by Jeremy Dwyer
“Then why is everyone still angry? Why are they trying to kill me for what somebody else did, and forced me to do?” Taesa asked.
“People in pain do not easily forgive. They want someone to blame, even if it’s the wrong person,” Romana said.
“We move from one place to the next, and stay as long as we can, until more trouble comes,” Emerond said.
“And it eventually does. We can’t stay here forever, no matter what kind of contract we’re under,” Caroline said.
“Contract? What contract?” Romana asked.
“We signed an agreement to live and work here for twenty (20) years. That made the price affordable,” Emerond said.
“What if you have to leave in a hurry?” Romana asked.
“It’s not a question of ‘if’ but ‘how long until’ we have to leave in a hurry,” Caroline said.
“I don’t sing anymore. I stay out of the way. I wasn’t going to do anything when the king was in power, but he was coming for us. We were hiding away, but he was going to find us,” Taesa said.
“We had the same dream, warning us,” Emerond said.
“You mean that you had a vision. Someone’s looking out for you, and praying for you, always. Believe me,” Romana said.
“Why do you keep bringing up prayer? If there really was a god – a good god – then these things wouldn’t happen,” Caroline said.
“Evil will always happen because the human ego demands power and glory, and fights against the authority of God,” Romana said.
“What is this authority of your God if he doesn’t stop this? Doesn’t ‘God’ mean ‘all-powerful’? Why not stop these evil kings and murderers?” Caroline asked.
“He does, in time,” Romana said.
“Why not stop it right away? Victoria murdered so many people. I have no idea how many people King Xander killed. He deceived everyone, so we don’t know what happened,” Caroline asked.
“Deception is exactly the point,” Romana said.
“What are you talking about? I usually understand you, but not this time,” Emerond asked.
“Even though the human ego – in its most extreme cases – wants absolute power and glory, it realizes it cannot match the unlimited power of God. The only way around that is deception: people like King Xander deceive themselves, and the people around them, into believing that there is no God. They use the powers of the ocean waters to create illusions and intricate webs of lies to hide this. They claim glory for themselves, and try to build monuments to deceive the world into believing in their eternal rule, even though they only have limited power for a little while. No monument of theirs will stand for long,” Romana said.
“Why isn’t everybody mad at King Xander? Why me?” Taesa asked.
“They are mad at King Xander, if they can remember him. He was surrounded by illusions and songs, but nothing of his reign endured. He’s gone, and the spell under which he had everyone subdued is also gone. Even Sebastian is dead and the wall he built in Baradaxa – to supposedly protect everyone there – was shattered. He pretended to protect people from the king, when really he controlled and murdered many of them using his powers of telepathy,” Romana said.
“I heard about Sebastian. I never trusted him,” Taesa said.
“I was wrong about him. You were right: he was dangerous. I’m sorry,” Caroline said.
“He was proud, and he denied all authority except for his own,” Romana said.
“You think pride is the real problem, don’t you?” Emerond asked.
“It’s the root of all problems, and it leads to tragedies. Pride leads people to believe they don’t need God,” Romana said.
“I agree that people can be arrogant, and that can make them dangerous. There’s no need to keep bringing up your God whom you can’t even prove exists. I’m not going to believe half of what you say if you keep mixing it in with religion. You’re a good woman, Romana: you’re very smart and hard-working. But if you try to spread mythology, you’re just going to lead people to place their trust in someone who isn’t really there. Then, when they’re in trouble and need help, they find that they’re walking on thin ice, all alone,” Caroline said.
“What do you believe in? That we can do it all? Or that complex, living beings like us just appeared by chance, by a roll of the dice? Or that the powers of the oceans just accidentally occurred?” Romana asked.
“I don’t know what to believe in – I need proof for everything. That’s not an excuse to place all my trust in a power that doesn’t make sense,” Caroline said.
“Do you then believe in yourself – that you have all the answers?” Romana asked.
“No. Only an arrogant person would believe that they know everything or can do everything. Even a person who drinks any ocean water in its purest form doesn’t have all powers. I get that,” Caroline said.
“Good. Now that you have that part of the truth, look for the next. Where did we come from? Who put us here? Those questions are essential to our very existence,” Romana said.
“I’m still looking for answers as to what to believe in,” Caroline said.
“I want to believe something, but I don’t want to be taken for a fool. Not again. That’s why things are as bad as they are,” Taesa said.
“Then pray for answers,” Romana said.
“Pray to whom?” Taesa asked.
“Pray to God. I can show you how,” Romana said.
“You’re completely confident about that being the answer?” Emerond asked.
“Yes,” Romana said.
Judith recorded all of this into her book, but their location was marked as being held in confidence, so as not to interfere by putting Taesa or her family in danger from anyone seeking vengeance.
CHAPTER 40: Temple of Hate and Lies
Captain Pradrock approached Fritz, Massimo and Akantha and said: “Fritz and Massimo, I’d like us to go into the city. Akantha, you should stay on board with Akylas and Torin and oversee the ship, to identify any maintenance that needs to be done. Also, find Jolene and have her meet us: I’d like her to come along, as well.”
“I’ll go to her cabin,” Akantha said. She went to Jolene’s cabin and knocked on the door, hoping to interrupt – or, better, to prevent – any tryst between Jolene and Torin. She still didn’t approve of it.
Jolene answered. Her eyes were swollen from crying and she said: “Yes. I know. He needs me to go into the city. I’ll come now.” She came out of her cabin and was followed by Torin. They joined the other crewmembers on deck.
Captain Pradrock then asked: “Jolene, are you well?”
“Yes,” Jolene said.
“I’d like you to go into the city with us. The Port of Reliance has an intriguing crystal design, and I’d like us to learn more about it.”
“I’m ready,” Jolene said.
“Torin, I want you to work with Akylas and Akantha to inspect the ship and conduct any minor maintenance. Let me know about any major repairs that need to be done when I return,” Pradrock said.
Then, Captain Pradrock led Jolene, Fritz and Massimo down the boarding ramp of the Resolute Traverser and onto the pier. They walked through the gateway leading into the Port of Reliance.
Fritz drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from his vial and was energized. He peered into the low-level structure of some of the city’s crystal buildings to understand their design.
Massimo drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from his vial and was energized. He scanned the area around them, and even peered around corners, to gauge the size of the city and understand its optical properties. The buildings were opaque, giving privacy, but they shimmered and glowed a bright blue, so that the city was in perpetual light, no matter the positions of the many suns overhead.
Jolene drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from her vial and was energized. She probed the area around them for malevolent thoughts that would indicate danger.
~~~
Velia
drank anew of the waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean from her vial and was energized yet again. She was thus able to continue creating a cover of darkness over herself, Uberto and Noemi.
Noemi drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from her vial and was energized. She telepathically probed the area around them for signs of a man named Captain Arata. When she found him, and was close enough to see with her own eyes that he was on a ship named the Sandstone Cutter, she transmitted her thoughts to Uberto and Velia. They approached the boarding ramp of the ship but stopped there on the pier.
Noemi probed the mind of Captain Arata and discovered his mental weaknesses and exploited them. She caused him to focus his thoughts elsewhere, and then she communicated telepathically with her companions that it was safe to board the ship. She, Uberto and Velia walked up the boarding ramp, sight unseen, and stood on the deck of the Sandstone Cutter.
Noemi then took full control of Captain Arata’s mind and commanded him to sail the ship toward the Admiral Ramalaxis Bridge, following another ship – the Unbroken Amethyst. After this, she telepathically directed Uberto and Velia to return to the Unbroken Amethyst and set sail, but not to get ahead of this ship. They were to have Chiarina use her powers of light to guide them and watch them.
Velia and Uberto then disembarked from the Sandstone Cutter under the cover of darkness. When they left, Noemi no longer had the cover of darkness over her, but she no longer needed it, because she had command over the mind of its captain.
Velia and Uberto returned to the Unbroken Amethyst and Velia eased the powers of darkness so that they reappeared before their comrades.
“There’s another ship – the Sandstone Cutter – that will be following us to the Admiral Ramalaxis Bridge, under Noemi’s command. We only need to lead them to the site of the temple, using a light beam from Chiarina,” Velia said.
“If they are ready, we must be on our way immediately. Chart a course, Saverio. Chiarina, keep them in our sights and guide them as required,” Ines said.
Chiarina drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from her vial and was energized. She looked out at a distance, watching for the Sandstone Cutter. She projected a thin beam of light toward that ship when she saw it move out of its dock.
Saverio drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and was energized. He then listened to the sounds of the stars to learn their paths and positions. From this information, he charted a course heading southwest across the Medathero Ocean and he steered the Unbroken Amethyst accordingly, sailing until they reached Emeth. From there, he converted the ship into its airship configuration and elevated it to one hundred twenty (120) feet of altitude, traveling southwest across the land bridge, returning to sea level in the Trerada Ocean. From there, he sailed southwest until reaching the Admiral Ramalaxis Bridge. He steered the ship along the eastern coast of the land bridge until finding a suitable dock and pulling up to a pier.
The Sandstone Cutter pulled into an adjacent pier, and Noemi still had control of the mind of Captain Arata.
“Uberto, do you know what to do, and how to operate the constructor?” Ines asked.
“In principle, I know a great deal. However, it will take time to apply those principles. I will need to make adjustments to the constructor to assemble the temple properly,” Uberto said.
“I will supervise your work. Everyone else will remain here,” Ines said. She and Uberto then left the Unbroken Amethyst, walked over to the other pier and boarded the Sandstone Cutter.
Noemi sensed them coming, but kept her focus on controlling Captain Arata.
“Noemi, kill the captain, so that he cannot interfere,” Ines said.
“We might need him to steer his ship and position the pillars of the constructor. It has to be arranged properly to build things. I learned that from the architect’s thoughts and from his,” Noemi said.
“Very well, Noemi: keep the captain alive for now. Uberto, get to work. Let us know if you will need the captain, and when you are done with him. I do not want any interference,” Ines said.
Uberto drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from his vial and was energized. He then approached each of the constructor pillars and began making modifications to the sapphires at their tips. This was made much easier by the fact that the pillars were lying on their sides in the cargo hold rather than standing.
~~~
Captain Pradrock, Fritz, Massimo and Jolene made their way into the center of the Port of Reliance and saw that the people were busiest here, having set up shops of various sorts. People were moving about in every direction, buying and selling many different types of goods and services.
“This city presents many business opportunities. We will have to make a point of establishing working relationships with many of the merchants,” Pradrock said.
Jolene immediately sensed danger and telepathically communicated with Captain Pradrock, Massimo and Fritz, transmitting her thoughts. There was a murder-for-hire about to take place, and it was targeting a young woman named Taesa – the one who was blamed for the Sail to Me song. She tried to stop them, and Massimo tried to create an illusion to distract them, but it didn’t work.
~~~
“What if I pray and nothing happens?” Taesa asked.
“Keep praying,” Romana asked.
“I could use the time for other things,” Taesa said.
“Have those other things worked so far?” Romana asked.
“For a little while, and then we have to leave when something happens,” Taesa said.
“That doesn’t sound like they’re working,” Romana said.
“So if I pray, will things stay better permanently,” Taesa asked.
“Let’s find out,” Romana said. She held out her hands to Taesa, who joined hands with her, while Trent was seated on her lap. He was awake and watching.
“This is all very silly. We need to build our hopes around what actually works,” Caroline said.
“Let’s try it and see. I am willing to keep an open mind, but I’m not convinced yet, either,” Emerond said, joining hands with Romana and Taesa.
Judith reached out her hands and joined with Emerond, Taesa and Romana.
Caroline looked over to Judith and asked: “Do you believe her, too?”
“I believe in God. I didn’t before, but I do now, because of her,” Judith said.
“Dear God, We Pray to Thee, Loving Creator and Protector, to extend Your Mercy and Your Grace upon this young mother and her family, and to give her relief from the danger she faces. We pray to Thee that those who seek her life be halted and that Your Shield of Love stand in their way, so that no attack against her shall prevail. We pray to Thee, that she may find a safe home in which she can find peace and rest for her family, with Your Blessing,” Romana said while her hands were joined with the others, except for Caroline.
“What now?” Caroline asked.
~~~
“Stop them!” Pradrock said, running toward the building that Jolene had telepathically indicated. Something overtook him – he couldn’t quite explain what he had planned, because he hadn’t planned anything at all. Jolene, Massimo and Fritz ran along with him. They entered the six (6) story crystal building, raced to the top of the stairs, and watched what unfolded at high speed.
~~~
The door to the suite burst open and Taesa screamed. Caroline was startled. Emerond took Taesa and Trent by the arms and pulled them out of the chair, toward the far side of the room, away from the doorway.
Romana instantly stood up and Judith walked beside her, approaching the doorway to see what was happening. Romana intended to block the intruders from reaching Emerond, Taesa and Trent.
Four (4) burly men came in the room with sharp knives drawn but their heads were instantly separated from their shoulders by two (2) alternating swipes of a blade emerging from a cloak of darkness.
~~~
While standing in the hallway outside, Pradrock, Massimo, Fritz and Jolene could s
ee through the open doorway into the suite. However, Massimo’s powers of light allowed only him to see into the cloak of darkness. He knew that the armored person he saw there was a Hidden Paladin wielding the Vague Blade, as that curved sword was rumored to be called.
~~~
“What was that? What happened?” Taesa asked.
“That was proof we’re still in danger,” Caroline said.
“You were protected. You were startled, not harmed. You are safe here,” Romana said.
“They still want us dead! That didn’t take them long to find us this time. Not long at all,” Emerond said.
“Yes! That was too quick. We have to leave. We need somewhere to hide and never be found again,” Caroline said
“Like I said, you were safe. You don’t have to leave. Have faith in the God who protected you from even receiving a scratch,” Romana said.
Caroline looked through the open doorway and saw Captain Pradrock along with two (2) men and a woman.
“Captain Pradrock! How did you find us?” Caroline asked.
The woman standing alongside Captain Pradrock stepped forward and said: “He found you because of me. I’m Jolene. I was able to telepathically sense the murderers while were outside the building, touring the city. I tried to stop them, but they were too fast,” she said.
“I am Massimo. I tried to use an illusion to distract them, but the moment of opportunity was too brief, even for me,” the first man beside her said.
“I am Fritz. I just came along to help them…if I could. Captain Pradrock wanted us to move quickly to put a stop to this,” the second man beside her said.
“It seems that the would-be murderers have been brought to justice. They were hired to carry out a vendetta against Taesa. This is no way to have to live your life. I’m just glad you’re safe,” Captain Pradrock said.
The bodies of the would-be murderers – along with their heads – vanished into the darkness.
Massimo peered into the darkness and watched as the Hidden Paladin carried them away. There was a second Hidden Paladin he didn’t notice at first, and he wasn’t sure why he missed that one before. Many mysteries surrounded them: although they used the powers of darkness to bring justice without warning, they seemed to be more powerful than the Ikkith Tar waters alone could explain. They also seemed to be more aware of danger than he would have expected, although they were not always present to confront evil, and some things even got past the Hidden Paladins.