by Jeremy Dwyer
“This is a cargo ship, so it will have those waters in its cargo hold. The boys who only drink Dead Waters can waterbind to them. Give me a few minutes and I will take care of that,” Uberto said. He looked at the vials the boys wore and saw which ones were marked with the symbol of the Dead Waters, meaning they could still accept a Nabavodel waterbinding. He then went down into the ship’s cargo hold, which held barrels of all thirteen (13) waters for transport and sale, as well as corresponding empty vials. While he was down there, he filled twenty (20) of the empty vials with Nabavodel waters. He brought these up on deck and gave them to twenty (20) boys and adolescent males who only had Dead Waters vials.
“Drink up. This is your water for life,” Uberto said, but he knew their lives wouldn’t last much longer since they were meant to be used in the ritual sacrifice. Those twenty (20) boys and adolescent males each drank of the Nabavodel waters from their new vials and were energized with strength and speed.
Tiziano also drank anew of the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean from his own vial, becoming energized so that he would have the strength and speed to control the youths.
“Wear the vials – they’re marked with the symbol of the tiger, showing your waterbinding. You’re done with the Dead Waters,” Tiziano said. He wanted this as a reminder to himself so that he knew which of these boys and adolescent males posed a threat to him. The youths obliged, taking the new vials and hanging them on the small chains around their necks, then handing the Dead Waters vials back to Uberto, who placed them into a crate on deck for disposal later.
Noemi drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from her vial and was energized. She probed Uberto’s thoughts to know precisely where he needed the ship to go. She then exerted control over Captain Arata’s thoughts, directing him.
Under telepathic command by Noemi, Captain Arata elevated the Sandstone Cutter to ninety (90) feet above the level of the ground and moved it toward the ruins of the Temple of Mev’Kna, which was not far inland so he could navigate by sight without using the paths of stars.
When Uberto pointed to where he needed each of the six (6) constructor pillars to be placed, Noemi had Captain Arata stop the ship and hover it over that particular position. From there, the twenty (20) strong male youths tied ropes around the pillar, lifted it out of the cargo hold and lowered it carefully onto the ground below.
“Is that all, Uberto?” Ines asked after all six (6) constructor pillars had been placed.
“There is another matter. A special control crystal is needed. I removed this sapphire from one of the unused pillars and I have to modify it now,” Uberto said. He drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean and altered the structure of the sapphire in a way that was different from what he did to the sapphires atop the six (6) constructor pillars.
“Now, we can lower the ship and prepare to activate the constructor,” Uberto said.
Noemi telepathically directed Captain Arata to return the Sandstone Cutter to land on the dry ground near where one of the outer pillars had been placed, which was also behind a region having many high hills.
On board the Unbroken Amethyst, Chiarina used her far sight and light bending powers to watch as the Sandstone Cutter landed less than thirteen (13) miles away, behind a high hill. She directed Saverio to raise the ship to eighty-one (81) feet of altitude, which was nearly as high as she saw the Sandstone Cutter rise, but it was also a sacred number. Next, she guided him as he steered the Unbroken Amethyst to a location near the Sandstone Cutter and then landed the ship on the dry ground next to that vessel.
~~~
Akylas steered the Resolute Traverser into port and alongside a pier leading into a narrow stretch of the land bridge.
Captain Pradrock then left the wheelhouse and visited the guest cabins, telling everyone that they had arrived.
Romana and Judith came out of their cabin. Caroline, Emerond and Taesa – now carrying Trent – came out of theirs.
“This is the eastern coast of the Admiral Ramalaxis Bridge. While the ports here are active, there is a considerably lower likelihood of any dangerous encounters. That is not a guarantee of safety, however. I’ll gladly lead you into town and help you to find a place to stay, if you like,” Captain Pradrock said.
“I’d appreciate that, Captain. You chose this location, and you know the ports of the world better than we do,” Caroline said.
“Akylas, Akantha, Torin and Fritz, I want you to stay with the ship. Jolene and Massimo, come with me, to help them find a safe place. Be on your guard in case there are any surprises, however,” Captain Pradrock said.
“Before they leave, Captain, we should provide our passengers with their bound waters, as we always do,” Fritz said.
“Of course. Please do that, Fritz,” Captain Pradrock said.
Fritz went into his cabin and took a small box containing several capped vials of each type of water, held in thirteen (13) separate chambers within it. He removed the lid and presented it to each of the guests.
“Kazofen,” Emerond said, and Fritz handed him a vial of purified Kazofen waters from the box. “Thank you, Fritz,” Emerond said.
“Nothing for me,” Caroline said.
Fritz handed her a vial of Dead Waters and said: “to quench your thirst, at least.”
“Thank you, Fritz,” Caroline said.
“Medathero,” Romana said, and Fritz handed her a vial of purified Medathero waters. “Thank you, Fritz,” Romana said.
“Ursegan,” Judith said, and Fritz handed her two (2) vials of purified Ursegan waters, since she was a Chronicler. They were always treated with additional care, because travelers respected them. “Thank you, Fritz,” Judith said.
“Let’s go,” Emerond said.
“Wait!” Taesa said. She approached Fritz and said: “Pirovalen, please.”
“Taesa! Please! We had an agreement,” Emerond said.
“Emerond’s right. You need to just keep quiet for a while. We’re not ready for that again. If anyone hears you sing, you’ll be found right away and this whole trip will be for nothing,” Caroline said.
“I like to be prepared. Remember what happened before when we were hiding. They needed me,” Taesa said.
“I need you. Trent needs you. Emerond needs you. The new baby will need you,” Caroline said.
“Exactly. Better to have it and not need it than the other way around,” Taesa said.
Fritz handed a vial of purified Pirovalen waters to Taesa. “Thank you, Fritz,” Taesa said.
Massimo drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from his vial and was energized. Jolene drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from her own vial and was energized.
Captain Pradrock, Jolene and Massimo walked down the boarding ramp of the Resolute Traverser, followed by Romana, Emerond, Taesa – who was carrying Trent – and then Judith.
They stepped onto the pier and walked into the port town, which was hardly much of a town at all. There were eleven (11) small stone buildings in sight. A short distance away was a pile of rubble, and a half mile away was an elevated region with many high hills, with a few being as tall as one hundred ninety (190) feet, while some were as little as thirty-six (36) feet tall. No person was in sight, however.
“What is that over there? What is this place, even? It’s deserted,” Taesa asked.
“It’s not deserted – but it’s not always occupied at any given moment: seasonal workers come here as needed. It’s the smallest port town along the Admiral Ramalaxis Bridge’s eastern coast. It has rooms for rent, as well as a general store for purified water, food and clothing. There are other ports nearby, so it is easy to get anything else you need after a short walk. It’s out of the way, very sparsely populated and relatively safe,” Captain Pradrock said.
Jolene probed the area telepathically, looking for any signs of malevolent thoughts. “This port town’s unoccupied at the moment. I guess it’s the off-season,” she said.
“What is that pile of rubble over t
here?” Massimo asked.
“I don’t like this place,” Taesa said.
“Neither do I,” Romana said.
Judith thought she knew what the pile of rubble was. She walked over toward it and examined it more closely, seeing that it was actually fractured crystal. Romana followed her to see what was going on.
“You can’t tell me what it is – I know I have to research it for myself. But you can’t tell me that it’s good, either,” Romana said.
Judith made a quick, rough sketch of what she saw around her and wrote it into her book, along with recording all of their conversations.
“I sense something wrong – not quite telepathy, more like empathy. Very vague, but negative,” Jolene said.
“Should we leave, Jolene? Massimo, do you see anything?” Captain Pradrock asked.
“I see six (6) pillars: three (3) in the middle over that way, three (3) more around the edges. Each is ninety (90) feet tall with sapphires atop them. Are they part of this town?” Massimo asked.
Captain Pradrock’s heart almost stopped in his chest. He knew what they were based on the description and doubted that there was a good reason for those pillars to be here. He reasoned thus because Fantine did not have any constructor project arranged yet as far as he knew, going by their recent conversation, and that kind of work would be unlikely to be done in this location, given its sparse population and lower usage.
~~~
While standing on the deck of the Sandstone Cutter, Uberto made some final modifications to the control crystal and then released the solar energy that had been stored up inside of it. A bright beam of violet light shone from it and went toward the sapphires at the tops of each of the six (6) pillars.
The sapphires atop the outer three (3) pillars became bright violet and beams of light formed between them, forming a triangle of violet light. A similar triangle of bright violet beams formed between the inner three (3) pillars. Moments later, all six (6) violet beams began to rotate and a section of the waters of the Trerada Ocean nearby were drawn up in the air to form a mist, which gathered near the pillars.
The mists of Trerada waters swirled all around and then congealed to form violet crystal walls, each eighty-one (81) feet high and six thousand five hundred sixty-one (6561) feet long and three (3) feet thick, spanning the distances between the outer pillars. The mists also formed three (3) violet spires, each eighty-one (81) feet tall, with triangular bases twenty-seven (27) feet on a side. The violet spires were twenty-seven (27) feet apart and located at the center of the area surrounded by the outer wall. The sapphires atop the six (6) pillars lost their bright violet glow and became dark again.
~~~
“We’re trapped,” Massimo said.
Judith stood up and saw that, in the distance, a high wall of violet crystal had formed. She turned about to see that there were three (3) such walls, forming a triangle and boxing them all in. They were little more than a mile away on a clear day, so it was obvious even to the unaided eye. There were three (3) tall spires in the center of the triangle, which were also obvious, despite their narrow form and the hills around them, most of which were not as tall. Judith drew rough sketches of all of this into her book.
Romana could see the structure as well, even though her eyesight was no better: the Gradaken waters she drank did nothing to enhance it.
Captain Pradrock, Massimo and Jolene approached Romana and Judith, wondering if they were any closer to answers.
Emerond, Caroline and Taesa – who was carrying Trent – also approached.
“Now I know what was bothering me. I can feel their thoughts nearby. They’re approaching,” Jolene said.
“Who is approaching? What are their thoughts?” Captain Pradrock asked.
“These crystal walls around us are part of the same temple as those three (3) violet spires in the middle. This is about to be the site of a human sacrifice ritual to the three (3) violet sun gods. Their priests are here,” Jolene said.
“I warned you not to leave the Port of Reliance. Now, there is real danger, and this is not a blessed place,” Romana said, looking to Taesa and Caroline, as well as Emerond.
“Violet suns? I didn’t know they were more than a navigator’s myth,” Pradrock said.
“Whether the violet suns are a myth or real, the religion still exists. And false gods bring death and destruction to those who worship them,” Romana said.
“All gods are false. They’re all just myths,” Caroline said.
“No. You just haven’t learned to tell the difference,” Romana said.
“This is no time for a religious debate,” Jolene said.
“Massimo, is there a way out? Can you see anything?” Captain Pradrock asked.
Massimo looked around and saw no exits. He drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from his vial to be energized again. He then concentrated and looked around the distant hills as best he could. “There are no breaks in these crystal walls. However, there are two (2) ships on the dry land around those hills over there. I see the people moving around – they have children with them. I can just barely make it out – there are many corners to turn looking around the hills, and I lose range and clarity of far sight with each turn,” Massimo said.
“They’re going to sacrifice the children to their sun gods! I can sense those thoughts now,” Jolene said.
“Religion is all hate and death! That’s why I don’t want to believe in any of it! That’s why I don’t want her to believe in any of it! That’s why I don’t want him to believe in any of it!” Caroline said. She took Trent from Taesa and held him close, afraid that she was going to lose the boy.
“If you had been willing to trust the One True God and remain in the city blessed by Him, then He would protect you, like He already did and you saw it. You didn’t want to believe me. Now, you’ll see what false gods do, and how disbelief in the One True God leads you right to them,” Romana said.
Judith recorded all of this conversation into her book, and the circumstances only confirmed her belief that leaving the Port of Reliance was a mistake.
~~~
The crew of both the Sandstone Cutter and the Unbroken Amethyst stood on the dry ground next to the ships, except for Captain Arata, who had been left on board in a telepathic trance by Noemi, unable to act without orders.
The eighty-one (81) children and adolescents stood beside them, under the watchful eyes of Velia, Tiziano and Noemi.
“We’re not alone,” Noemi said.
“What are you talking about? Who is here?” Ines asked.
“There are eight (8) adults and a child. I sense most of their thoughts in the distance, on the other side of these hills. One of them is a Chronicler, whom I cannot read. I know she is there by reading the thoughts of the others. Also, one of them is another telepath,” Noemi said.
“I can see them, and they are trapped inside the violet crystal outer wall of the temple. They are not near their ship,” Chiarina said after bending light to look around the hill.
“They are frightened of us. I can tell you that. There is not a warrior among them,” Noemi said.
“Then we will take them and use them for a sacrifice. I will put a fright into them, to make them come this way,” Ines said. She drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from her vial and was energized. She then called forth spirits and sent them to attack the intruders.
“Leave them to me. They cannot match my strength,” Tiziano said. He drank anew of the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean from his vial and was energized.
“Noemi, Velia and Tiziano, the intruders will be coming this way. Bind them so they cannot interrupt our ritual,” Ines said.
Noemi drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from her vial and was energized. Velia drank anew of the waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean from her vial and was energized.
Velia extended a cloak of darkness over herself, Noemi and Tiziano.
Noemi began to concentrate on the thoughts of those on the other
side of the hill, looking for whom she could control.
Tiziano was ready to use brute strength and speed against them. He also drew a sword and a dagger, and was prepared to wield them with considerable skill. He did not expect any significant challenge.
~~~
“They’re coming this way! They have the cover of darkness. I know by their thoughts. They also have strength and telepathy, and they’re looking to control us, to use in their sacrifice,” Jolene said.
“I can see into their darkness. I know where they are,” Massimo said as he used his powers over light to find the approaching enemy a short distance away and around the hills.
“Their darkness is in their souls, which are ultimately in the grip of demons – the false gods who thrive on pride, envy, hate and death. They tell lies and deny the One True God – once you disbelieve in Him and His Truth, your heart is opened to false gods and their lies. The only answer is to pray,” Romana said. She held out her hands and Judith joined hands with her. Romana began to pray: “We pray to Thee, True God, Loving Creator and Protector, to extend Your Mercy, Your Grace and Your Protection upon us in this hour of evil. We pray that the false gods fail against Your Eternal and Almighty Power.”
“Enough of this religion! It’s all death! All of it!” Caroline said, still holding Trent close.
Three (3) spirits materialized around them and said: “Go now to the temple spires. Give your lives for the violet fire! Give your lives for the glory of the three (3) flames greater than the nine (9) blue suns! Give your lives for the true lords of the sky!”
Caroline screamed, as did Massimo and Jolene.
Emerond was startled and worried more about Taesa, Caroline and Trent than he was about himself.
Pradrock wished that Akantha were there – he had no means of dealing with spirits. He was not as frightened as the others, but this danger was extreme.
The Guardian Angel Ondothel watched over Judith because she was an Oath-keeping Chronicler. Her faith was strong enough that she knew not to fear.