by Jeremy Dwyer
“The power they give is desirable – and some would have it all for themselves. They crave only power, and have no love in them,” Victoria said.
“I knew a prince like that – Octavian. I also knew a rich man like that – Sebastian. All they love is power and themselves,” Taesa said.
“There are worse than those – far worse,” Victoria said.
“You’ve met them?” Taesa asked.
“I’ve met their descendants – and I’ve defeated many of them. That is why I have been away from here,” Victoria said.
“How did you defeat them?” Taesa asked.
“By risking my life. By giving my blood, and suffering great pains. I do what I must. Knowing that I am doing what is right takes the sting from it, so that I can keep fighting,” Victoria said.
“If you must fight, you shouldn’t do it alone. This pain shouldn’t all fall on you,” Taesa said.
“I have help. My guards are with me, and help me to strike out at those who would steal the world – the princes of evil, loving only themselves,” Victoria said.
“I want to help you,” Taesa said.
“I want you to live. And love,” Victoria said.
“I love you,” Taesa said. She greatly appreciated the rescue from the sunfire creature – Prince Kirdothet – that Victoria had enabled, and Halina had carried out. She loved both of them, for their companionship and the warmth that she felt when she was around them.
“You are a beautiful and brilliant young woman – but not a warrior. Your gifts are music and youth. My gifts are an empty womb and a burning determination to fight,” Victoria said.
“I am determined to find answers, to understand. I want to understand why there is death and war, and how it can be ended!” Taesa said.
“No. I will fight this war. I want you to search for understanding…and for love,” Victoria said.
“Love? I love understanding the reason why things are as they are. I love finding the knowledge that can change the world, and end its wars,” Taesa said.
“Yours is a rare and beautiful nature. You have potential and purpose. You must not be the last of your kind, but must be the mother to a new generation” Victoria said.
Taesa knew what she meant, and she remembered the My Future Is song that she wrote and sang for Prince Emerond. “I sang to him and he still has not come. Are you telling me I should still search for the love of a man?” she asked.
“Yes. That very man. He is the one for you,” Victoria said.
“He didn’t come. Doesn’t that mean he isn’t ready? I’m still not sure if I’m ready,” Taesa said.
“You’re both ready. I know it,” Victoria said. She didn’t know it – she was lying about the prince’s readiness; she was hoping for Taesa’s readiness.
“How do you know he is ready? Is he here? Did he tell you?” Taesa asked.
“No. But he will be close and soon. I know where he travels, and when,” Victoria said.
“But how do you know that he is ready?” Taesa asked.
“By the way he lives his life, and the authority he has. He will take to you and you to him, and the union will be fruitful. You’ve seen him, and you know it is true,” Victoria said.
“Yes. He is a good man. But it’s going to take time, even if it is eventually going to happen,” Taesa said.
“You sang to him. You put your feelings into it. Did you not mean it?” Victoria asked.
“I meant it. For the future. Sometimes, I look ahead – far ahead. That doesn’t mean I’m ready right away,” Taesa said.
“A flower is in bloom for a time, but not for all time. If you see the good in him, then you are both ready, as your eyes are wise enough to see it, and he is wise enough to have it,” Victoria said.
“You are so convinced about this,” Taesa said.
“Every moment that you are not where you should be is a moment lost. Life is nothing but the sum of many moments, so it is life lost,” Victoria said.
“A woman who loves too quickly, or too soon, is like a ship that sets sail before the storm ends, and crashes before reaching a safe shore,” Taesa said.
“You can be the distant shore. Let his love be the ship that sails through a storm…to prove its truth and determination,” Victoria said.
Taesa thought about this and it started coming together into words, even before she drank the waters of song. She smiled and thought that, just maybe, Victoria was right.
“You’re smiling. What are you thinking?” Victoria asked.
“A song. I’m thinking of a song,” Taesa said, smiling even more brightly now. At this, she drank anew of the water of the Pirovalen Ocean from her vial and she was energized. More words started to come to her, along with a melody. It was a torrent of musical ideas and they rushed at her like never before.
Taesa started walking around the room, twirling as she went. The song was taking form within her – lyrically and melodically – in a real and meaningful way.
“You’re finding the music. I can see it in the way you move,” Victoria said, smiling.
Taesa was practically dancing around the room, except that she was not a dancer. Her moves were graceful, though not as skillful as those of a ballerina, as she was inspired by the song growing within her.
The Armada Room they were in had many models of sailing ships upon pedestals, giving an atmosphere and environment like that at sea. Surrounded by these, Taesa felt as if she were dancing upon the waters of the oceans.
“I feel as if a symphony orchestra is performing within me,” Taesa said
“Something special is happening. I can see it. I can almost hear the song within you, even without you singing it,” Victoria said. She was enchanted by the performance, and how Taesa moved about, exploring the room, dancing among the models of the sailing ships.
“I will sing for him and he will Sail to Me. That will be the song,” Taesa said, triumphantly, as she passed by Victoria for another movement of her dance. She now had her song written within her.
“Yes, he truly will,” Victoria said, smiling brightly and feeling even more triumphant at the thought of the pain that was soon to befall the enemy. She was beginning to believe that Tanith Orenda’s plan might just work.
CHAPTER 40: Killed by the Passage of Time
Tanith Orenda moved to the Master’s Room where she awaited further instruction. The demon, Matatirot, spoke to her, saying: “Leave the girl with the deadly voice. The time for song has not arrived. The waters of time shall be the next choice. Of life the enemy must be deprived.”
Tanith Orenda left the room and went to the Great Granddaughter’s Room, knowing that Victoria would return there soon.
~~~
In the Armada Room, Taesa was moving gracefully, practicing the powerful song she had written.
“You always impress me with your musical genius,” Victoria said.
“When I drink the Pirovalen waters, everything starts to come together. All I need is a direction – a shape for the music, and it takes that shape, and a song is born,” Taesa said.
“In time, you will sing it, and he will come to you,” Victoria said.
“When?” Taesa asked.
“I promise I will tell you. It won’t be long,” Victoria said.
“What should I do when I meet him?” Taesa asked.
“Love him. It will happen naturally. Don’t do anything to prepare other than having this song,” Victoria said.
“This seems so…unlike me. I search for answers, never knowing what I’ll find. I usually don’t start out with the conclusion already set,” Taesa said.
“What do you mean?” Victoria asked.
“I’m not going to seek him out and find out if I’m going to love him. I’m just going to love him when I meet him. There is no search…no discovery,” Taesa said.
“There will be a discovery: you will learn what love is. It can take many forms and you cannot imagine what they will be until you’ve seen them for yourself
,” Victoria said.
“You make it sound interesting,” Taesa said.
“You don’t think it is? Just give it time. Search for answers together, with him,” Victoria said. She was hoping for Taesa to express a feminine side, but that didn’t happen. Not wanting to discourage the girl, and hoping that she would produce offspring, she decided to cater to the girl’s sense of curiosity and wonder.
“I guess it is a new adventure…if he likes me,” Taesa said.
“You have nothing to worry about. Powerful changes in the world are occurring…he needs you, and he will show you his true feelings,” Victoria said.
“I have a lot to learn about these things,” Taesa said.
“I have a lot to do. However, I want you to get some rest. Follow me,” Victoria said.
Victoria led Taesa to the Voyager’s Room, where the stone bench with the carved faces on it was.
“Just allow yourself to rest. You can sleep if you want to, or you can stay awake,” Victoria said.
“Will I dream again?” Taesa asked.
“I think that if you sleep in this room, you will dream. There’s something special about this one,” Victoria said.
“My dreams were frightening before,” Taesa said.
“Remember that those were just symbols that you didn’t fully understand. There’s no reason to be afraid,” Victoria said.
Taesa was determined not to sleep here, as the dreams had been too disturbing. Curiosity was a tendency that she had that might lead to her try again, but she had no intention of subjecting herself to something that never gave any benefit and only caused her pain.
~~~
Victoria then left the room and returned to the Great Granddaughter’s Room. Tanith Orenda was waiting for her there.
“Does the girl have the song ready?” Tanith Orenda asked.
“Yes, many thousands great grandmother. I told her to practice it and to rest until called for,” Victoria said.
“Good. The Master has told me that it is now time for you to go. It is not yet time to take the girl to sing,” Tanith Orenda said.
“I shall set sail once again, many thousands great grandmother,” Victoria said.
~~~
Victoria left the room and returned to the Armada Room, taking guards with her along the way.
They went down the stone staircase, through the tunnel and boarded the Tidal Sovereign again. The demon, Matatirot, sensed their presence on the waters, opened a portal and sent the Tidal Sovereign through it.
The other end of the portal opened out onto the waters of the Ursegan Ocean, and the Tidal Sovereign appeared there.
The voice of the demon, Matatirot, spoke to her, saying: “Time again it is to kill. By tiara the tempest you shall bring. Time will slow and stop their hearts. Let death’s endless silence sing.”
Victoria was well rested and the tiara was ready so she held out her arms. The blue diamonds of the tiara once again glowed bright.
The still air turned to a breeze, and then to a strong wind and then to a dangerous gale. The calm waters began to ripple and then waves began to rise. The waves rose high and moved quickly toward distant shores.
One light scout said: “To the east, the waters are striking at Waderav, and the bodies of the enemies are being carried out to sea. Over three million four hundred fifty thousand (3450000) of them have been drowned in the tempest.”
A second light scout said: “To the northeast, the waters have hit the Bazavadoran Isthmus and the corpses have been taken out to sea. Over two hundred seventy-three thousand (273000) of them have been killed in the storm.”
A third light scout said: “To the northwest, the waters have assaulted the Colossal March Warpath and the remains of the enemy have been washed away. Over forty-nine thousand (49000) of them have been destroyed this way.”
A fourth light scout said: “To the southwest, the waters have flooded the Scholar’s Path and the bodies of the enemies are being dragged out to sea. Over one hundred fifteen thousand (115000) of them have been defeated this way.”
~~~
In the land bridge containing the city of Emeth, the guardian angel, Nalvorel, yet again held back the storm waters. Instead of crashing onto the land, the waters impacted a barrier that could not be seen, and piled high against that barrier, forming a wall of water.
“What is protecting us?” many people in Emeth screamed, afraid that the tempest had returned. They saw the wall of water, but the sight frightened them.
“This is a place of truth, and truth prevails. None can destroy it, and not even the waves of water will be allowed to bring ruin here. The tempest ends before it reaches these shores,” Danek said, as he had been looking for signs of what was occurring.
Next to him stood a light scout – a drinker of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean – who could see out at a great distance, and around corners, because of the power of those waters.
“She stands upon the deck of a ship, arms held out, with the tiara on her head, and the waters move by her will, striking dead those around her,” the light scout said to Danek.
Others around him heard this and asked: “How? How could anyone command the waters?”
“By a power that she has for a short while, and that will be taken away in due time,” Danek said.
Not everyone was afraid, as many were wise and confident in the city’s enduring power – but many thousands were filled with dread, imagining the loss of protection and the ruin that would befall them if it did.
Danek knew that there was no reason for anyone in Emeth to fear this evil. However, the deaths of everyone else not in Emeth were a cause for great concern.
~~~
From on board the Tidal Sovereign, Victoria continued her tempestuous assault.
A fifth light scout said: “Yet, to the far northwest, a wall of water has ascended near Emeth. I cannot see if it has struck them…it seems that it has not.”
A sixth light scout said: “Around us, over six hundred twenty-three (623) ships have been struck by the storm waters and sunk, killing no less than one hundred eighty-six thousand (186000) of their crew.”
“Though I am wounded, the enemy is dying in great numbers. Yet, these numbers are not enough. Time itself shall be at my command,” Victoria then said. She began concentrating more intensely.
The powers of the waters of the Ursegan Ocean were such that they could slow down time, enabling those who drank them to slow their own aging process and live for centuries, millennia, tens of millennia or even longer. They enabled other powers, like the perception of fast moving objects in slow motion. All these powers were channeled by the tiara, and Victoria created an aura of slow time around her ship, extending to distant shores.
Ships sailing the seas came to a complete stop, as did the beating hearts of the sailors within them. They thus fell to their deaths.
A seventh light scout looked around her and said: “Over two thousand one hundred (2100) more ships around us have been hit – not with waves of water, but they were stopped dead on their courses. Everyone on board whom I can see, simply fell to their deaths, and no less than two hundred ten thousand (210000) died this way. There may yet be more, but the sight of their deaths has yet to reach me.”
~~~
The Persistent, in airship form, arrived at the edge of the Colossal March Warpath, looking off its southeastern coast to see the Ursegan Ocean. Everyone on board could see the wreckages of ships that had been struck.
“She is there, or was there, based on the shipwrecks I can see,” Zoe said, looking as far as she could.
“Something is strange. The images before us are perfectly still,” Romana said.
“Yeah! The waters aren’t moving, and the shipwrecks aren’t floating around,” Brant said.
“Remember that this is the Ursegan Ocean – the waters of time. The tiara gives to Victoria whatever powers the waters have on a grand scale. Now, she has used that power and slowed time to the point of stopping it,” Judit
h said. She understood that the Ursegan Ocean waters could do more than extend life, which they did for her and for many others. They also gave the ability to perceive fast moving events in slow motion: that enabled a Chronicler to see and record events even if they proceeded very rapidly.
“If nothing’s moving, doesn’t that mean nobody can die, either?” Brant asked.
“If a heart is made to stop, the person will surely die,” Judith said.
“But if a ship stops sailing, that doesn’t mean it’s going to drift. Everything’s just sitting still out there,” Rayner added in, also confused.
“That’s because a ship isn’t alive. The body is fragile. Believe me…I have lived with these waters in my body for twelve-hundred twenty-three (1223) years. I know something about what they can do,” Judith said. She had taken her waterbinding at the age of nineteen (19) and knew very well what their effects were.
“Are you saying that time over that ocean is completely stopped?” Romana asked.
“Yes. Stopped. Nothing will happen there, unless Victoria allows it. I don’t suggest we go in there. Nothing will be accomplished,” Ovid said, as he also understood what the Ursegan Ocean waters could do, since they gave him his own extended lifetime.
“Agreed. There is nothing we can do,” Judith said.
“Nothing?” Zoe asked.
“Flying or sailing into that will kill all of you. It can do nothing to the Chroniclers, because of the special protections we have under the Oath. But that doesn’t mean we can do anything, either,” Judith said.
“You have powers over time. Can’t you use them?” Emerond asked.
“I can slow it down, or not. I cannot counteract the power, only add to it,” Judith said.
Zoe drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean in a vial that she carried. She looked out as far as she could and saw Victoria.
Zoe then drew back her bow and Judith looked at her, knowing what would happen, but saying nothing, as Zoe would need to see for herself.
The arrow flew forward and then…stopped, floating in midair.
