Haunt & Havoc

by Jeremy Dwyer

  “Protect the temple, while I make my own preparations for another child. At the proper time, we will consecrate the temple so that it becomes powerful, with the fires of the blazing suns dwelling within its towers. Remember: we are the warm and beloved children of the many suns, and now we are the masters over the flow of wealth in the world. Before long, all of the people will be given a choice: either they will kneel before the Sky’s Nine (9) Kings and pay tribute to the suns at this temple, or they will endure great suffering and sorrow,” Duchess Uliana said.

  ~~~

  Governor Lux had avoided the firestorm, but watched from the Trading Center Five building and even heard the performance of the Sky on Fire song, as the sound had carried far, especially over the small island. The return of the light had its benefits, as the darkness increased shipping costs for valuable minerals. However, he was dismayed that the sun worshippers had completed their temple and come so close to achieving their dominance – the spirit world would be very displeased.

  He soon learned that their sun worship ritual was interrupted by the abduction of the sacrificial child, so that their success was incomplete, and he took solace in this fact. The repulsion of the king was beneficial, but not necessarily sufficient. The method by which it had been done, however, frightened him: the singer whom the sun worshippers had employed was far more powerful than he had imagined.

  Like the financial markets, Governor Lux mused, the world in general had gains and losses, and the results were usually mixed.

  CHAPTER 50: Haunting of the Waters on the Island of Crossings

  The Resolute Traverser was anchored off of the northern coast of Belorakanis Island in the Zovvin Ocean.

  On board were Fritz, Akantha, Massimo and Luuk / Tallak.

  Akantha drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from her vial and was energized with the powers of spirit, enabling her to watch for the ghost of Captain Tychon, or any other nearby activity in the spirit world.

  Massimo drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from his vial and was energized with the powers of light, enabling him to look out long distances and see in the darkness if any ships might be approaching. He provided light to those around him, as well, including Fritz.

  Fritz drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from his vial and was energized with the power to manipulate crystals. He used this power to manipulate water crystals and separate them from impurities, pouring the purified waters into a clean vial and leaving the impure minerals in another. Thus, he kept high quality supplies at the ready. The ship contained medium purity waters, but the extra purity made a large difference in the effect.

  Luuk / Tallak also watched for the ghost of Captain Tychon, having only disdain for the pirate’s cruelty. The spirit of Luuk ruled the body, but the body belonged to the spirit of Tallak, who was dormant. The body was waterbound to the Gradaken Ocean waters, giving him control over animal and plant life – that was no small part of how he avoided the sea serpents during his swim away from the Emboldened Flame. He drank anew of the waters of the Gradaken Ocean from his vial and prepared to fend off any assault of sea serpents, as they could occasionally surface.

  ~~~

  Captain Pradrock, Akylas, Torin and Jolene, along with the Chronicler, Niels, walked the coast of Belorakanis Island under the twilight sky, staying close to the Resolute Traverser. The darkness had become much more intense.

  They could still see the light generated by Massimo, which guided them under the dark sky. The waterfalls of the island offered every kind of water, including those of the Lujladia Ocean. As a result, a phenomenon occurred that was similar to what transpired over the actual Lujladia Ocean: bright lights, even mirages and illusions, were present. These made it a bit easier to find their way in the darkness, but they had to be careful.

  Pradrock drank anew of the waters of the Medathero Ocean from his vial and was energized with the powers of calm, rational thought. He worked to understand the island, and to take advantage of the many waters that it offered. There was a particular area that concerned him – the waterfall where the water did not seem to move at all.

  Jolene drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from her vial and was energized with the powers of empathy and telepathy. She probed the minds of those around her to better understand the crew on which she served, whenever they were otherwise preoccupied and had let their guard down.

  Jolene thought Captain Pradrock was a bit strange – he was good-natured and generous, but nearly emotionally dead, and incapable of any sort of passion or romance, and largely concerned with solving math problems and other puzzles. His gambit against the ghost of Captain Tychon was one of his few moments to shine, but Jolene found him otherwise uninteresting.

  Jolene looked into the mind of Akylas and found him to be a boy who never truly grew up – he was forever his sister’s brother: he would die for Akantha, but would rather live for her. It wasn’t romantic or incestuous love, but a fiercely devoted sibling friendship that left little room for any other sort of relationship. She had found a reciprocal commitment in Akantha earlier, and could feel a sense of discomfort in each while they were apart. It seemed strange to her, but she accepted it.

  Jolene had also looked into the mind of Fritz earlier and found him to be an old bore, more interested in working with minerals, gems and crystals and being paid. He was an honest man, if a bit cold and distant.

  Jolene looked into the mind of Massimo and found him to be much the opposite of Fritz: he was an illusionist and little more, but warm and welcoming. Massimo had thoughts about Akantha, but the sibling love trumped all, yielding no attention to boyfriends.

  Jolene probed Torin’s thoughts and she knew his disability. She admired the young man for not giving in to self-pity, but instead continuing to work. She knew healthy men her age who found every excuse not to work, so Torin’s willingness to serve on a ship’s crew despite his blindness made him all the more remarkable, and attractive, despite only being nineteen (19) years old. She never dated a younger man before – much less a man merely half her age – but she could not help but want to know him better. She stayed close to him, and held his arm as they walked, so as not to get separated in the darkness.

  Also, while on the ship, Jolene had probed the mind of the man known as Luuk / Tallak and found it to be filled with remorse at what had taken place, though it was likely not his fault.

  Jolene could not probe the thoughts of the Chronicler Niels, because he was under protection of some sort that she did not know.

  ~~~

  Suddenly, the suns had come out from under the darkness, and began to shine brilliantly once again.

  “I can see again!” Jolene said.

  “The suns are back! But how?” Akylas asked.

  “Just as importantly, how long will it last?” Torin asked.

  Torin could feel the warmth of the suns shining down on his face once again – it was almost as intense as the warmth of Jolene’s arm holding onto his. He did not mind the attention, but was surprised by it, albeit pleasantly.

  “We can explore the island more thoroughly, now,” Pradrock said.

  “First, let’s get a read on those stars – see if it’s safe,” Akylas said. He drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and was energized. He concentrated and listened for the sounds of the stars.

  Pradrock watched and waited to see if Akylas had any problems.

  What Akylas heard was refreshing…the stars revealed their positions and movements, and it was a familiar and useful comfort to be able to hear them.

  “I know where we are by the suns,” Akylas said.

  “What does it tell you about this island, though?” Jolene asked.

  “That its position matches the coordinates that Baroness Irina gave us,” Akylas said.

  “That is a reassuring confirmation of our alternative navigation methodology,” Pradrock said.

  “Then I’m not going to bother reading the suns, since you
already did,” Torin said.

  Niels wrote all of this down into his book, including the appearance of the stars and a sketch of their positions.

  “The island still has some regions covered in darkness. Look over there,” Pradrock said.

  “I see it,” Akylas said.

  “Should we get Massimo? He can look more closely at it,” Torin asked.

  “Yes. I agree,” Pradrock said.

  Jolene reached out telepathically from the shore and sent a message directly to Massimo, over a mile away.

  ~~~

  On board the Resolute Traverser, Akantha, Fritz, Massimo and Luuk / Tallak all looked out to the sky when the light returned from the seventy (70) suns.

  “I don’t know why the star lights dimmed, or why they returned, but I hope they’re here to stay, so we can get more work done,” Fritz said.

  “Akylas and Torin may know more, if they can listen to the sounds of the stars again,” Akantha said.

  “We may not get an explanation for the darkness or the light – not in this lifetime, anyway. Mysteries can last for ages,” Luuk / Tallak said.

  Massimo heard a thought enter his head and told the others, saying: “They want me to join them on their exploration of the island. There is still an area of darkness, brought by the waterfalls, and they need my light.”

  “They don’t want you to keep a lookout for Tychon?” Fritz asked.

  “I can still sense his spirit if it approaches,” Akantha said.

  “If they need you, I guess you should go. As long as the suns keep, we may be fine,” Luuk / Tallak said.

  ~~~

  Massimo walked down the boarding ramp and along the coast to meet up with Captain Pradrock, Jolene, Akylas and Torin. Niels was also there, and he watched and recorded as Massimo approached.

  “Thank you for joining us, Massimo. Now that the darkness in the sky has abated, we have a better view of the darkness on this island. However, look at that dark area there. What can you tell us about it?” Pradrock asked, pointing over to a waterfall more than three hundred (300) feet away, nearby other waterfalls. Its waters gave off a pitch black haze as they fell into a lake below, splashing back up to obscure the area around them.

  Massimo drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from his vial and was energized. He shone a beam of light onto the waters of the waterfall – which stood at a height of over two hundred thirty (230) feet – and saw only the water. “I see only the flow of Ikkith Tar waters, nothing more or less,” Massimo said.

  “Are you certain?” Pradrock asked.

  “I am telling you precisely what my eyes see by the light that I am giving. Do you see more than what is there? Could there be an illusion or haze like there is over the maze waters that is making it seem to be more than it is?” Massimo asked.

  “I don’t believe that the water is falling completely into the lake. It appears as if there is a large outcropping of land – or a large stone – obstructing the flow of the water, which is diverging around it. Look more closely at the path that the water follows – left, right and center – with that in mind,” Pradrock said.

  Jolene was reading Pradrock’s thoughts on this – the captain definitely believed that he saw something, but was trying to let Massimo view it without biasing him. It was an interesting test of perception, she thought, but she wasn’t convinced that Pradrock truly saw what he thought, because illusions and shadows could create impressions.

  Massimo looked more closely at the indicated waterfall and watched the flow of water where indicated and saw that somewhere in the center of the flow, the water seemed to diverge to the left and to the right.

  “I see it now that you’ve pointed it out – you were measuring the splash height, I am guessing,” Massimo said.

  “Yes. It seemed to be uneven. I want to know what’s causing it,” Pradrock said.

  “Then we should approach it more closely,” Massimo said.

  “No. Don’t go any closer without following a specific path. Look at the other waterfalls around you. Do you notice something? Look very closely,” Pradrock said.

  Jolene continued probing Pradrock’s thoughts and knew exactly what he was concerned about – she also knew why he held it back.

  “They’re all flowing quickly, except that waterfall, which is barely flowing. How is that? It’s as if the water is mixed with mud,” Massimo asked.

  “It’s flowing at the same speed, but the light escapes it more slowly,” Pradrock said.

  “Ursegan waters? They’re the ones that slow the passage of time, and allow long life,” Massimo said.

  “That’s what I believe it to be,” Pradrock said.

  Niels drew sketches of what he saw, noting the commentary that was occurring around him. He did not disagree with the deduction, but could not write it as fact – only as what had been said.

  Niels then approached that apparently slow flowing waterfall and saw an interesting effect: as he approached, the flow of waters appeared to slow even more, and he stopped himself before proceeding. He held out his hands and saw them move more slowly than he knew that he was actually moving them. This intrigued him, but he became concerned that it was more hazardous than fascinating. As a Chronicler, he had no doubt that he was protected. Still, walking into this might not be beneficial for the completion of his duties. Niels then stepped backward and returned to the group, writing all that he saw.

  “A little too slow, even for a Chronicler,” Akylas said.

  “I don’t know what effect it might have on Niels, as he drinks the Ursegan waters, but the rest of us must not move anywhere near that waterfall. Time may slow to a standstill, and you won’t be able to move away,” Pradrock said.

  “We’re here to find a way to get rid of Tychon, right? Wouldn’t we want him to go into that?” Akylas asked.

  “As a ghost, that may not be possible. He would need to take on a material form, and be held in that form, indefinitely,” Pradrock said.

  “Akantha could hold him that way, couldn’t she?” Torin asked.

  “If she concentrates long enough, like for the rest of her life, but I don’t think she wants to live here,” Akylas said.

  “Do you have a strategy in mind?” Torin asked.

  “I’m considering several options. However, I have a question about this island itself. These waters do not normally occur next to each other, unless they’re flowing from a fountain. That suggests to me that the waterfalls, at least, are engineered, rather than naturally occurring. This entire island may be a mechanical construct,” Pradrock said.

  “You want to know how its gears turn, then,” Massimo said.

  “Yes, as well as who built it, and why,” Pradrock said.

  “Which way is safe to go?” Massimo asked.

  “I see a path that is safe. First, however, I want Akylas to remember this precise location where we are standing,” Pradrock said.

  Akylas drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and was energized. He listened for the sounds of the stars to determine his exact location and then remembered it by the arrangement of the stars, so that he could return to it. “Alright, I’ve got this location locked in,” Akylas said.

  “Good. Now follow me. Step where I step, single file,” Pradrock said.

  “I’m not liking this. One mistake could be our last,” Jolene said, knowing from Pradrock’s thoughts that he had allowed little margin for error.

  “If you feel unsteady on your feet, don’t follow. I’m not asking you to take any risks. Just remember that the ghost of Captain Tychon is still out there, and he will highly probably eventually find us again, or find some other ship to target, and survival is not assured,” Pradrock said.

  “I’m good on my feet, and can see around the corners, so I’ll go,” Massimo said.

  “I can navigate by the stars now, indoors or out. I’ll go, too,” Akylas said.

  “I’ll wait here. I can be a telepathic link between you and the crew on the sh
ip,” Jolene said.

  “I’ll go if you want, and if I can be of any use,” Torin said.

  “No. You stay with Jolene. This is a time when sight really is needed for safety,” Pradrock said.

  “I will follow along with you,” Niels said.

  Pradrock walked along a calculated path, followed by Massimo, then Akylas then Niels.

  Jolene was relieved that Torin would be staying with her. She watched as the others walked toward one of the waterfalls, and they receded into the distance and soon disappeared – sooner than she would have expected.

  “He has almost no fear. I’ve never seen a man so dedicated to his job, especially a man who is already wealthy enough to retire,” Jolene said.

  “All he believes in is traveling the oceans to help people and solving math problems. I don’t understand him either, but he gave me a job on his ship when I didn’t have any good options,” Torin said.

  “Work is important – we all need a purpose, to help others in the best way that we can,” Jolene said. She looked the young man over, enjoying the sight of his handsome face.

  “I used to help navigate by the stars, but now I do the sailcloth repairs, because I can do it by touch, without having to see it,” Torin said.

  “Not many guys are good at that. It’s still important. You can still navigate, if you want to, right?” Jolene asked.

  “I can navigate, but it’s hard to make the adjustments from the sounds of the stars to the physical positions. There’s a lot of math I have to do in my head because I can’t see. It slows everybody down, so I stick to what I’m fast at,” Torin said.

  “That’s not all you can do,” Jolene said.

  “I can fix other parts of a ship, including the sail riggings and steering linkages. I learn what I can over time,” Torin said.

  “You’ve got time. You should keep doing what you’re doing. But you can do even more than that,” Jolene said.

  “What do you mean?” Torin asked.

  “You can see a person for who they really are, and not get distracted by what’s on the outside,” Jolene said.

  “That’s a nice way to put it – there were a couple of times that not seeing helped me to avoid seeing something bad,” Torin said.