by Jeremy Dwyer
“Your mom believed in Ralithos. She thought he was a god. I wonder if she went to the bad place when she died. I think my parents both went there,” the ten (10) year old girl said, becoming more solemn as she spoke each word. Her face tightened and her eyes gazed downward.
The nine (9) year old boy started crying hysterically and said: “I’ll never see my mom again!”
Kaija hugged the nine (9) year old boy tightly and said: “Let’s pray about that. Let’s pray for the One True God to guide your mommy’s spirit. He wants children to be close to their parents. God created families. He created mommies, daddies, sons and daughters. God even has a son.”
“God has a son?” the ten (10) year old girl asked.
“Yes,” Kaija said.
“Who is God’s Son?” the eleven (11) year old boy asked.
“His name is Yeshua. He said that when people gather in His Name, we can ask for any good thing, and He will provide for us,” Kaija said.
CHAPTER 29: Price of Business and Travel
The Escapade was docked along the northern coast of Vobarin Island in the Zovvin Ocean. Inside the wheelhouse were Tomiko, Tristan, Nina, Gabrielle Ramalaxis and the Chronicler Niels.
“The market value of these yellow-green gems can be determined by asking around in Emeth. Lots of different traders and scholars can give us their own estimates,” Tristan said.
“They were hidden and protected, which suggests they were valuable to someone,” Gabrielle Ramalaxis said.
“I’ve bought, sold and appraised a wide variety of gems and precious metals, but these are nothing like what I’ve seen before. They could be ornamental, which doesn’t necessarily convert to a large profit,” Tristan said.
“I don’t believe that they’re worthless, if only for cultural significance. That alone could command a sizable price,” Tomiko said.
“I agree that they’re not worthless. We should be able to sell them for a modest price, but I’m not optimistic about the market value being anything substantial. Precious gem merchants are very selective in what they buy. Scholars are more willing to make a purchase of curiosities, but at much lower prices and in much smaller volumes,” Tristan said.
“We have nine hundred thirteen (913) of them. If they’re even worth fifty (50) platinum coins each, that would be enough to be worth our efforts,” Tomiko said.
“You’re being a bit more optimistic than I am,” Tristan said.
“We put our lives at risk for what? For colorful pieces of junk? Try figuring out what they really are, Tristan. I’m getting tired of taking chances and not winning big,” Nina asked.
“Yes, please take another look at them, Tristan,” Tomiko said.
Tristan drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from his vial and was energized with the power to manipulate crystal and stone. He pulled one (1) yellow-green gem from his pocket and peered into its low-level structure. “I just don’t see anything that indicates it’s like any valuable gemstone, or exactly what it is. It’s translucent, a bit like amber, but this substance is much harder, closer to ruby. Amber is only popular because it’s softer and more malleable, so it gets used for making cheap jewelry, very quickly,” Tristan said.
“If it’s a hard substance, can it be used to cut other gemstones, or to store sunlight and be used as a sailing crystal?” Tomiko asked.
“I can try holding a solar charge using a few of these while we sail back to Emeth,” Tristan said.
“Alright, Tristan, try that. Nina, chart a course to Emeth. We can try to sell the gems there,” Tomiko said.
Nina drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from her vial and was energized with the power to listen to the sounds of the stars. She concentrated to learn their paths and chart a course to Emeth.
The Escapade sailed eastward across the Zovvin Ocean.
~~~
Captain Pradrock followed Akylas as he went back into the wheelhouse of the Resolute Traverser. Akylas consulted the atlas to learn the coordinates of the destination port. He then drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and was energized with the power to listen to the sounds of the stars. He concentrated to learn their paths and positions and then used this information to chart a course. He steered the ship eastward across the Kazofen Ocean until reaching the Glivoran Trail land bridge. At that point, he pulled levers to pivot the masts and the sails to the sides of the vessel and elevated the ship to one hundred twenty (120) feet of altitude. He steered the vessel across the land bridge and returned it to sea level in the Medathero Ocean. At that point, he sailed the Resolute Traverser eastward, then northward, following the eastern coast of the continent of Revod. Akylas docked the ship in Port Number One Hundred Six in the northeastern region, where he pulled levers to drop the anchor and extend the boarding ramp.
Upon arrival, Captain Pradrock said: “Akylas, stay with the ship.”
~~~
Captain Pradrock then exited the wheelhouse and walked out on deck. He went to the cabin where Fritz worked and said: “Fritz, I need you to come with me, and we’ll file the report, to be given to the resource coordinator. We can’t deliver this shipment as is without explaining what happened.” He and Fritz went out on deck and walked down the ship’s boarding ramp onto the pier. They entered the port and were greeted by a group of eight (8) soldiers and two (2) accounting officers.
“We need to file a cargo discrepancy report for a shipment that was destined for Port Number Five Hundred Seventeen,” Captain Pradrock said.
“I’m Major Calanthe, chief accounting officer of Port Number One Hundred Six. Follow us, Captain. We have some papers for you to fill out and sign, and then the investigation can begin,” the first accounting officer – a woman in her fifties – said.
~~~
When the Incisive arrived in Emeth, Admiral Tiede approached his telepath and said: “Agent Reuven, you are to wait here for Gabrielle Ramalaxis. When you have found her, secure her cooperation by reminding her of her mission. Use the information gleaned from my thoughts to authenticate my commands to her, and she will understand and comply.”
Agent Reuven drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from his vial and was energized with the powers of telepathy and empathy. He probed Admiral Tiede’s mind and learned what he needed to know about Gabrielle Ramalaxis, and her mission for the Jenaldej Empire. “Yes, Admiral,” he said and then walked down the boarding ramp. Agent Reuven entered the City of Emeth and probed the thoughts of those around him, in search of his objective.
“Agent Noach, you’ve rested enough. I want you to chart a course back to Revod, to the northeastern region, Port Number One Hundred Six. We need to monitor the progress of the investigation by Agent Cheveyo,” Admiral Tiede said.
~~~
Agent Noach entered the wheelhouse of the Incisive. Once there, he said to Agent Prudencia: “I’m here to relieve you and assume navigational duties.”
“I stand relieved,” Agent Prudencia said.
Agent Noach drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and was energized with the power to listen to the sounds of the stars. He concentrated to learn their paths and positions and used this information to chart a course. He sailed the ship northeastward across the Medathero Ocean until reaching Port Number One Hundred Six on the eastern coast of the continent of Revod.
~~~
On board the Escapade, Nerine sat in her cabin with Genevieve.
“This isn’t really the life I wanted. I’d rather get back and teach music and have a little money to be able to support a family,” Nerine said.
“Hopefully, the gems they found will bring a large enough profit. You might get five (5) or even ten (10) percent. That should be something to work with,” Genevieve said.
“Even a little bit will be all I need to stay on land. I’m not interested in travel or taking risks. I’ve seen too much trouble,” Nerine said.
“I’ve seen a lot of trouble. I can’t say that I enjoy it, but I r
eally don’t have a home anymore. Besides, I’d rather travel the world and learn more about how it works. The oceans fascinate me,” Genevieve said.
“Traveling with this group is dangerous. They’ll go anywhere and do anything to make a profit,” Nerine said.
“They do travel all over, which I appreciate. I don’t think they would do anything, though. That implies they would steal. I was married to a thief, who was also an adulterer. Tomiko and the rest of them just work hard and are willing to take risks,” Genevieve said.
“I don’t care to put my life at risk ever again,” Nerine said.
“Then be careful who you start a family with. Some men are very dangerous, and good at hiding it in the beginning,” Genevieve said.
“I’ve learned my lesson. I’m not very attractive, so I don’t expect a wealthy or handsome man to want me. I just want someone who is ordinary,” Nerine said.
“You can’t be certain that he is,” Genevieve said.
“If he’s exciting and interesting, even a little bit, I don’t want him,” Nerine said.
“In that case, you’re setting yourself up for a very boring life,” Genevieve said.
“That sounds good to me. With everything that’s happened, boring has to be better,” Nerine said.
“If you’re not going to travel, make a point of reading everything you can. Don’t stop learning,” Genevieve said.
“I’m going back to Emeth and staying there. Then, I’ll study more music, and that will keep me busy for the rest of my life,” Genevieve said.
“Men from all over the world come to visit Emeth,” Genevieve said.
“Then I shouldn’t have a problem finding a husband,” Nerine said.
“A lot of those men are, shall we say, adventurous. They might be too exciting for you,” Genevieve said.
“I’ll have my friends check them out and give me advice,” Nerine said.
“I hope they can help you. You’ll probably find a better man than I did, since you get a choice,” Genevieve said.
“Your marriage was arranged?” Nerine asked.
“Yes, and so was my waterbinding. My mother believed that it was a girl’s job to be beautiful, so she forced me to drink the Trerada waters. I wanted to study alchemy, and I did, but the Kazofen waters would have been a much better choice. I can’t do most of the things I can imagine,” Genevieve said.
“But your health is good and you’re attractive,” Nerine said.
“I don’t care what men think of me. And I don’t care to have any children. Fortunately, my husband was sterile, because with my good health, infertility was never a problem for me,” Genevieve said.
“I don’t know what to expect. My health is fine. Hopefully, I find a man who can have children with me,” Nerine said.
“Whoever the man is, don’t live down to his expectations of you. Instead, live up to your expectations of yourself. Some men are threatened by intelligent women. They see us as slaves meant to give them pleasure,” Genevieve said.
“I want love – real love – and not just pleasure,” Nerine said.
“Then you want respect. Find a man who drinks the Medathero waters, who’s a real scholar. With any luck, he’ll encourage you to study as well, so he has someone to talk to, and appreciate you for your mind,” Genevieve said.
“I’ll take my time with any man. There’s no hurry,” Nerine said.
“Don’t be so sure about that. You only drink the Pirovalen waters. Time is not on the side of anyone who doesn’t drink the Ursegan waters. Despite my good health, even I can’t live more than a century,” Genevieve said.
“The Count the Days song you had me sing was very powerful. That rejuvenated you, right away,” Nerine said.
“Yes, but even with a curative song, the effects are very temporary. As I get older, that won’t be as effective. And as you get older, childbirth becomes a greater threat to your health. It won’t be easy. Some women still die of complications,” Genevieve said.
“I guess there are risks no matter what water I drink, and no matter what man I love, or even when I find him, or how long I wait,” Nerine said.
“You can’t avoid all risks. Also, remember that I can resist diseases and heal from injuries almost perfectly, and definitely far better than you can. If you’re too fussy, you might have to wait until your forties or fifties before getting married. And if you get sick in the meantime, finding a good man will be much more difficult,” Genevieve said.
~~~
Captain Pradrock and Fritz followed Major Calanthe into a granite office building that measured one hundred thirty-five (135) feet in width, one hundred forty (140) feet in length and ninety (90) feet in height. Hundreds of other captains and merchants were sitting at tables and signing paperwork. Soldiers and dockworkers pushed shipping containers on wheeled carts and alchemists opened the crates to inspect the precious gems and metals contained within. She led them to another table where they sat down and began filling out forms that she handed them.
Major Calanthe drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from her vial and was energized with the powers of telepathy and empathy. She was fifty-six (56) years old and had thirty-three (33) years of experience of detecting fraud and investigating the cause. She probed the minds of Captain Pradrock and his alchemist, Fritz, to know what their true purpose was. She found it alarming, but knew that they were not at fault. Some form of deception had occurred and they recognized the problem and decided to report it immediately, which absolved them of wrongdoing.
“Those are the facts of our shipping agreement and the discrepancy. Are you going to send someone to examine the cargo?” Captain Pradrock asked.
“Yes. We’re going to unload the cargo from your vessel and pay you the agreed upon price. At that point, you are to terminate the contract, without delivering these gems or picking up the other cargo. Follow me,” Major Calanthe said. She then led them out of the building and back to the docks, where she ordered the workers to unload the cargo of precious gems from the Resolute Traverser.
“I request permission to go aboard your vessel and see this discrepancy for myself,” Major Calanthe said.
“Permission granted, Major. Please take a closer look,” Captain Pradrock said.
Captain Pradrock and Fritz escorted Major Calanthe on board the Resolute Traverser where she went down into the cargo hold to see the spillage. She personally supervised the unloading operation by the dockworkers, and telepathically probed the crew while this was being done. Captain Pradrock and Fritz waited on deck, along with the rest of the crew.
When the unloading work was completed, Major Calanthe exited the cargo hold and went up on deck. She opened her accounting book to a blank page, wrote on it a financial transfer order for seven hundred fifteen thousand five hundred (715500) platinum coins and signed the order. She removed the page from the book, handed it over to Captain Pradrock and said: “We’ll take it from here, Captain.” Major Calanthe then disembarked from the Resolute Traverser, walked along the pier and returned to the port. From there, she boarded a riverboat that was headed toward the military academy.
~~~
“She was probing us, to see if we were part of the fraud,” Jolene said.
“Are you surprised?” Akantha asked.
“No. But she’s good at her job. I couldn’t shield against her, not that I was trying to hide anything. She is a very high potential telepath,” Jolene said.
“Are we in good standing, Captain?” Akantha asked.
“We filed the report and got paid the agreed upon amount. That contract is now terminated so Major Calanthe can investigate it,” Captain Pradrock said.
“I don’t like how that whole thing went. Something strange is going on,” Jolene said.
“At least we got paid,” Massimo said.
“Getting paid is good,” Akylas said.
“But that’s not all that matters,” Jolene said.
“Sometimes, it is. My brother and I work hard,
and we’ve put up with a lot. We need to make a living,” Akantha said.
“We’ve all put up with a lot. Every one of us has seen things – horrible things – that shouldn’t have happened. Getting paid is important, but it’s not the only thing I care about. We’re getting caught up in big trouble here,” Jolene said.
“I agree. Those precious gems are dangerous. They could be used as a concealed weapon that suddenly transforms into a larger size,” Fritz said.
“They were being used as a weapon – an economic one – meant to imbalance the gem supply and affect market prices. That could put millions of people out of work. We need to inspect all our cargo more closely. This may not be an isolated incident, and other cargo ships may have been hired to transport more of those expanding gems,” Captain Pradrock said.
“Who do you think is trying to manipulate the precious gem market? Do you think they’re working in the Port of Hithagredil?” Akylas asked.
“They’re probably just working through there, using that port as an intermediate transfer point, to conceal the true source of the gems,” Captain Pradrock said.
“Should we avoid that port?” Akylas asked.
“No. We need to do exactly the opposite. I think we should go back there and accept more work, examining everything before leaving port. If something counterfeit is offered to us, we’ll have to report it immediately,” Captain Pradrock said.
“You want to go back there and get us more involved in this mess?” Jolene asked.
“Whoever is responsible for delivering these false precious gems has to be stopped quickly, or it will lead to innocent people being accused of fraud. We detected the problem before delivery, so we’re aware of it,” Captain Pradrock said.
“You’re always looking out for other people first,” Jolene said.
“That’s the only way to have true peace and fair dealings in this world. There are too many people with dishonest intentions. I want to do honest business, and help as many people as possible avoid an unfair deal,” Captain Pradrock said.
