, Bogata has a head start on us, and we don’t even have a ship – we’d never catch him. What can five Tempus do? And even if we were to find him, we couldn’t stop him. He’s too strong – he quickly and easily defeated my whole crew. Plus, he has Seaspeak and he’s controlling those powerful creatures.” Celeste bowed her head. “I’m afraid the battle has already been lost.”

  The mermaid laughed. “Not if we can help it,” she said, pulling Celeste’s chin up. “It is why we showed ourselves to you. The ocean showed me where to find you. We’ve been watching you and we’ve witnessed your actions. There’s something inside you, a connection to the ocean that few Tempus have. It runs strong within your blood, and the ocean wants to help you. Your father has the same connection.”

  Celeste jerked her head up. “You know my father?”

  Roma nodded. “I’ve met him. He’s an old friend. It was how I recognized you, through the same power he has.”

  Celeste set her face. “My father’s a pirate. He turned on our people long ago. I’ve never met him and I’m nothing like him.” This brought gasps from her crew, but at this point, she didn’t care.

  Roma laughed, another odd, high-pitched sound. “My dear, your father is many things, but he is no pirate. He’s done more to protect the ocean than many will ever know. And you share his passion, his fire for the sea.”

  Celeste cocked her head, eyes searching the mermaids. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “I know, child, but hopefully one day all of that will be explained to you. I hope you’re able to meet him one day. But, now, you must use the power in your blood if you are to defeat your friend. And you will need more than that even – you need access to the very power of the ocean. A conduit, if you will.” Roma plucked a single, shimmering scale from her own tail, then pulled out a chain concealed by her hair over her head.

  Slowly, Roma dragged her hands along the length of the thin metal, cleaning it. Smoothing away the algae, a bright silver chain emerged, laced with small blue sapphires along its length at regular intervals. The mermaid pulled a needle-thin blade from her hair, stabbing her own scale. She then threaded it through the necklace, moving it to the middle. The scale flashed each color of the rainbow as it spun while she held it aloft. Celeste was never one for jewelry, but this was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The mermaid squeezed her shoulder. “This is the Wave Connection. Have you heard of it, Lady Tempus, or have the old stories faded among your people?”

  Celeste took in a sharp breath, bowing her head slightly. “Oh my God, you’re serious?”

  The mermaid cocked her head. “I’m always serious, my lady.”

  Celeste gulped. “Th..th…Wave Connection is a direct link to the power of the ocean. Forged by a Dwarf and a Tempus, it grants the user vast power and strength and the ability to control the ocean itself.” She bowed, very low this time. “It was said to be given to someone who had a pure heart and a profound love for the ocean.” Celeste raised her eyes. “Was that you, Lady Roma?”

  Lady Roma inclined her head and smiled. “The connection was given to a member of my family ages ago, and the responsibility of its safekeeping has been passed down for generations. It seems, in this time of need, the Creator has sent the right candidate to wield the Connection at the right place at the right time.” The other mermaids sank lower in the water, with just their heads visible, and they started singing a melodious and eerie song, their voices rippling the water. “If you’re willing, kneel, Celeste Dumas.”

  She obliged and dropped to her knees, shaking.

  “I, Lady Roma of the merpeople, have found you worthy to wield the Wave Connection in the defense of the ocean and of Terraunum. Do you accept this honor and this responsibility?”

  “Aye.”

  Rising high up in the water, Roma gently reached down and placed the necklace over Celeste’s head. When it touched her, a slight hum filled her ears, and her blood practically buzzed with energy. “You are the guardian of the ocean now, Celeste Dumas. If you are willing, and if you are strong enough, you can defeat this evil that has come upon us. Make us proud.”

  Celeste nodded. “I will do my best, my lady.”

  The mermaid smiled and waved her hand behind her. With a spray of air and seawater and a gasp from the Tempus, two sworcas emerged. Black and white with smooth rubbery skin, the huge whales were larger and much faster than their orca ancestors. Although they weren’t generally friendly. “These two will take you and one of your crew to your capital city. I will take care of the others and make sure they make it home safe. But it is up to you if they have a home to go back to. ”

  The sworcas gave a cry, and Celeste looked at the remainder of her crew. “I will stop Bogata. I will protect our people. Mate, you up for a fight?”

  He grinned. “Always.”

  “Mate?” Leroy asked, visibly hurt. “You’re going into a fight and you’re bringing him? It ain’t fair, Captain!”

  “Leroy, you’re not fully healed yet…”

  “Bah, I know, Captain, but I had to say something. Give ‘em hell!” Leroy said, the others let loose a cheer.

  A tear threatened to fall, but Celeste simply nodded back. “Mate, mount up. Let’s go.”

  Jumping on the back of the sworca, Celeste reached down and patted her mount, who seemed to purr beneath her. Turning to the merfolk, she said, “Thank you again. I will stop him.”

  Roma gave a motherly smile. “I know you will try your best, child. We must go, but we will return to help your friends shortly. Good luck, Celeste Dumas. May the Creator guide you and give you strength.”

  The mermaid started to submerge, but Celeste shouted, “Wait!” Roma stopped and turned toward the Tempus. “What’s my father’s name?”

  Roma cocked her head to the side, then nodded. “Dalhart. His name is Dalhart. If you are ever to find him, you must sail east.”

  “How far?”

  “As far as it takes.” With that, the mermaid disappeared beneath the waves, and the Tempus were alone with the sworcas.

  He’s alive. And he’s not a pirate? Emotions conflicted inside Celeste: the desire
to find her father against the duty she felt to Terraunum. Despite her internal struggle, she knew the right choice.

  “All right, let’s go save our people!” Celeste shouted.

  The sworcas gave a squeal and submerged, turning towards the capital.

  Ten minutes later, Celeste couldn’t help but let out a cry of joy as they bounded in and out of the water on the back of the sworcas; the rush of the wind and the water was exhilarating. The Tempus used their powers to breathe underwater as the whales rocketed along at well over a hundred miles an hour, coming up for air every now and then. The mermaids had outfitted the whales with a type of seaweed that was both flexible and strong, holding the Tempus in place.

  “Mate!” she screamed as they surfaced again, this time slowing slightly and riding along the surface, the massive muscles of the beasts they rode rising and falling in a quick rhythm. “Can you believe this? Riding on sworcas?” She gave a very un-captain-like giggle.

  He just shrugged. “I told you when we started this that we’d find a way to make it work – and by that I meant any challenge we were faced with. Think we should test out that trinket around your neck? Can you control it?”

  Celeste nodded – that was a good idea. She flicked her finger and a thirty-foot wave rippled away from them. She looked at Mate with a smirk. “I think I’ve got the hang of it.”

  Mate smirked, “Must be nice mastering everything so easy. You could have made it at least look like you had to try.”

  They both laughed, but inside Celeste was steeling herself for the fight ahead. There was no getting around it. When they got to Watuaga, she would face Bogata.

  And she would have to kill her best friend.

  Chapter 15

  The sworcas swam on through the night – never tiring, never stopping. Racing along the surface, their passengers slept, the smooth easy gait, if you could call it that, of the whales lulling them to sleep. The pair awoke with the rising of the sun, now well rested. With a stretch and a yawn, Celeste wondered how much longer until they reached Watuaga.