Ruin & Reliance

by Jeremy Dwyer

  “The message was that you are going to die tonight. I’ve heard it. I don’t want to hear it again. I don’t even want to believe it,” Captain Porfirio said.

  “There’s more to the message, Captain. In the first age, the sky was ruled by myriad stars. Among them were the emerald green suns, whose number was seventeen (17). They were larger and warmer than the citrine yellow suns, but smaller and less radiant than the topaz blue kings of the sky in whom we trust. These green suns were thought to have been destroyed, but some have merely fallen. Their energetic cores remain, buried underground. They are powerful and dangerous. Armies will conquer and occupy lands to find these green suns and use them as weapons in war,” Duchess Esteri said.

  “If another war is coming, then I look forward to dying in it so that I can be with you,” Captain Porfirio said.

  “No, Captain. This is a war you must prevent. The green stellar cores must not be found. The risk is too great that they could be returned to their former positions in the sky. The green suns are no allies or servants to the nine (9) blue suns. They are enemies who deny the sacred majesty of the Sky’s Nine Kings. The green suns are unholy fires that burn and blaze against us. They must blaze no more,” Duchess Esteri said.

  “What work am I to do? Where am I to go? I serve under Duchess Uliana, who has all authority. Should I have her send the navy and the army to find and guard these buried green stellar cores?” Captain Porfirio asked.

  “No. You must do this work in secret. Duchess Uliana has enemies who are intent on destroying her. It is best if their attention is focused upon her, so they remain unaware of your mission. Find these green stellar cores and devise a means of preventing anyone from using them. Destroy them if you must,” Duchess Esteri said.

  “Am I to leave immediately?” Captain Porfirio asked.

  “No, but you must leave soon, at the first opportunity,” Duchess Esteri said.

  “I will do as you say. I don’t know how, but I will do as you say,” Captain Porfirio said.

  “Thank you, Captain,” Duchess Esteri said.

  “Tonight I will stay with you. I love you. We should be together in your final hours,” Captain Porfirio said. He then kissed Duchess Esteri and pulled her close.

  Duchess Esteri kissed Captain Porfirio in return, and then he kissed her more intensely while undressing her.

  “I can’t. This is too much for me,” Duchess Esteri said.

  “You said you were going to die tonight. If that can’t be stopped, then I want to hold you close. I love you too much to leave you – to not make love one last time,” Captain Porfirio said.

  “Just hold me,” Duchess Esteri said.

  ~~~

  Hezekiah Bazavador stood on the deck of the Scholarly, a two hundred ninety (290) foot long galleon with four (4) pairs of double-masted, pivoting sails. The vessel traveled northwest along a two (2) mile wide river flowing through the underground city. Ancient structures – including domes, obelisks, pyramids and arches, some as tall as four hundred ninety-eight (498) feet – lined both the eastern and western riverbanks. Crowds of people gathered on the shores and in the smaller buildings in between the relics. The multitudes were engaged in farming and fishing, preparing meals and studying, cutting stones and weaving sails, listening to stars and charting courses, composing music and consulting with spirits, bending light and building homes, marrying and raising children.

  The granite sky of the cavern that contained the city was five hundred forty-one (541) feet above. The eastern and western walls were seven (7) miles apart, and the northwestern and southeastern ends were one hundred eight (108) miles apart. On the western bank, an eighty-five (85) foot high glass dome contained a glowing green orb, producing much of the illumination by which the residents lived and worked. Hints of green light trickled from both the north and the south, where the other two (2) identical domes were located.

  Hezekiah Bazavador drank anew of the waters of the Ursegan Ocean from his vial and was energized with the power to slow the passage of time. His ancient body deceived the eyes of onlookers, appearing no more than fifty (50) years of age, despite the four million three hundred thousand (4300000) years he had experienced. The crew of the Scholarly adjusted the sails while he walked back to his cabin.

  The spirit of Elaja appeared before him.

  “Elaja, do you bring good news at long last?” Hezekiah Bazavador asked.

  “I wish I could bring good news, Hezekiah. She is still bitter and cruel, and devoted to her own selfish ways. The powerful cores of the three (3) giant violet suns are still in her possession. Worse, she now has six (6) demons held in thrall within ruby spires. She even tried to capture me,” the spirit of Elaja said.

  “You must find a way to convince Polyxene to repent and return the stars to their proper places,” Hezekiah Bazavador said.

  “I have struggled for ages to kindle love within her cold and cruel heart. Whenever I speak of a need for gentleness, she claims to be the savior of humanity because she ended the greatest of the infernos. Whenever I speak of a need for mercy, she blames me for turning our children against her, when I told them of her evil actions,” the spirit of Elaja said.

  “You haven’t done enough, Elaja. You need to try another way, until you succeed,” Hezekiah Bazavador said.

  “I’ve already reminded Polyxene of her mortality, despite the diamond armor that extends her life through eons. I’ve warned her of her eternal spiritual destiny, and the need to seek God’s Mercy, granted by His Son’s Sacrifice,” the spirit of Elaja said.

  “You must tell a more compelling story that conveys the same truth. An unrepentant common person will be condemned for their own sin. An unrepentant first age elder such as Polyxene, who wields immense power, will lead multitudes into ruin and condemnation, because her grandiose sins will spread far and wide,” Hezekiah Bazavador said.

  “I will do all that I can. I have no plans to admit defeat. Still, the solution is unclear,” the spirit of Elaja said.

  “Then return and plead your case again, with a better argument,” Hezekiah Bazavador said.

  “I will return, but only when I have an advantage and a strategy. If I go now, unprepared, she will capture me in a ruby spire. I will be her slave, and thus unable to affect any change. Remember that Polyxene seeks all power. She intends to have mastery over the entire spirit world. Even the demon of the Maelstrom, Gadamalto, should be afraid of her ambitions,” the spirit of Elaja said.

  “I know of her ambitions, and I am more than afraid of what she can do. She intends to rule every domain, not just the spirit world.” Hezekiah Bazavador said.

  “The suns of the sky have lost so many battles against her, she has already won that war,” the spirit of Elaja said.

  “Did she make mention of the emerald green stellar cores?” Hezekiah Bazavador asked.

  “She mentioned that they were destroyed, along with the others,” the spirit of Elaja said.

  “However, the green suns still blaze, hidden from sight. They are lost to myth over the millennia, as we both know. Let Polyxene continue believing they have been destroyed. Their power, unknown to her, gives us an advantage by which she may yet be defeated,” Hezekiah Bazavador said.

  “Yet, she still holds the violet stellar cores, the most powerful of all the stars. Do you truly believe that the green stellar cores, which are smaller than even the blue suns, offer us a means to obstruct her evil actions?” the spirit of Elaja asked.

  “Yes. They are exceptionally powerful. The element of surprise, which will multiply their impact, is essential,” Hezekiah Bazavador said.

  “Then that is a compelling reason for us not to act hastily. If I visit her again, unprepared, and she captures me in a ruby spire, she will subjugate my will, and learn my secrets. We will lose the element of surprise,” the spirit of Elaja said.

  “I agree that we cannot expose you to that danger. I will work to find a way to protect your spirit from her crystal designs,” Hezekiah Ba
zavador said.

  ~~~

  Near the central southern coast of the continent of Revod, a large castle was situated two (2) miles north of Port Number Five Hundred Seventeen, which handled traffic along the Kazofen Ocean. The structure spanned eight hundred (800) feet from east to west and seven hundred (700) feet from north to south. Towers at each of the four (4) corners stood one hundred ten (110) feet high and thirty-five (35) feet in width. They were connected by walls fifty-two (52) feet in height and twenty-two (22) feet thick. A single iron gate, measuring thirty-two (32) feet wide and sixteen (16) feet high, in the middle of the castle’s southern wall, led into the armory.

  The armory itself was a square room, measuring four hundred thirty (430) feet on an edge. A brigade of seven thousand three hundred ninety-six (7396) soldiers – five thousand five hundred forty-seven (5547) of whom were male – and all of whom were youthful and muscular, stood at attention within.

  Their leader – a relatively thin and sickly pale man of forty-eight (48) years – faced them and said: “Your assignment is to inspect each vessel entering or leaving the port, opening every crate and counting every last crystal, matching the contents against the cargo manifests. If you find a single gem, more or less, bring it to my attention, immediately. I will determine the course of action. Do not assume anything.”

  “Yes, sir, Brigadier General, sir,” the soldiers shouted.

  The Brigadier General then drank anew of the waters of the Medathero Ocean from his vial to be energized with the power of calm, rational thought. He began calculating the probability of his soldiers detecting an error, as well as introducing their own by miscounting.

  Next to the brigadier general, a crippled woman – who was fifty-seven (57) years old and had gray hair and a few wrinkles – sat in a wheelchair. She drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from her vial and was energized with the power to communicate with the spirit world. A familiar spirit spoke into her spirit, and gave instructions.

  “Brigadier General Nazar, we need to speak in private,” the crippled woman said.

  “If you will allow me to complete my duties, then after my soldiers have been deployed to their duty stations, we will speak, General Aerona,” Brigadier General Nazar said.

  “No, we need to speak before they go,” the crippled woman – General Aerona – said.

  “Delay that order, soldiers. Wait for my command to go,” Brigadier General Nazar said.

  “Yes, sir,” the soldiers shouted.

  ~~~

  Brigadier General Nazar then proceeded through the open door of a small room on the western side of the armory, and General Aerona followed him in her wheelchair. Nazar closed and locked the door.

  “What do you need from me, General?” Brigadier General Nazar asked.

  “I have received instructions from the familiar spirit. We have orders to appropriate all gems produced in this region, over the next sixty (60) days, whether intended for local consumption or for sale to trading partners, and send them to the Port of Hithagredil in the Scholar’s Path. Alternative gems will be delivered here, and these will be used as their replacements,” General Aerona said.

  “We were almost detected last year. The resource coordinators have been investigating discrepancies. Where is our cover this time?” Brigadier General Nazar asked.

  “You’re the clever one, Brigadier General. It’s your job to find a way to distract the prying eyes of our adversaries,” General Aerona said.

  “The other brigades also have telepaths, and light scouts, and dark scouts and every other waterbinding and specialization. There is no power not represented among them, and in far greater numbers,” Brigadier General Nazar said.

  “Then don’t bring any attention to our work. Be subtle. Misdirect them. I shouldn’t have to advise you in this matter, Brigadier General. You are the master of strategy and tactics, or so I thought,” General Aerona said.

  “We’ve already discussed this, General Aerona. I’ve shared my strategies and tactics, yet you overruled them. I gave my strongest recommendation that we conduct these operations elsewhere. Intermediate ports can be used to perform the exchanges, where we have greater protection. The Port of Bryziklad in the Dark Platinum Road would be a better choice,” Brigadier General Nazar said.

  “The further away we go, the more likely we will be suspected, Brigadier General. We can’t look as if we have something to hide,” General Aerona said.

  “General, I’ve already explained that there would be a valid logic for stationing our troops in the Dark Platinum Road land bridge. It’s our most reliable route to reach the timberlands of Javanda and the farmlands of Baradaxa, because it eases navigation across the Ikkith Tar Ocean by following its coastline. The economics are proven. The resource coordinators have considered it before. My brigade might as well be the one assigned there,” Brigadier General Nazar said.

  “This castle and its seaport are best positioned to distribute the variable gems throughout the Jendaldej Empire and to propagate them to the Ihalik Empire by way of our trade routes,” General Aerona said.

  “Yes, but I’ve been making some calculations. The rate of propagation of the variable gems has been much too aggressive. That is why the gem supply discrepancies have been noticed and investigated by the western regional resource coordinators. We need to be more subtle before the eastern regional resource coordinators begin their own investigations. They will notice the three point zero seven (3.07) percent oversupply and interrogate everyone,” Brigadier General Nazar said.

  “If you do your job and conceal our work, then it won’t matter who they interrogate. They can ask questions of anyone and everyone, and still not discover what we’re doing. You know how to conceal information and mislead the enemy, Brigadier General,” General Aerona said.

  “Some of their telepaths are actually quite competent. A few are even world class,” Brigadier General Nazar said.

  “Very few of their citizens are world class. I do not feel threatened by telepaths or any other Jenaldej Empire scouts, Brigadier General. Their waterbinding trials do not guarantee the most effective assignments,” General Aerona said.

  “The waterbinding trials are more efficient than giving free choice to all citizens, General. They minimize wasted potential. Too many people would choose an ocean water that is a poor fit for their innate potential. This has been proven, mathematically, repeatedly, for millennia,” Brigadier General Nazar said.

  “They use randomization to determine the order of the trials. That strategy guarantees error,” General Aerona said.

  “I’m sorry, General Aerona, but that statement is mathematically inaccurate. The randomization eliminates bias. It’s proven to be fair and effective, both by the laws of probability and by experimental design using control groups,” Brigadier General Nazar said.

  “I don’t need a mathematics lesson, Brigadier General. I need a cure,” General Aerona said.

  “The waterbinding trials work well. Mistakes that severe are rare,” Brigadier General Nazar said.

  “The rarity is no comfort to me. In fact, it makes my suffering even worse. I feel more alone than you will ever know, Brigadier General. My life has been empty for the last thirty-four (34) years, ever since the disaster of my wrongful waterbinding. No lover. No family. No friendship. I experience emptiness in every way. Rejection is the story of my life,” General Aerona said.

  “You’ve already overcome your limitations and risen to the rank of General. You’ve earned everyone’s respect,” Brigadier General Nazar said.

  “I want more than respect, Brigadier General. I want a fulfilling personal life,” General Aerona said.

  “I have to accept my own faults and accept my limitations, General. My own personal life is lacking. It is very challenging at times,” Brigadier General Nazar said.

  “Yet, you do have a personal life, Brigadier General. You’ve known what it feels like to be loved. You’re not one of the rare victims. I am. My limitations –
my extreme limitations that diminish every aspect of my life – were caused by the negligence of the Jenaldej Empire. Their training coordinator compelled me to drink the wrong ocean water after the perils of their waterbinding trials broke my spinal cord. The ghost waters don’t heal, and neither do the spirits they let me commune with. The Trerada waters should be flowing through me now, and I would be healthy, living my life to my fullest potential. I would not be doing this or sitting here, broken. The arrogance and incompetence of the Jenaldej Empire ruined my life,” General Aerona said.

  “You’ve read my reports, General. You know that many of my soldiers have suffered injuries, and some are quite serious. Most of them drink the Nabavodel waters, which do little for healing. There are things that can be done to adjust for disabilities. There are ways to use the other water powers that can compensate for loss,” Brigadier General Nazar said.

  “That’s not an option for everyone, Brigadier General. Using the other water powers requires getting help from someone else: help that they have to be willing to give. Most young people would rather spend their time and energy with someone who isn’t disabled. Most young people want to love someone young and beautiful, who can give them pleasure in return. I can’t rely on anyone else to look after my needs,” General Aerona said.

  “Life can be very hard, General. I’m truly sorry for your displeasure. We just have to accept the unpleasant facts and move on, doing our duties to the best of our abilities,” Brigadier General Nazar said.

  “Finding us will be very hard, Brigadier General. We need to offload the fixed-form gems and replace them with the variable gems, quickly and quietly. The resource coordinators and their investigators will not be able to locate the source as easily or quickly as you think,” General Aerona said.

  “I believe that is precisely our problem, General. The more quickly we disseminate the variable gems, the sooner they will expand and inflate the supply. The resource coordinators monitor the inventory levels closely and they will react to the errors they detect. Their investigative agents will trace the movements of the ships and their cargo, and that will lead them here, sooner than we can conceal our activities,” Brigadier General Nazar said.