Castle & Conceit

by Jeremy Dwyer

  “I am ready,” Octavian said to him, believing Cassius’ plan to be wise and true.

  CHAPTER 3: Swamp of Spirits

  “We should meet with your father to inform him that we will make preparations for your waterbinding,” Cassius said. At this, he led Octavian through the hallways of the palace to the doors leading to the throne room.

  The guards recognized the authority of both the Imperial Prince and the chief advisor, so they admitted them both without question.

  When Emperor Brennius saw that Cassius and Imperial Prince Octavian had come together, he said to them: “Approach the throne.”

  Cassius and Octavian walked up the steps leading to the pedestal upon which the emperor’s throne was situated.

  As soon as Octavian and Cassius stood before the Emperor Brennius, he asked them: “What news do you bring to me?” He was hopeful that they were going to give him good news – specifically that Octavian, at least, had taken his waterbinding already.

  Cassius said: “Your Imperial Majesty, if I may have a word with you?”

  The Emperor answered: “What is it, Cassius?”

  “Your son, Imperial Prince Octavian, must drink the waters of the Medathero Ocean as you have commanded, Your Imperial Majesty. Yet, he ought to drink them in their purest form, so as to obtain the greatest powers for his mind. Only an expert alchemist can properly purify them adequately. Furthermore, he must give himself over to a period of study and preparation,” Cassius said.

  Octavian knew that this was a fabrication, but believed that he knew what the true intention was. He feared his father, knowing that Emperor Brennius was strict. Yet, Octavian harbored anger against him for somehow causing his deformity and didn’t feel that the old man deserved the entire truth. Octavian’s facial expressions did not disclose his deception, so the Emperor did not suspect anything.

  “Your words are in agreement with my intentions, Cassius. Go on,” Emperor Brennius said.

  Cassius continued, saying: “Hence, it would be best for Octavian to travel with me to the City of Emeth. Since that city is on the land bridge located near the southwestern edge of the Medathero Ocean, he will have ready access to an ample supply of the waters as well as a number of the finest alchemists. Additionally, he will have the opportunity to study in the archives of Emeth, and grow his knowledge, enhancing his readiness to serve in an advisory capacity.”

  Both Emperor Brennius and Cassius knew very well the geography of the world: the City of Emeth was a situated upon a land bridge bordering four (4) oceans: the Medathero Ocean to its northeast, the Ursegan Ocean to its southeast, the Pirovalen Ocean to its south and the Trerada Ocean to its southwest. The story was, therefore, entirely plausible.

  “This plan seems appropriate, Cassius. Yet, how long will you be gone?” Emperor Brennius asked.

  It was important not to rouse the Emperor’s suspicions with a poorly described plan of action, so he had prepared this explanation in advance. “We will be gone for twenty-three (23) days. That is because it is a three (3) day journey in each direction, which makes for six (6) days counting the return voyage. Furthermore, Octavian must drink of the purest Medathero Ocean waters for seven (7) days to achieve the greatest initial effect, which will imbue him with their fullest potential. That makes for thirteen (13) days. An additional ten (10) days should be spent in study at Emeth, so as to begin to fill his mind with greater knowledge of history, culture, economics and science of the world around us. Hence, we will need twenty-three (23) days,” Cassius said.

  “It is indeed time for Octavian to drink of the waters of the Medathero Ocean by following the course of action you have described. I will authorize one hundred fifty (150) of my soldiers to serve as a guard. Take them and proceed without delay,” Emperor Brennius said to both Cassius and Octavian.

  Cassius and Octavian then walked down the staircase from the throne and exited the throne room. Cassius summoned a captain of the guard and said: “Prepare one hundred fifty (150) of your troops for travel. We will be accompanying Imperial Prince Octavian on his journey to the waters.”

  Accompanied by the guard of one hundred fifty (150) troops, Cassius and Octavian set out from the palace and began their journey. They boarded a riverboat that was property of the Emperor and for which they need not pay. They journeyed east for two (2) days and arrived at the dock near a small village.

  “From here, we will enter the village and find transport over the ocean,” Cassius said when they arrived. He then led the troops and Octavian through the village, and toward its north side.

  After reaching the edge of the village, they entered an area of swampland and started to walk along its perimeter.

  “How are we to find transport over the ocean from this swamp? Is there a nearby port that I am unaware of?” the captain of the troops asked.

  “Yes, captain. There is a nearby port from which it is possible to voyage to any destination,” Cassius said.

  An odor from the swamp was powerful, as it was the stench of death. Several dark figures could be seen to move in the swamp. Several of the guards fell quickly, hit by poison darts. Several more fell, and soon, all one hundred fifty (150) of them were knocked down dead. The Lord of Poison was there, dressed in ceremonial garb, including a cape covered in human bones and having various daggers on his belt.

  Imperial Prince Octavian saw all of this and was more frightened of this strangely dressed man than he was of his own appearance, now that his guard had been murdered. Cassius and Octavian found themselves surrounded by twelve (12) other persons, all dressed in animal skins, vines and thorny branches and each carrying a dagger and a long staff that looked like it may be a blowgun for shooting poison darts.

  “You are a prince?” The Lord of Poison asked Octavian with a smile.

  “I am an Imperial Prince,” Octavian said.

  The Lord of Poison smiled and said: “You have left your own kingdom. Tonight you shall enter into a new kingdom, in which you are not yet a prince. These are the warriors that defend this new kingdom. The road to this new kingdom lies ahead, and it quenches the thirst of its people with an ocean of poison and rivers of blood. I am delighted many times by seeing you walk this world. You are the very face of death! You will be one with this new kingdom. Come with us.”

  The Lord of Poison and the twelve (12) persons dressed in animal skins – the Poison Warriors – walked deeper into the swamp, with Octavian and Cassius in the center of the twelve (12) Poison Warriors. After walking through mud for what seemed like an hour, they arrived at an altar, surrounded by hideously deformed trees. They were standing under a region of the sky having three (3) cool red suns, so that the light was weak as it penetrated the swamp, yet it was adequate to see what has happening.

  The twelve (12) Poison Warriors knelt down and started bowing in front of the altar. The Lord of Poison raised a black chalice filled with water. The chalice had a dagger-like stem which was dripping with blood. Then, he chanted: “Sacred Waters of Zovvin, Pour through me, Quench Me, and Open the beyond! Bring on the dead! Bring on the spirits of the condemned! Reveal their deepest secrets!” Then he drank the waters from his chalice and was energized.

  Moments later, strange images began to appear – the images of a great many spirits, each of which was dimly glowing. A large, dark spirit stood above the altar and then a chill wind blew through all of the living beings, filling even Cassius with a fright. Octavian had never experienced or even heard tales of such things, so he was terrified far beyond any of the others.

  The large spirit was actually a demon who spoke in a deep voice that made them all tremble, saying: “I am Gadamalto, Master of Spirits in the Maelstrom of Vengeance. Why do you disturb me, creature of flesh in the land of the living? What is it you risk your life and soul for?”

  “Show to me knowledge beyond mortal sight!” the Lord of Poison called out.

  The demon then spoke again, saying: “Fool! This knowledge will bring death and condemnation! Thus, you s
hall have it! And then you shall give me mortal blood in payment!”

  At this, many more spirits – some blue and some red like blood -- arose from the swamp’s ground and swirled around in a vortex, moaning and screaming while they did. They swirled faster and faster, creating a supernatural circular current of air, which broke the branches off of trees. Then, the branches fell in the mud, and began to form a design. The design was intricate, consisting of a sea ship, with arrows pointing toward a mountain in the south, inside which there was a maze of caverns that led to an inner mountain, upon which stood a castle. In the castle, inside an upper room, there was a wall that was broken, behind which was a hallway and a door.

  The demon then declared: “Go there and you will find the knowledge you desire! Now give me the mortal blood I demand!”

  The Lord of Poison drew a long and crooked dagger from his belt, and walked toward Octavian, who realized that he was to be a sacrifice in this dark ritual: his was to be the mortal blood. The twelve (12) Poison Warriors stood as they were, only ensuring he had no escape. Cassius feigned a look of surprise, but he wasn’t surprised; rather, he was fully expecting all of this evil. The Lord of Poison raised his dagger, but then his head fell to the ground and his body fell afterwards, having been severed by a sword no one could see. The twelve (12) Poison Warriors were likewise beheaded. Octavian and Cassius looked on and caught a glimpse of shadowy figures standing around them. The summoned spirits, along with the demon named Gadamalto, had disappeared at this point, since their summoner was killed. However, the branches on the ground and the design that they formed remained.

  ~~~

  The Lord of Poison and each of the Twelve (12) Poison Warriors appeared – in spirit form – in a dark and disorienting place, filled with pain and confusion.

  A deep and terrifying voice spoke to them, saying: “Now, you have entered my realm – the Maelstrom of Vengeance. I, Gadamalto, am its master and you are my guests. As you have summoned me to bring you knowledge while you were in the flesh, you have given yourselves over to my authority now that you are in spirit. Know this, and have no doubt: you are condemned for your actions, and I shall torment you eternally, in confusion and pain.”

  Gadamalto then tortured the spirits of the Lord of Poison and each of the twelve (12) Poison Warriors horribly, and eternally, eliciting shrieks and screams and filling them with despair.

  ~~~

  One of the shadowy figures spoke, saying: “We are the Hidden Paladins, and we guard against the evil summoners of wicked spirits and demons. When the gateway to the other world was opened, we saw it, and came to end the ritual, by killing the summoners, thereby closing the gateway that they had opened. But you must not travel in these swamps, or near their edge, for that is where many summoners commit their abominations.” The shadowy figures then disappeared.

  Cassius looked at the arrangement of tree branches on the ground, then took out a book and wrote into it what he saw. After recording the intricate details, he tread upon the branches to break the design so that no one else might see it and follow. Octavian did not notice any of this, as he was still startled, not having expected to be so close to losing his own life.

  “We are safe, but we must return to the palace quickly, and give a report,” Cassius said.

  “How do you know we are safe, Cassius?” Octavian asked.

  “They are gone. This is only a swamp: nothing more, or less. The paladins protected us, do not forget, so there is nothing to fear,” Cassius said.

  Octavian and Cassius then exited the swamp and returned to the village. They boarded the same riverboat and journeyed west, heading back to the palace. Once there, they entered the throne room and approached the throne to give an account to Emperor Brennius of having been attacked.

  “You are back much sooner than expected. Explain yourselves!” Emperor Brennius said, surprised and visibly annoyed at both of them.

  Cassius spoke to Emperor Brennius, saying: “Your Imperial Majesty, we were attacked by forces of savage evil. They attempted to carry out a ritual sacrifice of your son, the Imperial Prince Octavian, but we were rescued by the Hidden Paladins, as they call themselves. Nevertheless, as you had ordered your son to drink of the waters of the Medathero Ocean, we must set out again, and this time with a much stronger guard.”

  Emperor Brennius answered: “Yes, I did order this. You are to take two thousand (2000) troops, no less, on your journey. And be more watchful where you travel, so as not to expose my son to another danger. Do not fail me again, Cassius! My trust in your planning and judgment is now weakened. The captain of the guards, Julius, will lead the way.”

  Captain Julius was in attendance in the throne room, and knew what to do. “Yes, Your Imperial Majesty,” Julius answered him.

  “Make preparations for the voyage immediately, Captain,” Emperor Brennius said.

  Captain Julius then left the throne room, and Cassius and Imperial Prince Octavian followed.

  Julius issued orders to a number of commanders so as to call two thousand (2000) troops into action. Over the next three (3) days, they were prepared for a voyage and boarded four (4) imperial ships docked off the northern edge of Ihalik, in the Kazofen Ocean.

  Each of the four (4) ships was one hundred eighty (180) feet in length with three double-masts, each supporting large sails. Embedded into every section of sailcloth were forty-four (44) large, specially cut diamonds.

  After a one (1) day journey northeast over the Kazofen Ocean, the ships arrived at a narrow strip of land that was not their destination. Rather, it was the Glivoran Trail land bridge, and the ships could go no farther. The captains of the ships ordered their crew to convert to airships. Levers were pulled by the crewmembers and the double-masts of the ships were split and pivoted to either side, such that the sails formed wings. The diamonds in the sailcloth of all the sails of all four (4) ships began to glow and each of the ships was suddenly surrounded in a thin sphere of energy which was so hot that it evaporated the water on the ship’s hull. The ships then rose to fifty (50) feet of altitude and traveled quickly through a wide valley in between the mountains of the Glivoran Trail land bridge, crossing over to the other side, where they returned to sea level in the Medathero Ocean. The masts and sails pivoted back to an upright position, the diamonds in the sailcloth ceased their glow and the thin spheres of energy were gone.

  The four (4) ships then traveled a short distance east and soon arrived at a narrow land bridge known as Emeth, which extended northwest to southeast. It separated four (4) of the great oceans and connected to four (4) land bridges. The Glivoran Trail land bridge intersected Emeth at its northwestern tip. The Colossal March Warpath extended from its northeastern tip. The Farmer’s Road land bridge extended from its southwestern edge and the Scholar’s Path land bridge extended from the southeastern tip of Emeth. The Medathero Ocean was to the northeast and the Trerada Ocean was to the southwest of Emeth. The Ursegan Ocean was to the southeast and the Pirovalen Ocean was to the south of Emeth.

  When the ship on which they traveled reached the shore of Emeth, Captain Julius said: “We will accompany the Imperial Prince, and only with our protection will he leave this ship or travel about,” Captain Julius said.

  Octavian and Cassius then left the ship and went onto the shore, accompanied by Captain Julius and surrounded by guards at every step.

  Cassius pointed toward the ocean in which the Emperor’s ships were resting, and said: “We are in the land bridge of Emeth, and the city is nearby. This is the Medathero Ocean. Toward the southwest, a short distance away, is the Trerada Ocean.”

  Cassius then handed a magnificent crystal chalice to Octavian and said: “It is time for you to drink of that water which will bring you and your father’s empire greatness and prosperity, both now and in the future.”

  “Cassius, you said that I needed an alchemist to purify the water. Where can we find one?” Octavian asked.

  “We have lost too much time from our earlier difficult
ies, and time is of the essence, so we will have to take the waters in their natural form. They will be less pure, but they will still have a considerable effect,” Cassius said.

  Rather than taking the waters of the Medathero Ocean, which were nearby, Octavian began walking along a dirt road, southwest across the Emeth land bridge, to the coast of the Trerada Ocean. He stopped where the waters met the shore of Emeth. There, he bent down to put the chalice into the waters as they flowed toward him. He drank of these, and with the first sip, he became waterbound. He drank his fill of the waters of the Trerada Ocean each day, for seven (7) days. Each day, his face and skin became more healthy in appearance, then more handsome, then captivating.

  Captain Julius knew that Emperor Brennius had ordered Imperial Prince Octavian to drink of the waters of the Medathero Ocean, but once he had taken the first sip of the waters of the Trerada Ocean, Julius knew that it was too late: Octavian was already waterbound. All waters other than those of the Trerada Ocean were now deadly poison to Octavian. The waters of the Dead Waters Ocean would still be safe, but they would have no effect other than to give hydration. Only the waters of the Trerada Ocean would sustain Octavian’s good health and his newfound handsome appearance. And it was not for captain Julius to arbitrate disputes between the Emperor and the Imperial Prince. That is a matter for them to settle themselves.

  Cassius, however, had settled the dispute. He knew, as well as anyone, that it was the Trerada Ocean whose waters quenched the worldwide thirst for health of body and fairness of appearance. It was considered by many, perhaps by most, to be the greatest of the twelve (12) so-called Gift Waters. Some people called them all the Sacred Waters. Some called them evil, as they fed men’s hunger for power and led them to hunger for more. Some called the waters “the Nectar of the Gods”, as they made a few especially apt men and women rise far above the ordinary mortal condition and achieve power, if only for a while. Some others called the waters “the Nectar of the Wicked”, as the endowments that they granted were, on numerous occasions, used in twisted ways to achieve evil goals. Many cultures throughout history rejected some, or even all of these powerful waters, for fear that they would actually be drinking “the blood of demons” and be serving dark and evil spirits. While the dark and evil spirits certainly did exist, Cassius knew that the waters were not “the blood of demons.”