Dagger & Deception

by Jeremy Dwyer

  They left the Fifteenth (15th) Hall and returned to their individual rooms in the Scholar’s Hall, which was an enormous building that served as a home to both resident and visiting scholars.

  ~~~

  The next day, Taesa privately visited the Twelfth (12th) Hall, in which knowledge of music and song was recorded. She felt the need to study on her own, and knew that Daven was too distracted by his personal distress over the unexplained absence of his parents. She pored over ancient song books, as well as ancient books of language, where were mixed in, as the two subjects overlapped at times. Taesa discovered interesting knowledge by cleverly piecing some fragmentary writings together and she thereby learned of a song and a technique of singing it that might help her see things which were hidden. She transcribed the song into a small book of scrolls that she kept with her.

  ~~~

  Taesa then returned to her private room and considered something else that she learned: the imprint. She drank anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean from a vial she wore, and this energized her. She felt the words to an entirely new song flow through her – mixing with her emotions and sorrows – and then she sang and imprinted the song into an otherwise empty notebook. She took a small cloth bookmark and placed it into the notebook at that page, and left it on a table in the room. Then, Taesa left the room and went to see Daven. She found his room, and tapped on the door and he opened it to greet her.

  “I slept well. I’m feeling better. Would you like to study today?” Daven asked her.

  “Study? Yes. But not music. I want to study an island. Up close,” Taesa said.

  “You mean the island where that woman might be hiding?” Daven asked, sounding surprised, because he was.

  “Udovedaj-Pren Island – yes, that’s the one, where the answers that you’re looking for may be hiding,” Taesa said.

  “If you actually think it’s wise to travel there, I suppose we can go,” Daven said.

  “No, I don’t think it’s wise. I also think it’s not wise to avoid traveling there. Curiosity leads me to wander the world and study many things. I came to Emeth to learn everything I could. And what I learned by being here is leading me everywhere else,” Taesa said.

  “Are you saying you’re ready to go today?” Daven asked.

  “What good is waiting? Also, we’re going to need a good navigator to travel that ocean – it’s in the dark waters and lots of ships get lost,” Taesa said.

  “Yet, somehow, the risks of getting lost at sea don’t stop you. Is there at least a little hesitation?” Daven asked.

  “We’re lost now – the answers we need are far away from us,” Taesa said.

  “Answers we need? My parents are the ones who have gone missing,” Daven said.

  “My teacher’s spark and enthusiasm have gone missing. I want them back,” Taesa said.

  “I’ll be fine…just give me time,” Daven said.

  “We don’t always have as much time as we like. Let’s get the answers as soon as we can,” Taesa said.

  “This is my problem to work through. I feel bad getting you involved,” Daven said.

  “Don’t feel bad. Besides, now I’m curious about who is hiding a secret, and what the secret is. Moving large fortunes using the accounts of people who died means the money might have been stolen. That money could have been meant to help someone in need,” Taesa said.

  “Is this about money? Do you need something? Tell me what it is,” Daven asked.

  “No. But the trip could be expensive – we’ll need to hire one of the better navigators, and they charge more,” Taesa said.

  “Don’t worry about that. I’ll cover the expense. The answers might be waiting, and I think I finally do need to find them. Just make sure that you really do want to go. This isn’t your responsibility, and I don’t want you to end up in a difficult or painful situation because of me. I try to make everyone feel better…but this might get uncomfortable,” Daven said.

  ~~~

  Taesa and Daven left the Scholar’s Hall and made their way to the harbor. Along the way, they stopped at the fountains of Emeth and filled their vials with the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean for the journey, so that they could become fully energized when they needed. Then, they arrived at the harbor, and only had to wait a short while before ships arrived that could transport them.

  They were greeted by a healthy-looking man, who was thirty-three (33) years old, and had a thin beard and dark hair. Though healthy, he did not look particularly handsome. He was strong, as he drank the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean. The waters were certainly magic, giving him the kind of physique he needed for the hard life of a sea traveler. However, they did nothing for his looks. “Captain Lyle, at your service,” he said.

  “We’d like to book passage to an island,” Taesa said.

  “Which island would that be?” Captain Lyle asked.

  “Udovedaj-Pren Island,” Taesa said.

  Captain Lyle was surprised that she wanted to go there, and didn’t particularly want to bring the girl to a location in an ocean that was notoriously difficult to navigate. “That’s in the Ikkith Tar Ocean. Those are the dark waters, and difficult to navigate, which adds to the travel costs, unfortunately. It’s not necessarily the best destination unless you’re prepared, either,” Captain Lyle said.

  “For the two of us, how much would it be?” Daven asked.

  Captain Lyle looked at Daven closely, seeing his fine apparel, and thinking him financially well-off, if not outright rich.

  “Ten (10) platinum coins each,” Captain Lyle said, having greatly increased the price in hopes of discouraging them from this course of action, or profiting from their willingness to take risks, if they could not be discouraged. Ordinarily, he would have charged two (2) coins each, and was adding in a risk multiplier – for the risk to them and to himself. He might have to take some of the extra costs and set them aside to care for his passengers’ injuries in the event of a serious travel mishap in the dangerous waters, according to the customary laws of sea travel.

  “Very well. We’re ready to leave whenever you are,” Daven said, handing over the twenty (20) platinum coins taken from a small pouch he kept in his coat.

  “It’s all here. I’m ready when you are,” Captain Lyle said after counting the coins.

  “We’re ready now,” Taesa said.

  Daven, Taesa and Captain Lyle boarded his ship and set sail.

  A Chronicler of the Oath was present who recorded their financial transaction and their departure on the particular ship, along with their intended destination, in the logs of ships, people and cargo that entered and exited the harbor. These were kept in a small open building and available for all to read at any time, there being no confidentiality about it. The same records would later be transcribed into the other halls as appropriate.

  CHAPTER 9: Search for Directions

  The Meticulous arrived in Emeth, and on board were Captain Pradrock, Claudia, Akylas, Akantha and Torin, who was now eighteen (18) years old. Torin spent much of his time below deck, recuperating from his injuries and avoiding the intense heat and light of the many suns during the inferno. The burns he had previously suffered were mostly healed. However, he was still blind from the shattered crystal that fell into his eyes a year ago, and he struggled to live with the disability. Torin could still hear the sounds of the stars – being a drinker of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean – and by these he could still give navigational directions. However, the sense of stars that one perceived this way would have to be adjusted slightly to correspond to what one sees in the sky visually. This was not always easy, as it required mathematical calculations to adjust for the distortions, and doing them in his head instead of writing them down was even more difficult.

  Before disembarking from the Meticulous, Claudia drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from her vial to become energized. Claudia went first as they walked down the boarding ramp of the ship, and she telepathically scanned the crowds in the City o
f Emeth for any hostile thoughts directed against Pradrock, who followed her. Akylas followed Pradrock, and they made their way to the Seventh (7th) Hall, where there were charts of stars and maps of the oceans. Claudia stayed close to Pradrock the entire time – there may not be any lies written in the ancient City of Emeth, but that didn’t mean that blood couldn’t be shed there, so an assassination attempt was still possible.

  Pradrock and Akylas looked at the map of the world that was carved upon the floor and the walls, and were able to identify the section of the building where the relevant information was. They then pored over the maps and charts, looking for good guidance on travel through the Ikkith Tar Ocean, as the proper approach to the island could be difficult, even for a sharp mind. The map would have to include various additional pieces of information, so as to reduce the chance that they missed the island altogether and became lost at sea, or found the wrong island. Getting lost at sea was a lesser concern, as they could operate as an airship, although they could not rise to a high altitude due to the heat. Also, they would still be subject to considerable navigational confusion due to the extremely high visual distortions caused by the darkness powers of the waters. Finding the wrong island was far more likely, as was crashing into an island they failed to see.

  “You said there was a higher chance of error when navigating those waters,” Akylas said.

  “Yes. Consider every pair of suns that you might use as guides. If you were unable to distinguish them from one another, and followed the incorrect pair of suns, then you would likely reach an incorrect destination,” Pradrock said.

  “I always know which sun is which – there’s never any confusion about that. The sounds I hear from each of the suns are distinct,” Akylas said.

  “You mean that there’s no confusion in your perceptions that are given by drinking the waters of the Atrejan Ocean. However, you also know that those perceptions have to be mapped to visual positions for actual navigation. That is where the ability to distinguish suns from each other can meet with interference – the darkness emanated by the waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean can and does have a substantial impact on the light that you see with your eyes. To understand it by analogy, very different objects can appear to cast identical shadows. That is why mistakes are more likely, and they cannot be eliminated with any certainty,” Pradrock said.

  “I’ve never traveled over the Ikkith Tar Ocean, only around its edges. I had no idea it was that bad,” Akylas said.

  Akylas then drank some of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from a vial that he was carrying, and they energized him. He started listening to the suns to see where they might guide him. Then, he said to Pradrock: “There are five (5) red suns and two (2) blue suns that could come into play. I would use a pairing of a red and a blue.”

  Pradrock then said: “That means that there are ten (10) possible pairings. However, assume that you could not distinguish the red suns from one another nor could you distinguish the blue suns from one another. In that case, for any given pair of one (1) red sun and one (1) blue sun that you intended to choose as navigational guides, you would only have a one in ten (1/10) chance of choosing the right pair. This is not nearly good enough, and you need a better way to eliminate incorrect choices and increase the chances of success.”

  “How? Are the maps and charts here going to put the odds in our favor?” Akylas asked.

  “Yes. According to what I am reading, we can take advantage of the additional fact that the islands themselves are only visible under certain conditions of light, yet not others,” Pradrock said.

  “What do you mean?” Akylas asked.

  “The Udovedaj-Pren Island becomes visible with the light of three (3) red suns, neither more nor less. Any three (3) red suns will do. It’s been shown to vanish from visibility when the suns move to create a different configuration – the island is physically still there, just not visible from ships on the waters, meaning that you will either miss it altogether or crash into it. Focus on a set of exactly three (3) red sun paths, and see where they will intersect over that ocean. The island will be visible under those conditions, and no others. This is in addition, of course, to focusing on the guiding paths of a red sun and blue sun pair to get you to that intersection,” Pradrock said.

  Akylas concentrated again, and he could perceive the passage of the red suns, so he traced them forward to where he could find many intersections. He found a case where there were exactly three (3) red suns whose paths intersected at the same latitude and longitude over the Ikkith Tar Ocean – although the suns overlapped at different distances far above the surface of the sea, otherwise the suns would collide, of course. He continued his search, this time for the pair of a red sun and a blue sun to lead him to that red sun trio. Most of the red-blue sun pair’s path was before they reached the Ikkith Tar Ocean, so the guesswork caused by the darkness was all but eliminated for the first leg of their journey. “Found the intersection of the three (3) red suns. And the red-blue pair, so I know which way to head,” Akylas said.

  “Chart that out and then we can begin the journey,” Pradrock said.

  “If this ocean is really that dangerous and that island is that difficult to find, are you sure you want to go on this journey? I can’t protect you from your own poor decisions, or from the dark waters,” Claudia asked.

  “This Victoria has to be stopped, while we can stop her, which is during a small window of opportunity. We do not want that tiara, in its full destructive power, in her hands,” Pradrock said.

  “That doesn’t mean we should travel directly into the danger, and martyr ourselves. This island could be a trap, you realize? Wait, you’re not a trained bodyguard. You don’t realize that it could be a trap,” Claudia said, sarcastically.

  “There are many unknowns and dangerous risks. Even if the information leading us to that island is erroneous or deceptive, we have an advantage. You can detect the thoughts of those around us, and see an attack coming,” Pradrock said.

  “I can’t always detect everything – other telepaths can resist, and ghosts can’t be read. And I can’t detect natural hazards or artificial traps,” Claudia said.

  “Akantha can sense spirits. Natural hazards and artificial traps are the least of our worries…something much worse is coming if we don’t attempt to stop it,” Pradrock said.

  “Something worse is always coming. I’m just here to delay its arrival,” Claudia said.

  “That can be the riskiest tactic, allowing the danger time to grow,” Pradrock said.

  “They warned me you wouldn’t be easy to handle,” Claudia said.

  “Yet you still took this protection job?” Akylas asked.

  “I didn’t exactly have a choice. The Jenaldej law requires that I do the work assigned if I want to remain a citizen. Besides, there are things I can handle, and already had to, if you remember,” Claudia said.

  Akylas charted out the paths of the red-blue sun pairing on a large map scroll so that they could be followed visually at sea. He made much more than the customary adjustments for visual distortions caused by the ocean waters, because they would be traveling over the Ikkith Tar Ocean, in all its darkness for the last leg of the journey. Akylas also plotted the three (3) red sun configuration that would be used to illuminate the island. Then, he rolled up the map scroll, carried it with him, and they all returned to the harbor. From there, they boarded the Meticulous and set sail.

  CHAPTER 10: Mayor in Jest

  Madeline had sent a servant to record some banking transactions with the documents she falsely presented to the older couple. Her servant arrived and went to a bank in the continent of Baradaxa, in the city of Dalavar, where some of her banking was done. Madeline distributed her accounts among various banks, under different names, across several continents, to protect against financial troubles in any one location, and to hide the full scope of her wealth.

  ~~~

  Alistair was ever the fool, and now that he was seventeen hundred eighty-six (178
6) years old, he had developed a nearly legendary reputation for trickery and chaos. Some despised him, for he had impersonated dignitaries and caused the breakdown of trade relations between kingdoms. He had arrived at solemn weddings with large supplies of alcohol and led brides and grooms to intoxication. He had commandeered and crashed sailing ships. All in good fun, of course. He liked having a bad reputation. When we wasn’t getting attention, he didn’t feel fully alive. If there was a celebration, Alistair would find it, and find a way into it, and find a way to make it go wild. If there wasn’t a celebration, he would find a way to make one.

  Alistair was traveling through a small, yet wealthy city on a horse-drawn wagon, loaded with various items he had purchased with money from questionable sources. The city was Dalavar – well known for banking – and it was located in the southwestern region of the continent of Baradaxa. Alistair happened upon a group of young friends in their twenties – four (4) young men and two (2) young women, gathered around a sundial, which had a fountain in the middle of the stones. The sundial was, of course, to track time and seasons, and the fountain was a convenient local source of Trerada Ocean waters, according to the markings on the six (6) foot tall stone obelisk that stood next to the dodecagonal base of the fountain, which, itself was three (3) feet high and one hundred twenty (120) feet across. Alistair drank the waters of the Ursegan Ocean so as to enable him to live so long, so these waters were of no use to him. These young people were all drinking of the Trerada waters, and, as a result, were quite healthy and at least somewhat attractive. One marginally attractive woman caught Alistair’s attention, however, and he decided to have the horse pull the wagon more slowly and casually, passing within earshot of the group so as to hear their conversations.

  ~~~

  “How powerful can this woman really be if she has to hide from the whole world?” one young man asked.

  “They say she’ll be invincible when the inferno’s over,” said a second young man.