by Jeremy Dwyer
At this, he took Nerine by the arm and circulated the flames around both of them, at a distance, for her safety. By this surrounding flame, they were both elevated and they floated out of the castle window, far inland, and far away from the storm raging near the northern coast. They came to rest in a dry place, in the interior of the continent of Waderav. There, they were safe from the tempest.
CHAPTER 30: Whispering of the Dangers from Beyond
On Udovedaj-Pren Island, in the Ikkith Tar Ocean, Lady Ismene was now left alone among the towers that made up the Temple of the Sky’s Nine (9) Kings. There were nine (9) extremely tall blue towers, which, she imagined, corresponded to the nine (9) blue suns in the sky. She saw that there were many more – she counted twenty-four (24) – yellow towers, which were not quite as tall. These, she presumed, corresponded to the twenty-four (24) yellow suns, despite the fact that there were only twenty-three (23) since the sunfire creature came down. She wondered if he was still on land, or had gone somewhere else. He was terrifyingly dangerous to face, but not knowing where he was could also be dangerous, should he appear by surprise. Lastly, she counted thirty-seven (37) red towers, which she thought, by the same line of reasoning, corresponded to the thirty-seven (37) red suns. They were all crystal, and one could see into them, where energies danced around in mysterious ways. It was an impressive sight, and quite enchanting. However, Lady Ismene didn’t let them cast a spell over her – she knew that the towers were extremely dangerous, and to stare into them thoughtlessly, or for too long, would be an act of surrender to the evil powers that were to be found within.
Lady Ismene was not a stranger to the suns, despite not being a drinker of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean. She could not predict the motions by her direct powers, yet she knew that the movements of the red suns and blue suns could be calculated numerically. She was definitely not a mathematician; instead, she consulted books with tables of numbers and diagrams of the suns’ positions and could follow these to know where they would go and where they had been. The suns were sources of heat and light, as well as a burning sickness during the days of the inferno, which had fortunately ended. The suns were of the kingdom of the sky, which connected with the spirit world in strange ways. This was what was of interest to her. By the powers of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean, which she did drink, she was able to see many occurrences in the spirit world, and she could see connections between the spirit and material worlds, as well as between the spirit world and the sky kingdom. She could hear messages from spirits, and speak to them properly.
The suns of the kingdom of the sky were not mortal, so they were not separated into material and spiritual parts as were people. Rather, the suns were a different kind of energy that affected both the material and spiritual worlds. The suns occasionally did battle with the spirits, being rivals for power. The suns were quite alive and dangerous, and she feared the conflict. The battle was not constant – at times, the suns could shine down on hidden evil spirits, or guide good ones to a proper resting place. Life outside the material world was quite complex – it had its share of good and evil, and of conflicts and strange alliances, as well.
Lady Ismene drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from a vial she carried. She was energized and became more sensitive to the spirit world as a result. She walked around the area and looked at the towers of the Temple of the Sky’s Nine (9) Kings with clearer eyes. She was searching for a sign that the sunfire creature that had called itself Prince Kirdothet might have returned without her having noticed. She was also searching for a sign that any conflict was going on within those towers. She sensed neither, but that didn’t mean that she sensed nothing: a presence in the spirit world nearby was undeniable.
Lady Ismene heard a voice speak: "Stars beyond the sky's nine (9) kings, in the great beyond they live; ever-burning soulless things; death is what dark giants give. Underground find tragedy; the eye to see the outer fire. Sail across the master sea, to the city of evil dire. Enigmatic are its ways; Higher minds seek truth above. Riddles number more than days; demons offer endless love."
“What spirit is this?” Lady Ismene asked.
“A voice from beyond where the spirit meets the sun. At the borderlands of both, where the war is never done. No victory will ever be achieved by either side. Fire and spirit are eternal, like the ebb and flow of tide,” a voice said.
“Do you have a name, spirit?” Lady Ismene asked.
“Why is my name what you must ask? Do you wish to bind me to a task?” the voice asked.
Lady Ismene knew that names could be used to bind spirits to tasks, and that they were not apt to give them too freely, so as to avoid inappropriate burdens.
“I have no task for you. If your message is a warning, and the warning is true, then it is wisdom that I should share,” Lady Ismene said.
“Prove your intent, that I should remain free. Write your promise that I should see,” the voice said.
Lady Ismene picked up a small stick that was on the forested island and wrote in the dirt: “I shall not bind this spirit to whom I now speak.”
“Your promise is noted, yet that shall not suffice. Your need for my name must be proven twice,” the voice said.
“Yet, those to whom I give the message will ask where it is from. The message is not from me,” Lady Ismene said.
“They need not know a name or source; truth is clear by thought on proper course,” the voice said.
“Some are cautiously clever, and will say that the message could be of a demon who is seeking to spread fear,” Lady Ismene said.
“I am no demon or angel indeed. I once had bone and flesh that could bleed,” the voice said.
“Then I wish to know your name, or a title that you hold, by which they can trust in your wisdom,” Lady Ismene said.
“The Prince of Stargazers spoke wisdom to hear, of dangers great and ancient and near,” the voice said.
“Are you an ancient spirit?” Lady Ismene asked.
“I was a mortal, in ancient days. Upon other stars I once did gaze,” the voice said.
“What can you tell me of these other stars?” Lady Ismene asked.
“I watched the suns in their paths. There are more than you know. Colors beyond these three (3). In days long lost, whose secrets are kept, not even written, in the true city,” the voice said.
“The true city is Emeth, is it not, spirit?” Lady Ismene asked.
“Beware the hate, without limit it burns, within a mortal’s boastful mind. Love is professed for multitudes to see, yet many worlds he shall bind,” the voice said.
“Who is this hate-filled mortal of whom you speak?” Lady Ismene asked.
“I have told you enough, your own thoughts you must think. Delve into mysteries by the waters you drink,” the voice said.
“Please tell me more, spirit. What of the master sea of which you spoke? What of the city of evil dire can you tell me?” Lady Ismene asked.
No answer came, however.
Lady Ismene could sense that the spirit had left.
Lady Ismene was concerned by the enigmatic message that the so-called “Prince of Stargazers” had delivered. She had no idea what his title even meant, as she had never heard it before. The city of Emeth might have that answer, so she considered going there to study it. She began to walk away from the towers of the temple and looked for a way off of the island, but she reached the coast and did not see a boat.
She did, however, see a bright light and approached it.
~~~
Renato arrived at the coast of Udovedaj-Pren Island – by floating on an iceberg – after his escape from the battle against Victoria. The storm had calmed, but the calm of the waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean which surrounded the island was not a clear one: the usual visual distortions caused by the “dark waters” made navigation difficult. Renato, however, was prepared. He drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean and was energized. He could bend and create his own light, and he took the ambient light o
f the red and blue suns above and bent and even amplified it and directed it. For many miles around, the light could be seen. He hoped that it would catch the attention of a ship out at sea.
He didn’t count on the light catching the attention of a little old woman.
~~~
Lady Ismene saw a man standing on the coast of the island, and a light shone forth from him, and reached far in many directions. She didn’t see a lantern or torch in his hands, so she inferred that he had the powers of light, which meant that he was a drinker of the Lujladia Ocean waters.
“Please tell me that you are looking for a way off of this island,” Lady Ismene said as she approached.
“Indeed. Whatever might be here, more pressing matters call me away from this island,” the man said.
“I am Ismene. I came here to this island to stand against the evil of the Ahitan woman. I found other evils, yet I did not confront her,” Lady Ismene said.
“I did battle with that woman, and struck a blow against her. Yet, she departed and I withdrew. Despite her wound, I believe that she is still strong. I cannot know how strong, however,” Renato said.
“Did she have the tiara?” Lady Ismene asked.
“She wore a band of blue jewels around her head. If that is the tiara, then the answer is yes,” Renato said. He was almost sure it was.
“You are a man with the powers of light on an island in the ocean of darkness. Did you come here hoping to find the Ahitan woman and do battle against her yet again?” Lady Ismene asked.
“This island was not my destination. I traveled upon the dark sea expecting to find her there. I had warning, as did the world. Yet, I came at the proper time, and saw the enemy clearly upon the waters,” Renato said. His original intent was to acquire the tiara, but he was not prepared to tell her that, as it would make him appear as an enemy. Renato saw that Victoria was evil, and was using the tiara in terrible ways. To say that he was searching for it might suggest that he also had evil intentions.
~~~
In the distance, a ship sailing upon the Ikkith Tar Ocean saw the light and approached the island.
~~~
“I see a ship in the distance. Escape from this island is at hand for both of us,” Renato said, as he had the power of far sight, also due to the light bending powers given him by the Lujladia Ocean waters that he drank.
“Who are you that I may thank you for your assistance in leaving this place?” Lady Ismene asked.
“I am Renato. Servant of Countess Genevieve of Waderav,” Renato said.
“Did the countess send you to defeat the Ahitan woman so as to protect her territory?” Lady Ismene asked.
“She sent me to protect her interests,” Renato said.
Lady Ismene did not know what that meant, but she realized that he answered a different question from what she asked. Not wishing to upset him by pressing the matter, she changed the subject.
“In your battle against the Ahitan woman, did you see a weakness to her that might be exploited?” Lady Ismene asked.
“I saw great strength. She stood upon the deck of a ship which was armed with cannons. She was surrounded by guards – some having the powers of light and others the power of darkness – and many were armed with arrows, others with swords. She commanded the very waters, and brought waves and wind of deadly force. Then, she brought a terrible and icy cold. Many died as a result of the tempest she caused,” Renato said.
“Then it is true that the tiara is as terrible as we were warned,” Lady Ismene said.
“Her servants could see great distances, and they called out in triumph to announce many deaths caused by the storm waters that she stirred against distant lands,” Renato said.
“You said that you struck her and escaped,” Lady Ismene said.
“I thrust a dagger into her heart. She called out in pain after the blow, yet she did not die before my eyes. I escaped by leaping off of her ship and onto an iceberg, as my ship had been destroyed. Her own ship then disappeared. By which power it vanished, I cannot be sure,” Renato said.
“She will have to be wounded many times before she dies. A demon protects her,” Lady Ismene said.
“Those many wounds must be dealt soon and quickly. Time is short and her powers are great. No doubt, many more have died since I saw her. I fear that many more will yet die,” Renato said.
“The tiara must be taken from her and destroyed, regardless of her own fate,” Lady Ismene said.
~~~
The ship arrived and its captain rescued both Renato and Lady Ismene from the island. Renato drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from his vial and was energized. He then helped the ship’s captain to navigate across the dark waters ocean by using his own powers of light.
During their voyage, Lady Ismene thought back to the warnings she received from the spirit which called itself the ‘Prince of Stargazers’, and she considered what they might mean. She found it interesting that he claimed the existence of other stars. That was a fascinating mystery in and of itself. In this world, however, fascinating usually also meant extremely dangerous.
She also thought of the woman who was a descendant of the Ahitan Empire – Victoria – who was a terrible threat, according to what Renato was telling her. The powers that Victoria had over the ocean waters, according to Renato’s account, made her deadly. The waters gave all powers, and the Ahitan were known mass murderers from the ancient days, even without the power that the tiara gave them over the oceans.
Worse still, Lady Ismene knew that the spirit was speaking of yet another enemy when he said “Beware the hate, without limit it burns,” as the hateful one was a male, and not a female. The spirit said that one would bind many worlds, and did not make any reference to Victoria, suggesting that the hateful one would be worse.
Lady Ismene wished that she could stop counting troubles there, but she went on to remember the sunfire creature who called itself Prince Kirdothet, as she remembered. That was still another horror she did not wish to dwell upon.
She stopped herself, and thought of just how this world was overflowing with horrors, and how she had solutions for absolutely none of them. She was getting older, and, while she still had great power in the spirit world, she was but a single person, against many threats and mysteries. She could only hope that the powers of the world would mount an adequate response against the water and fire.
Lady Ismene puzzled over the meaning of the “city of evil dire” which was yet another frightening mention she could not explain, but that was a place, rather than an actively attacking evil force. For now, at least, she regarded it as a mystery, rather than as a threat to worry about.
The city of Emeth might have the answer, and she might be able to find it in her studies. However, she didn’t know if she could get there in the storms that Victoria was using the tiara to create.
Lady Ismene then remembered the so-called “Torches of Majesty,” and how they made it clear that they were enemies of Victoria. They were almost certainly dangerous, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t bring about some good if they could crush the Ahitan woman before she destroyed the world. She wondered where they might have gone, but could not feel them through the spirit world, despite her finely tuned senses. They were not spirits, however, so her powers had little bearing on them.
Renato considered how he might find another opportunity to strike at Victoria, and possibly survive the ordeal. He also wondered about the fate of Countess Genevieve, and doubted that, despite the woman’s cleverness, she could survive a tempest summoned by Victoria’s use of the tiara.
CHAPTER 31: Taming of the Tiger by Song
The Persistent arrived in the air over the edge of the Colossal March Warpath, north of the Nabavodel Ocean. The waters and winds were raging rapidly and powerfully. All on board believed that they had arrived at Victoria’s battleground, rather than at the occurrence of a natural storm.
“We can’t fly into this storm. The ship is not that powerful,�
�� General Joshua said.
“We can fly around it, perhaps, and look for a calm,” Emerond suggested.
“Victoria is almost certainly in the center of the tempest. Going to the other side will waste time without getting us any closer to her,” Romana said.
“We actually have to stop this storm to find her,” Judith then said.
“There’s a brilliant idea. Too bad she has the supposedly all-powerful tiara and decides when the storm starts and stops,” Emerond said.
“Maybe a song would be powerful enough?” Ovid asked. He remembered the power of Daven’s previous song.
“Maybe it will – at least in a small area around us, I can hope. Let me see what I can say,” Daven said. At this, he drank anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean from his vial. He was energized and searched for the proper words. These came to him and he began to sing:
Let this storm be ended.
May the world be given rest.
Let the raging waters cease,
And hatred be made to leave.
Let this storm be ended.
May the calm now return.
Let the raging waters cease.
The peace we lost we must retrieve.
(Refrain)
Break this tempest…its violence must be no more.
Bring tranquility…to a world that needs no war.
Let this storm be ended.
Let the land be safe and dry.
Let the raging waters cease.
This pain we must relieve.
Let this storm be ended.
Let the sky be clear instead.
Let the raging waters cease.
From this horror we seek a reprieve.
(Refrain)
Let this storm be ended.
Let the oceans be still once more.
Let the raging waters cease.
Banish those who kill and deceive.
Let this storm be ended.
