by Jeremy Dwyer
~~~
Odhran was the first of the travelers to step out of the desert and then to approach the walled town within the forested area. The other fifty-six (56) farmers kept pace with him to maintain the enclosure around Elise, Ruth, Patrick, Sophie, Molly, Ciaran and Sean.
A stone wall – nine (9) feet in height, four (4) feet in thickness and three thousand five hundred (3500) feet in length on each side – enclosed the stone buildings that comprised the small town. Hundreds of rotted redwood trees – standing as tall as eight-seven (87) feet – were scattered outside the wall. The Dead Waters stream meandered under a gap in the eastern wall.
“The trees around the edge are all rotted. Look at them. They could fall over at any time. Keep your distance,” Odhran said as they approached the wall and walked around it.
A single gateway – six (6) feet wide, seven (7) feet high – in the middle of the southern wall allowed entrance and Odhran led the way through.
Inside the wall, there were forty-eight (48) identical buildings, each measuring four hundred fifty (450) feet wide and long at its square base, nineteen (19) feet in height and two hundred thirty-eight (238) feet wide and long at its square top. A sealed stone square doorframe – measuring ten (10) feet wide and high – marked the center of a single wall of each of the tapered buildings. The Dead Waters stream meandered between the structures. Hundreds of shorter, narrower trees – apparently healthy and standing as tall as fifteen (15) feet – were positioned between the buildings.
“This isn’t much of a town. Nobody’s here, not that I’m complaining,” Sophie said.
“Unless they’re waiting inside the buildings, hiding in ambush,” Patrick said.
“Thank you, Patrick, for those words of encouragement,” Sophie said.
“I’m being realistic,” Patrick said.
Odhran drank anew of the waters of the Gradaken Ocean from his vial and was energized with the power to connect to nature. He approached the healthy trees and examined them closely. “Some of these are apple and cherry trees that haven’t fruited yet. This may not be a town, but an orchard. The soil in here is likely much better, seeing as the trees appear to be healthy inside the wall and dead outside. Those buildings would likely contain the seeds for replacing these trees after they’re transplanted,” he said.
“Would anyone really notice if we took a few seeds so that our farmers could plant them?” Sophie asked.
“If someone owns this orchard, we have to pay them for the seeds, or work to earn them,” Elise said.
“Nobody’s here. That means they’re free,” Sophie said.
“No, it means we need to find the rightful owner,” Elise said.
“I don’t want to steal, but we can’t wait around here forever,” Ruth said.
“Besides, we’ve got to eat if we’re going to work,” Sean said.
“Sean’s right. That’s only fair,” Molly said.
“Can’t you make some of these trees grow fruit faster? You drink the Gradaken waters, and that’s what they’re good at, right?” Sean asked.
“If we do that, we have to stay here to eat. If we take seeds with us, we can plant our own trees wherever we go,” Odhran said.
“Odhran is right. I think we should take a few seeds. We can’t stay in this orchard for long, if that’s what it is. We’re going to need more than apples and cherries to eat, so we have to go somewhere else and get more varieties of food and seeds,” Patrick said.
“When we can eat these fruits along with the edible algae from the stream, we’ll have a healthier, better-balanced diet,” Odhran said.
“Those buildings are sealed. We don’t know if they contain seeds for apple trees, cherry trees, or something else,” Ciaran said.
“I guess I’ll have to go in and check,” Ruth said. She drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from her vial to be energized with the power to manipulate crystal and stone. She approached the southernmost tapered building and placed her hands on the sealed doorframe area. She examined its low-level structure and said: “It’s granite. That will take a bit of work, but it’s not a problem.” Ruth then altered its low-level structure to create an opening in the doorframe. She stepped through and entered the tapered building.
“We have to work together,” Ciaran said. He approached the same tapered building and entered behind Ruth.
“That means all of us,” Patrick said. He approached and entered the same tapered building, followed by Sophie, Molly, Ciaran, Sean, Elise, Odhran and the other fifty-six (56) farmers.
Ruth felt relaxed, taking her time, walking through the interior. It didn’t seem that she was in a hurry anymore, which was good, because she wasn’t moving fast. Each footstep felt like it took longer than the last. She called for her traveling companions to come join her, but she could hardly finish the sentence: each word came out of her mouth more slowly than the last. Thoughts were slower and then a dreamless sleep came.
Ciaran looked for Ruth but couldn’t see her. He called out “Ruth!” several times, slowing down with each utterance. Successive footsteps took longer than their predecessors. Inexplicable relaxation came with thoughts that were slower and slower until a dreamless sleep overtook him.
Patrick, Sophie, Molly, Sean, Elise, Odhran and the fifty-six (56) farmers all experienced the same progressive slowness of movements, speech and thought leading to desolate repose.
~~~
Sunniva sailed the Yield Adjuster Twenty-Seven eastward across the Ursegan Ocean. The mists of the time waters slowed the movement of the ship irregularly, and she noticed that the vessel was not aligned correctly with the course the stars had indicated. “The time waters are slowing us, and not evenly. We’re a little off course,” she said.
“The time waters are stealing our time. They always do,” Captain Nicomedes said.
“They always take a little. This time it’s worse,” Sunniva said.
~~~
Nandru Bazavador stood on a stone hovering above the waters of the Ursegan Ocean. The mists of the time waters slowed the fall of the massive rock to a standstill. A deep scar – shaped like a skull – was cut into the man’s right cheek. Another scar – in the form of battleax crossed with a sword – was sliced into his left cheek. Black-and-gray hair covered his head. His thin beard included a third color – a taint of blood red. His robes were a mixture of blue, black, white and silver, with a few sparkling stones woven into the fabric. Black boots held daggers while spiked, black leather gloves covered his hands. The thirty-six (36) year old man peered through a gem and watched in the distance as a ship was approaching from the west. Markings on the facets of the far sight crystal indicated that the vessel was one hundred sixty-eight (168) miles away, but it was approaching quickly. Nandru drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from his vial and was energized with the powers of telepathy and empathy.
Within the hour, the approaching vessel was close enough that he could step down onto its massive deck, upward from which extended ten (10) pairs of pivoting, double-masted sails. Once he boarded the ship, Nandru Bazavador placed the far sight crystal into a pocket in his robes. He focused his telepathic powers to probe the vicinity for threats, finding no soldiers – hidden or visible – standing nearby. The sailors standing elsewhere on deck had not noticed his arrival, it seemed, meaning that the crystals embedded in his robes were bending light sufficiently to hide him from the sight of anyone more than a few feet away.
Nandru Bazavador then focused his telepathy primarily on the occupants of the wheelhouse and learned they were a pair of aging lovers. He entered the wheelhouse and said: “Sunniva, chart a course for the territory of Baron Irsushin, in western Waderav. Captain Nicomedes, go out on deck and command your crew to open all the crates and begin loading the gems into the cannons. Be sure they are packed densely,” he said.
Sunniva had no choice – the telepath was much too powerful for her to even consider resisting his commands. She consulted the atlas on the map table so
that she could find the coordinates of the destination territory. She 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 positions and used the information to chart an updated course. Sunniva then sailed the Yield Adjuster Twenty-Seven along this new course, heading eastward across the Ursegan Ocean toward a particular point on the western coast of the continent of Waderav. The mists of the time waters ocean continued slowing the vessel’s movements in irregular amounts and directions, however.
~~~
Unable to refuse the commands of the powerful telepath, Captain Nicomedes went out on deck and directed his sailors – a crew of six hundred seventy-nine (679) men – to go into the cargo hold and bring up the crates. The captain drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from his vial to be energized with the power to manipulate crystal and stone. When his crew brought the crates up on deck, Nicomedes ordered them to open the containers and begin loading the gems they held into the twenty-three (23) cannons on each side of the vessel. He personally altered the high-level geometry of the crystals to allow them to be packed more densely into the cannon barrels. Each barrel had space enough to hold the gems taken from two point five (2.5) crates, so one hundred fifteen (115) containers of variable gems were emptied to load the cannons, leaving six hundred (600) crates of gems to spare.
Nandru Bazavador went out on deck and watched the enthralled captain and his crew at work to be sure they were making adequate progress. After he was satisfied with the results, he reached into a pocket in his robes and pulled out another crystal. He peered into the gem and a familiar spirit appeared within its facets. “Go and tell Yarina that I have the ship and the crew is cooperating. The weapons are ready with considerable ammunition to spare. The vessel is sailing eastward across the Ursegan Ocean, so we will arrive when the time waters allow,” he said to the spirit.
CHAPTER 38: Island of Abundance and Danger
Seventeen thousand two hundred fifty-three (17253) islands of various sizes comprised the Provincial Isles in the central Gradaken Ocean. Dexolevino Island was located near the western edge of the archipelago and spanned thirty-five (35) miles from north to south and forty-three (43) miles from east to west. The ocean fed a network of rivers which crisscrossed the island's interior, providing irrigation for its fields of wheat, corn, oats and barley.
On the island's eastern port, Duke Kenrick and Duchess Keeva stood on the docks and supervised two hundred sixty-eight (268) farmers from their community. The farmers were unloading the six (6) cargo ships – each of which was three hundred (300) feet in length with four (4) sets of pivoting, double-masted sails – that arrived from the central bank containing crates filled with gems and purified waters. In return, they were loading crates containing their cash crops. Aislinn was standing on the docks beside the nobles, watching and counting the crates being loaded and those being unloaded.
A seventh central bank vessel – a four hundred twenty-two (422) foot long frigate with five (5) sets of pivoting, double-masted sails – stood guard in the waters nearby.
"Aislinn, how many gems do you count?" Duke Kenrick asked.
Aislinn drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from her vial and was energized with the powers of light. She bent the light around corners and into crevices to examine the contents of the crates stacked on the three (3) busy piers, counting the gems within them.
"My lord, there are five hundred twelve (512) crates of gems, and they contain a total of two million nine hundred eighty-five thousand nine hundred eighty-four (2985984) citrines, judging by appearances. This matches the cargo manifests inside each of the crates, which are all accurate in number," Aislinn said.
"Very good, Aislinn. Now, please count the number of harvest yield crates that we have already loaded onto the ships. The central bank is expecting twenty-four thousand (24000) crates to be loaded onto these ships for distribution to their other communities," Duchess Keeva said.
"Yes, my lady," Aislinn said. She climbed the boarding ramp of one of the cargo ships and walked between the ship's captain and crewmembers to get to the cargo hold. While still on deck, she caught a glimpse of something in the distance and said: "Pirates! From the north, one hundred thirty-seven (137) miles!"
Cannon fire rocked the cargo ship, knocking Aislinn, the captain and his crew off of their feet.
"Cannons don't fire that far! Check your distance! Where's the patrol frigate? How did pirates get this close?" the captain – a man in his fifties – yelled. He stood up to survey the situation.
Cannon fire rocked the ship again, knocking the captain back down onto the ship's deck. Aislinn stood up, ran down the boarding ramp and returned to the side of Duke Kenrick and Duchess Keeva.
The sails and masts of the six (6) cargo ships and the frigate were all shredded by additional barrages of cannon fire.
"You said your God protects! Why is this happening?" Aislinn screamed.
"Pray with us. All of you," Duke Kenrick said. He joined hands with Aislinn, Duchess Keeva and the two hundred sixty-eight (268) farmers.
"Dear God, we pray to Thee. Your Grace led us to these isles, and we followed because of our faith in You. Our new home, on this island, yields a rich harvest by Your Generosity and Your Creative Power. We trust in Your Will to protect us from this sudden attack," Duchess Keeva said.
~~~
The Savage Owl was a two hundred sixty (260) foot long frigate with five (5) pairs of double-masted sails.
Captain Morten stood on deck and overlooked his crew of seventy-three (73) men. He looked at the six (6) cargo ships and the frigate that were two (2) miles away. "The cargo ships are damaged enough. Concentrate all fire on the frigate and sink it. Then, we can plunder. Aim there," he said, holding out a small diamond. A thin beam of light emanated from the crystal toward the other frigate.
The crew of seventy-three (73) redirected the ship's twenty-six (26) cannons to align with the guide beam. They fired three (3) more times, shredding the hull of the target ship, sinking it.
"We're going to move closer. They think we're far away, because of the twister crystals. So they can't see how close we are, or the direction we're coming from. Be ready to fire, but don't hit anything until – and unless – I tell you," Captain Morten said. The fifty-six (56) year old captain walked across the deck and entered the wheelhouse.
"Carbrey! Steer up close to the first cargo ship so we can board it and plunder," Captain Morten said to the thirty-two (32) year old man standing at the wheel.
"Yes, Captain," the man at the wheel – Carbrey – said. He drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial to be energized with the power to listen to the sounds of the stars. He concentrated to learn their paths and positions and used the information to chart a precise course for the two (2) miles of ocean ahead. Carbrey steered the Savage Owl accordingly, bringing it next to a cargo ship. He pulled levers to drop the anchor and extend the boarding ramp.
~~~
"The frigate that guards the cargo ship is destroyed! The pirate ship is getting closer! How can we have faith? Where is your God now? What is He going to do to protect us?" Aislinn screamed.
"You must be at peace, Aislinn," Duke Kenrick said.
"If the pirates kill us, it's over! You do know that's what pirates do. That, or worse. We're women! It's always worse for us unless we hide!" Aislinn yelled.
"You have the power to see far, and to see around corners. Can you bend light to conceal us?" Duchess Keeva asked.
"I can try, but that's different. There's a lot of us," Aislinn said. She drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from her vial to refresh her powers of light. She then worked to bend the flow of light around herself, Duke Kenrick, Duchess Keeva and the two hundred sixty-eight (268) farmers.
"Remain quiet and move away from here, slowly," Duke Kenrick said.
Aislinn, Duke Kenrick, Duchess Keeva and the two hundred sixty-
eight (268) farmers walked slowly, together, away from the docks, under the cover of bent light.
~~~
On board the Savage Owl, Captain Morten exited the wheelhouse and walked out on deck. "Ten (10) of you, come with me," he said. He then led ten (10) of his men over the boarding ramp and onto the cargo ship.
"Plunder the ship. Go down into the cargo hold and take any valuables – food or gems – that we can sell," Captain Morten said. He then pulled another diamond from his coat pocket, looked through it and saw a large group of people walking away from the docks. "I see some pretty ladies trying to get away from us over there. They're hiding under a light bending trick, but this little diamond sees right through it. While you're collecting our pay, I'll get us entertainment for the evening, to keep our beds warm," he said.
Captain Morten then walked across the boarding ramp and back onto the Savage Owl. "Some girlies are hiding over there under the light. Eight (8) of you, come with me. We'll introduce ourselves and get friendly with them," he said. He led eight (8) of his men across the boarding ramp, onto the cargo ship, down its boarding ramp and onto the pier. From there, Captain Morten used his diamond to follow the crowd hidden under the shroud of bent light.
~~~
Under the cover of bent light, Aislinn whispered "They're coming closer! It's like they can see us" to Duke Kenrick.
"Yes, I see them now. The pirate captain and eight (8) of his men," Duke Kenrick whispered.
"Where is your God now? Please tell me where!" Aislinn whispered.
"God will move in His Time," Duchess Keeva whispered.
"How much time does God think we have?" Aislinn whispered.
~~~
Captain Morten held his diamond in his left hand, placed his right hand on a young woman's chest and said: "You're a pretty girl! I can see that. Don't you hide your sweet parts from me! I can see you and feel you real good now, lass."
~~~
