by Jeremy Dwyer
Daven looked at them and asked: “Does that really work?”
“The One True God provides, in His way, often through His Children,” Romana said after standing up again.
“Faith in God, not in yourself, is where you will find strength and guidance,” Judith said, returning to her feet.
“Since when do Chroniclers preach religion?” Daven asked, both dismayed and doubtful, referring to Judith.
Ovid, also a Chronicler, looked and said nothing. He was not prepared to speak for or against religion, as he believed that either way would lead to ruin for him. If he spoke in favor of a deity that was false, he would incite useless religious debates. If he spoke against a deity that was true, he may lose whatever good fortune had been protecting him all his life. Silence was often the wisest approach in these matters, and he practiced it in this instance.
“Since the world went insane,” Zoe said. She did not believe in these things. She saw the world as harsh and dangerous, and thought that a more loving deity would intervene to prevent the mass deaths brought on by tyranny and evil powers.
“Fight. Pray. Sing. Talk to the suns in the sky. Whatever works, I’ll take it,” Emerond said.
“We will fight when we can see,” Joshua said. At this, he drank anew of the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean that he kept in a vial. He was energized and ready for the fight, whenever it occurred.
“Turn down the lights, Rayner! We’ve got work to do!” Brant said.
“I’m not that powerful. I can hear the stars, but I can’t tell them what to do,” Rayner said.
~~~
From the spirit world, Lavakara saw that the crew of the Persistent in the material world was up against a problematic obstacle. They could not see to steer the ship, so they could not get close enough to let him jump to Victoria’s ship and strike.
However, in the spirit world, he was not affected. He could see clearly in both worlds, and it was time to act. The burning fires of the suns might set the ship ablaze, however, so he had to be careful.
Lavakara went to the wheel of the Persistent and began steering the ship toward what he saw was the center of the storm.
~~~
“Why is the ship moving?” Emerond asked.
“The wheel is turning on its own!” Joshua said.
“It’s taking us into the storm!” Rayner said.
“Is it her? Is she doing this?” Emerond asked.
“I don’t think so. The waters of the Atrejan Ocean do not give that kind of power. They can sense the stars, and, as we have just learned, they can even influence their heat and light. I don’t see how they can move the ship,” Rayner said.
“I agree. Something else is going on. This ship has a spy on board,” Romana said.
Zoe drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean and was energized. She used the powers of light that they gave her and looked into the darkness, but saw no sign of an agent hiding in the cover of darkness.
“No. I looked. There is no one in the darkness steering this ship,” Zoe said.
“Whoever it is, I hope they can steer well,” Rayner said.
The Persistent tilted quickly to one side and then another, jostling the passengers and crew.
“What was that?” Emerond asked.
Huge waves of water reaching to the altitude of the Persistent narrowly missed the ship.
“Someone’s idea of steering, apparently,” Joshua said.
“We avoided those waves, at least,” Rayner said.
~~~
On board the Everlasting Pain, which was sailing at one hundred twenty (120) feet of altitude above the Zovvin Ocean, Farovaxen sensed a message from the suns.
“We must travel to the Atrejan Ocean. She is there,” Farovaxen said.
“You were correct before, so I’ll trust you again,” Pradrock said.
He then turned to the ghost of Captain Tychon and said: “Set our course due north.”
“Into yet another tempest we go. Perhaps your doom is still to come, and with it, my freedom,” the ghost of Captain Tychon said, delighting at the thought. He steered the Everlasting Pain toward the north across the Zovvin Ocean, passing over the Jeshirinko Barrier land bridge, then over the Lujladia Ocean and the continent of Nataloridivu until the airship reached the Atrejan Ocean. They were followed by the Feasting Dragons fleet.
As they approached, they saw the tempest, and the burning red and blue suns. The yellow suns were too faint to see, if they were present at all.
“I can’t navigate in this!” Akylas said, covering his eyes to protect them from the bright lights.
“Nor can I. The sky has changed again, and is far more dangerous than before. The movements of the suns are improper, and they burn too brightly,” Farovaxen said. He knew precisely how the red suns moved, because of the Atrejan Ocean waters he drank. The red suns were now moving on paths unlike the ones he had come to know, and burning hotter than he had ever felt.
“Just for now, I’m glad I can’t see!” Torin said.
Pradrock turned away and started handing out protective crystal visors and cloaks for all to wear.
“Aren’t the visors good enough? Can’t you steer with them?” Caroline asked.
“Maybe by eye! I sure can’t trust the suns now – they’re not moving right!” Akylas said. By the powers of the Atrejan Ocean waters he drank, Akylas could sense that the solar movements were erratic – the red and blue suns never moved in this way. The yellow suns were too dimly lit to even matter.
Claudia drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean and was energized. She reached out with her telepathic and empathic powers to find Victoria, even though the glare from the burning suns made it nearly impossible to see her.
“I can feel her hatred, buts she’s too far away to attack. We need to get in closer,” Claudia said.
CHAPTER 38: Guided by a Song of Clarity
Unseen by the others because he was hiding in the spirit world, Lavakara continued to steer the Persistent toward Victoria. He was determined to ultimately destroy her, and give some measure of enablement to the crew of the ship to strike at her as best they could. He carefully avoided the waters of the tempest, although the high winds required him to zigzag along the way.
~~~
The ghost of Captain Tychon was at the wheel of the Everlasting Pain. Being a ghost and living in the spirit world, despite being visible to the material world, he was easily able to chart the course to Victoria, without being distracted by the burning suns. He considered what that meant. Seeing her murder the world actually gave him some amount of pleasure. However, he could see that Victoria was in league with a demon, and to knowingly and willingly assist her was to serve that demon, and thereby guarantee himself an eternity in the Maelstrom of Vengeance.
The ghost of Captain Tychon had no interest in that outcome – however unpleasant the life of a ghost pirate was in the spirit world, the Maelstrom was said to be far worse. He detested Captain Pradrock for the binding by the wager, but there might be another way out of the binding besides letting the Ahitan woman tear the material world apart.
“I can see past the bright lights of the suns, through the spirit world, where their power does not reach,” the ghost of Captain Tychon said.
“He’s telling the truth,” Akantha said, detecting Tychon’s intentions by her spirit sensing powers, and seeing that he was not aligned with Victoria. Akantha drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from her vial to be further energized so that she could continue to probe Tychon’s spirit.
“That means that you can steer the ship,” Akylas said.
“Indeed it does,” the ghost of Captain Tychon said.
“We still need a clear view to hit her. The sunlight is too bright to get a clear strike, even by wearing the visors to shield our eyes,” Claudia said.
“We also have to be careful that the ship itself is not overexposed to the heat, or it could catch fire. I’ve had that problem before,” Pradrock said.
&n
bsp; “That’s your intention, isn’t it? Let the ship catch fire and sink, and then you’re free?” Akantha asked. She didn’t sense this in his spirit; rather, she was trying to strategically anticipate the ghost of Captain Tychon’s next move.
“Clever girl, you are, but not this time. Traveling at a low altitude will put the ship and the fleet in the shadow of the high waves. That will shield the vessels from the bright light and heat of the many suns,” the ghost of Captain Tychon said.
“Then you want the waters to kill us, don’t you?” Akantha asked.
“Once again, you fail to understand. The waves can already reach far higher than the ship can fly. The danger from the heat and light of the suns merely adds to the peril as the altitude increases. We must deny Victoria that advantage if there is to be an opportunity to strike her again,” the ghost of Captain Tychon said.
“I sense you still want to escape us, and are willing to kill us to achieve it...yet, something is holding you back,” Akantha said.
“Oh. What might that be?” the ghost of Captain Tychon asked, condescendingly.
“You’re afraid of the demon. You know what it can do…to you,” Akantha said.
The ghost of Captain Tychon just smiled.
Pradrock looked at both of them and considered this. He was always reasoning and calculating, and kept the waters of the Medathero Ocean in a vial with him at all times. He drank of them regularly. They did more than make a person clever – they gave calm to the mind in the face of danger, so that panic did not override logic. He did not believe that the course was clear, and did not trust the intentions of the ghost of Captain Tychon nor was he fully confident in Akantha’s ability to fully read him.
“This is too great a risk. We must hold back. Flying into this storm without seeking a suitable clearing is not going to afford us anything – not even one last strike against her. There is nothing to be gained,” Pradrock said.
Torin had been listening to all of this, though he saw none of it.
“The bright suns might get in your way, but they don’t blind my eyes – it’s too late for that,” Torin said.
“But you can’t steer the ship if you can’t see,” Akylas said.
“He’s right, Torin. We have to wait,” Pradrock said.
“I can feel the waves of water and the wind when they rock the ship. I can sense when the storm is coming, and from where,” Torin said.
“That is interesting. In order for it to help us, though, you would have to practice the technique for a long time to fine tune your senses at sea, in a storm,” Pradrock said.
“This isn’t the storm to be practicing in,” Akylas said.
“We have to try something? Are we just going to wait it out?” Torin asked.
“Yes,” Pradrock said.
“What exactly are you waiting for?” Akylas asked.
“An opportunity to accomplish something of use. Giving one’s life for a cause might possibly be worthwhile, if the cause is great enough and the probability of success is high. Discarding one’s life to no avail is definitely not a worthy exchange,” Pradrock said.
“Fair enough. I’d rather hit her when we get a chance than take a wild shot in the dark…or the blinding light,” Claudia said.
“Why should we have to give up our lives at all?! What have we done to deserve this?” Caroline asked. She didn’t believe that giving her life for any cause was worthwhile, as she believed that would separate her from Taesa forever.
“Nothing that I can think of...except being born at the wrong time in history,” Claudia said.
“I don’t want to die for any cause! Not before seeing my daughter again!” Caroline said.
“I don’t want to die either. That’s why we have to fight, and fight effectively,” Claudia said.
“I’m in no hurry to die, but if we don’t survive, it still won’t be as bad for us as it is for Victoria when her day comes. The Maelstrom is burning for her soul. She’s condemned to horrors for serving that demon,” Akantha said.
At this, the ghost of Captain Tychon laughed, saying: “I don’t envy her either! Most fools will meet a better end than that wretched woman.” He dealt with no demons, and expected at least a slightly better eternal destiny than whatever awaited Victoria. He was completely correct in assuming her ruin. Any confidence he had about his own outcome being better, however, was dubious.
“I will try to right things with the stars,” Farovaxen said. He drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and he was energized. He reached into the sky with his powers and communicated directly with them.
~~~
On board the Tidal Sovereign, one of the light scouts said: “A ship is approaching!”
“Prepare to fire upon it!” Victoria ordered.
Just then, three (3) bright blue lights appeared and took the form of men on the deck of the Tidal Sovereign.
The Torches of Majesty appeared before her and called forth the water and turned it into fire.
“Begone from my presence! I call to my master to banish filth such as you,” Victoria said.
One of the Torches of Majesty, Blazer Luken, spoke to her: “The suns shall always be honored and served by us! Their majestic fire is eternal! We shall uphold their names.”
At this, Blazer Luken turned the water into blue fire and cast a ball of it at Victoria. She was burned and she screamed.
Blazer Endrit reached out and the water came to him and he turned it into blue fire and cast a ball of it at Victoria. Victoria screamed again, saying: “the dream of blue fires burning me has come true!”
Blazer Darakizar reached out and the water came to him and then he turned it into blue fire. However, the ball of blue fire turned back to water, as Matatirot commanded the waters that made up the fire and returned them to their normal form.
“Your fire has failed you! My master shall crush you!” Victoria said, relieved at this one failure of her enemy.
~~~
On Nivi Peta Island, Tosko’Lajin was ready. He was exceptionally powerful in his music because of the Pirovalen Ocean waters that he drank and his high innate potential for using them. His voice had rich melodies and powerful volume, and had proven effective in the past at guiding ships in storms and fog and darkness. He did not write his own songs, but gave skillful renditions of existing ones. He had been a guide in several oceans at different times, even Ikkith Tar, and was among the most reliable singers. At times, he taught what he could about vocal techniques, and other Redfire Sentinels learned much from him. However, his innate potential was also great, and that is something that could not be taught.
In this hour of need, Tosko’Lajin brought forth his best and the song was clear and loud. Everyone around the entire Atrejan Ocean, across all of its waters and at every coast, could suddenly hear his powerful voice singing:
Let my voice be your trusted guide,
When by the stars you cannot steer.
In the storm your ship is cast aside.
Yet this song will make the journey clear.
Let my voice be your shining light,
When the darkness blinds your eyes.
In the tempest, day turns into night.
Yet this song illuminates the skies.
Let my voice be the wind in your sails,
When the waters strike with awesome force.
In the deluge, mortal strength now fails.
Yet this song will move you on your course.
Let my voice be your inner peace,
When hope is lost and time is short.
In the gale, the perils never cease.
Yet this song will lead you into port.
The song did not stop the tempest – the winds still blew and the waves still rose up and the many suns still shone down with greater than usual intensity, except for the yellow suns, which were still dimly lit. However, somehow, the way was clear for all to see and steer their ships by. No one was distracted by the elements, even if they were still dangerou
sly powerful.
~~~
On board the Everlasting Pain, all the crew heard this song, as well.
Pradrock asked: “Who is that?”
“I know that voice. He is one of our finest,” Farovaxen said.
“He is Tosko’Lajin, one of the greatest voices to ever guide the ships of the sea,” Va’Qileren said.
“We can see now!” Akylas said.
“I can see the woman on her ship in the distance,” Va’Qileren said, peering into the distance with his powers of light. Somehow, the bright light of the suns no longer seemed so bright, or hot, and he had a clear view.
“If we can see her, we can hit her,” Claudia said.
“That’s what matters. Set your course,” Pradrock said.
The ghost of Captain Tychon moved the Everlasting Pain toward where Victoria was, and the Feasting Dragons fleet followed.
“I need no song to steer a ship by,” the ghost of Captain Tychon said, dismissively.
~~~
On board the Persistent, Lavakara guided the ship close enough that he could leap to Victoria’s ship and strike her personally, if need be.
“Nice song, whoever that was,” Daven said.
“I can see her now!” Emerond said.
However, Zoe got a sighting on Victoria and fired without delay. “Got her!” Zoe said. “Got her again!”
Zoe’s two (2) arrows hit Victoria in the neck and she screamed, saying: “the dream of arrows striking me has come true!”
~~~
Under the cover of darkness, some of Victoria’s dark scouts and swordfighters reacted to the arrows, and were barely able to deflect them, very slightly diminishing their impact but not preventing it. Instead, they pulled the arrows from her neck as quickly as they could.
~~~
Romana turned to Zoe and said: “Zoe! Just hit her archers and cannon crew! Don’t let them return fire! Give cover for our attack!”
“Right!” Zoe said, and started lobbing arrows at the various archers on board the Tidal Sovereign as well as anyone who went for its cannons.
“Avoid eye contact!” Judith called out. She still managed to record everything in her book, being the dutiful Chronicler of the Oath. She just made sure to be supportive of the actual effort, as it was still against a demon and his minions, and the Oath demanded her to oppose them as best she could.
