Plumes of water shot into the air where the burning objects dove into the sea. One near each of the docks of the Twin cities and the third further out to sea.
THUMP!
The deck of the Stormy Defiance seemed to drop away from them all for a split second, and the whole world seemed to fall a few inches.
“What the hells was that!” An angry Paleschurian voice yelled through the speaking tube.
“Earthquake,” Captain Elliot said more to himself than to Gregory.
Something massive slipped off the side of the Norther Twin’s portside wall.
“The walls of Labran do not fall,” Bet quoted in a haunted voice as they watched the cascade of rocks begin to topple from what was only moments before, the most impenetrable walls known to Salucia.
THUMP!
“We’ve got to get out of here, sir. Look, is that what I think it is?” Bet asked, pointing far out to sea near where the third light had dived into the sea.
It’ll take too long to turn, and if Bet’s right we really do not want to take what’s coming side on, Captain Elliot thought as he rose his spyglass and confirmed his nightmare. “Full reverse, full reverse. Now!” He said as he watched the entire horizon begin to rise on the other side of the Labranthian islands.
“Gregory! Get those wheels spinning backwards! Full reverse! You better have made this tub fast!” Bet roared into the speaking tube.
Captain Elliot grabbed the wheel and looked at his map, pointing the aft of the ship into the deepest part of the trench. He saw more than felt them sinking lower against the tide markers on the rocks to either side of the ship, and he swore under his breath.
The wheels stopped spinning forward on either side of the ship. There was a large clink and shudder as the engines were reversed below them. “Full reverse!” Gregory’s voice came up through the speaking tube, and then a trailing off, “As much coal as she’ll take!” as the engineer stepped away from his tube to attend to his duties.
The wall of water continued to rise in front of them as what was left of the Labranthian walls fell into the water after the two massive concussive blasts from what could only be an earthquake.
“Did those lights do that?” Bet asked from beside him.
“How the hells would I know?!” Captain Elliot retorted, but whatever modifications Gregory had made soon became apparent as their paddle-wheels soon began to push them through the water at near twenty knots.
“Halom save us,” Bet gasped as the wall of water broke upon the islands of Labran.
White water flew up into the air the giant wave smashed into the two major Labranthian islands. A torrent of what looked like massive rapids spewed between the islands and ripped the docks from their rocky shelves. The fabled walls of the Candles were completely lost under the raging white water.
“Push it, Gregory! Give it more! This is going to be close!” Captain Elliot yelled into the tube.
Twenty-five knots.
If they all weren’t all about to die, Captain Elliot would have been proud of his mad new engineer.
The wash of the wave covered both of the islands completely, but as the wave carried on forward it bent around the isles, and the gap on created on their side seemed to suck the momentum away. The height of the wave dropped significantly as it reabsorbed its own wash on the sheltered side of the Labranthian islands.
They were in deep water now, and Captain Elliot watched what was left of the monstrous wave dissipate back into the sea around him.
They met the swell head and rode atop the strangely placid plateau of sea water as it passed beneath them.
“Ok, Gregory, cut reverse engines. Takes us to one-quarter ahead.” Captain Elliot said as he passed a hand over his face in disbelief of what had just happened.
“They’re gone,” Bet said with a hand over her mouth. Tears were in her eyes. “the Candles. There is nothing left.”
She was right. Where once the great bastions against the sea had stood for hundreds of years, now there was nothing but jagged pieces of rock bleeding white water back into the sea. The flotsam of houses and the remnants of thousands of lives floated beneath and around them.
“Captain, we need to get out of here,” Gregory said as he finally popped up from below deck. He had surveyed the scene around him the infamously grim look all Paleshurians seemed to have painted his face. “Some of this wreckage is big enough to damage the ship.”
Captain Elliot ground his teeth at the man’s callousness. “We will wait in deep water until things settle, then, Gregory, we will carefully sail as close as we can to try and save anyone who might still be alive. Understood?”
“Mr Euchre said…” Gregory started.
“I don’t give a toss what Mr Euchre said.” Captain Elliot took a step towards the squirrelly engineer and grabbed the pommel of his sabre. “Mr Euchre is not here, and there is no gods damned way he would have accounted for something like this. I’m a Corsair dammit, we don’t leave people to drown if there is a chance, we can save them.”
Gregory seemed about to open his mouth once again.
Captain Elliot drew his sabre and pointed it at Gregory. “My grandfather killed five Navutians with this blade. My father, another thirteen, and it has tasted blood at the Battle of Istol with me. Do not make me soil it with the blood of some pompous engineer who thinks he can tell a Corsair captain what to do on his ship.”
Gregory narrowed his eyes at his captain but pressed the matter no further. “Deep water. Aye, aye, captain.” The wiry engineer bowed his head and went back down into his kingdom of steam, valves and engines.
“Possibly a bit much,” Bet whispered to him.
Captain Elliot sheathed his sabre and showed Bet his shaking hands. “Possibly. What the hells just happened?”
“I don’t know, sir. It was like something from the Ciwix. Like what the Singers preach about in the Tenets of the Elohim.”
He nodded in agreement. The nation of Labran had effectively been wiped off the map in one quick attack. For that must have been what it was. Yet who could wield such power?
***
Deep within Mannford’s complex, the same one which Wayran and Matoh Spierling had visited not so long ago, a screen flashes back into life. It is one of the many which the army of self-repairing engineer bots have brought back online after the annoying collapse of the dome and the damage to the lightning rods all those months ago. Things were back to normal, and Kali’s dormant systems were once again waking from their long slumber.
Upon the repaired monitor only two lines flashed repeatedly, a hesitant cursor rested beside the last.
Weapon’s test: Successful.
Select new target: |
53 – Hope
I have split myself into two versions in the hope that one might survive to fix the error. I have written an algorithm to be triggered in the sentinels if anyone should discover my journal. The one who will be allowed entry will be a match for the upload I leave inside the journal, a long distant relative of some of my cloned DNA.
The Sentinels will seek out the person who has found it and attempt integration with them. The interface will be triggered once integration is complete.
I can explain the rest later.
- Journal of Robert Mannford, Day 180 Year 69 (2nd to last entry)
Wayran
Outside the Artificium, New Toeron, Bauffin
Adel found Wayran sitting on a bench with Mannford’s journal open on his lap as he vigorously scribbled notes into a second leather-bound volume.
“The keys ...” Adel said, making Wayran start. “I think I remembered something else. White, black, and gold. I think whatever we are looking for is another weapon and it will be white.” Adel shrugged. “Also, does Raidho mean anything to you? I’m not sure if it is relevant, but I wanted to tell you just in case it meant anything.”
Wayran stood and moved his books over, making a spot for Adel. “Please, sit, and I’m sure it is. Relevant, that is. Yes,
Raidho was one of the Sentinels, or NRE’s, one of the metal men, I mean. Sorry, you seem to make me nervous.”
Adel laughed at that.
Wayran grinned sheepishly. “Anyways, Raidho was brilliant beyond what Mannford thought possible. The journal references some sort of experiment which I think was part of what the NRE’s did to me, and as far as the third key…” He blinked as a memory flashed through his mind, and he knew instantly that this memory was not his own.
A black sword sat upon a large white bench as a tall man bent over it, working upon the blade with exotic and futuristic looking tools. One of the black tablet relics lay on the bench beside the man, his fingers played across the tablet’s surface, and blue light from within the fuller of the black blade glowed awake in response. Wayran tried to follow the memory, and he thought he saw a glimpse of two other objects on the next bench in the room. Something long and gold, and yes, the other was white.
Kenaz’s memory, Wayran thought. It had to be.
“Yes,” Wayran said aloud. “I think you’re right.” He smiled awkwardly at Adel, who was staring at him intensely with her penetrating and very beautiful eyes. “The other key, it’ll be white.” He paused as his mouth suddenly felt far too dry. “I’m glad you’re coming. With us, I mean.”
Adel surprised him as she grabbed his hand and squeezed it with gentle assurance. “We are in this together, you know. You don’t have to figure all of this out on your own.”
“You’re right,” Wayran said, feeling like he could breathe for the first time in a long while. He gave Adel’s hand a squeeze. “You’re right. We are not alone in this.”
Wayran stood clasping hands with Adel. They walked like that for a while before they left to go tell their friends and fellow confederates of what they had found, for it would be together that they would find their way through the coming storm.
This has been Awakenings - book 2 of Knights of Salucia.
To be continued….
List of Characters by Storyline (as they appear)
Wayran and Matoh
Wayran Spierling - brother of Matoh. Place of Origin: New Toeron, Bauffin
Matoh Spierling –brother of Wayran. Place of Origin: New Toeron, Bauffin
Sandra Koslov – Aunt of Wayran and Matoh, cook for the Stormchasers and wife to Aaron Koslov.
Aaron Koslov – Captain of the Storm Chasers. Wayran and Matoh's uncle, brother of Natasha Spierling. Place of Origin: Palisgrad, Paleschuria
Natasha Spierling – X - (maiden name Kozlova) -The Silver Lady. Mother of Wayran and Matoh, wife of Harold. Place of Origin: Palisgrad, Paleschuria
Ariel Laurent – Healer, Storm Chaser. Place of Origin: Saint Miro, Nothavre
Marcus Hanz – Lead Storm Chaser. Place of Origin: Aspen Hills, Aluvik
Harold Spierling - Father of Wayran and Matoh. Place of Origin: New Toeron, Bauffin
Chronicler Talbot – Chronicler at New Toeron Artificium, specialises in codebreaking, mathematics and decrypting. Place of Origin: Narrows, Aluvik
Bree Olmson – Works at the Artificium. Apprentice to Chronicler Rutherford. Place of Origin: Sudgard, Asgur
Chronicler Rutherford – Chronicler at the New Toeron Artificium, specialises in Physics and Chemistry. Place of Origin: Dawn, Kenz
Kevin Bertoni – Initiate in the Academy, Place of Origin: Tawa City, Tawa
Jerome Dangstrom – Former constable, Initiate in the Academy. Place of Origin: Narrows, Aluvik
Bastion Thurson– Initiate in the Academy, Place of Origin: Blainheim (village near Vestgard), Asgur
Captain Miller – Fellow of Military Tactics and Basic Training at the Academy. Holds the rank of Captain in the Syklan Order. Place of Origin: Freeport, Bauffin
Sir Garrick - Renowned Syklan knight of Salucia
Doyenne Cunningham - holds the highest rank at the Academy, akin to a Dean.
Sir Vyktor Henski- One of the original Syklan knights, fought in the Union Wars, commanded the Silver Lady, one of the High King's most trusted allies. Place of Origin: Palisgrad, Paleschuria
Jonah
Jonah Shi – also known as Ja’ Al Ona Hashi, Dokan of the Kutsal Empire, Foot bowmen in the Imperial Army. Place of Origin: Eura City
Fin Gunderson – Foot bowmen in the Imperial Army. Place of Origin: Port Gunderson
Branson Delagoth – Foot bowmen in the Imperial Army. Place of Origin: Delagoth Hold
Commander Diya Naseen – Commander of the Black Rain, Foot bowmen battalion of Euran landing force.
Prince Samar El’ Amin – First son of Matron Dinesa of House Amin, leader of an expedition across the Barrier Sea.
Note: *In Eura, if your Clan is one with blood ties to the Empress you are part of “The Blood”
Thannis
Thannis Beau'Chant – Prince of Nothavre, also known as Thannis Euchre (alias). Place of Origin: Orlane, Nothavre
Michael de La Quan – Alias of Thannis. Looks very similar to Thannis. Place of Origin: Orlane, Nothavre
Elise Syun – X - Princess of Xin Ya. Place of Origin: Wadashi, Xin Ya
Ole Sigurn – X - Bodyguard to Princess Syun, Syklan Knight. Place of Origin: Vestgard, Asgur
Henriette Gelding – X – Bodyguard of Princess Syun, Hafaza Guard. Place of Origin: Dawn, Kenz.
Esmerak – Powerful priestess of the Vinda Sisterhood. Place of Origin: Vinda, The Blasted Isles
Dennis Beau’Chant – Royal in Nothavre. Cousin to Thannis. Place of Origin: Orlane, Nothavre
Professor Attridge – Researcher and Lecturer in the Research Wing of the Academy. Santsi specialist. Mentor of Dennis Beau’Chant. Place of Origin: Dawn, Kenz
Raoul - Head Butler of the Beau'Chant estates. Place of Origin: Orlane, Nothavre
John Stonebridge
John Stonebridge – Prefect in the Constabulary. Place of Origin: Alansworth, Kenz
Miranda Holvstad – Junior Prefect in the Constabulary. Place of Origin: Qi Gong (Border City to Kenz), Xin Ya
Gary Hornwright – Chief of Narrows Constabulary. Place of Origin: Narrows, Aluvik
Adel and Naira
Adel Corbin – daughter of Leonard Corbin. Place of Origin: Blossom Bay, Bauffin
Leonard Corbin – Adel's father. Place of Origin: Unknown
Naira O'Bannon – Adel’s best friend Place of Origin: Blossom Bay, Bauffin
Fellow Callahan – Fellow at the Academy, Siphoning expert. Place of Origin: Unknown
Darrel Sampson – alleged pirate, excellent sailor, initiate into the Academy’s Corsair (Royal Navy) program.
Lady Buika - Hafaza and Singer of importance, First of the Order of Presence within the Hafaza, second only to the Paladine, leading figure in the Quinnite Faction of the Singers. Place of Origin: Southern Paleschuria
Echinni and Kai
Kai Johnstone – Orphan, Jachem’s friend. Place of Origin: New Toeron, Bauffin
Jachem Sanders – Orphan, Kai’s friend. Place of Origin: New Toeron, Bauffin
Hanson Rivers– Innkeeper of Broken Clock Inn, husband of Meriam. Place of Origin: New Toeron, Bauffin
Meriam Rivers – Innkeeper of Broken Clock Inn, wife of Hanson. Place of Origin: New Toeron, Bauffin
Bella – serving girl at the Broken Clock Inn.
Harbour Master O’Brian – Kai’s boss at the docks.
Echinni Mihane – High Princess, daughter of High King Ronaston. Place of Origin: Born in Sudgard, Asgur. Spent most of her life in New Toeron, Bauffin.
Yuna Swiftriver – Syklan and bodyguard of Echinni Mihane. Place of Origin: Istol, Navutia
Ronaston Mihane – High King of the Nine Nations of Salucia. Defender of the Singer Faith. First of the Syklan Order. Father of Echinni. Place of Origin: Sudgard, Asgur
Sister Maria – Sister who runs the orphanage which Kai and Jachem grew up in. Place of Origin: the Candles, Labran
Maestra Lascotti – Maestra of the Singer Faith and Echinni’s Singing trainer. Place of Origin: Dawn, Kenz
Maes
tro Percival - the Oratorio’s Percussion Master. Place of Origin: the Candles, Labran
Crew of the Stormy Defiance
Captain Greffan Elliot – Corsair Captain from a long line of Corsair Captains, born and bred in the Narrows, Place of Origin: the Candles, Labran
First Mate Eliza “Bet” Daproc – Former master of the Golden Bounty, an infamous pirate ship at large during the Union Wars. Place of Origin: Tawa City, Tawa
Engineer Gregory Shiernov – An engineer in the employ of Mr Euchre. He has been given authority to experiment with his new engine types aboard the stormy defiance. Place of Origin: Palisgrad, Paleschuria, then later the Academy, New Toeron
Historical Characters
The Silver Lady - Natasha Spierling - Heroine of the Union Wars, Symbol of freedom and change for many for fought against the Navutians. A symbol of hope, founder of the Military Academy open to any and all who showed the aptitude and ability.
Meskaiwa Denii - The Raven
The Dread Queen - Anastasia Quinn
Rykavin Stonesplitter – Navutian King of Legend
Gods
Halom - Creator God and benevolent, His Song permeates all of existence.
Lady Death - Goddess of Death, with her companion Orcanus, the killer whale who shepherds lost souls to their final resting places
Gideon - Trickster God of Luck
Fenris - Asgur Wolf Goddess of the hunt and of winter
Essen – Old God of storms
Awakenings Page 60
