Luminaries & Lies

by Jeremy Dwyer

  ~~~

  “They’re moving in to attack! Leave! Now!” Akantha screamed, and she started running toward the Resolute Traverser.

  Massimo quickly looked in many directions, using his powers of light, to see what was going on and he caught a glimpse of two (2) men hiding in the darkness. He saw that they were dressed for wilderness exploration, and that one (1) of them carried a machete, and was making gestures. The other, he saw, was the source of the darkness.

  “We are not alone on this island!” Massimo said.

  A moment later, faint images appeared around Pradrock, Massimo and Akylas, and they knew that it meant danger – these were the haunts that Akantha was running from.

  “Yeah! That’s what she was saying!” Akylas yelled.

  Pradrock, Akylas and Massimo ran to follow Akantha. As they did, a haunt momentarily took on a physical form and swiped at Massimo, knocking him to the ground. He thought that he was doomed, but he got right back up and continued running. In the attack, the cold and dark object got dropped. Massimo then returned to the Resolute Traverser to join the others and the ship set sail away from the island.

  The haunts chased them for a distance and boarded the Resolute Traverser. Then they became material for a time and took control of the ship. As a result, the Resolute Traverser traveled in many directions, and went far off course. Everyone on board could see the struggle, but most could do nothing.

  “The spirits are taking us way off course!” Akylas said.

  “There were two (2) men hiding in the darkness on that island. One (1) of them was making gestures with his hands, as if to perform some feat of power,” Massimo said.

  “He may have sent these spirits to haunt us,” Akantha said.

  “Can you interfere with the spirits before they get us too far off course?” Pradrock asked, looking to Akantha.

  Akantha drank many times from her vials of Zovvin Ocean waters and was energized further each time. This gave her the power to continue to contend with the spirits and prevent worse things.

  “They’re trying to crash the ship! I’m doing all that I can!” Akantha said.

  For two (2) days, they traveled to and fro, as Akantha battled the spirits. After this, the spirits left.

  “They’re gone! Why did they disappear?” Massimo asked.

  “They’re bound to stay close to that island. And I’m bound to collapse,” Akantha said, exhausted. Akylas escorted her back to her cabin and she slept soundly.

  “Spirits do crash ships – I’ve seen it before. Tychon did it to one of Keallach’s ships, while I was on it,” Fritz said.

  “I can’t say he didn’t deserve it,” Akylas said. He remembered the monstrosity of that pirate, and felt no sympathy.

  “I’m not defending Keallach’s actions, but the haunts are more than a nuisance to almost everyone. This is something we should be prepared for – again and again – while sailing, especially on this ocean,” Fritz said.

  “Agreed. We need to chart a course away from here. We’ll need to wait for Akantha to recover her strength before we travel again, just in case we have another encounter,” Pradrock said.

  After another two (2) days, Akantha slowly got her strength back, sleeping off and on.

  “You’re back with us,” Akylas said to Akantha after she finally got enough rest.

  “We’ve been waiting for you. We’re not going anywhere until you’re ready,” Torin said.

  “Touching. Is this your way of flirting? You’re a bit young for me,” Akantha said, teasing him.

  “No. We just don’t want to have another run-in with the ghosts…we’re lost enough,” Torin said.

  “I believe that those men, hiding in the darkness, wanted us off of that island,” Massimo said.

  “There had to be a reason,” Akylas said.

  “Perhaps they wanted the island’s wealth for themselves,” Massimo said.

  “That is one possible reason. Yet, you still kept that dark object that you found. Let Fritz examine it and he may be able to determine what it is,” Pradrock said.

  “No. I lost it in the struggle on the island, when the spirits attacked,” Massimo said.

  Niels captured all of these conversations and actions into his book, even the spirits they encountered, which he could see because they made themselves visible at times. However, he only wrote down that he saw images, because he did not know for sure if they were spirits or illusions, even though illusions were not solid and could not move or impact physical objects. He even described the long struggle to steer the ship, but left his descriptions somewhat vague, only writing what was observable and certain.

  ~~~

  Immediately after the other ship was seen leaving the island, Abrax eased his powers of darkness over Pandaros and himself. Pandaros and Abrax then moved forward to where they saw the tussle take place.

  Pandaros reached down and picked up the dark object and examined it, realizing that it was what they had come for.

  “What a most fortuitous island! This is yet another luminary, and yet another reason why I should visit this location more frequently. Do remember that, Abrax,” Pandaros said, feeling very pleased with himself.

  “Are we to return now?” Abrax asked.

  “Indeed,” Pandaros said.

  They made their way back to the other coast where the ship that had brought them was waiting.

  Their voyage back to Matrivilix Island was a bit eventful, however.

  The ghost of Captain Tychon – a spirit of whom Pandaros had knowledge – attacked the ship. Yet, he kept with him the ‘unhaunting’ stone, and this dispelled the ghost of Captain Tychon, forcing him to sail quite a distance away. They continued on their journey to Matrivilix Island with no further disturbances, however. From there, they traveled back to Waderav by the same route along which they came and then returned to their hidden cave.

  Hesperos sensed Pandaros and Abrax approaching from a distance, and knew from reading their thoughts that they had succeeded in obtaining another luminary – or what they were confident was a luminary. When they arrived, Hesperos looked at them, expectantly, so as not to admit to reading their thoughts.

  Pandaros held up the onyx luminary he had just obtained from that distant island of shipwrecks after frightening away the other crew. He then used a torch in the cave to light the wick on his newly acquired cold, crystal candle. Once its dark flame was lit, he placed it in the candelabra with the others, so that it now held six (6) luminaries.

  “Let us see what is to be seen,” Pandaros said, and he went outside of the cave, followed by Abrax and Hesperos.

  They looked to the sky and saw that the slivers of darkness upon the faces of the many suns were more noticeable than a few minutes ago. Even their unaided eyes could see that there was a shadow cast upon the ground greater than the ordinary, along with a slight cool breeze.

  “The darkness approaches, and so, too, does the Quiet,” Pandaros said.

  ~~~

  On board the Resolute Traverser, Pradrock turned to Akylas and asked: “Can you chart a course by the stars?”

  Akylas then drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and concentrated. “All I hear is noise! I barely sense a thing!” he said a moment later.

  “Your water is highly purified – I know because I’ve been taking care of that personally. Something else is definitely wrong if you’re unable to hear clear sounds from the stars,” Fritz said.

  “And the sky is noticeably darker, if only by a small amount,” Pradrock said, looking to the many suns in the sky to attempt to discern a cause or meaning to this difficulty.

  “And there’s a chill. I can feel that,” Akantha said.

  “If you cannot sense the stars, then you cannot navigate at all, can you?” Massimo asked.

  “Not well or quickly. I’d be calculating – mathematically and slowly – along with some guessing,” Akylas said.

  “Like you did to get us there?” Akantha asked.

&
nbsp; “We were close. We were almost there,” Akylas said.

  “If that was considered close, and the star noise is worse now than before, we’re pretty much lost,” Akantha said.

  “Classical navigation – trigonometry – will take us on the proper course, albeit slowly,” Pradrock said.

  “Math is always your answer, isn’t it?” Akylas asked.

  “When you use it correctly, yes. You know this very well from your own experience charting courses,” Pradrock said.

  “It’s a lot slower. Painfully slower,” Akylas said.

  “You aren’t joking. The math takes me a while, too. But if all you’re getting is noise, I won’t even try listening to the stars,” Torin said.

  “We need to get out of here quickly, before Tychon’s ghost returns,” Akantha said.

  “I’ll help you with the calculations,” Pradrock said, and he drank anew of the waters of the Medathero Ocean from his vial, enhancing his powers of calm, logical thought. He began working out charts for portions of their journey.

  “Where are we going, anyway?” Akylas asked.

  “Emeth is the most appropriate choice. We need to keep aware of events and to learn the cause of what is happening. Other crews will face similar navigational difficulties, and some may even have knowledge they’re willing to share that could help us,” Pradrock said.

  Niels captured all of this exchange into his book, not understanding certain parts because he did not know much of the personal history of this crew or their interactions. His plan was, however, to record the facts of their relationships over time, rather than to judge them or discern their meaning. He also did not understand what was occurring in the stars that made it difficult or impossible for those who drank the Atrejan Ocean waters to hear their sounds and thereby navigate.

  CHAPTER 40: Commitments of the Servants of the Suns

  On Haza’Kedro’Maral Island in the Pirovalen Ocean, in the Trading Center One building, Duchess Uliana sat at the master table. Dozens of the traders and bankers were gathered before her. She said to them: “Summon your most senior bankers, so that I may speak with them.” Blazer Endrit stood by her side and watched as she gave them directives.

  “I am Governor Sullivan,” one of them approached and said. He was sixty-two (62) years old, had thin gray hair and a thin but healthy build. He knew a great deal about the banking industry and how to control the other banks.

  “I am Governor Parry,” another one of them came forward and said. He was fifty-nine (59) years of age and portly with a dark beard and mustache. He had a strong understanding of interest rates, loan terms and loan structures and how to choose the most effective one for any given borrower.

  “All lending shall be at a rate of thirty-nine (39) percent interest. Of that amount, one third (1/3) shall be given directly to me, with the remaining two thirds (2/3) supporting the operations of the central bank,” Duchess Uliana said.

  “We have not charged more than twenty (20) percent before. The markets will almost certainly come to a halt and collapse,” Governor Sullivan said. While not the most proficient in matters of calculating interest, he was competent, and he knew enough to recognize that even slight increases in interest rates carried substantial risks. Nearly doubling them, as the duchess was demanding, would be disastrous.

  “They will borrow and you will lend, because there will be no choice,” Duchess Uliana said.

  “We will lend, but we cannot make them borrow if they cannot afford to repay. We charge what the market will endure, not less. Yet, this thirty-nine (39) percent is a great deal more,” Governor Sullivan then said.

  “They will find a way. Great ruin has come by the tempest. Reconstruction will be necessary, and they will borrow to finance it. They will find that they have no choice,” Duchess Uliana said.

  “What if their own governments offer better terms? Then they will become the lenders, even if they charge one (1) percent less,” Governor Parry then asked.

  “Many kingdoms trade and bank through here. If the governments of those kingdoms attempt to become lenders, we will greatly tax their profits from the interest, such as to make our own terms more appealing,” Duchess Uliana said.

  “You can tax the trade through here. But the banking will take place in their own territory,” Governor Parry then said. Though he was not an expert in the politics of manipulating other banks, he was not so naïve as to believe that the extremely high interest rates would go unanswered.

  “We will enforce the tax, I assure you, Governor. These kingdoms will pay or they will be burned to ash,” Duchess Uliana said.

  A courier approached Governor Sullivan and showed him a note which he quickly reviewed. “It seems that a very large loan has been requested – exceeding the reserves of the central bank in Dalavar. They have sent a request to advise,” he said.

  “What is the amount?” Duchess Uliana asked, and she and Governor Parry awaited the answer.

  “The equivalent of eighteen point four seven two quintillion (18472000000000000000) platinum coins worth of material and skilled work,” Governor Sullivan said.

  “This is not a request for a loan! That is a request for a transfer of one fifth (1/5) of the global banking assets!” Governor Parry said.

  “Who wishes to borrow this amount?” Duchess Uliana asked.

  “It is Sebastian. He is looking to fund construction in Baradaxa,” Governor Sullivan said.

  “He is wealthy, but not nearly so wealthy as to be able to afford to repay such a loan,” Governor Parry said.

  “His request may be in excess of practical need,” Governor Sullivan said.

  “Extend the loan to Sebastian, that he may repay greatly,” Duchess Uliana ordered.

  “If he fails to repay, the bank will collapse, and this will bring financial ruin and lead to an increased probability of conflict,” Governor Sullivan said.

  “He will, with more than ninety-eight (98) percent certainty, fail to repay,” Governor Parry said.

  “Find a way to arrange the loan that it may succeed. You are the experts in such things – you who call yourselves the governors of the banks,” Duchess Uliana said, deriding them.

  ~~~

  Suddenly, Blazer Endrit felt actual pain, as the earlier darkness he had sensed had increased yet again. The blue suns in the sky – to which he was connected by the Atrejan Ocean waters that he and all other blazers drank – were screaming in pain in a way that only blue suns could. He approached Duchess Uliana and said to her: “I must speak with you, Duchess, in private.”

  Duchess Uliana and Blazer Endrit went to a private room – which was a vault with high ceilings that was filled with chests and money bags – and closed the heavy door behind them.

  “What is it that you must tell me?” Duchess Uliana asked.

  “A darkness is creeping across the sky, casting a shadow of pain upon the stars and cold upon the land. There is an eclipse underway, across all suns,” Blazer Endrit said.

  “Find the source of this darkness and end it! Do not delay, or the world will be cast into chaos that does not serve the suns,” Duchess Uliana said to him.

  “Yet, it is still my duty to uphold your authority here,” Blazer Endrit said.

  “You must alert the other Torches of Majesty and return to me immediately, that they might defend the majesty of the skies, and you may defend their kingdom upon the land,” Duchess Uliana said.

  Duchess Uliana and Blazer Endrit left the vault and returned to the trading floor. Once there, Uliana sat down at the head table again, overlooking the bankers and traders, who were making hurried calculations to adjust their rates and their profit expectations.

  Blazer Endrit left the Trading Center One building. Outside, he stood on the coast of Haza’Kedro’Maral Island and reached out his hands, calling the water to him and turning it into fire. By this, he was lifted into the air, and flew across the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean.

  ~~~

  From underneath a cloak of darkne
ss created by Halina using the powers of the Ikkith Tar Ocean waters flowing through her, she and Roxanne and Marzia watched and listened as Duchess Uliana was commanding the bankers to loan at excessive rates. Unbeknownst to them, Danielle was present in the crowds, also watching the exchange.

  Danielle knew what Uliana would do, and what numbers she would choose. In fact, Danielle was the one who chose the excessive rates, and telepathically placed the suggestion of the thirty-nine (39) percent number into the Duchess’ mind. She smiled at hearing it, and delighted at the central bank governors’ responses. She was looking to incite the conflict, as that was Tanith Orenda’s plan.

  ~~~

  When escaping the Udovedaj-Pren Island, Lady Ismene had initially traveled part of the way with Renato. After they separated, Ismene made her way across the continent of Revod, traveling by inland airships and witnessing the results of the destruction wrought by the tempest. Ismene did learn the news that Victoria had been defeated, which was encouraging, but the death and damage the woman had caused by the storms she brought was still to be endured.

  Lady Ismene visited many of those who had lost family and did her best to help them understand the meaning of loss and the hope for a life in the spirit world. She also helped the sick and dying to prepare themselves for leaving the material world. Yet, Revod was the home land of the Jenaldej Empire, which was far less spiritual than many other nations and kingdoms, and preferred logic and math and material concerns, especially diamonds and other crystals. Material wealth, it seemed, was their primary measure of attainment, and spirit was an inferior concern to them. She wasn’t easily able to help them because of this focus, and she felt that her services would be more useful elsewhere, where they were more open to her teachings.

  After a few days of this spiritual counseling in Revod – which was empowered by drinking the waters of the Zovvin Ocean to put her in touch with the spirit world – she traveled again, moving on to the Glivoran Trail land bridge, where the people were more spiritual.

  This land bridge was a major trade route, connecting the Jenaldej Empire in Revod to the empire of the continent of Ihalik. Here, there were many stone-worshippers. While stone wasn’t alive, Lady Ismene knew that it was a gateway for spirits to enter. The people here were assaulted by the tempest, and many were sick and dying or had lost loved ones. They needed spiritual guidance, and so they listened when she spoke.