Ruin & Reliance

by Jeremy Dwyer

  “This doesn’t prove the existence of God. It’s just a message in a garden. Anyone could have written this,” Taesa said.

  “There’s more. Let her finish,” Kaija said.

  “The Dead Waters Ocean has no power, yet it has all power, locked away, until humanity could be redeemed. Their sins would have to be forgiven, and that could only be done through the sacrifice of the Son of God, Yeshua, who would become like humanity, except for sin, and then suffer and die to atone for their sins. They would have to believe this to be true – that Yeshua was their savior – and learn from his teachings to achieve spiritual maturity. When this happened, the key to unlocking the power of the Dead Waters Ocean would be revealed,” Commissioner Hannah said.

  “This is more religious mythology. We have no proof,” Taesa said.

  “This is truth. We have strong evidence. Still, we need to keep listening,” Kaija said.

  "The garden itself was planted and arranged by Lamech Bazavador, acting under the command of the One True God. He had a son, Hezekiah Bazavador, who constructed this building using the powers of time to arrange stones in ways that only time could make them fall in place. Later, Hezekiah had many children, some of whom were good, yet many of whom were corrupt and they were guilty of depravity like that committed in the Age of the Unified Oceans. Hezekiah himself had to hide from his own children. Before Lamech died, he and Hezekiah agreed to never reveal the precise location of this garden, so that the corrupt children would not gain the power within,” Commissioner Hannah said.

  “That means this garden belongs to the Bazavadoran family,” Captain Lusala said.

  “It belongs to the One True God. The Bazavadoran family was given the task of building it. Do not give humanity title to God’s Property. Still, there is more to this story,” Kaija said.

  “A war was fought in the first age. A great poison was created, using the toxic secretions of the nerium oleander plant, along with the venom of the asilidae, sea serpents, scorpions and spiders,” Commissioner Hannah said.

  “Those are the ingredients from the poison formula that Duchess Sarita showed to Cardinal Briar-Malgier,” Munroe said.

  “There is a cure for it, but it must be taken quickly, because the disease progresses rapidly. The symptoms may appear to subside for a while, but they return in full force before long, and scar the lungs until breathing is impossible. The kaiyoyad tree produces a nectar that, when eaten, will truly cure the effects of the poison. This garden holds the seeds. I believe these are the seeds,” Commissioner Hannah said, pointing to a space between tulips and orchids.

  Romana knelt down and picked up a handful of seeds from the soil and looked at them.

  “Now we’re getting somewhere,” Taesa said.

  “These seeds will only grow properly if they are planted in Cinder Valley in Waderav. According to the deciphered message, the soil there is still the greatest soil, even though it is the worst because of sin and punishment. That valley was the basin of the unified ocean before it was poisoned,” Commissioner Hannah said.

  “Nothing grows in Cinder Valley today. It’s a barren wasteland,” Captain Lusala said.

  “How are we supposed to plant the seeds in a barren wasteland? Is there anything else you can tell us?” Emerond asked.

  “That’s the part of the message I can decipher for now. I can’t tell you anymore,” Commissioner Hannah said.

  “You’ve seen the formula for the poison based on what Munroe remembered. Can you reverse it to produce a cure?” Captain Lusala asked.

  “I still can’t figure that out. It is very complicated,” Romana said.

  “Your female mind is analytically weak. At least you are aware of your limitations,” Grand Duke Braden said.

  “And you have the answers? If you think that men are smarter, prove it! I don’t really care! Just show us the cure and save lives!” Romana said.

  “Fighting isn’t helping! We need to work together! Where else can we plant these seeds?” Taesa asked.

  “According to this message, Cinder Valley is the only place the kaiyoyad seeds will grow properly and produce the curative nectar,” Commissioner Hannah said.

  “You said that’s all you can decipher for now. Did you mean there’s more to the message?” Taesa asked.

  “The message is cryptic. I was able to use mathematics and contextual clues to decipher some of it, but there’s too much missing information. Anything else is guessing. That could lead us anywhere, and we don’t have time for chasing the wrong answer,” Commissioner Hannah said.

  “It probably doesn’t even matter. I’m not even sure I believe the message. It’s mostly religion and mythology, anyway. It’s all about God and sin and punishment,” Taesa said.

  “I don’t know that I believe it either. I’m not particularly religious,” Commissioner Hannah said.

  “Yet you do believe in sin, Commissioner Hannah. You think God is responsible for allowing your husband’s infidelity, rather than blaming the man for his own lust and selfishness. You should be thanking God for loving you so much that He created your life,” Kaija said.

  “This is just a lot of superstition. Spirits are real, but the religions just confuse everybody and try to manipulate them. The unified ocean myth is wishful thinking. It never existed, so God can’t take it away, especially since there isn’t a God. With all that religious nonsense mixed in, I don’t think I believe any part of the message,” Captain Gijsbert said.

  “You are the manipulator, Captain Gijsbert. You’ve used and misused the powers of the spirit world to increase the central bank’s profits and your salary rather than contributing to the wellbeing of other people. However, you are not the absolute ruler of the spirits. God is very real and has supreme authority over all life – flesh and spirit. He gives gifts and He can take them away. His Words can be trusted for guidance and His Power can be trusted for strength. Believe in God, not in yourself,” Kaija said.

  “You’ll need proof before I believe in your God,” Captain Gijsbert said.

  “That would settle everything. That’s how mathematicians answer questions. Why can’t we have the proof?” Taesa asked.

  “You are forever curious, Taesa. You know that mysterious, hidden things exist and you pursue them. You seek the unknown, even without proof that it can help rather than harm you, and even if you don’t understand its meaning or purpose. Why not pursue God with the same intense curiosity? Why not believe that He is worth the search?” Kaija asked.

  “I don’t know what to believe. Everything just keeps getting worse. If God is real, and this is all just a punishment for some sin that some other people committed a long time ago, then maybe God just hates us. This garden only has a message of mythology and fear. We’ll have to go find a cure somewhere else,” Taesa said.

  “God does not hate us. He hates sin. He loves us very much. So much, in fact, that He sent His Son, Yeshua, to teach us truth and to die in order to atone for our sins. Our souls were in great danger because of our sins, and Yeshua saved our souls by His Sacrifice. You need to seek God with all your heart and know that He loves you,” Kaija said.

  “I want to seek the cure for the poison and use it to save lives. I thought we found the seeds to grow the cure. Now, that hope is gone, because we can only plant the seeds in one place, but the soil there is bad, all because of God’s punishment, if we believe what’s written here,” Taesa said.

  “Things can change, suddenly and significantly. When the One True God decides to bring punishment for sin, the rich can be cast down and brought to ruin. When the One True God decides to show mercy, ruins can become transformed into riches,” Kaija said.

  “You don’t have a plan to help us. You’re just relying on God and hoping things work out for the best,” Taesa said.

  “Relying on God is the only way that things will work out for the best,” Kaija said.

  “We need a plan of action,” Commissioner Hannah said.

  “Take my hands and pray
with me,” Kaija said. She held out her hands and Romana joined hands with her. Saku placed a hand on Kaija’s shoulder, while using the other hand to restrain both Colonel Lodokus and Lieutenant Mazavida by holding the ropes which bound them. The Chronicler Ximenez joined in, and so did Emerond. Consolata and Allegria also joined hands with them. Munroe stepped back, as did Grand Duke Braden, Duke Rowan, Captain Gijsbert, Captain Lusala and Commissioner Hannah.

  “How is this going to help us, Emerond? What is prayer going to do?” Taesa asked.

  “I will do whatever it takes to protect our family, Taesa. Our children need us to build a better world. We owe it to ourselves and to them to try something different. I don’t know the answers, but I’m willing to give this a chance,” Emerond said.

  “Judith didn’t believe when I first met her. She gave faith a chance,” Romana said.

  “Then you ruined her,” Grand Duke Braden said.

  “No, that’s what you and your son tried to do,” Romana said.

  Duke Rowan stepped forward and joined hands between Kaija and Romana.

  “Don’t be a fool, Rowan! These women are seducing you! You should know never to believe their folktales,” Grand Duke Braden said.

  “Father, please, keep an open mind,” Duke Rowan said.

  “Those who believe in mythology and build their lives upon the false hope it offers, will come to ruin. They’ve corrupted you, my foolish son. You’ve joined hands to believe in the religious fables created by gullible women,” Grand Duke Braden said.

  “You believe in the myth of your own supremacy and sufficiency, Grand Duke Braden. You did not create yourself, and you cannot give yourself eternal life. Only God can do that,” Kaija said.

  Taesa moved forward and joined hands between Emerond and Romana. “This isn’t because I believe. It’s because I want our family to be together,” she said.

  “This is all of us, then. We pray to Thee, Our One True God, to lead us in Your Truth, to heal our bodies and souls and minds, to extend Your Saving Grace, afforded by the suffering, death and resurrection of Your Son, Yeshua, in atonement for our sins. We pray to Thee, Our One True God, to lead us from ruin and death, because You are the Divine Source of Life, and we rely upon You,” Kaija said. She then unlinked hands and the group separated.

  “Now that your ritual foolishness is over, are we to venture into Cinder Valley to plant seeds into bad soil and watch them fail to grow? Or does anyone have a more plausible solution?” Grand Duke Braden asked.

  “Even a small amount of faith in God can produce an abundant harvest,” Kaija said.

  “Even a small amount of good soil, blessed by God, as all that we need,” Romana said.

  “I’m willing to go. Doing nothing is not an option,” Commissioner Hannah said.

  “We might as well try,” Captain Gijsbert said.

  “Cinder Valley is in Waderav. That land is ruled by robber barons and bandits. This will be very dangerous,” Captain Lusala said.

  “What is the best alternative?” Munroe asked.

  “You are wise, my lord, what do you suggest?” Consolata asked.

  “I’m not afraid of Waderav. Nor am I convinced this is the most fruitful option. However, if a solution is to be found – if there is some modicum of good soil in that wasteland – then I will not withhold my assistance in purifying Gradaken waters to the utmost quality for the gardener to plant the seeds,” Grand Duke Braden said.

  “I can also help with that,” Emerond said.

  “We’re going to Waderav?” Taesa asked.

  “We’re going to win. We will do whatever it takes to find the cure to prevent this poison from killing everyone and destroying the food supply. Back home, you were ready to do whatever it takes. Nothing we learned here should change our minds,” Emerond said.

  “Nothing we’ve learned here gives me much hope that we’re going to find the cure by going there,” Taesa said.

  “We have to do our best with the little knowledge that we have,” Emerond said.

  “We’re in this together. If you’re willing to do your best, I’ll do mine,” Taesa said.

  “I’m not sure how I can help, but I’m willing to go, if only to have another ship available in case we need it,” Captain Lusala said.

  “I appreciate all the help we can get. God rewards both love and faith. Both love and faith are made known through doing good work,” Kaija said.

  The Chronicler Ximenez recorded all of this into his book. “Under the authority of the Chronicler’s Oath, I will be traveling with Kaija,” he said.

  “Let’s go. May the One True God bless us all,” Kaija said.

  With the assistance of Grand Duke Braden, Duke Rowan and Captain Lusala, they all exited the garden chamber and returned to their respective ships, where they finished any needed repairs before their next journey.

  CHAPTER 53: Plans for Battle and Empowerment

  The Seasonable Profits was a three hundred eighty (380) foot long galleon, with six (6) pairs of double-masted pivoting sails. It led a fleet of forty (40) identical cargo ships as they traveled southwest across the Zovvin Ocean.

  “Captain Vanadour! I see a light! A distress signal!” the thin, sickly man at the wheel said.

  “We have a schedule to keep, Breixo. How far off course will we have to travel to rescue them? And can we make up lost time?” Captain Vanadour – an older man with a short, graying mustache and beard – asked.

  “Not off course at all, Captain. That’s what I’m afraid of. We’ll pass by the source of the distress signal in under an hour, but I can’t prove they’re not pirates,” the thin, sickly man – Breixo – said.

  “We have to expect a few losses along the way, Breixo. The business is fully insured,” Captain Vanadour said.

  “The pirates would kill us, Captain!” Breixo said.

  “Statistically, very few ocean travelers are engaged in piracy, and very few distress calls are made by pirates. They don’t want to get caught,” Captain Vanadour said.

  “You’re not in the least bit worried, Captain? Pirates are tricky, and they’ll do anything to have a chance to steal our cargo!” Breixo said.

  “If they are pirates, we have ways of distracting them. Besides, our cargo is brick and sandstone, not gems or precious metals,” Captain Vanadour said.

  “The pirates will take whatever they can find, Captain! They’ll try selling our cargo and collecting the payment!” Breixo said.

  “You haven’t even proven that they’re pirates, Breixo,” Captain Vanadour said.

  “I can’t prove they’re not. We have to assume the worst, Captain. Pirates are murderers and thieves!” Breixo said.

  “There are forty-one (41) ships in this fleet, and the building materials we have are going to be traded for food crops in the Provincial Isles. Even fully loaded with food or building stones, the combined cargo is worth less than a single galleon carrying diamonds or platinum. These ships are not high value targets,” Captain Vanadour said.

  “The pirates won’t know that until after they’ve boarded,” Breixo said.

  “Assuming the unlikely is true – that these really are pirates – how could a pirate captain not have someone on their crew who drinks the Lujladia waters so they can peer into our cargo hold and see what we’re carrying? What pirate captain would be that unprepared?” Captain Vanadour asked.

  “Food carries a higher price in some places, and so do building stones. Or maybe the pirates just want to steal our ships,” Breixo said.

  “Because their own ships were damaged in battle, is that what you’re suggesting?” Captain Vanadour asked.

  “Yes, Captain. Pirates need to replace their ships often,” Breixo said.

  “These ships are unarmed, Breixo. We are not here to fight a battle,” Captain Vanadour said.

  “Then the pirates will win, Captain!” Breixo said.

  “You’ve already admitted defeat by pirates, Breixo,” Captain Vanadour said.

  “Yes, Cap
tain. If we get too close, we will lose!” Breixo said.

  “How? These are pirates whose presence hasn’t even been established, only assumed. If you don’t need proof, and are willing to make decisions based entirely on assumptions, then remember that you’ve already assumed the pirate ship is damaged to the point of needing replacement, their captain is an unprepared dunce and they have no Lujladia drinker on board to spy on us or the cargo. You’ve further assumed that these pirates are going to be willing to trade in low value cargo by splitting the crew of their ship across forty-one (41) vessels just to recognize a meaningful profit,” Captain Vanadour said.

  “Pirates are clever, Captain. They know how to make a profit. They use the powers of the oceans,” Breixo said.

  “So now the pirates – still only assumed to even be present – are clever?” Captain Vanadour asked.

  “Yes, Captain,” Breixo said.

  “Then they won’t attack us. This is a low profit margin business, operating with poorly assembled ships with a low skill crew. By definition, pirates avoid low-paying, honest, hard work,” Captain Vanadour said.

  “I can still adjust our course, Captain, and keep us on schedule,” Breixo said.