by Jeremy Dwyer
Let serenity be the way.
Let the raging waters cease.
In calm oceans we believe.
(Refrain)
The storm waters and winds then calmed. All were amazed.
Judith and Ovid both wrote these events in their books – including the song lyrics and a rough outline of the music – and stared almost in disbelief. They knew that the tiara could command the oceans to rage. Despite this, Daven’s song stopped the storm – not just for a short distance, but as far as the eye could see, for a great many miles or hundreds (100) of miles, for all they knew.
“I’m sorry I didn’t believe it could be done. I thought it was too much to ask. Now I barely believe my eyes,” Emerond said.
“Your voice is greater than nearly every sword or arrow I’ve ever seen,” Joshua said.
“Your voice is a gift from God, Who is immeasurably more powerful than any storm or the demon who enabled it,” Romana said.
~~~
Hidden in the spirit world, even Lavakara was highly impressed by the song’s power to stop the entire storm as far as the eye could see. He saw Daven as an immensely powerful singer who should not be underestimated. As the singer was acting against a mutual enemy, he was not a threat to Lavakara at the moment, but was a useful tool. Hence, Daven was valuable to him, and Lavakara would look for other ways to utilize him for his musical power in the future.
~~~
“I see her on board her ship,” a light scout among the crew of the Persistent said while looking off into the distance with his far sight, powered by the waters of the Lujladia Ocean that he drank.
“Move in! Now!” Emerond commanded.
The Persistent moved ahead quickly toward the Tidal Sovereign.
~~~
On board the Tidal Sovereign, Victoria saw the storm come to an end, despite her concentration. Even her scouts and archers saw this and became afraid, thinking that the tiara had grown weak.
Victoria screamed: “The dream was true! The oceans no longer obey!”
The voice of the demon, Matatirot, then spoke to her, saying: “Queen you are, yet the throne you share. Through your domain a voice will tear. The music that comes down from the sky shall for a time your reign deny. To you alone power shall return. You alone will cause the sea to churn.”
Victoria was only somewhat comforted by this. Her fear and anger remained. Her fear, at least, was quite justified.
~~~
Rayner, Brant and Zoe had hidden in a cave along the northern coast of the continent of Waderav to wait out the storm. When it ended, Zoe drank anew of the Lujladia Ocean waters from her vial and was energized. She had her far sight, and looked out onto the Nabavodel Ocean and saw a lone ship in the distance surrounded by the wreckage of many other ships.
“I see a ship in the distance. It’s intact, but there’s the wreckage of other ships around it,” Zoe said.
“That sounds like the trouble started from there. It’s her,” Rayner said.
“Yeah. I think you’re right,” Zoe said.
“You’re talking about the crazy queen that makes storms?” Brant asked.
“Yes. Victoria,” Zoe said.
“Let’s break her!” Brant said.
“Ten (10) times if we can,” Zoe said.
“Let’s see if our ship held up,” Rayner said.
They left the cave and went to a small inlet along the coast. Their ship had three (3) double masts, but had been reduced to just one (1) by damage from the storms. However, the hull still looked intact as the ship was not sinking.
“As long as we don’t have a slow leak in the hull, it’ll fly,” Rayner said.
“Fly fast?” Zoe asked.
“The only way to find out is to try,” Rayner said.
“We can’t keep talking about it. Let’s kill her now!” Brant said. He drank the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean from a vial he carried. He was energized and feeling his strength.
They boarded the damaged ship – the Riverfox – and converted it to an airship. They rose to an altitude of one hundred twenty (120) feet and advanced somewhat quickly toward the ship in the distance – the Tidal Sovereign. The loss of two (2) of their double masts substantially reduced their speed.
~~~
The Persistent was fast approaching the Tidal Sovereign and Joshua prepared his striking sword while keeping the Spirit Sword close by. The crew of the Persistent steered close and could see Victoria clearly standing on the deck of her ship.
~~~
On board the Tidal Sovereign, the crew readied the cannons and pointed them toward the Persistent. They prepared to fire at the approaching airship when they saw another small ship approaching and turned some of their cannons toward it.
~~~
The Riverfox approached the Tidal Sovereign and Zoe saw Victoria on the deck of the ship from a distance and she saw that cannons were being directed at them.
“They’re pointing some of their cannons at us!” Zoe said.
At this, she readied her bow and arrow and began firing shots at the crew standing near the cannons.
~~~
Three (3) blue flames suddenly appeared in the sky and landed on the deck of the Tidal Sovereign. Standing still, they could be seen to have the form of men with bluish skin and red hands and they were wearing flowing blue robes.
They reached out with their own hands and jets of water leaped up from the sea and the water jets became like flames, striking at the cannons of the ship and at Victoria.
Victoria screamed: “The dream of the water turning to fire has come to be true!”
~~~
Zoe, Brant and Rayner also saw this from the deck of the Riverfox.
“Who are they?” Brant shouted.
“Not a clue, big guy,” Rayner said.
“They’re no friends of hers,” Zoe said.
~~~
Emerond, Joshua, Romana, Daven, Judith and Ovid all saw the three (3) men appear and call the water and make it turn to fire.
“I have no idea what I’m looking at!” Emerond said.
“God works in ways you cannot possibly know. Even if these beings are wicked, they can be made to serve His Will,” Romana said.
Judith thought back to what she knew of history, legend and myth. Yet, nothing came to her to identify who these strange men might be.
Ovid did not know what these men were, either.
Yet, the two Chroniclers carefully recorded what they saw. The sight was historically interesting, and these were clearly enemies of Victoria.
“Move in so I can strike,” Joshua said.
“Don’t get too close to the fire,” Emerond said.
The crew of the Persistent moved the ship slightly closer, and Joshua positioned himself.
~~~
“We are the Torches of Majesty. You are offenders against the Sky’s Nine (9) Kings. You have sent your waters to strike at the Temple of the greatest powers. Now, the fire in the water shall consume you!” one of them – Blazer Luken – said. Everyone on all the ships heard him.
~~~
Victoria was now utterly terrified at these new arrivals, having forgotten the words of the demon. She reached out her arms once again and concentrated, hoping that the tiara’s power would return.
~~~
Zoe fired a quick shot and struck Victoria in the arm. “Got her!” Zoe said.
“When’s my turn?” Brant asked.
“I’ll move the ship in closer,” Rayner said. He positioned the Riverfox closer to the Tidal Sovereign so that Brant could deliver a strong blow directly.
~~~
Victoria screamed when the arrow struck her.
~~~
Joshua dropped down from the Persistent onto the deck of the Tidal Sovereign and drove a cutting sword into Victoria’s back.
Victoria shrieked and thought that the sword was going to end her. Yet, it didn’t deliver the death it should have, considering how powerfully it was delivered. The demon, Matatirot, still protected her.
Brant landed on the deck of the Tidal Sovereign and drove a sword through Victoria’s heart.
Her heart continued to beat as strong as ever.
Victoria screamed in agony, but survived.
Brant was in shock that the woman did not die, so he swung the sword again, slicing at her neck, but the blow barely scraped her.
~~~
Under the cover of darkness, some of Victoria’s dark scouts and swordfighters acted to block the sword from making full contact with Victoria’s neck.
~~~
Victoria screamed again, thinking that her head was going to roll.
However, Matatirot was still protecting her, and prevented each of these fatal blows, or the blood loss caused by earlier attacks, from ending his minion’s life. He knew that Victoria had armed guards hiding in the darkness, but he did not leave her safety entirely to them.
~~~
On board the Persistent, Judith and Ovid observed all of this combat, and recorded it in their books.
~~~
The Torches of Majesty called to the waters once again, and they rose from the Nabavodel Ocean, where they became like fire and struck at Victoria.
~~~
Victoria screamed in pain, and showed signs of burns, yet she did not die.
The blue diamonds in the tiara still glowed, and the waters around the Tidal Sovereign rose up and struck at the small ship – the Riverfox – knocking it from the air. Zoe and Rayner were thrown down into the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean below and the sole remaining double mast of the Riverfox was snapped off. The ship sank and Zoe and Rayner struggled to stay above water.
~~~
On the deck of the Persistent, Daven called out “The storm is returning! The tiara still has its power!” He did not believe that his song would have more than a temporary effect, and he was correct.
Emerond saw this and threw down a rope ladder to the deck of Victoria’s ship. It was caught by Joshua, who escaped by it. Brant followed him up the same rope ladder and they both stood on the deck of the Persistent.
“Save them!” Romana called out, pointing down to Rayner and Zoe.
Emerond lowered two (2) more rope ladders and the crew of the Persistent quickly lowered the ship to where Rayner and Zoe could grab the rope ladders and they did so and climbed aboard.
“Out of here! Now!” Emerond ordered once everyone was rescued.
The Persistent then moved quickly out of the area.
The Torches of Majesty were doused with the waters from the power of the tiara. The winds returned, as well, and they decided to withdraw to strike again at a later time.
~~~
Victoria called out: “Master, take me from here!”
The demon, Matatirot, opened a portal and the Tidal Sovereign passed through it, disappearing from sight.
~~~
“Good timing! Thanks,” Rayner said as he stepped on board the Persistent.
“You are?” Emerond asked.
“Rayner. Navigator,” Rayner said.
“I’m Zoe. Archer without a bow, it seems,” Zoe said. She had lost her bow and only had a quiver of arrows left.
“Archer, Take this,” Joshua said, and he handed her a bow from the surplus they had on board.
“Brant. Still have my sword,” Brant said.
“I saw you drive it into her,” Ovid said.
“It’s you again! I hope all that’s in your book,” Brant said.
“Indeed it is in my book. I’ve recorded the historical events I have witnessed, as per the Chronicler’s Oath, which binds both Judith and myself,” Ovid said.
“Her heart still beats, despite your strikes,” Judith said.
“The power of a demon preserves her,” Romana said.
“Where did the flying candles come from?” Brant asked.
“We don’t know who they are or where they are from, either,” Emerond said.
“However, we do know where she is going,” Joshua said, looking at the glowing blue lines on the Spirit Sword.
“How?” Zoe asked.
“By the stars?” Rayner asked, thinking that he might be able to help, as he was also sensitive to the positions of the suns, by the powers of the Atrejan Ocean waters he drank.
“Where?” Brant asked, only concerned with dealing another blow to the enemy.
“It’s not by the stars that we know. The Spirit Sword has a link to Victoria and it indicates where she will go next. The glowing lines on it now point toward the northwest,” Joshua said.
“Set your course due northwest,” Emerond ordered.
The crew of the Persistent heard his command and set a course, steering the ship through the air and toward the northwest.
CHAPTER 32: Angered by the Outsiders of Old
The Tidal Sovereign appeared in the waters of an underground lake, beneath the ground of Av’Tovenka Island. The waters of the lake were dead waters – the same as those of the Dead Waters Ocean – and gave no power.
Victoria was burned and bloodied, afraid and confused. She looked all around her unfamiliar surroundings. She called out and said: “Where am I? This is not a place out at sea. There is no sky: this is a hidden place – a cave.”
The voice of the demon, Matatirot, spoke to her: “A time of rest is now at hand. You are hidden underneath the land. The gathering of your enemies fierce, through your heart they wish to pierce. In time you will set out once more, to strike at every other shore.”
Victoria’s guards took her by her arms and helped her disembark from the ship and they walked down a ramp onto the bank of the lake.
“Where are you taking me?” Victoria asked.
“We are underneath the temple. You must rest again for a while to heal,” one of the guards said.
A stone slid in the wall of the cavern and a tunnel was revealed. Victoria was escorted through the tunnel and then up a set of stone stairs into a room with many fountains, sharing many similarities with the other rooms of the water-worshipper’s temple. Yet, there were differences: many stone pedestals were present, and atop them were models of sailing ships or globes. It was known to the old woman as the Armada Room.
Tanith Orenda was waiting for her there. “You are wounded, bloodied and burned, many thousands great granddaughter. Yet, you are still alive,” she said.
“Many millions (1000000) of our enemies have died by the power of the tempest, my lady,” one of the guards said to Tanith Orenda.
“Excellent. Many more will die in time,” Tanith Orenda said.
“Many enemies have gathered against me. Some I could not imagine – men of blue skin that sent fire against me; a man who sings to get through my storms; even men who find me and use mere swords and daggers to strike at me. Even women have struck at me,” Victoria said.
“Remember those women – they are traitors against all of us, and they must die, horribly: it must be worse, even, than the destruction of the men,” Tanith Orenda said.
“So it shall be, many thousands great grandmother,” Victoria said.
“Not at the moment, however. I want you to rest now. You have the master’s protection. Yet, you must sleep,” Tanith Orenda said. She took Victoria by the hand and they left the Armada Room and went to the Great Granddaughter’s Room.
“Here you must sleep without dreaming. You must rest so deeply that you are no longer troubled or tired by the battles you have fought. You have killed millions (1000000), and you should take pleasure. Soon, millions (1000000) more of them shall die. Then, billions (1000000000),” Tanith Orenda said.
As Tanith Orenda left the room, she turned to the guard and said: “Notify me when she wakes.”
Then, Tanith Orenda left and went to the Master’s Room where she knelt down, awaiting her orders.
~~~
Victoria rested upon a bed that was very much unlike the bench she occasionally rested upon in the Voyager’s Room. This was the same soft bed upon which she often slept. Like before, she now slept comfortably, soundly and d
reamlessly, despite the fact that she now had gaping bloody wounds, burnt skin and significant damage to her heart. The heart still beat, as the demon, Matatirot, was still with her, and he kept it beating even though it should have stopped by now. His great powers of evil surrounded her, and she was safe – physically, at least. Her rotten spirit, however, was utterly twisted and doomed.
The guard, consisting of a light scout and a dark scout, stood in the room, waiting and watching for Victoria to wake from her sleep.
~~~
In the Master’s Room, Tanith Orenda heard the voice of the demon, Matatirot, speak to her. He said: “Mortal powers much deplored now have the power of the sword. The sword now leads them on their quest to put your child to the test. They find her by the spirit guide, and from their strikes she cannot hide.”
Tanith Orenda was worried and asked: “What are we to do, Master? If they kill her, who will wear the tiara to bring the tempest?”
“They will not kill her! That I will not allow! Do you doubt my power? Is your faith leaving you now? Are you denying my authority in this hour?” Matatirot said, furious.
“I do not doubt you, Master. Yet, why do you tell me of the dangers if they do not trouble you?” Tanith Orenda said.
“The dangers do not trouble me. I tell you so that you may know. Count the many blessings of protection that I bestow. Without my power, intervening to save, this victory could not be won, and your empire would be in its grave,” Matatirot said.
“Indeed, Master, you have blessed us much,” Tanith Orenda said.
“Remember the reason that we fight. No blessing saved you from the pain. When the outsiders came to steal every ocean’s might, your prayers to other spirits were in vain,” Matatirot then said.
“You speak the truth, Master. I will remember, always, how it was you who came to my aid,” Tanith Orenda said.
“Teach your child the truth so that in me she places her trust. The enemies from far beyond seek to gain. Depend upon the master of the sea she must. The oceans will churn and the outsiders will be slain,” Matatirot said.
“As you instruct, Master,” Tanith Orenda said. Then, she left and went to the Matriarch’s Room, where she waited until Victoria was rested.
~~~
Victoria awoke and felt far better and stronger. She had renewed energy and confidence and was eager to wage war yet again.
