by Gerard Bond
Wollfen could see their values were far different. He felt it wouldn’t hurt to express some of the Kingdom's.
“We have a strong sense of moral values that are taught from a young age. That’s not to say that there isn’t criminal activity within our society, but the constabulary is able to keep it in check.”
“Moral values? Are you talking of mercy?”
It was Madeira’s turn to be taken aback.
“Yes mercy is one, tied in with ethics. Compassion is another, but there are many values tied to those things. Kindness to your fellow man no matter what social standing he may have. An expectation is that you will be treated as well as you treat others.”
Madeira sneered,
“That is a weak philosophy that will see the downfall of your nation. Have you not seen how easily we have wiped aside your own people in the south? I saw an example of this so-called mercy in Port Cholandra. There was an incident where a number of our troops entered a part of town that the local population refused to surrender. By some miracle they were able to defeat the soldiers and capture a number of them. Do you know what they did then? The fools let the troops go having disarmed them. We returned and killed every last one of them in that area. If they had killed all the soldiers initially and disposed of their bodies we would have been none the wiser and they probably would all be alive today. There is your mercy, that is the mark of your compassion. Tell me what they did was right.”
Wollfen looked directly into her eyes. He had executed one of their men on the field. He had picked the lesser of the two evils and he was still troubled by it.
“Yes, they were right in what they did.”
Madeira became angry now. How could this man be so idealistic? With a rising voice she responded harshly.
“They do not matter! They are just humans! They aren’t special! They live, they breed and they die. What importance have they other than to provide a worker population for us who are concerned with developing to a higher spiritual plane?”
“Where did you yourself come from Madeira?”
Madeira responded without hesitation,
“I came from those same people, drawn from them not simply because I happened to be there but because I am special. I have the power of Magic. But I am not like them.”
Wollfen sighed, no these people were not of Vincent and his teachings. Something had become corrupted in that faraway land. They were worse off than the Kingdom.
“I think we need to put this aside for now, do you agree?”
Wollfen couldn’t afford to turn her against him, Madeira was thinking the same thing of Wollfen. Madeira let out a deep breath before continuing,
“Yes, you are right, best we take some time out.”
Wollfen arose,
“Then I will bid you good evening and we shall speak again on the morn.”
Madeira nodded her head and Wollfen retired to the cabin. He lay on his cot, thinking about his situation and what he could do. He couldn’t be surprised by all that Madeira had said. After all, he had seen how the towns had been destroyed without mercy. He would need to talk to her tomorrow. There were still so many questions to be answered and time was running out. It was now less than a week before Dark would show up.
Morning found Wollfen arisen and sitting with Madeira eating the gruel that he had so come to hate. At least it wouldn’t be for too much longer. Upon finishing he leaned over the table and looked at Madeira still eating. She certainly was beautiful and in another life would have had any number of suitors chasing her. Being intelligent and strong-willed too meant she would have made something of her life no matter what path she may have been set upon.
But not in her country. In her own, if she had been found to be ‘normal’ by the powers that be, she most probably would not have amounted to much at all. It seemed such a harsh life. He got to wondering how it was that an all female clique could operate in tandem with a male dominated royal hierarchy.
All of a sudden it occurred to him, he was not being made to take stinky drink, he cleared his throat to gain her attention,
“May I ask why you aren’t feeding me the mind numbing drug that up to now I had been administered?”
Madeira had been giving this some thought already and she had come to the conclusion that Wollfen was safe enough without it,
“I think we can dispense with that can’t we? After all what could you do out here in the middle of the ocean? It's not like you could control all of us constantly for two weeks all the way back to the Kingdom right?”
Wollfen nodded his head,
“Yes you are right, I kind of figured that may be why, there is no point in me making trouble, it will only make the journey a less comfortable one and I am sure I would be the one that suffered the most.”
“I knew you were a person of reason.”
Wollfen decided right there and then to get into his questions on her sorc hierarchy as she seem quite amenable at present,
“Tell me Madeira, how is it that the King allows you so much power within your own kingdom?”
Madeira smiled.
“Do you really think he has any choice? No to be truthful he understands that as long as we support him he remains in power. If he went against us, we would simply replace him. He could certainly make a lot of trouble for us, but we would manage eventually to find another royal member capable of defeating him and willing to cooperate with us. It is a mutually beneficial partnership we have. He is allowed his freedom to do as he pleases as long as it does not conflict with our own desires and needs. From time to time we help the king out and we are supplied with whatever resources we need in return.”
Wollfen thought about that. Not only did they work together, but they relied on each other to support their own selfish ends. The understanding was in place and neither party wanted it to be endangered so a harsh reality had become the norm for the land. He could see their power was absolute, there could be no challenge, not with such powerful magics backing up the sword.
It also meant that the society could not develop. The people were cut off from ever gaining any spiritual growth not to mention a better life materially.
The afterlife was not the preserve of a select few. It was for all. He had been so concerned with the subdued religion of the Kingdom. No one there really prayed or took time to reflect on their spiritual lives. In fact there was no organized religion at all, it had been that way for three hundred years. But here this country was even worse. What organized religion there was could only be practiced provided you were of the clique or 'privileged' and that went against all his teachings and knowledge of spirituality.
Something had to be done, but what? Before this war had started he had been about to embark on a campaign designed to bring about an end to the impasse that was confining the Kingdom to a non-ending cycle of self-indulgence and decadence. While people went about their lives they had been attaining a higher and higher standard of wealth and that resulted in more and more self-serving ends. Bigger houses and more material wealth, grander estates, but the people were empty. They had lost sight of the reason for existing and had become consumed by their drive to attain their possessions.
Society as a whole had stopped developing as well as the individuals. Now he realized it was on a grander scale. Not only was it in the Kingdom, but in lands afar as well. Was the whole world caught in a sort of time warp where all development had come to a standstill? It was a scary thought and one he did not care to contemplate too much at this time, there were more pressing needs right now.
Madeira had sat there quietly studying him. He had been in deep thought for so long.
“Tell me your thoughts, I am curious to know what you are thinking of me.”
Wollfen looked up at her.
“I must admit that I am perplexed by your ways. They are as opposing as you could get to that of the Kingdom’s.”
Madeira suspected as much.
“I hear your words and they tell me more than you
know. For instance, in all of your references to home, you talk of it as if it be separate to yourself. Do you not agree with the life there, with its ways and ideals? Or do you just feel you are not a part of the same population, that you are in fact different to them?”
Wollfen thought on this for a second.
“Well yes I am different. That is a given. I have not met any in my travels of that land that can equal me in my skills of magics. But I do not set myself above them for it. I do not believe that this same talent of mine gives me the right to dictate or deny them their rights as individuals.”
“Rights? What are rights?”
Wollfen quickly realized this could take some time to explain, he would have to walk her through so many concepts.
“I guess what I am trying to convey is the idea that regardless of their abilities or social standing, they can be safe in the knowledge that they will be treated fairly while existing in their society. They have the freedom to try and obtain a better life for themselves and that also means their spirituality too.”
“That goes against the very fundamental basics of our teachings. We are chosen from birth to follow certain paths and those that are gifted these powers by the gods are deemed to be worthy of the afterlife, no others.”
“No Madeira, all have that opportunity, all are a part of the grand scheme, not just us.”
“Preposterous, you obviously have spent too much time cut off from the truth. You will need to learn and realize this as we journey. I have faith you will come to know the truth just as all of the sorc clique know it.”
“And what if I could convince you Madeira? What then?”
Madeira sat there looking at him, totally confident of her beliefs.
“Of all that we teach, all that we know, there are no exceptions, it is the divine truth.”
“No.” Wollfen now locked onto her gaze, “Is it not true that only women according to your order have the power?” Madeira slowly nodded, “Yet I sit before you, a man with a sorcs power.”
Wollfen sat there letting it sink in. It had always been there but not acknowledged. He got up and left the cabin to leave her to think.
Madeira thought on this. Her mind was a bit of a swirl, what if he was right? Of course he couldn’t be, it wasn’t possible. But he could use magic, not only that, he was more powerful than any in the clique. The babies, she thought about how they would put to death newborn male children that were found to be ‘aberrant’. There had been one time she thought she had sensed something in a small baby boy, a spark of magic but at the time she had dismissed it.
Now she wasn’t so sure, was the Queen killing off male babies of magic power? Why the subterfuge? No, it just didn’t seem right, Wollfen is sowing the seeds of doubt, but the fact was, he was one of them. He too followed Vincent and well, Vincent is a male? That had been explained away in early teachings that while Vincent was deemed male no one really knew since no one had seen him/her.
She had never questioned the absolute divinity of the Queen and the clique before, but now she was feeling thoughts of doubt creep in and it was hard to push them back. It just wasn’t making sense. Everyone knew men were the servants of the clique. They were there to do their bidding and males were of use to propagate with females, to give them the workers they needed as well as provide the seed to birth them, the magical beings.
The sorc clique, a shining light of purity, a place for the privileged few to collect and guide the world to the betterment of sorcs, it just couldn’t be any other way, it couldn’t work any other way!
‘Ours is the spirit and the spirit is the path. Earthly possessions are not our interest for the spirit is all. Through the spirit we shall achieve enlightenment.’ It was everything, it was all they lived for. Damn that Wollfen and damn him for them needing him.
Up on deck Wollfen was at the bow leaning out a bit over the rail, on the odd occasion a bit of ocean spray would manage to catch his face. The beard he was getting was starting to be annoying, the itchiness on his neck sometimes drove him batty.
He wondered how Madeira was going digesting all that information. He knew she had to be questioning some things. She had been indoctrinated into some very narrow views of the world and well, it would take time, a lot more than he had. That troubled him, he could see a need to travel to Isogorr to try and do something there. It wasn’t just about the Kingdom. It was all about people. If he was going to talk about all people being worthy of spiritual enlightenment, well then he couldn’t very well pick and choose whom he tried to help in such a situation.
So now he was faced with a dilemma, Dark would be coming soon and he would enact an escape. Wollfen would return to the Kingdom and help in the defeat of the Isogorrean invading army. Then after all that he would have to start all over again with his quest to set the people on the proper path again.
Once that was in place and the eight were entrenched and self-sufficient he could move on to Isogorr and do what he could to change things there. Only thing would be, the clique of sorcs by then would know him and hate him. They would know he had been a part of their defeat. The sorc clique would bend all its power to destroying him. So what to do? There were still many unanswered questions. Like the fact they wanted him to enable their quest to be successful in the Kingdom. So what to do? What to do? Wollfen spent the rest of the day mulling over things.
Madeira was keeping to herself too. This assignment was working out to be a lot harder than she thought. She had never met a man who could challenge her on any level. While his reasoning had certainly shaken her belief system a bit, it stood to reason that she would be tested. It was why the Queen had made sure it was her who would be in position at Port Cholandra, in the event it was a male that was found as the portents had told. No, Wollfen was an aberration just as those babies were. He was not meant to be, but he would be used to achieve their aims. It was the only logical explanation she realized now. The Queen was right in placing her in charge of this, any lesser sorc may very well have fallen under his spell.
Feeling better about herself, she rose from her chair and started to walk towards the door. At that moment Wollfen entered and stopped just inside the door. He had a hard look on his face.
“I am sorry for what I am about to do, but know this, it is for the good of all, not just my countrymen.”
“Sorry?”
As she said it she was hit, not by any physical blow but a mental blast that stung her mind. She cried out as the wave hit again and she felt her defenses cracking. She tried to rally, force out the power. Again this time it was more enveloping and trickling into her mind, but she was strong and she fought, fought hard. Wollfen focused more, Madeira opened her eyes. She felt herself lifted and thrown against the wall a good foot off the ground, she was pinned. Now she could feel it, real power surging and she could not resist.
“I do apologize again Madeira, but you can’t know what I am about to do. I will give you this promise. When I am done I will bow to anything you wish, but right now that cannot be.”
Wollfen cloaked her mind in blackness. She could sense nothing, hear nothing and see nothing, she was cut off.
Wollfen reached out for Dark, calling her. ‘Hear me my love, listen, I call you, answer me please.’
Dark shot up on her cot, Wollfen? She listened again and it came, ‘Answer me please.’
She thought hard, ‘I am here my love, are you in danger?’
‘Listen carefully, I have important news.’
‘I am listening my love.’
‘You must turn back. I cannot return as yet, it is my duty to go to Isogorr.’
Dark was not understanding, ‘My love what are they doing to you?’
‘It is okay you need not fret, I am well and will be fine. I do this of my own free choice. It is something that must be done for the good of the Kingdom.’
‘Baby maybe I can assist you? I can help.’ Dark was pleading now,
‘No my love, I am sorry I must do this. I don’t wan
t to be away from you for so long, but I have no choice. My destiny, for better or worse, lies in Isogorr. Please, you need to turn back and know that I love you and when I am done I will come to you.’
‘I love you too my dearest wolf, please don’t go.’ She was crying now, not wanting him to go, she missed him so much.
Wollfen sent a large wave of love directly to her and it passed through her enveloping her from head to toe. She could feel it with every inch of her body. Vaughn had come in hearing the words.
“Are you alright?”
Dark grabbed him by the hair and pulled him down to her, her tongue entering his mouth searching and feeling in a passionate kiss that left him gasping. Dark let go and fell back. Her eyes became clear again and she could taste blood in her mouth. It wasn’t hers. She looked over and saw a shocked Vaughn sitting there with a bleeding lip.
“Oh, it was you, I’m sorry. I cant explain right now.”
Remembering she sprang up and out the door, she went onto the deck. Racing to the bow, she closed her eyes looking for the orb, but it was gone. She kept looking and feeling for it, but nothing was to be seen. Wollfen was gone.
Dark walked slowly back to the cabin. Entering Vaughn looked up. She looked haggard all of a sudden, it was bad news.
In a dull, sad tone and tears in her eyes Dark spoke to Vaughn.
“Tell the Captain we return to port.”
Vaughn protested,
“But what of Wollfen?”
“Just do it!” Dark snapped.
Vaughn quickly left the room. She walked over to the cot, threw herself down and quietly cried herself to sleep.
Back on the Man O War, Wollfen had released Madeira from his grip and caught her, then placed her seated on the bench.
“I am sorry again.”
Wollfen lay down and immediately fell into an exhausted sleep. He had used up more than just his magical energies in carrying out his task, he had taxed his physical self too.