Architecture & Adversity

by Jeremy Dwyer

  “We don’t need an army. We need the truth,” Lady Onora said.

  ~~~

  The leading man in the hooded, black-and-red robes soon arrived in the center of the city and approached the gathering where Lady Onora was. With his many black-and-red-robed followers behind him, he shouted out: “Divine Wrath is coming! You must all repent of your ways now, or we will make you repent. The road that enters the Kingdom of God passes through fire, and you will walk along it to be purified, body and soul.”

  “Who are you?” Lady Onora asked, stepping forward.

  “I am Borislav, one of the Pilgrims of the Burning Road. This world is about to be judged. Divine Wrath will swallow these people and this city. We are the bringers of that judgment and wrath,” the leading man – Borislav -- said.

  “Who appointed you to bring judgment and wrath?” Lady Onora asked.

  “The Angel of Divine Wrath,” Borislav said.

  “Do you know of mercy? Do you know of salvation?” Lady Onora asked.

  “There is repentance or there is the fire of purification for the unrepentant,” Borislav said.

  “Do you know who God is? I don’t think you do,” Lady Onora said.

  ~~~

  Caroline, Taesa and Emerond, still carrying Trent and his bag of clothes, arrived in the center of the city and saw the gathering. It immediately looked to be trouble.

  Caroline saw Lady Onora standing in the midst of a crowd, apparently in a debate with a man.

  “Stay back. We may need to leave quickly,” Caroline whispered to Taesa and to Emerond.

  ~~~

  “I know the Will of God. He created all things and all people. He therefore judges all things and all people. Sin destroys the world, and God destroys sinners. He hates them and His Divine Wrath will consume them without end. They must repent, and suffer for their unforgiven sins by walking along the road through the purifying fires. We will make them all pilgrims on that burning road,” Borislav said.

  “God has a way of forgiving sins. Do you not know that way?” Lady Onora asked.

  “Through fire! I have told you!” Borislav said.

  “You never mentioned the essential part of His Divine Plan,” Lady Onora said.

  “Yes, I have. There is sin, there is fire, and there is the burning road. Do you know God? I doubt your words,” Borislav said.

  “God did create the world. We sinned against him – in theft, murder, adultery, every kind of idolatry, unfair dealings, impure thoughts, misuse of the magic oceans He created and gave to us – and this must be answered. Yet, God has the answer,” Lady Onora said.

  “So do I. Close your book of fairy tales and mythology and get to honest work,” Fantine said.

  “You are an enemy of God. You deny Him completely,” Borislav said.

  “You’re an enemy of reality. So is she, half the time,” Fantine said.

  “The enemy is around us, no doubt. But God’s answer is greater by far than any enemy. God sent His Son to teach us, to live a perfect life of truth without sin, and to suffer for us by dying for our sins, then rising from the dead. This atoned for all sins,” Lady Onora said.

  “That makes less sense than anything you have ever said,” Fantine said.

  Judith looked to Romana, and then to Lady Onora and asked: “Please explain this. I don’t understand, but I want to.”

  “Don’t let her corrupt you. You’re a Chronicler. You have to write the truth,” Fantine said.

  “This story makes no sense. People are sinful, not God. Why would the Son of God – whoever that is – be made to pay for our sins when you already admit that this Son of God had no sins?” Borislav asked.

  “God is infinitely powerful. We are finitely powerful. God is infinitely deserving of goodness. We are finitely good, thus sinful, offending God. The weight of our offense is made infinite because we have offended the Infinitely Good God,” Lady Onora said.

  “This much I agree with. That is why the road to God’s Kingdom must pass through fire, to purify the bodies and souls of those who have offended God,” Borislav said.

  “Yet, we are finite. Nothing we can do or say can ever atone for an offense against the Infinitely Good God. No fire, no poison, no illness, no injury, no loss, no poverty, no suffering we endure will ever be enough. It does not have sufficient worth, because we are finite,” Lady Onora said.

  “Yet, the fires of the burning road – delivered by Divine Wrath – are infinite. They make the atonement worthy,” Borislav said.

  “No. They are for punishment only. They do not bring the atonement we need. They are meant to destroy, not to rebuild and to make us right with God. To atone, so that we can all be with God in His Kingdom, and have salvation, proper atonement must be made. If we are destroyed, that is not atonement – it is destruction. God loves us – He doesn’t hate us. That is what you fail to understand. He wants to bring us closer to Him, but our sins stand in the way. Those sins must be paid for,” Lady Onora said.

  “Yes, the sins must be paid for, and I told you how,” Borislav said.

  “No. Your way won’t work, because we are mere people. Only a perfect, truthful, innocent being – which is none of us; rather, it is the Son of God – could ever pay for it. He suffered for His Perfection, His Truth and His Innocence. He overflows with perfect, truthful innocence. When the Son of God suffered and died in His eternal state of Perfection, Truth and Innocence, a great debt was owed to Him. And in repayment for that debt, He was given authority over all of God’s Creation. As part of that authority, He forgave us our sins. Because He loves us more than you could ever understand,” Lady Onora said.

  “When did this happen? Where?” Borislav asked.

  “It happened everywhere, for all time,” Lady Onora said.

  “Did you witness this? I did not,” Borislav asked.

  “A messenger came and brought the good news – for this is the good news – to Emeth. It is written there. You must learn to read all that is written,” Lady Onora said.

  “Where in Emeth is it written?” Judith asked.

  “What hall is it written in?” Ximenez asked.

  “Look for books of knowledge about God, and put together the messages. I have already done this for you, just now. If you don’t believe me, you can read for yourself, and gather it all together,” Lady Onora said.

  “I’m struggling to understand it. I think I do…a little bit,” Judith said.

  “The struggle is the first step,” Lady Onora said.

  “It is the first step to deception. There can be no forgiveness for sins without suffering along the burning road. Those who repented at their first warning will burn for only a short while. Those who refuse must burn much longer,” Borislav said.

  “You are gravely mistaken to deny the forgiveness brought by the Son of God,” Lady Onora said.

  Borislav drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from his vial and was energized. He began to pray, saying out loud and into the spirit world: “I call to thee, Lekradorel, Angel of Divine Wrath, that we may have the strength to bring the deserved suffering upon these sinners. Their judgment is at hand, so it is our duty to march them along the burning road of atonement and purification leading into the Kingdom of God.”

  A great fire appeared before them all, taking the form of a large person, over sixty-six (66) feet in height. It had wings of fire, a face of fire and everything about it was ablaze.

  “I pray to Thee, One True God, to guide us with Your Wisdom, protect us with Your Grace, and embrace us with Your Love and Mercy,” Lady Onora said.

  Romana quickly stepped back, very afraid. Fantine and Niven also stepped back, because the fire was real, even if they didn’t believe in the religion.

  The Guardian Angel Ondothel stood before Judith and Ximenez, protecting them completely, as they were Oath-keeping Chroniclers.

  ~~~

  From under the cover of darkness, Kassia and Daley watched this fiery being appear, and they stepped backward, terr
ified.

  ~~~

  Caroline, Taesa and Emerond, while holding Trent and his bag of clothes, all stepped backward toward the nearest building. They were frightened at the appearance of the fiery being, and too terrified to move. Taesa instinctively reached for the vial of water she carried, but it was filled with Dead Waters. She drank them and they quenched her thirst without giving her energy of any kind.

  ~~~

  “In the name of the One True God, and His Son, the Perfect, Truthful Innocent One who died for our sins and rose from the dead, I command you and your demon and your army of liars to leave this city and never return!” Lady Onora shouted.

  ~~~

  In the spirit world, a powerful being moved. The Guardian Angel Ultrael engaged in a great battle against the fiery creature named Lekradorel, who was a demon of false judgment. Ultrael was a warrior angel of the One True God, and he prevailed against the demon.

  ~~~

  The large fiery being suddenly vanished, Borislav felt something pushing upon him – body and soul. He stepped backwards and became afraid. The then turned about face and marched eastward, followed by the many Pilgrims of the Burning Road who served under him. They headed out of the Port of Reliance, returned to their ship – the Bronze Harvester – and sailed away.

  “What did you do? I didn’t hear you sing against it, did you?” Romana asked.

  “No. There was no music. Faith in the One True God is more powerful than any song,” Lady Onora said.

  “I believe what you said about the Son of God. Even if I don’t totally understand it yet, I believe it, and it’s starting to make sense,” Judith said. She wrote all of this down into her book.

  “I think I believe you, too,” Ximenez said. He also recorded everything into his book.

  “I told you that you needed to listen to her,” Romana said.

  “That fire creature is gone and the religious fanatics are gone without tearing everything apart and killing people. That’s all I care about,” Fantine said.

  “We have to be going soon,” Niven said.

  “Yes. Going to the central bank,” Fantine said.

  ~~~

  From under the cover of darkness, Kassia and Daley watched this fiery being disappear, and they were relieved. Kassia grew in her faith, and worked to understand what Onora had said about the Son of God, because it was important, perhaps crucial. She needed to deliver this message to a very broken person if there was still time to do so.

  Daley wasn’t sure what to make of this talk about a Son of God, but Lady Onora clearly prevailed with that message, so it was more credible than anything said by the Pilgrims of the Burning Road.

  ~~~

  “It’s gone! I guess that means we’re safe…for now,” Emerond said after the Pilgrims and the fiery creature were gone.

  “I don’t know what to think! Everywhere we go, there’s more danger,” Caroline said.

  “I guess we just have to stay here while we can. When things get worse, then we’ll go somewhere else,” Taesa said.

  “Let’s hope it’s a long while,” Caroline said.

  “At least Onora was able to take care of it. They all left when she told them to. I trust her,” Emerond said.

  “I don’t…but she is better than them,” Caroline said.

  “She saved me before, when we were attacked in Emeth,” Taesa said.

  “This may be the best place for us,” Emerond said.

  “Let’s find somewhere to stay in this city, and keep away from the crowds,” Caroline said.

  ~~~

  The demon Lekradorel felt himself drawn by a powerful force, as if flowing along a raging river through the spirit world. He passed through various regions and crossed over various mountains and oceans, unable to control the movement. His involuntary journey soon came to a halt and he found himself in a chamber of ruby red, from which he could find no escape.

  “What is this? Where am I?” the voice of Lekradorel asked through the sixth ruby spire.

  “What is your name, demon?” Polyxene asked when she saw the swirling blackness appear in the previously pure red sixth ruby spire.

  “I am Lekradorel, Angel of Divine Wrath,” the voice of Lekradorel said through the sixth ruby spire.

  “The only wrath you need concern yourself with is mine, demon. You belong to me now,” Polyxene said.

  CHAPTER 36: City of Wealth and Opportunity

  Velia, Uberto and Noemi returned to the Unbroken Amethyst where Velia eased her powers of darkness.

  “What is your report?” Ines asked when they appeared.

  “I was able to read the thoughts of the architect, Fantine. She built this entire crystal city in a matter of minutes using a machine called the constructor. She designed the constructor based on knowledge she received from a book and direction from a man named Cassius. I also know something of how the constructor operates,” Noemi said.

  “We must have this constructor,” Ines said.

  “If it can build the temple for us – quickly and correctly – then I agree,” Saverio said.

  “Possibly. I still need to know more about it, however,” Uberto said.

  ~~~

  Captain Arata had moved the Sandstone Cutter to properly dock at a sea-level pier of the Port of Reliance and waited there for Fantine while she surveyed and imaged the city. When he saw the large, fiery creature appear – its size and bright glow made it visible from a distance – he left the ship and hurried into the city center, where he waited in the crowd for an opportunity to get Fantine to safety. After the fiery creature was commanded to leave by the religious woman known as Lady Onora, Arata hurried over to Fantine and said: “Let’s get you somewhere safe.”

  “Thank you, Captain. All that I want is to get back to the Central Bank and be paid for my work,” Fantine said.

  “What about the constructor? Are we going to take it now?” Niven asked.

  “Yes. Let’s load the pillars onto the ship so that we’re ready for the next project. We’ll need to hire some help to lift them into place. There were fourteen (14) constructor pillars used to build this city,” Fantine said.

  “When we return to the ship, we’ll find some dock workers looking for jobs,” Captain Arata said.

  “Under the authority of the Chronicler’s Oath, I will be traveling with you, Captain. I need to return to Emeth,” Ximenez said.

  “Can I at least get to the central bank first, or is this urgent?” Fantine asked.

  “I will travel to the central bank with you as our first stop and return to Emeth afterwards,” Ximenez said.

  Captain Arata then walked east through the city, heading back toward the docks. Fantine and Niven followed him, with Ximenez keeping close to them. When they arrived at the pier, many men and women were moving about, loading and unloading ships as they departed and arrived.

  “We’re looking for ten (10) Nabavodel drinkers for some strength to load heavy items onto my ship, the Sandstone Cutter. One (1) silver coin each now, one (1) silver coin when the job is done,” Captain Arata said to several of them.

  A group of seven (7) men and three (3) women heeded the call. Captain Arata paid them the promised upfront (1) silver coin each, and then they followed him, Fantine, Niven and Ximenez on board the Sandstone Cutter.

  Captain Arata raised the ship’s anchor, steered it out of port and converted the ship to its airship configuration, with its sails and masts pivoted to the sides, raising it to ninety (90) feet of altitude, matching the height of the constructor pillars. The captain steered the ship through the air and approached each of the fourteen (14) pillars placed earlier. The strong men and women each drank the Nabavodel waters from their vials to become energized with strength. They lowered ropes and lifted each of the constructor pillars, in turn, loading them onto the Sandstone Cutter and into its cargo hold. When this work was completed, Captain Arata returned the ship to port, lowered it to sea level and converted the sails and masts to their upright position. He then pa
id the one (1) silver coin balance owed to each the workers, after which they left the ship.

  “Thank you, Captain,” Fantine said.

  Ximenez recorded all of this activity into his book, along with the payment made to the workers.

  “With that work completed, we’ll return to the central bank on Haza’Kedro’Maral Island,” Captain Arata said. He drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and was energized. He listened to the sounds of the stars to learn their positions and movements. He used this information to chart a course heading east across the Pirovalen Ocean. He then sailed the ship out of port and traveled east until they reached the island with the central bank.

  Once they arrived at the island, Fantine, Niven and Ximenez disembarked and headed into the Trading Center One Building.

  At the head table, Governor Lux and Duchess Uliana were waiting, surrounded by the Torches of Majesty, who still guarded the Duchess.

  “I await your report, architect,” Governor Lux said.

  Fantine handed over a pouch containing thirty-five (35) lightkeeper crystals to Governor Lux.

  Governor Lux opened the pouch and examined the lightkeeper crystals. He was pleased with what he saw, but he did not wish to reveal that just yet. He then placed the pouch onto the head table.

  ~~~

  Under the cover of darkness was Fulvius, who continued to drink the waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean from his vial. He extended this darkness over Erlend, who drank the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from his own vial. He examined the lightkeeper crystals, able to quickly assess the city’s images recorded within them, because he could sense their low-level structure. He knew how the constructor worked, he had seen the Port of Reliance as it was being constructed, and now he had all that he needed to know to fully understand the process from beginning to end so the he could repeat it or vary it according to requirements.

  ~~~

  “Well, Governor, is the city properly designed?” Duchess Uliana asked.

  “It appears to be in good form, according to what I see in the images in these lightkeeper crystals, Duchess,” Governor Lux said.

  “Then make the payment to the architect, so that she can be on her way,” Duchess Uliana said.