Ocean's Dagger

by NAK Baldron

  "You'd be the first in─"

  Capt. Kaito cut Tomoko off, "─300 years. Most of the world thinks the Pearl Nation has lost its magic. Until I met you, I didn't know you still submitted apprentice sorcerers."

  "I'm the first in 20 years. My mentor Brandon, was the last to be submitted, though he failed."

  "My parents use to warn me to behave, or Sueun would curse me too, and take away what little connection to magic I have." Tomoko waved a hand towards Ren. "No offense, but everyone thinks the Pearl Nation is cursed."

  Superstitious nonsense. Ren adjusted in his chair to hide his agitation.

  "It's strange is all," Tomoko added. "Nearly every person I've met outside of your nation can use basic magical items."

  "You've got salt in your veins, that's for sure." The captain chuckled and slapped Ren on the shoulder. "I hope you pass boy. Break that damn curse."

  CHAPTER TWO

  BRANDON SAT WITH HIS BACK to the window in his office, splitting his focus between two terminals. For three days with nearly zero sleep, he'd combed through all the public records to find out the severity of Ren's predicament. Turned out there had never been a warrant for his capture.

  Belfry Jr. must have pushed to keep things quiet. Couldn't afford to have another scandal.

  A knock on his door brought his attention away from his search. "Come in."

  Julie walked into the room and stood before Brandon's desk with her hands on her hips. "I want to know what happened to Ren."

  She'd been relentless in her pursuit for the truth—an honorable trait, albeit annoying at times. Busy with research, Brandon hadn't answered her questions, choosing not to acknowledge they were asked in most cases. Leaving her and Gareth to run Magic Club by themselves.

  Brandon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "If you insist on knowing, he's gone to the Sapphire Nation for the examination."

  "Oh really? When did he leave?"

  "You'll watch your tone young lady."

  She looked at her feet, her cheeks turning a slight pink.

  Brandon relaxed into his chair. "He left three days ago. He should arrive on Shinzo soon. Now, I have to get back to work. Is there anything else?"

  "No, thank you for telling me." Her voice betrayed the slightest hint of what caused her face to flush, but she left with her typical bounce, closing the door behind her.

  Brandon changed the inquiry on the first terminal from Ren to the missing prototype from Pearl Power and shifted his attention to the second terminal. Pearl Power's shares continued to drop. Apparently, he'd bought too soon and underestimated the public's fear. Or, they were allowing their personal hatred of Belfry Jr. to cloud their judgment. Either way it didn't matter. The decision had already been made—he placed another order for 10,000 shares and watched with glee as his position in the company grew to 12%.

  An encrypted message notification chimed on his second terminal screen.

  Headline read: I've got the power you seek.

  When the central network went online for the first time—leaving the confines of university labs—the engineers responsible led a vote to regulate the network as a public service. They'd argued that knowledge belonged to every citizen, and as such, access to that knowledge via their new network should be a right of every citizen. Repositories like the one Brandon oversaw popped up throughout the city, and within a generation everyone had free access to the central network.

  This led to a second vote where it was decided that every citizen had the right to encrypt their communications, drawing a line between public knowledge and privacy, and created the first caveat to the freedom of information. Headlines were visible on the network, but unless someone knew the access key-phrase, it was impossible for them read the actual message.

  I've got the power you seek.

  Brandon,

  It's good to see your name again. I doubt you remember me, but we were friends of sorts back in school. Before you became Mr. Everly and gained your high standings.

  It has come to my attention you're looking for a power source. A particular model which hasn't been used on the main grid yet.

  If you're interested in buying the device, respond to this message with a time and place, we can meet. If I like the way it looks, you'll see me. If not, you won't.

  -George

  Brandon racked his brain trying to remember before it came to him. George had been in his class until they were fourteen. He'd been a real trouble maker and got himself expelled after his petty crimes caught up to him. Last Brandon heard, George was sent to a labor camp on the Ice Plains.

  He must have done his time.

  Power Sounds Great

  George,

  I remember well, and you're correct that I'd like to acquire a fusion reactor prototype.

  Tomorrow night, at the old docks, fourth pier, four hours after source-light.

  I look forward to discussing this further.

  -Brandon

  CHAPTER THREE

  THE WATERS WERE CALM AS they sailed north. Three days passed and Ren thawed out his bones as the air grew warmer. Realization that the rest of the world wasn't nearly as cold as the Pearl Nation sunk in. Tomoko kept a close eye on Ren, but he was allowed full run of the ship, and used that freedom to watch the sailors. The way they moved in unison to hoist the sails and tie off knots intrigued him. Before the trip, he'd never given much thought to sailing or how dependent the Pearl Nation was on the goods brought in from the docks. With the magic gone they were an isolated nation, and if not for Capt. Kaito and other captains like him, they'd starve.

  The captain always gave Ren a warm smile when they crossed paths on deck, but aside from pleasantries they didn't speak. None of the sailors spoke to Ren, only Tomoko when he could. The isolation wore on him, and he grew eager to reach the Sapphire Nation. Pass or fail, he was ready to take the test and move forward.

  In the early morning of the fourth day Ren awoke to bells from the lookouts. They had spotted the first island of the Sapphire Nation. Through his window Ren saw the source-light hanging over the ocean, the water mirroring the light created the illusion of there being two source-lights.

  By the time Ren climbed atop the deck, all the sailors were standing in two neat lines, straight as rods. He'd never seen them stand at attention, they'd always been bustling about accomplishing their tasks.

  Ren climbed to the quarterdeck to stand with Tomoko. "What's happening?"

  "Wind's died."

  "What?"

  Tomoko pointed straight up, and Ren looked to the sails. They hung slack against the mast, instead of their normal pillow like posture from capturing the wind.

  "What do we do?" Ren was so close, it would devastate him to miss the examination.

  "Captain's gone to get an artifact." Tomoko pointed to where Capt. Kaito emerged from his quarters.

  The captain carried a blue gem the size of Ren's head, which rested in the center of a dark wooden bowl.

  "Is that really a sapphire?" Ren asked.

  "No," Tomoko said. "It's a special stone the Amethyst Nation trades with sea captains to create wind. Watch closely!"

  Ren forced his eyes wide open, fighting against the strain from the sun. He was going to see magic. Real magic. The kind he'd only read about in history books.

  Ren couldn't make out what the captain said, but he watched as Capt. Kaito raised the stone above his head, and a gust of wind brushed against Ren's cheeks. The sails filled with air and puffed back out to their normal size. The ship kicked forward, skipping over the first couple waves until it settled back into a normal speed.

  Behind Ren the first island of the Sapphire Nation—a tiny spit of land that looked more like a pile of sand than a real island—passed by the ship's hull and Tomoko said, "It's good to be home."

  Ren looked about for another island with signs of life rather than the small pile of dirt they'd just passed. "Where?"

  "Our nation is as large as the Emerald Fields, but spread out over t
he ocean in a myriad of islands." Tomoko clapped Ren on the shoulder. "Don't they teach you of the other nations in your schools?"

  "I've seen maps of the world, but I never realized how spread out the Sapphire Nation was. The Pearl Nation is small. We only have the one city, with a few research posts across the Ice Plains."

  Capt. Kaito yelled out orders, "Back to work! Get your asses top sail. Move, Move, Move!"

  "We'll speak later." Tomoko left Ren standing alone on the quarterdeck as he and his fellow sailors went to work.

  The captain saw Ren and waved him over.

  "What do you think of the Sapphire Nation?" Capt. Kaito asked.

  "I'm not sure, sir. I've only seen the one island."

  "Damn land lovers." He chuckled, his deep laugh shaking Ren. "Look to the water, it changes colors once we pass the first islands. It's how we know we're home. If you were to dive underneath the ocean's waves, you'd find long reef chains of every color imaginable. More fish than you could count in a lifetime live below us amongst those sunken islands. My father was a great fisherman and taught me to sail, from the moment I could walk."

  Ren listened to the captain. Something changed in him as the ship sped towards the capital. His stern demeanor gave way to a merry smile, and his voice softened. His orders to his crew were kind rather than demanding.

  When the source-light reached mid arc, the captain offered the stone to Ren. "We're making great time, care to try?"

  "I don't know how." Ren protested. The last thing he wanted was to wreck the ship.

  The captain laughed. "You'll do fine. Worst that'll happen is the wind will die and I'll have to start it up again."

  Ren put his hands out hesitantly.

  "Truth is, holding this stone all day gets tiring. I could use a break." Capt. Kaito dropped the bowl into Ren's hands.

  The bowl was heavier than expected, and Ren nearly dropped it, but saved it at the last moment before lifting it above his head to balance it.

  Capt. Kaito spoke between laughter. "You don't have to hold it so high."

  Ren brought the bowl down and cradled it against his chest with both arms. "Now what?"

  "Think north." Capt. Kaito said.

  Ren thought of north and felt the wind pick up against his back.

  "Woah!" Tomoko said from overhead. "Did he do that?"

  "Let's find out." Capt. Kaito said. He pointed to the horizon in front of Ren. "That's north east, where the capital island is. I want you to focus your wind on that spot on the horizon and think north east."

  Ren focused on the horizon, ignoring the burning sensation in the back of his eyes from the sun. "North east, north east, north east . . ." he muttered under his breath. Nothing.

  But as the captain reached for the bowl, the wind picked up and the ship's nose tilted down into the waves as they swung starboard and settled into a north by north east direction.

  "Well, well," Capt. Kaito said. "I think we might have a real sorcerer on deck."

  Tomoko dropped from fifteen feet in the air and landed in a crouch next to Ren. The sudden shock caused him to lose focus, and the wind died.

  Capt. Kaito took the bowl back from Ren. "That's enough for now." A hearty laugh erupted from him, which put Ren at ease.

  The wind picked back up before the sails had time to deflate.

  "Have you ever used a wind stone before?" Tomoko asked.

  "No." Ren wiped the sweat from his eyes.

  "I'm impressed." Tomoko said. "It took me nearly six months to learn how."

  "Nine for me," Capt. Kaito offered. "You're special boy. Those diplomats may have known what they were saying when they sent you on this trip."

  "Aye." Tomoko added.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  COLD WINDS OFF THE ICE PLAINS blew in from the south, turning the humid air of the port city into ice and snow. Brandon bundled himself tighter into his coat and pulled up his heavy hood over his wool knit hat which already protected his ears. It was nights like this that killed men in the streets.

  Brandon doubted George would turn up. It had already been fifteen minutes. He was just about to leave when a short man limped out of the shadows of an alley.

  "Had to make sure we weren't being watched," George offered in lieu of a greeting.

  "I understand, but it's damn cold. Let's talk quickly."

  George's coat-hood barely reached Brandon's chin, and as he stepped closer, Brandon smelled the pungent odor of a man who didn't bathe.

  "How much are you offering for the reactor?"

  In the lamplight, Brandon could see that George's teeth had turned black from decay, and his breath reeked worse than his body. Brandon looked up to the complete blackness of the night sky and breathed what fresh air he could to clear his nose of the stench.

  "Three-hundred thousand credits. Provided the reactor hasn't been damaged."

  George twitched at the price and his hood slipped back enough to give Brandon a clear view of his eyes—powder pink. There was no doubt—George was a dust head. Brandon knew all too well about the harms of "spirit dust", as addicts called it. In truth, it was a slurry of cleaning chemicals and electronic sludge. A powerful cocktail which offered the user a euphoric experience and, in higher doses, complete hallucinations.

  While illegal to sell, there were no regulations about consuming spirit dust. Every citizen was free to ruin their lives as they saw fit—the average spirit dust user was dead within five years.

  George seemed to regain control of himself and pulled his hood up. "Three-hundred isn't enough. We were offered seven-hundred from the man who set up the heist."

  An inside job?

  "Who set up the heist?"

  "Don't know." George never stopped fidgeting. "We never met him. He sent us coded messages and a small upfront payment. He provided all the details, we were the bodies."

  "How many of you were involved?"

  "I'm no rat!"

  Brandon raised his hands in apology. "Just curious. Like I said, if the reactor is intact, I'll pay. I can go as high as Five-hundred thousand."

  George's eyes bounced left to right repetitively, as he weighed Brandon's offer. One of the worst side effects of spirit dust—or lack thereof—was addicts never lost the use of their intellect. If anything, dust heightened it. A common duster story claimed spirit dust was developed by a mathematician attempting to make a clean stimulant he could use to focus for days at a time. Technically, spirit dust would allow the user to focus for days, but addiction quickly set in, and they lost nearly all impulse control.

  "I think we can accept that." George whispered.

  Brandon couldn't tell if the statement was meant for him. "Do we have a deal?" He reached his gloved hand out to shake.

  "I have to run it by my crew, but I think we have a deal." He shook Brandon's hand, and for a moment George looked like any other upstanding citizen. "Damn fucker left us with no option. Hasn't responded to our messages since the heist. We ran out of credits today. Any chance we can get an advance? A sign of good faith?"

  Brandon weighed his options. There was a good chance this was a scam and George didn't have the reactor, but on the off chance he had stolen it, Brandon needed to keep him happy. He unzipped his coat and pulled out a wallet from his inner pocket. Inside were three translucent, plastic sheets, worth 500 credits each. He handed all three to George and made sure to let him see the wallet was empty, before putting it away and zipping his coat back up. He breathed hot air into the top of his coat, to push out the cold which slipped in during the exchange.

  Pull this off and I'll be the most powerful man in the city.

  "When can I pick up the reactor?"

  George's pink eyes locked on Brandon's and for a moment it looked like he'd attack. "I'll message you in a day or two if the others agree to sell."

  "You'll not get a better offer."

  George stepped closer, and his odor accosted Brandon again. "Are you threatening me?"

  "Of course not." Brandon stepped ba
ck, hands held up. "I'm just telling you that I can't go any higher. Five-hundred thousand is everything I have. I'll probably have to take a loan out to come up with that." A lie, but a necessary one. The meeting needed to end.

  "Two, three days max you'll hear from me."

  George didn't wait for him to respond—twitching his head left to right, he slipped back into the shadows of the alley he'd come from.

  500,000 was negligible compared to what Brandon invested in shares of Pearl Power, though it was enough to buy two or three more houses. He took a deep breath, savoring the clean salt air. Billows of steam engulfed his head as he exhaled, and the wind died, leaving behind an icy-sauna.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  REN SPENT THE REST OF the day resting in his quarters while the crew prepared crates in the hold. They'd unload several tons of cargo crates once docked.

  "Lower sails," Capt. Kaito called out over the sounds of creaking wood.

  Ren stored his portable terminal in his trunk and locked its clasps for security. After a quick double check to ensure he packed all of his belongings—what little they were—Ren hoisted the trunk from under his cot and made his way to the deck. During his four days at sea, he'd earned his sea legs through and through, so he had no problem to carrying his trunk through the hold and up the stairs, in spite of the ship rocking against the waves.

  Ren stopped at the top of the stairs, struck by the beauty of the Sapphire Nation's capital city. He'd always been impressed by the Pearl Nation's docks back home, but they were tiny by comparison. Over thirty large cargo ships like the one he was on floated comfortably in the bay, and an uncountable number of smaller fishing boats easily slipped between the ships as they came and went.

  The island had beautiful beaches with sand as white as the permafrost on the Ice Plains. A stone wall set back from the beach showed weathering from centuries of the tide coming in, with an occasional repaired stone amongst the older ones. Atop the stone wall were long stretches wooden stalls connected to one another, where merchants offered goods to sailors.