by Jeremy Dwyer
The room itself was filled with vials, flasks, tubes and jars of various sizes, all of which contained some water or another.
There were also three (3) women, besides Felicite, at work and four (4) young men bound in chains to the wall. The men had no names – they were merely slaves to be used as subjects for the experiments.
At fifty-eight (58) years old, Marthe was an experienced alchemist. She drank anew of the Kazofen Ocean waters from her own vial and was energized with the power to manipulate crystals. She read and understood the notebook of experimental records that Felicite had provided earlier and so she began manipulating the crystal structure of the Dead Waters in a flask, carrying out a procedure according to those notes.
“These Dead Waters match the purity as described in Felicite’s notes,” Marthe said. She was a perfectionist in every way, and intended to systematically adjust the experimental parameters until achieving useful results. Attention to detail in alchemy was essential, and she was a devotee – to that and nothing else. Friendship was of no concern to her, nor was romance or intimacy. Knowledge of the waters was the highest prize, and she actually felt a certain amount of admiration for anyone – such as the members of the Society of the Dead Waters – who would risk their lives for the pursuit of knowledge. This admiration was mixed with disdain for their sloppiness, however, because she realized that they had not enacted proper safeguards to avoid the high volatility issues in the presence of other stimuli. There was little for her to gain if the experiment resulted in her own disability – someone else could die for the results, but she planned to live for them.
“How much illumination is needed? That is the next step, correct?” another woman asked while looking about the room. Katinka was only forty-six (46) years old and had her eyes on some of the young men, admiring their muscular form and savoring the thought of enjoying a taste of their flesh before they met their inevitable death or disfigurement during this alchemical exploration. Men were her favorite pastime – although she never loved them, given their violent tendencies. Once she had her fill, she was done with them. The young ones – who were the most energetic during intimacy – were also the most aggressive and foolish. Their muscle could be put to good use in heavy labors, but they had to be destroyed before they turned to warfare. All Ahitan women were raised to believe this – and to look at the men of the world cynically. The evidence sometimes supported their position, but not always. Katinka had doubted this philosophy in her twenties, only to be met with kind, handsome and wealthy young men, and to couple with them fruitfully. Her disappointment came not from the men themselves but from the world around them, when they were robbed and murdered. This happened twice and convinced her that true love was not worth it – for every good man, there were many more evil ones.
“No, that is a later step. Next, we will use sonic perturbations, at four hundred forty (440) cycles per second. Honorine, if you will,” Marthe said.
Honorine was only thirty-five (35) years old, but had trained in music since she was seven (7). She drank anew of the Pirovalen Ocean waters from her vial and was energized. She then sang a musical note exactly at the prescribed frequency and the Dead Waters in the flask which Marthe held began to stir from the sound. Honorine enjoyed writing original music and performing for an audience of just herself. She lived to explore music in its many forms, and not to conform to anyone else’s idea of what music was supposed to be. However, she did have certain responsibilities to avail her musical talents to the women who had trained her and supported her in her youth. She didn’t much care for the strictness, but she did agree that there was no time for relationships with the boys, as they would only get in the way of her music, especially if she were to get pregnant. Honorine had no real desire for them: the sounds of passion – even her own – did not compare to the melodies that she could produce by drinking the Pirovalen waters. She had a lover once, but found both him and the physical intimacy act to be boring. Alone with her music was where her greatest ecstasy was to be found.
Marthe looked deep into the flask and saw the water crystals themselves moving about in intriguing patterns. She had seen movements like those before, but had not pursued this line of experimentation.
When Katinka saw that she was not needed at the moment, and that Marthe and Honorine were occupied, she moved in on one (1) of the handsome men in restraint and began to kiss him and to arouse him. She ran her hands playfully over him and brought him to readiness.
“Katinka! Please do not interfere with the experiment by becoming distracted from your assigned tasks, or by disturbing the test subject,” Marthe said.
“Sorry. You seemed busy at the moment. I thought there was time,” Katinka said and then she walked away from the young man, leaving both of them disappointed.
“If he cannot concentrate on using the water to the best of his abilities, then the experimental results will be biased,” Marthe said.
“I could have motivated him,” Katinka said.
“Or overly relaxed him. Now, please, provide illumination and heat these waters with an increase of five point two five (5.25) degrees centigrade,” Marthe said.
Katinka drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from her own vial and was energized. She generated light and heat in the direction of the flask that Marthe held and elevated the temperature of the waters therein by the required amount.
Marthe watched the changes to the crystal structure of the Dead Waters in the flask. The waters took on a peculiar – and almost familiar – form. After achieving the specific results she wanted, she said: “Enough.”
Katinka ceased to provide the requested light, waiting for her next instructions.
Marthe then took an empty vial from a shelf and poured some of the contents of the flask into it. She handed the flask to Katinka and said: “Choose one (1) of them to drink it.”
Katinka chose one (1) of the less attractive men, not knowing if this would kill him or not, and not wishing to waste the more handsome specimen she had teased moments ago. They were all at least passable, but some of the men were definitely better looking than the others.
Katinka came up close to the selected man, pressing against him suggestively. She then put her hands on the mouth of the selected man and said, in her most sultry voice: “Open wide.” The young man became aroused and obliged, ingesting the contents of the vial as Katinka poured the Dead Waters into his mouth.
“He drank it. Now what?” Katinka asked.
“Hand him this emerald. It has a square cut. Have him reshape it to be triangular,” Marthe said, handing a small, square green emerald to Katinka.
Katinka placed the emerald into the hand of the selected young man. Although he was not free to move his arms because of the chains that bound him, he could still flex his fingers and form a fist.
“Shape the gem. Do what she says and make it a triangle shape,” Katinka said.
The selected young man – though bound in chains – was still energized by the water. He took the emerald in his hand and began to alter its structure. However, instead of changing its shape, he broke it, and the bits of crystal cut his hand and fell to the floor.
“Good. With practice, he may even learn control. That is, assuming that he lives,” Marthe said.
“So, he was at least able to do something to it,” Katinka said.
“That’s because the Dead Waters have that power within them, along with every other power. We merely released a minuscule portion of the power, with the music and the illumination,” Marthe said.
“Is he waterbound?” Katinka asked.
“I should think not. Those are Dead Waters, albeit modified,” Marthe said.
“Will he live?” Katinka asked.
“Time will tell. Also interesting would be if he could exercise another power,” Marthe said.
“Like singing?” Honorine asked.
“That would be interesting, but it might interfere. Emitting the wrong frequency – and his lack of cont
rol suggests that is exactly what would happen – could easily alter the properties of the water,” Marthe said.
“Don’t you want to try different tones and harmonies?” Honorine asked.
“In a systematic and controlled way, yes. What he would do would not be controlled,” Marthe said.
“What powers do you want to see if he has now?” Katinka asked.
Just then, the young man that Katinka had previously flirted with began thrashing about, and a shadow passed over him. He cried out in ecstasy and then the shadow passed. The man was still bound in chains but lost in a dreamlike state of pure pleasure from having been forcibly taken by a woman he could not see and did not expect.
~~~
In the darkness, Felicite had taken the opportunity to satisfy her own cravings, having her fill of the young man. She had been in control, and he had been utterly helpless, which is exactly the way she liked it. Having power over men made the experience more enjoyable – for both her and them.
~~~
“Felicite, I’m going to assume it was you, and that you were sent here to watch and record your observations of the experimental results, from the cover of darkness. I am certain that you were not sent to interfere, however. Now, you’ve just wasted that experimental test subject. His ability to focus is lost because of your romantic indulgences. I will have to proceed without him. This will limit my ability to gather useful knowledge,” Marthe said.
“Yes, Felicite. Thanks a lot. I had him all ready for me, and you stole the moment,” Katinka said.
“Enough of this! Are you both that immature and love starved that you cannot control your passions for a few hours? Science is the higher calling. The science of the waters is the highest of all. All you can think of is your reproductive instinct. Please! After this experiment has ended, do what you will to the many spare male servants we have. Now, you are on my time and you are to be responsible and scholarly citizens!” Marthe said.
“We’re here to help – we work hard. We just have needs, and can’t turn off our humanity like you can,” Katinka said.
“The waters are the greatest of all powers. You know this. If we can unlock the secrets of these Dead Waters – which we’ve always known are anything but dead – then everything of worth is within reach. Every power will be within reach, and we will have them all for numerous lifetimes. That is what drives us, that is why we continue study the waters. It’s been so difficult since they’re so toxic and volatile, and the proper combination of purifications and perturbations, with the correct experimental parameters, is not a simple matter. There’s a very large, highly dimensional space of possibilities to consider,” Marthe said.
“I get what you’re after. Be we live in the moment – so do you. It’s not just about men, but everything else. I’ve already gotten my waterbinding. So has Honorine. So has Felicite. So have you. None of us drinks Ursegan, so we don’t get to slow time and aging and live for thousands of years. We live in the now. Before you know it, there won’t be much of that left. We’ll be old women, and age doesn’t treat us kindly. I’d like to spend more time outside of this temple, exploring the world, experiencing life, and not just making theories and conducting experiments,” Katinka said.
“What you’d like and what’s best are not in agreement. Still, I can’t have you interfering because you’re bored and immature. Do what you will – engage in your meaningless affairs to satisfy your reproductive urges – and then come back tomorrow, undistracted. Perhaps, then, you will clear your minds and cooperate. Take the rest of these male slaves with you – they’ve been distracted enough by what Felicite did to the one (1) that I don’t see them being of much use, either. Have your fill of them, and bring me new male slaves tomorrow. Leave me the one (1) who already drank of the Dead Waters, that I might see his outcome and measure the toxicity of this particular combination of light and sound parameters that was used,” Marthe said.
~~~
Katinka took one (1) of the other male slaves and unlocked his shackles and left the room with him, taking him into a private area in the Voyager’s Room where she had her way with him until she was overfilled many times and wanted no more pleasures.
From the darkness, Felicite took another male slave as well as the male she had previously enjoyed, leaving the room with them and also visiting the Voyager’s Room to indulge in both male slaves, until she was satisfied to the point of boredom.
~~~
The only male remaining in the Ocean Room the one (1) who had drunk the Dead Waters, as Marthe had requested. He stayed chained to the wall.
Marthe looked to Honorine and said: “Do you also need to attend to personal matters? It doesn’t seem as if these experiments will proceed today, so you might as well go.”
“If I take leave, it will be to practice my musical scales and song writing. I have no need for intimacy,” Honorine said.
“I respect that answer – you are a true professional in your craft. Have your practice now, as I will be needing your expertise tomorrow,” Marthe said.
~~~
Honorine left the Ocean Room and went to the Symphony Room, wherein many musical instruments could be found and other singers were also practicing. There, she drank anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean from her vial and was energized. She began practicing musical scales and various melodies she had been previously working on.
~~~
Marthe was left alone in the Ocean Room, except for the male slave bound in chains. She decided to make the most of the opportunity by returning to another experimental endeavor.
She had several large granite jars filled with the waters taken from the ocean around Thalkalana, and wanted to understand the properties of that particular water. She had noticed that, sometimes, they were luminescent, but she did not understand the reason.
Marthe had a clear glass tube – it was fifteen (15) feet in length and two (2) inches in diameter – lying across a table and elevated at a pitch of one tenth (1/10) on a stone slab with a semicircular notch. The tube was marked with gradations of one half (1/2) inch.
She began pouring vial after vial of the Thalkalana waters into the long and narrow tube. Then, she turned a crank on the side of the table so that a slab of the tabletop tilted as she did this, until the long tube was vertical. The water was filled to the eleven (11) feet nine (9) inches mark.
Marthe held her laboratory notebook and pencil in her hand and wrote down the procedure and measurements, along with her observations. She also made calculations, along with her expectations. The weight of the water in the vertical column inside the tube was such that it exerted pressure on the water at the bottom of the column, igniting a reaction. She expected the reaction to excite the properties of the water and reveal their luminescence.
The actual results of the reaction were for the water in the long tube to become luminescent at the bottom, but this did not spread above the mark at four (4) feet seven (7) inches.
Marthe hypothesized that the water was not mixing, as it might in the ocean given the movement of ships and the winds and even the heat of the suns above. However, most of those things did not apply in the actual cavern that contained Thalkalana – there was no heat of the suns or wind, and there were only a few ships moving occasionally.
Thus, she wondered how the luminescence of those waters would have been activated sufficiently to light the cavern.
Then, a hypothesis occurred to her: if the depth of the water were to be significantly greater, then the vertical column of water would exert greater pressure, igniting a more powerful reaction that may spread.
She wrote down this hypothesis and an experiment designed to test it into her laboratory notebook.
Since she did not have enough water to fill the tube significantly more, she decided to fill a smaller tube and see if the illumination rose to a lower mark.
Marthe then took a tube with graduated markings, and that was the same two (2) inches in diameter but only twenty-four (24) inches in
length. She filled it up to the nineteen (19) inch mark and placed it on a rack of tubes on another table.
The water indeed reacted, but its luminescence only extended to the four point five (4.5) inch mark.
Looking at her limited dataset, she saw that in the larger tube, the reaction spread to thirty-nine (39) percent of the height of the column of water, and in the smaller tube, the reaction spread to only twenty-three point six (23.6) percent of the height of the column of water.
She continued to experiment with these to determine a larger set of data. For a tube filled to twelve (12) inches with the Thalkalana water, the illumination reaction rose to three (3) inches in the tube. For a tube filled with five (5) inches of that same water, the illumination reaction rose to one point five (1.5) inches of water. She had enough data at this point that she fit a third degree polynomial to it to predict the height of an illumination reaction. She began to calculate the minimum ocean height it would require to have the illumination reaction rise to one hundred (100) percent of the water’s height, but the scientific validity of extrapolating the results was dependent on the validity of her model: such a polynomial may not describe the true behavior on much larger values of water column height.
Marthe’s analysis was interrupted by another observation: the large tube began leaking from the bottom, and she noticed that it was actually corroding. The other tubes she used in her experiment were beginning to leak in a similar manner and she looked about the Ocean Room for another vessel that might contain them. Before she could identify an alternative, the tubes had melted away and the waters fell to the floor. Her first thought was that the waters would corrode the floor itself, but this did not occur. Still, the room was brightened by the glow of the waters.
She didn’t dare touch the puddles of water at first, but wrote all of this in her laboratory notebook. She then took a broom made of straw and began to sweep the water into an opening in the wall that led to an empty tank below the floor. She did her best to get the bulk of the Thalkalana water swept into there. The rest would have to be by evaporation.