by Will Wight
And then there was Bliss, alone at the other end of the table. She looked…exactly the same as always, staring at a tiny butterfly of blown glass as though she expected it would attack at any second. His mother was conspicuously absent, but Bliss had explained that Alsa was, “Somewhere else.” He didn’t expect any more detail.
Also missing was the Head of the Magisters, Mekendi Maxeus. His Guild was stretched thin as it was, and apparently he had decided his skills were of more use in the Capital than floating in an unmarked stretch of the Aion.
Calder entered on his own, but he didn’t sit. Before Cheska could welcome him or anyone else could say a word, he bowed to Jarelys Teach. “General Teach, I apologize once again for the unfortunate circumstances of our last meeting.”
“What about the meeting before that?” Teach asked, eyes flashing.
“…I apologize for the unfortunate circumstances surrounding each and every one of our meetings, and I hope we can be more friendly in the future.” He turned to Bliss. “Guild Head, it’s a pleasure to see you again. Thank you for your recent support.”
Teach gripped the table at the mention of Bliss’ support, but Bliss only nodded vaguely, still fixated on the butterfly. It slid slightly as the ship bobbed, and the Guild Head jumped as if she thought the movement signaled an attack.
At last, he nodded to Captain Bennett. “Cheska. You looked better last time.”
If anything, her grin widened. “Carve it into your memory, Captain. You’ll never see anything like it as long as you live.”
Calder placed the wooden case onto the tabletop, setting the sack next to it. “Before you make a decision regarding me and my crew, I would like to submit a few facts for your consideration. First, Naberius Clayborn is dead.”
General Teach’s hostile Intent scorched him from across the table. Thanks to the sword she wore, he physically shuddered. At this distance, it was entirely possible that she could kill him just by wishing hard enough.
“Details,” she demanded.
“It was an unavoidable casualty of battle,” he said smoothly. “Naberius’ mind was eroded completely by the Heart of Nakothi. Before he died, he said nothing without ranting about death and rebirth.”
Bliss sighed. “Shouldn’t have tried to Awaken it on his own. It was dangerous enough sleeping, but when it…hey! Get back here!”
The butterfly slid across the table, and she used her hand to stop it before it fell to the deck and shattered.
Cheska shut her eyes and let her head flop back. “There go months of planning. And so much money. Do you know how much I invested in him?”
Calder cleared his throat. “I may be able to help with that.”
He flipped open the case, revealing rows of white candles.
Teach nodded slowly, and Cheska opened her eyes a crack. When she saw what he’d revealed, she whistled and pulled her legs off the table.
“He claimed that all the riches of the Imperial palace, and all the details of the accounts, were somewhere in here,” Calder said. “If a Reader—say me, for instance—burns them, we should be able to learn something. At least we can get your investment back, Cheska.”
“I should hope so,” she said, but she sounded much more hopeful than before.
“That doesn’t address our most important concern,” Teach said irritably. “We still have no candidate for the throne. If we’re forced to anoint Nathanael Bareius the leader of the Aurelian Empire, I just might kill him myself.”
“Just so I’m clear,” Calder began, “what were the qualities you were looking for in our new Emperor?”
Cheska and Teach exchanged glances.
“He should be a powerful Reader,” Teach began.
“Well-connected,” Cheska continued.
“We were looking for a man. If Estyr Six were willing to sit on the throne, perhaps the people would accept an Empress, but without her…there’s only so much change the common rabble can take at one time.”
“Rich,” Cheska added.
“He has to be well-educated and dignified,” Teach continued. “And, of course, I have to approve.”
“I’m still stuck on rich.”
“He must be someone the people can approve. The public need stability, now more than ever.”
Bliss finally looked up, adding, “I’d like it if he were sane, but I will work with what I can get.”
To each of their points, Calder nodded. When they were finished, he placed one hand on the case of Chronicler’s candles, and one on the sack to his left.
“With all that in mind, I would like to propose a new candidate.” Pinching the burlap sack between two fingers, he picked it up.
The Emperor’s crown tumbled out, rolling slightly as it landed on the table.
Jarelys Teach’s breath caught, and she unconsciously reached a hand out. Cheska gave a low whistle. Bliss tilted her head, interested.
“Where did you get that?” Teach whispered, but Calder ignored her. She probably wouldn’t appreciate the story anyway.
“I like to think of myself as a powerful Reader, I am reasonably well educated, and I can be dignified when I put my mind to it. Hopefully,” he patted the candles, “I will be coming into some money soon. I’m reasonably sane. If you three approve, that would qualify me as well-connected. And even my harshest critics don’t doubt my gender.”
Calder finally let his true feelings bleed into his voice—the ambition he’d hidden for years. “And I’m not immortal. I don’t need to be bound to the Heart, or to anything. Let me live a normal span of years and then die. A regular, mortal, human ruler who will be replaced by an heir after my death…and hopefully, that won’t give the Great Elders enough time to turn me into a puppet.”
He picked up the golden crown and placed it on his head, striking a pose. “So, what do you think?”
There was an instant of stunned silence before Cheska burst out laughing. Bliss raised her eyes to him. “Is it appropriate to call you by title, or should I keep using your name?”
Only Jarelys Teach seemed to object, scowling at the sight of him wearing the crown. “More than anything, we need a willing person to sit on the throne. As far as that goes, you qualify.”
His hopes soared. Part of him had wondered if she would take his head off for even attempting this.
“But you are quite possibly the worst candidate when it comes to patching relations with the other Guilds. The Consultants are undoubtedly after you as we speak. How will you handle them?”
Calder tried to project absolute confidence and an air of mystery. “In fact, I’ve already taken steps. Trust me. I have held one card in reserve.”
~~~
When he climbed up the ladder and onto The Testament’s deck, no one was at the wheel. Andel was nowhere to be seen, and a pile of ropes sat at the base of the mast.
Foster hurried up to him, blood running down into his beard from a split lip. The gunner spoke only two words:
“She’s loose.”
THE END
Of the Elder Empire, First Sea
Of Sea and Shadow
Glossary of Terms
Am’haranai – The ancient order of spies and assassins that would eventually become the Consultant’s Guild. Some formal documents still refer to the Consultant’s Guild in this way.
Architect – One type of Consultant. The Architects mostly stay in one place, ruling over Guild business and deciding general strategy. They include alchemists, surgeons, Readers, strategists, and specialists of all types.
Awaken – A Reader can Awaken an object by bringing out its latent powers of Intent. An Awakened object is very powerful, but it gains a measure of self-awareness. Also, it can never be invested again.
Jarelys Teach, the Head of the Imperial Guard, carries an ancient executioner’s blade that has been Awakened. It now bears the power of all the lives it took, and is lethal even at a distance.
All Soulbound Vessels are Awakened.
Children of the Dead M
other – Elderspawn created by the power of Nakothi out of human corpses.
Consultant – A member of the Consultants Guild, also known as the Am’haranai. Mercenary spies and covert agents that specialize in gathering and manipulating information for their clients.
Consultants come in five basic varieties: Architects, Gardeners, Masons, Miners, and Shepherds.
For more, see the Guild Guide.
Dead Mother, The – See: Nakothi.
Elder – Any member of the various races that ruled the world in ancient days, keeping humanity as slaves. The most powerful among them are known as Great Elders, and their lesser are often called Elderspawn.
Gardener – One type of Consultant. The Gardeners kill people for hire.
Intent – The power of focused will that all humans possess. Whenever use an object intentionally, for a specific purpose, you are investing your Intent into that object. The power of your Intent builds up in that object over time, making it better at a given task.
Every human being uses their Intent, but most people do so blindly; only Readers can sense what they’re doing.
See also: “Invest,” “Reader.”
Invest – Besides its usual financial implications, to “invest” means to imbue an object with one’s Intent. By intentionally using an object, you invest that object with a measure of your Intent, which makes it better at performing that specific task.
So a pair of scissors used by a barber every day for years become progressively better and better at cutting hair. After a few years, the scissors will cut cleanly through even the thickest strands of tangled hair, slicing through with practically no effort. A razor used by a serial killer will become more and more lethal with time. A razor used by a serial-killing barber will be very confused.
Kameira – A collective term for any natural creature with unexplainable powers. Cloudseeker Hydras can move objects without touching them, Windwatchers can change and detect air currents, and Deepstriders control water. There are many different types of Kameira…though, seemingly, not as many as in the past. The Guild of Greenwardens is dedicated to studying and restoring Kameira populations.
Humans can borrow the miraculous powers of Kameira by creating Vessels from their body parts, and then bonding with those Vessels to become Soulbound.
Mason – One type of Consultant. Masons are craftsmen and professionals in a particular trade, covertly sending back information to their Guild. There are Masons undercover in every industry and business throughout the Empire.
Miner – One type of Consultant. This secretive order is in charge of the Consultants’ vast library, sorting and disseminating information to serve the Guild’s various clients.
Nakothi, the Dead Mother – A Great Elder who died in the Aion Sea. Her power kills humans and remakes their bodies into hideous servants.
Navigator – A member of the Navigator’s Guild. The Navigators are the only ones capable of sailing the deadly Aion Sea, delivering goods and passengers from one continent to the other.
For more, see the Guild Guide.
Reader – A person who can read and manipulate the Intent of objects. Every human being invests their Intent subconsciously, simply by using ordinary objects. However, Readers can do so with a greater degree of focus and clarity, thanks to their special senses.
Readers often receive visions of an object’s past.
Shepherd – One type of Consultant. The Shepherds are observers, thieves, and saboteurs that specialize in infiltrating a location and leaving unnoticed.
Soulbound – A human who can channel the power of an Elder or a Kameira. These powers are contained in a Vessel, which is bound to a person during the Awakening process. Soulbound are rare and powerful because they combine the focus of human Intent with the miraculous power of inhuman beings.
Bliss, the Guild Head of the Blackwatch, is a Soulbound with the Spear of Tharlos as her Vessel. Therefore, she can borrow the reality-warping powers of the Great Elder known as Tharlos, the Formless Legion.
A person becomes a Soulbound by having a personally significant object Awakened. If the object has a strong connection to an Elder or Kameira, and if it is significant enough, then it can become a Soulbound Vessel.
See also: Vessel.
Vessel – An Awakened object that becomes the source of a Soulbound’s power. Not all Awakened items become Soulbound Vessels, but all Vessels are Awakened.
In order to become a person’s Vessel, an item must fulfill two criteria: it must be personally linked to the individual, and it must be invested with the power of a Kameira or an Elder.
1.) Personal link: A ring that you bought at a pawnshop three weeks ago could not become your Soulbound Vessel. It has not absorbed enough of your Intent, it is not significant to you, and it is not bound to you in any way. A wedding ring that you’ve worn for fifteen years and is significant to you for some reason—perhaps you pried it off your spouse’s bloody corpse—could indeed become your Vessel, assuming it fulfills the second criteria as well.
2.) Power: A spear made of an Elder’s bone could allow one to use that Elder’s power of illusion and madness. If you bonded with a necklace of Deepstrider scales, you might be able to sense and control the ocean’s currents as that Kameira does.
See also: Soulbound.
Watchman – A member of the Blackwatch Guild.
For more, see the Guild Guide.
Guild Guide
A brief guide to the Ten Imperial Guilds of the Aurelian Empire, written by a licensed Witness for your edification and betterment!
The Am’haranai: Also known as Consultants, the members of this mysterious brotherhood work behind the scenes for the good of the Empire…or for anyone with enough gold to pay them. Consultants are more than willing to provide strategic advice, tactical support, and information to the Empire’s rich and elite, so long as it doesn't destabilize the government they've worked so hard to build.
Believe it or not, the Am'haranai were the first Imperial Guild, having existed in one form or another since long before the birth of the Empire. The next time you walk by the local chapter house of the Consultants, know that you're in the presence of true Imperial History.
The Consultants' local Guild Representative would not give us a definitive response to the less savory rumors surrounding this particular Guild. Juicy speculation suggests that—for the right price—the Consultants will provide a number of darker services, including espionage, sabotage, and even assassination. We can neither confirm nor refute such rumors at this time.
Consultants in the field are known to refer to each other by code names, to conceal their true identities.
Shepherds are their expert scouts, trained to watch, remember, and report.
Architects are the leaders of the Am’haranai, and typically do not leave their island fortress. They’re the strategists, alchemists, tacticians, and Readers that make the work of the Consultants possible.
Masons are a truly terrifying order, though once again the Guild Representative put off most of my questions. They go undercover as everyday folk like you or me, living ordinary lives for months or years, and then providing information to their Architect leaders. Your best friend, your neighbor, that street alchemist across from your house…any of them could be a Mason secretly watching you!
Other, less credible reports suggest the existence of a fourth brand of Consultant: the Gardeners. The job of a Gardener is to “remove weeds.” They are the black operatives, the pure assassins, the knives in the dark.
The Guild Representative had this to say on the matter: “There is not now, and never has been, an order of the Am’haranai known as the Gardeners. That’s simple speculation based on our Guild crest, which is actually derived from our origin as humble farmers. Having said that, if you do have someone interfering with your business, it is possible that we could help you bring the situation to a satisfactory conclusion…for an appropriate level of compensation, of course.”
&nb
sp; Since the Emperor’s death (may his soul fly free), I have no doubt that business has been very good indeed for this particular Guild.
Guild Head: The Council of Architects. No one knows much about the leadership of the Consultants, but it seems that the Architects collectively vote on Guild policy, coming to decisions through careful deliberation and long experience.
Crest: Gardening Shears
The Blackwatch:
Thanks to generations of legends and misinformation perpetuated by the Luminians, many of you have certain preconceived notions about the Blackwatch. They’re hated by many, feared by all, and I urge you not to heed the rumors. Every Watchman I’ve ever met has been professional, focused, and inquisitive--very few of them actually worship the Elders.
Let me put a few of your unfounded fears to rest: no, they do not eat human flesh for power. No, they do not conduct dark rituals involving blood sacrifice. No, they do not kidnap babies from their cradles.
Yes, they do use certain powers and techniques of the Elders. That’s no reason to treat them like cultists.
The Blackwatch was originally founded by the Emperor for two purposes: watching over the graves of the Great Elders, and studying the Elder Races to twist their great powers for the good of the Empire. It is thanks to the Blackwatch that Urg’Naut or the Dead Mother have not risen and devoured our living world.