by Jeremy Dwyer
“We could use some more music, any time, especially now,” Alistair said.
“Music speaks to the soul,” Stephan said, strumming his lyre again.
“Music is but a whisper to a spirit. The Zovvin waters take one directly to the spirit world, and speak the clearest messages, loud enough to be heard,” Carter said.
“No one who hears true music can resist its power. It says what words can’t,” Stephan said, playing a few notes on his lyre, quite beautifully, to help make his point.
“Do not underestimate the powers of the spirit world. Music can move the material world, but ghosts and demons are beyond your reach,” Carter said.
“All effects are vectors. They have direction and magnitude: the wind, songs, the water and the suns. The magnitude that exists depends on the strength of the wind, the purity of the water, the sequence of musical notes, or the heat of the suns. The direction in which they are applied determines how much of the magnitude gives its effect. A light shining at an angle has less heat intensity than one directly shining upon a target. Sailing in a zigzag puts the wind at an angle, making it easier to sail into,” Tomiko said.
“Clever old man, you are. I’ll bet you find everything you look for,” Alistair said. However, he was perhaps thirty-five (35) times older than Tomiko, and had no basis for calling him old.
“Unfortunately, not always,” Tomiko said, humbly.
“We’ve gone looking for musical instruments before. There was a flute, but we never found it,” Nina said.
“A flute? What of it?” Alistair asked. He remembered a certain flute from long ago.
“The Ozileran Flute. It was made out of human bone and black diamond,” Nina said, with a look of disgust on her face.
“It was said to be able to call spirits. I want to see that for myself,” Carter said.
“That sounds familiar. I remember coming across a flute that had an interesting name. I was its caretaker for a while, and made sure it was protected, and arrived safely,” Alistair said.
“What flute was this?” Tomiko asked, slightly interested, but the sought-after harp was his current concern.
“It had a strange feel to it, and had dark stones on it. They told me never to play it, but I’m no musician, so that wasn’t a worry. I had to drop it off, and move quickly. I hired a few ships – very expensive ships. But I was paid enough that I still turned a small profit,” Alistair said.
“Who paid you?” Tomiko asked, now very interested.
“King Myvex-Bazavador the Thirty-Ninth. He paid me to take it to a safe place,” Alistair said.
“King Myvex-Bazavador the Thirty-Ninth ruled over twelve-hundred fifty (1250) years ago. He was a violent king, who consorted with witches and occult priests. He was known to indulge in human sacrifice to call for demonic favors. And you’re saying you worked for him?!” Tomiko said, surprised, and genuinely worried about the sanity of anyone who would have gotten involved with such a terrible ruler.
“I help when I can, if an arrangement can be made,” Alistair said.
“Well, it sounds like you’ve been having fun for a long while. So, who’s the old man here, now?” Nina asked, referencing Alistair’s earlier comment and his now openly admitted long life.
“Working for murderers puts you in the gravest of danger, and you might share in their guilt. Human sacrifices and demonic favors are real – and the soul is placed in even more danger than the body,” Carter said. Carter was not a history expert like Tomiko, but he was familiar with the occult traditions.
“All I knew was that I needed to take the flute to a temple. I had to be quick, and they paid,” Alistair said.
“Where is this temple? Can you give us directions to it?” Nina asked Alistair.
“Let’s leave that for another time. Can you take us to Javanda? We’ll pay you, of course,” Tomiko asked.
“Why Javanda?” Alistair asked.
“We need to buy a new ship. Their shipyards produce the highest quality,” Tomiko said.
“I can take you to the flute myself. I think I remember enough,” Alistair said.
Yared, by the powers of the Elanatin Ocean waters within him, then stared into Alistair’s mind and began probing to see if the old man was being honest, and if his memories were intact. He learned that, despite Alistair’s fifty (50) year old healthy appearance, Alistair was actually seventeen hundred eighty-six (1786) years old, sustained by the Ursegan Ocean waters, and his mind was filled with treachery and trouble. He also found that Alistair had his eyes on Nina, and was hoping to make a move. Yared had no concern for this, but he did find that what Alistair said about the flute was true, and that he remembered enough to narrow their search for it.
“It would save us time to hire Alistair for transport,” Yared said.
“Then we’ll be going now?” Alistair asked.
“The flute is interesting. But we were hired to find the harp, and that is our present commitment,” Tomiko said.
“What is this harp?” Alistair asked.
“The harp is, I believe, the answer to a riddle about the location of an ancient artifact,” Tomiko said.
“Riddles! How fascinating! I’ve always loved those. What is the riddle?” Alistair asked.
Tomiko was clever, not trusting. However, Alistair was clearly a long-lived man, despite his fifty (50) year old appearance, and Tomiko thought that he may know something else of relevance. On a gamble, he said: “The riddle is this: For all of time, the music plays. It haunts my night, it lights my days. My soul it stirs, my heart it steals. Of stars, the treasure it reveals.”
“Haunts. That could mean spirits. The Zovvin Ocean. But wait! Stars means the Atrejan Ocean. Then there’s music, which means the Pirovalen Ocean. That’s it!” Alistair said, excitedly.
“That’s your answer? That sounds more like three (3) guesses,” Tomiko said.
“The Scholar’s Path is along the Pirovalen Ocean. It’s the southern land bridge off of Emeth. That’s where I took the flute,” Alistair said.
“I know where the Scholar’s Path is. How does that help us with the harp?” Tomiko asked.
“I’m not sure, but you said you were looking for a flute before. I took it to a temple, and the temple had fountains inside of it. They were overhead fountains, with the water streams pouring into the floor,” Alistair said.
“That still doesn’t help us find the harp,” Tomiko said.
“I remember that the water rushing from the fountain sounded more like musical notes than splashing water,” Alistair said.
“That sounds like a musical instrument made out of water,” Stephan said, interrupting.
“Are you sure that the music was coming from the fountain?” Tomiko asked.
“As far as I remember. Then, I had to leave, in a hurry, in the dark,” Alistair said.
“Why?” Tomiko asked.
“They told me not be noticed, so I went at night, and had to get out by night,” Alistair said.
“A musical fountain of streams of water falling from the ceiling could be considered a harp, of sorts. I’m starting to think this might actually be relevant. Maybe we should go with you,” Tomiko said.
Nina looked around and saw that the current vessel did have double-masted sails with pivots. “This is an airship, right? Let’s set our course, shall we?” Nina asked.
“We will pay your expenses, plus a ten (10) percent share of our profits,” Tomiko said.
“It was in the mountains, in the middle of the land bridge,” Alistair said.
They were still in the Elanatin Ocean, but now they were located off the eastern coast of the land bridge known as the Dark Platinum Road, and the water and wind had both calmed greatly, as the tempest had ended.
“Convert to an airship. Set a course for the Scholar’s Path,” Alistair ordered his crew.
At this, Alistair’s hired crew of the Escapade converted the ship to an airship, pivoting the three sixty-five (65) foot high double masts to the sides o
f the ships such that the sails became wings. They rose to one hundred twenty (120) feet in altitude and sailed southwest over the Dark Platinum Road land bridge and southwest over the continent of Baradaxa and returned to sea level in the Medathero Ocean.
From there, they traveled south until reaching the land bridge known as the Colossal March Warpath, known for an army of one hundred (100) foot tall colossal stone warriors – numbering over twelve million (12000000) – that appeared to be frozen in a military march formation. That land bridge extended northeast from the Emeth land bridge and toward the Crypt Trail, another land bridge which extended south from the southern tip of the continent of Baradaxa to the northwestern corner of the continent of Volaraden. Alistair’s crew converted the Escapade to its airship mode, elevated it to one hundred twenty (120) feet of altitude and traveled south over the Colossal March Warpath, returning to sea level in the Ursegan Ocean. From there, they sailed south toward the Scholar’s Path land bridge.
Along the way, Nina had her eyes on the Chronicler, Caemgen. She moved closer to him, and looked into his eyes.
He had been dutifully recording all that he heard and saw into his book. When Nina approached, she waited for him to stop writing and kissed him passionately on the lips. He did not push her away, but accepted her advances. Caemgen felt mild desire for her, as he had the physique of a twenty-two (22) year old, because of the time-slowing effects of the Ursegan Ocean waters he drank.
“Enough excitement for you?” Nina said, coyly.
“The storm was a form of excitement. As is your treasure hunt. All were recorded,” Caemgen said.
“I hope you find me to be a better adventure. One that ends well,” Nina said, attempting a seduction.
“Adventures – being stories of our lives – should never end. They must be allowed to go on, as does life, and be recorded accurately,” Caemgen said. He was referring to his commitment to the Chronicler’s Oath, and his long life of recording various events into his books. He did, however, realize that Nina had a more carnal intention and meaning to her words.
Nina was not an easy-to-please woman, but the sight of the overly handsome young Chronicler found and kept her attention. Nina was reserved with most men, and did not have any lovers, as she wanted a man who appealed to her, and would be enduring. She hoped for children while she was still young enough to bear them, and a healthy young Chronicler – she knew his age to be four hundred twenty-three (423) – would be just the one to last a long time. Any children she might have with him would at least have a father long after she passed on in her mortal years. She followed the stars closely, but had no expectation of long life beyond a century, as the Atrejan Ocean waters she drank didn’t grant that.
“I want our story to go on as long as it can,” Nina said.
“By the Chronicler’s Oath, I can do nothing to interfere – I will allow the story to unfold, and to reveal itself,” Caemgen said.
“It’s going to reveal itself,” Nina said, and her words were filled with innuendo. She kissed him on the lips, and he simply allowed it, but did not fail to enjoy it, either. She was very attractive and could awaken his latent desires on occasion. They had only been with each other for three (3) months now, but she was planning on taking him, once she was sure that he would be reliable.
“What will happen will be noted carefully. The outcome is not mine to decide, however,” Caemgen said.
“If we have a child together, will you decide to stay?” Nina asked, as she was concerned about his openness to commitment, and was trying to test him.
Caemgen looked at her and asked: “Is there something more which I do not know?” He had not – yet – had physical relations with her.
Nina wondered if the young Chronicler had much in the way of emotion, but she burned to taste of his physical attributes. She was chaste – not for a lack of womanly desire, of which she had plenty, but only because poor selection of a partner on her part could create an entanglement that would be bad for her and any children that she might have with the man.
“More to the point, is there something more that I don’t know? That, I intend to find out,” Nina said.
CHAPTER 27: Memory of a Song of Love
On board the Persistent, Joshua was carefully watching the glowing blue lines of the Spirit Sword and directing the crew to make adjustments in their course according to the shifting directions of those lines. As the ship – in airship mode – traveled over the land and the oceans, he and the crew were occupied by looking for signs of a tempest caused by Victoria and her tiara.
However, Emerond was otherwise preoccupied. He thought back to the song My Future Is, although he remembered mostly that repeated phrase and the emotion of the song, rather than the rest of the lyrics or the tune, which had all but left him. He felt a growing romantic interest in the girl who sang it – but he wasn’t sure if the memory was real or merely a dream. He had dated few women while studying as a youth, and never came close to forming a permanent relationship.
On the deck of the ship, Emerond took Romana aside, and said to her: “Before we left, while Revod was still under siege by the sunfire creature, something interesting happened.”
“What do you mean by ‘interesting’? What exactly happened?” Romana asked.
“I was visited – at night, while I slept – by an attractive young woman. She sang to me,” Emerond said.
“How did someone visit you while you slept? Are you saying there was an intruder?” Romana asked.
“Yes. I believe so. Somehow she came to me and sang a song,” Emerond said.
Judith and Ovid both overheard this and began recording the details in their books. Emerond and Romana barely noticed them.
Daven listened from several feet away – his own hearing was acute, as a result of the Pirovalen Ocean waters which he drank. They multiplied his connection to sound – not only could he sing powerfully, but he could hear song, as well as speech, at a greater distance and very clearly.
“Your quarters are in the military academy – a fortified castle. Was the woman who sang to you a familiar face? She may have been one of the officers or cadets who had an attraction to you. That would have made it easier to enter your quarters,” Romana said.
“No. I didn’t recognize her. She was no cadet or officer,” Emerond said.
“You’re sure about that?” Romana asked.
“I reviewed my cadets and officers. She was none of them,” Emerond said.
“Aside from the matter of intrusion, are this woman and her song important to you?” Romana asked.
“Yet, I sometimes think that I wasn’t visited at all – that it was just a dream,” Emerond said.
“If you believe that it’s a dream, then why did you mention it? And why did you already look to see if you could find her?” Romana asked.
“Because the song was…is…impossible to forget. It was powerful, and alluring. It was an invitation to be with her,” Emerond said.
“What was the song?” Romana asked.
“I don’t remember much of it – feelings, mostly, and a few words,” Emerond said.
“What were the words?” Romana asked.
“’My Future Is.’ And she said them several times,” Emerond said.
“That’s all you remember?” Romana asked.
“She was saying that her future is with me. There was some line about crossing ‘the great divide’ and ‘creating a new life within’,” Emerond said.
“She sounds like she wants to have your children and you don’t even know who she is,” Romana said, surprised.
“Yes, that’s what it sounds like. It doesn’t make sense, I know, but I keep thinking about it,” Emerond said.
Daven then interrupted, asking: “What did the singing woman look like? Can you describe her?”
“She was younger than me. With short hair, a small build. But it was at night, and I was only half-awake, if that,” Emerond said, annoyed with himself for not having been more quiet, but
they were at war and he couldn’t go into seclusion just to discuss personal feelings.
Daven wasn’t sure – this description could fit someone he knew, but he was afraid to make any suggestions based on such a vague set of details.
“I’m not sure who it might be,” Daven said.
“Do any of the lyrics I mentioned give you an idea of who it could be?” Emerond asked.
“Not really. I need the melody of the song to say that it’s close enough to the style of any singer I know. Just having a few lyrics is not enough,” Daven said.
“I can’t remember half of the lyrics. I definitely don’t remember the music,” Emerond said.
“I will say that the fact that you remembered any of the song while you weren’t fully awake makes me think that it was well-performed. Songs can be influential, and the singer may even have been using the powers of the Pirovalen waters to leave a lasting impression,” Daven said.
“In that case, it may have been real rather than a dream. It could be that the woman was trying to seduce you with a powerful song,” Romana said.
“Why seduce me? I’m so involved with the upkeep of the defenses of my region of the empire that I don’t have time to give to a relationship,” Emerond said.
“Precisely. You’re in a powerful position. Your children could be used by their mother to control you, and thereby control a part of the empire,” Romana said.
“Then again, it is also possible that the woman does have genuine affection for you and had no better way of expressing it,” Daven said.
“So she entered my quarters, uninvited, to sing to me while I was barely awake? She would have needed the cover of darkness – the help of a skilled spy – to get past the guards,” Emerond asked, surprised.
“People who have great ability in music can also be very passionate – they often are – and be willing to go to great lengths to express their emotions. They may even take dangerous risks, just to articulate their feelings,” Daven said.
“Hiring a spy and infiltrating the castle is more than passion – it sounds like precision, and that suggests a military maneuver,” Emerond said.
