The Raie'Chaelia (Legend of the Raie'Chaelia, Book One 1)

by Melissa Douthit

  “Usually, we get everything from the sea.” Ardenne answered. “Goods that can only be procured by land, such as fruits and vegetables, we get from our kin on the islands. Sometimes, we get them from trade with the people of the Realm.”

  “So, these islands, where are they exactly?” Tycho asked.

  “Deep into the Aeolian sea, toward the northeast.”

  “You sail into the Aeolian?!” Chalice asked with gaping eyes. She knew that the Aeolian sea was the most dangerous in the world because of its violent storms. She had learned from the trading ships that stopped in Canton that many vessels had been lost by sailing too deeply into it.

  “The weather does not harm our ships. Our people have been sailing the sea since the Haeliad. The design of our vessels goes back all the way to that time. Ours are the only ships in the world that can sail the Aeolian. We are lucky to live on the Morning Dawn. She is the fastest and the most weatherly. It is easy to sail the sea with her.”

  “Is that how you are able to escape Dar’Maalda? By sailing where his men can’t go?” Kirna asked.

  “Yes, exactly.”

  “But they are Terravailian,” Chalice said in confusion.

  “And?”

  “They can control the weather.”

  “Chalice,” Ben interrupted, “it would take an enormous amount of Terravailian power to calm the weather over the Aeolian sea. Starting a wind is one thing because it can build upon itself, but stopping a wind is very difficult. Stopping winds like those would be nearly impossible. You would need all the Terravailians alive to do it and it would still be very challenging.”

  The Prophet looked intently at Ben. “Master Graeystone, being Terravailian yourself and a member of the Realm, do you have any idea of the King’s intentions regarding the Gulf of Paelianna? The reason I ask is because we are interested in gaining access to the port cities in Maliya for trade and entrance into those waters is still too dangerous due to the large Draaquan presence. Without it, it is very difficult to obtain Maliyan spices.”

  Ben frowned and scratched his chin. The news about Draaquan ships in the gulf seemed to puzzle him.

  “I don’t know what his plans are, but I do know that his intentions can’t be good. You see …”

  Everyone ate slowly as they listened to Ben describe the King and the age-old conflict between the Maaldanese and the people. It was clear that the Marins knew nothing about the Realm and its internal problems. Ben explained how events surrounding these issues had led them to the Quaie’Miren and their ship. Lastly, he told them about the Delphaline, the prophecy, and how it related to their journey.

  The Prophet nodded. “Ah, that was it. In the past two decades, we have noticed a big change in the Realm, at least in those areas where we do business. Not to worry though, Master Graeystone. We will set our heading for Auvergny once we are out in the open water. It would be best to arrive there just after dark. Your mission in Chainbridge will go more smoothly under the cloak of night, I think.”

  Ben voiced his agreement.

  “And you say that you have ships in line for the journey back? You will not need us to wait for you?” the Prophet asked and Ben nodded again. Then, the Prophet looked over at his wife. “You know, Winni, I knew that our mission this time was important. The last time I had this feeling was when we went looking for the lost ship in the gulf.” He turned back to Ben. “That was an important mission as well, but unfortunately it wasn’t a successful one.”

  “Well, it wasn’t there,” Aden said.

  “Yes, it was. You just didn’t find it,” he replied sternly to his son and glanced down at his plate to cut a morsel of fish.

  Everyone turned to Aden as he shook his head in response and mouthed silently: “It wasn’t there!”

  “It was there, Aden!” the Prophet said again loudly, still looking down at his plate. Aden jumped. He hadn’t been expecting that his father knew he was still contradicting him.

  “We believe you, Father,” Ardenne said kindly.

  Chalice saw the expression on Tycho’s face and she and Kirna almost exploded into a fit of giggles. She wished Jeremiah could be there with them. He would have appreciated the humor.

  “So …” Tycho cut in cautiously, “which ship wasn’t … uh …” Pausing, he looked at the Prophet and corrected himself. “Or I should say was there, but wasn’t found?”

  “The lost ship of Paelianna,” Aeron interjected.

  “Oh, okay,” Tycho replied, nodding. “What’s that?”

  “You don’t know the story?” Ardenne asked and Tycho shook his head, shrugging.

  “If it makes you feel any better, Tyke, Kirna and I don’t know it either,” Chalice whispered to him.

  “Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘Paelianna, Iel Aelia D’Avaria’?” Ardenne asked and Tycho shook his head. Chalice, however, recognized the phrase but couldn’t remember where she had heard it. Ardenne continued.

  “She was the first Terravailian Queen of the Realm and the only monarch who was ever familiar with our people.”

  “Yes, she was the first Ielierian to rule the land after the Haeliad,” Ben interrupted. “She was one of your ancestors, Chalice.”

  “Yes,” agreed Ardenne. “She originally gave us lands on which to live but soon we discovered that our differences with the rest of the Realm made it difficult for us to belong to it, so we took to the sea. We built ships on which to live and they were so fine, she commissioned us to build a fleet for her. In return, she paid us handsomely and let us trade freely with the people of the Realm and sail where we chose, not hindering our headings in any way. Paelianna was wise and kind to everyone. She was a great queen.” Ardenne paused to sip her drink, then continued.

  “Unfortunately, she loved a man who was not of the same character. His name was Dar’Baren. They say that love can blind a person. In her case, the blindness was complete. Dar’Baren was obsessed with wealth and power and would do anything to get it. He asked her hand in marriage with every intention of seeing her dead so he could take over the Realm. She had no clue, of course. Outwardly, he appeared to be everything she thought of him, handsome, wise, kind — in short, a good husband and ruler — but secretly, he was developing a weapon that he could use to kill, destroy and conquer anyone who stood in his way. When she found out about it and about his plans to usurp her throne, she was devastated. She soon realized, however, that she had to do something about it before he could use the weapon on her and her family.”

  “What did she do?” Chalice asked.

  “She had him imprisoned and executed. This set off a series of events that led to the First War of the Realm, and eventually, to her death. Dar’Baren had followers and they wanted revenge. They also wanted the weapon that he had created. She took the weapon, a few trusted advisors, and the best crew that she possessed and set sail for the Great Maelstrom, a huge oceanic whirlpool that at the time, consumed the gulf that is now called the Gulf of Paelianna. In our time, the storm is mostly dormant. We only see it flare up once every several hundred years and even then it doesn’t last long, but back then, it was in constant flux. Anyhow, she had intended to throw the weapon into the maelstrom to dispose of it and head back home, but those of his followers who had ships pursued her. The chase ended in a battle at sea in which they all perished, dragged down into the deep, stormy waters of the gulf, never to be seen again.”

  “It was shortly after this, Chalice, that your family instituted the oaths that now protect them,” Ben interrupted once again and then turned to Ardenne. “Pardon me, Ardenne. Please, continue.”

  “No worries, Master Graeystone. Anyway, her lost ship is still out there somewhere. Most believe it to be too far deep into the ocean to be searched, but my father believes that the current carried her ship to a shallow part of the gulf, near the Blue Coral Reef where divers can reach it. This is where we went looking. Our mission was cut short, however, by hostile Draaquan ships that chased us out of the gulf. Since then, we haven’t been
able to return.”

  “What a sad, but beautiful story!” Chalice said and then she suddenly remembered where she had heard the name. Jeremiah had said it when they were in Branbury. Oh yeah, and Paelianna … It’s about a queen who dies to save her people. There was something that piqued Chalice’s curiosity.

  “And the weapon, does anyone know what it was?”

  “No. No one knows,” Ardenne answered. “All we know is that it was very dangerous. No opponent of Dar’Baren on which it was used ever survived. It was lethal.”

  “Well, it’s a good thing it’s gone!” Tycho added.

  “Yes,” Ben agreed, but his expression was disconcerted.

  Chalice waited until the others were occupied in conversation to whisper: “What’s wrong, Ben?”

  “This bothers me.”

  “What does?”

  “The Draaquan ships in the gulf.”

  “You think they may be looking for it?”

  “They could be since they can’t use their power directly as a weapon. For a long time, they have been looking for other means to subdue the people. The only problem is that no one knows what kind of weapon Dar’Baren made or how to use it, so their presence there may not actually be related to that at all. Most likely, they are protecting their economic interest along the coastline. The Maliyan spice trade is very lucrative. I’m not surprised that the Quaie’Miren would like access to those cities. However, we can’t be sure of what Dar’Maalda is planning. I’m glad that the Prophet brought this to my attention.”

  “So, Dar’Maalda is looking for other weapons? I don’t understand. He is King. He already has control.”

  “Yes, he does, but it is not complete and he knows that. There are those who still defy him secretly, like us, the Resistance, and if we decide to move against him, he wants to be able to have a sure victory. Especially now that he knows about you, he will be even more aggressive in his search.”

  She turned away from Ben. Her face was pale and a chill ran down her spine. She set down her knife and fork and stared into her lap. She was no longer hungry. It was hard to imagine a man like Dar’Maalda with such a deadly weapon. Having control of the Draaquans was bad enough, wasn’t it?

  We need to hurry! she thought. We may be running out of time. Caught up in her thoughts, she heard the voice of Samus Marin telling them about another sea adventure that turned out to be a failure. She looked up and caught a glimpse of Aden rolling his eyes.

  “Chalice dear,” Winnivere said, “do you not like the food? If not, we can bring you something else.”

  “Oh … no, it’s delicious. I’m sorry. I’m just not very hungry.” She paused and then suddenly had an idea. “Would it be alright if I can tray this and take it to my friend? We are going to visit him after dinner. I know he’ll be hungry.”

  At this, Ben raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t yet said that visiting Jeremiah was a definite thing. She didn’t care. She would go see him regardless.

  “We will do better. We will save that for you and make him a fresh tray. How about that?”

  Chalice smiled and nodded and Winnivere motioned for one of the boys to fetch a fresh tray of food as they finished up with their meal. Afterwards, they thanked the Marins for their gracious hospitality and rose from the table. The boy returned and handed the tray to Chalice, who took it gratefully. Then, they left with Ardenne and her brothers.

  Once outside, Ardenne tried to justify her father’s behavior. “My father, he is stubborn, but he is also very keen on exploration.”

  Aden scoffed. “Denni, are you kidding? That’s putting it way too lightly. Dad always has us off on some hair-brained adventure that he thinks was revealed to him by his ‘sight’ and it always ends in disaster! It’s lunacy!”

  “Not this time, Ade,” she said, shaking her head.

  “On that, I will have to agree,” Aeron added.

  “You two are ganging up on me again!” Aden turned toward Chalice and the others. “They do this to me all the time.”

  Chalice could see the wide grin on Tycho’s face. He liked them, she could tell. She had to admit that she liked the Marins, too, just as much as he did. They were so odd.

  Ardenne turned to Chalice. “Chalice, I wish we could join you in Master Maehbeck’s cabin, but we need to meet with my little brother and set a course for Auvergny. Is that alright?”

  “Oh, absolutely. Thank you again, for everything!”

  At that, they said goodnight and departed. Before Chalice knew it, they were up on the stern deck in front of Jeremiah’s cabin door. Ben opened it and Chalice followed behind with the tray. Jeremiah was awake and lying on the bed, his body covered with blankets up to his chest.

  “Hey!” he said and gave them a weak smile. He looked so tired. He struggled to raise himself up. Slowly, he managed it, propping himself up on the pillows behind him until he was in a semi-sitting position. All the blood was gone from his wounds, but his face and chest were still a mass of bruises and cuts and his lip was swollen and split. Chalice scooted past the others and sat down on the chair next to him. Placing the tray on the bedside table, she picked up the soup bowl and spoon.

  “We brought you some dinner.”

  “Thanks!”

  He took the bowl and ate slowly. Kirna and Tycho took seats on the other side of the bed and Ben, lighting his pipe with fire from the lamp, sat down with them.

  “So, how was dinner?” Jeremiah asked.

  “It was fun. We learned the story of Paelianna,” Chalice said.

  “Ah, Paelianna, the Queen of Courage,” he said softly.

  “You know the story?” Tycho asked.

  “Yeah, my mom read it to me when I was young.”

  “Oh okay, good, well anyway …”

  Tycho proceeded to tell Jeremiah about the Marins, their idiosyncrasies, and their adventure looking for the lost ship. When he described the expressions on the faces of Ardenne and her brothers as their father told the story of Paelianna, Jeremiah snorted with laughter and then immediately clutched his side, wincing in pain.

  “You alright?” Ben asked, concerned.

  “I’ve had better days,” Jeremiah said, grunting softly in discomfort as he removed his hand from his side.

  Chalice did not want to stare at him. She could barely bring herself to look at his bruises. Every time she did, she felt guilty. She felt that it was her fault. Tears wanted to break through her calm exterior, but she held them in.

  “It will take a while,” Ben said, “but you should be fully recovered in a few days, a week at most. Bunejab will be here soon with more salve that you can use tomorrow. He’s in my cabin mixing it now.” Ben paused to study Jeremiah for a moment. “They really did a number on you, didn’t they?”

  Jeremiah nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Kirna told me what happened. So, they know?”

  Jeremiah knew exactly what Ben was referring to and nodded again.

  “Yeah, they do now. They thought it was me at first. When they couldn’t find the mark, they tried to beat the information out of me.”

  Chalice lowered her head to stare at her hands. She needed something to concentrate on so that her thoughts would not drift to what she had witnessed in the clearing. She couldn’t yet deal with it. Ben looked at her, misinterpreting her expression.

  “What happened is my fault. I should have chosen another route over the river, but all the same, Chalice, you shouldn’t have told them. You should have remained silent.”

  She looked up at him indignantly. “They were going to kill him!”

  “You should not have told them,” he said again calmly, but sternly, emphasizing each word.

  “And let him die?!” Her voice was rising and her eyes blazed with anger. She couldn’t help it. It was easier to be angry than sad. She shook her head defiantly. “No way!”

  Kirna and Tycho just sat there in silence, afraid to interrupt. Ben paused and studied Chalice. He was beginning to understand the relationship between Jeremiah a
nd her. He realized then that there was nothing he could do to convince her, so he gave it up.

  She is so much like her father, he thought.

  “Well, what’s done is done. There’s nothing we can do now to change it.” He paused to puff on his pipe and his brow furrowed curiously. “By the way, what did they say when they saw the mark?”

  “Nothing really. They were speechless, actually,” Jeremiah said and shook his head with a wry smile.

  “What?” Ben asked.

  “It wasn’t what they said. It was what she said.”

  “Which was?”

  “She told them to choke on it.”

  At this, Ben coughed loudly and then burst out in a deep, hearty laugh, releasing all of the tension that had built up over the course of the past few days. After a few moments his laughter dissipated and he drew in a deep breath.

  “Chalice, you really are too much like Duquaine. He always had a sharp tongue.” He shook his head. “And I’m not sure if that is a virtue or a curse.”

  “A curse, I would say,” Jeremiah remarked. “She almost got her head cut off.”

  Ben’s eyes widened and Chalice could feel all of them staring at her. She looked down at her hands again.

  “Kirna told me about her shoulder, but not about this?”

  “The young one — I think his name was Rhaene — he was going to kill her, but the older one stopped him. He mentioned the oaths and that Dar’Maalda was unsure of something.”

  Ben looked down to tap his pipe and nodded. “Hmm, yes, that is something. I didn’t think of that.”

  “What?” Jeremiah asked.

  “Well, he’s not sure if the oaths will hold for her. She is only half Terravailian.”

  “Oh, that was it.” Jeremiah nodded. “He also said their orders were to give her to Vlaad so he could …” He paused and swallowed. Chalice could tell that he was having trouble saying it, so she finished the sentence for him.

  “So he could torture information out of me and then find a way to ‘dispose of me.’ Those were his exact words.”

  “And he would have, too,” Ben said, his expression very serious. “You can thank your lucky stars the Quaie’Miren showed up when they did. You probably shouldn’t have mouthed off.”