Amethyst of the Gods

by Richard S. Tuttle

  * * *

  King Arik led the Knights of Alcea into the city named after his royal father. The citizens of Dalek lined the road and cheered heartily as word of the king's arrival spread throughout the city. The people bowed low and spread flowers upon the street as the king and his party passed by. As the Knights of Alcea reached the dock area of Dalek, a small party stood waiting for them. Reese stepped boldly forward and bowed low as King Arik halted his group of Knights.

  "Welcome to Dalek, Your Highness," stated Reese with a grin, "again."

  "Thank you, Reese," smiled the king. "I like this welcome much better than the last one I remember in your fair city."

  Reese blushed scarlet as he remembered Arik, Tedi, and Wylan arriving on a stolen barge. Reese had the boys brought to his office for a scolding before he found out the true identity of the stowaways.

  "A lot has happened since you fled the followers of Abuud," smiled Reese. "Admiral Hill has already selected your crew and our best ship for your voyage. You may leave at your whim, but I would like to offer the hospitality of Dalek to you and your party. Accommodations have been made for your comfort should you wish to dally a day or two."

  "Most generous of the people of Dalek," nodded King Arik, "but the time to dally has not yet come. Inform Admiral Hill to make ready to sail."

  "As you wish, King Arik," Reese said with disappointment.

  "There will soon come a day when I will be free to travel the whole of Alcea," the king declared. "When that time comes, I shall be sure to savor my days in Dalek with you and the fine citizens who reside here. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to get to know the people that my father thinks so highly of."

  "We will await that day with eagerness," smiled Reese as the people of Dalek applauded.

  Reese led the Knights of Alcea out onto the docks. A sleek ocean trader sat splendidly at the end of the dock, the banner of Alcea flying proudly from its mast. Admiral Hill stood on the dock alongside the gangplank. He bowed as the king arrived.

  "The Song of Alcea awaits your presence," smiled the admiral. "She is the fastest ship to sail the Targa Sea."

  "It is smaller than the one I sailed to Lanoir," commented the king. "Will we all fit?"

  "Of course," assured the admiral. "Thirteen and a crew of seven, including myself of course, makes an even twenty. I wouldn't want to take any more, though. Each of you will have a berth."

  "Where will the horses ride?" asked Natia.

  "There is no need for horses," replied the admiral. "If you saw the vision of the island as I did, you would know that a horse would be useless on such an island. That mountain will require a vertical climb."

  "Some of these horses are unicorns," Tanya pointed out. "They are members of this party, and their skills may indeed come in handy."

  "Even with their ability to fly," the admiral shook his head, "there is no place for them to land. Even unicorns would find it hard to balance on one hoof for long."

  "I am not leaving Kaz behind," declared Alex. "He is as much a part of me as the rest of my family. What are all those crates on the deck? Perhaps we can leave some of them behind?"

  "Those are extra stores of food and water," the admiral shook his head. "Who knows how long we shall wander the sea in search of this island? I also made sure that we have plenty of climbing supplies with us. There is little that we could afford to leave behind."

  "The four unicorns are coming with us," decided the king. "They may be confined to the ship when we arrive at this Mountain of Death, but I agree that they are a part of this group."

  "Some of the food can be stored in my berth," offered Tanya. "I will sleep on deck with the crew."

  Murmurs of agreement rippled through the Knights of Alcea as others offered to sleep on the deck. Finally the admiral nodded his head resignedly.

  "Very well," agreed Admiral Hill as he shouted instructions to his crew.

  King Arik drew the Sword of Heavens as the crew scrambled to rearrange the cargo onboard the Song of Alcea. The Sword of Heavens pointed towards the open sea, vibrating noticeably stronger than it did in Tagaret.

  After a short delay, Admiral Hill announced that the ship was ready for boarding. The Knights of Alcea filed up the gangplank and onto the Song of Alcea. Wylan and Sheri were the last to board with Wylan hesitantly dragging his feet. Sheri smiled and tried to distract Wylan from his fear.

  "Have you noticed that all of the crew look amazingly similar?" she asked Wylan. "There is a range of ages among them, but they all have the same facial features."

  Wylan looked around distractedly and nodded as he thought about getting seasick.

  "There is a good reason for that," interjected Admiral Hill as the couple reached the deck of the ship. "They are all brothers. They are among the best seaman on this coast, and they are to be trusted completely. Not one of them will tell tales of this voyage while downing ale at the local inn. I thought that might make a difference to the king."

  "That was wise thinking, Admiral," declared Alex. "One never knows what we will find out there."

  "On land you may call me admiral," smiled Raymond Hill, "but onboard I prefer to be called captain. There is no greater thrill than being the captain of your own ship."

  "Very well, Captain," grinned King Arik. "Shove off and set course for the Mountain of Death."

  * * *

  "Awaken the Mage," Balamor called to Podil. "We are soon to be under the Darkness."

  Podil nodded and went below to waken Master Khatama. The other mages gathered around the helm to see what would happen next. Boris stepped onto the deck, his hand rising to block the sun from his eyes. He blinked several times and then looked carefully at the horizon off the bow of the ship.

  "That is Atar's Cove off the port bow," called Balamor. "It is the northernmost of the Isles of the Sea."

  "Yes," nodded Master Khatama as he strode towards the helm and the assembled magicians. "And I recognize the Darkness hanging over it. You have done well so far, Balamor."

  "What course do I set next?" Balamor asked. "You have not told us our destination yet."

  "No, I haven't," the Mage agreed. "You will head past the Isles of the Sea and then slightly southwest. We are looking for a ring of volcanoes."

  "A ring of volcanoes?" echoed Galdan. "Why don't you tell us exactly where we are going?"

  The Mage frowned and appeared to be indecisive about how much to reveal. Podil walked up behind him and put her hand gently on his arm.

  "You worry that fear of our destination will cause us to rebel," she smiled. "You should know that we are committed to this quest, whatever it might be. You have already warned us that our lives may be forfeit on this journey. Now it is time for you to fully trust us."

  Boris sighed heavily, but he slowly nodded. "You are right, of course, Podil," the Mage admitted. "I have asked everything of this group and offered little. I have sought to protect your minds as well as your bodies, but that can no longer be. Very well, gather around."

  The six magicians crowded around Master Khatama as he gazed expectantly at the approaching Darkness.

  "King Arik is on his way to restore the Amethyst of the Gods to the Sword of Heavens," the Mage began. "When he does that, the Darkness will cease to exist as it is now. If my theory is correct, the Darkness will consolidate into the Great Demon, Alutar. We cannot let this happen."

  "You have a plan to stop this?" asked Doryelgar.

  "A plan?" posed Master Khatama. "Yes, I have a plan. Whether or not it will work is yet to be proven. We are on a voyage to find a ring of volcanic islands. It has been spoken of in legends as the Ring of Fire, although the volcanoes spout mere steam most of the time."

  "Is the Amethyst of the Gods on one of those islands?" asked Mustar.

  "No," Boris shook his head. "Our real destination is the sea within the Ring of Fire. There is a wondrous feature of the sea in the midst of those islands. It is called the Ocean's Sewer."

  "What is the Ocean's Se
wer?" asked Kroto.

  "It is a gigantic whirlpool," answered Master Khatama. "It is a whirlpool so immense that is sucks the water of the ocean deep into the core of the planet. The water is immediately vaporized and fed back into the atmosphere as steam via the volcanoes that make up the Ring of Fire. It is in effect, a cleansing mechanism for the ocean."

  "If it just vaporizes the water and spits it back out," puzzled Balamor, "how does it cleanse anything?"

  "The steam vapor that is emitted from the volcanoes is pure," explained Boris. "The impurities sucked into the whirlpool are captured by the molten rock and sometimes splattered about the core of the planet."

  "An interesting anomaly," mused Galdan, "but what does this have to do with us?"

  "Think about it," smiled Master Khatama. "What is the Darkness if not an impurity?"

  "You mean to have the Darkness fed into the Ocean's Sewer?" posed Podil. "Can you do that? Will it work?"

  "I don't know," sighed the Mage. "I intend to try it, though. That is our mission. We are going to sail into the Ocean's Sewer and collect as much of the Darkness as we can before King Arik restores the Amethyst of the Gods to the Sword of Heavens. That is why I forced you to leave as soon as I did. King Arik is moving faster than I expected."

  "Surely you do not mean to literally sail into this giant whirlpool?" questioned Balamor. "We cannot survive such an adventure."

  "We will sail into the edge of the whirlpool," explained the Mage. "It is your job, Balamor, to make sure that we do not get sucked all of the way into it, but I will be suspended over it while the ship sails around in its flow."

  "What is the purpose of suspending you over the whirlpool?" inquired Podil. "Why not just stay onboard with the rest of us?"

  "Think, my elven friend," smiled Boris. "If my theory is correct about Alutar existing within the Darkness, will he not fight our attempts to channel him into the whirlpool?"

  "I suspect he would," nodded Podil. "Do the six of us have the power to challenge the Great Demon?"

  "No," Master Khatama shook his head. "Each of you is strong enough to gather wisps of the Darkness and direct it towards me. It will be my task to send them into the Ocean's Sewer."

  "This makes no sense," frowned Mustar. "The glass coffin that I created for you will be impervious to the Darkness. Alutar will not be able to touch you, and you will not be able to touch him. Your plan makes no sense."

  "The glass coffin is only to shield me until I am in position," declared the Mage. "I will need my wits about me up to that point. When I am in position, the glass coffin will be destroyed."

  "But you will be severely affected by the Darkness," objected Podil. "Your mind will cease to function."

  "My mind will have but one task at that point," stated Master Khatama. "It will be to channel the wisps of Darkness you gather and send them into the whirlpool."

  "And why won't Alutar fight our efforts?" asked Galdan.

  "He will fight your efforts somewhat," smiled Boris, "but when you direct the Darkness towards me, Alutar will find the thought of me in a precarious position to be irresistible. He will actually aid your gathering at that point, at least until he discovers what I am doing."

  "And you hope that he discovers that too late to help himself?" asked Doryelgar.

  "Precisely," nodded Master Khatama.

  "Is there enough time to gather all of the Darkness before King Arik restores the Sword of Heavens?" asked Kroto.

  "No," Boris shook his head, "and we don't want it all. If we gathered it all, Alutar would become whole again. We want a significant portion of Alutar sent to the core of the planet, and we want King Arik to cause the rest to congeal into whatever it might."

  "Two halves of Alutar in two different places," nodded Podil. "I am beginning to see the wisdom of your plan. Neither half can be made whole, so the Great Demon remains vanquished."

  "And King Arik and his Knights of Alcea can move forward with the Ancient Prophecy and eliminate the Dark One from his castle," nodded Galdan. "It is brilliant."

  "If the boy king actually succeeds," grumbled Mustar. "There is so much that could go wrong. What is Arik fails? What if he is too late, or too early?"

  "What if Balamor sends us sailing into the depths of the planet?" added Kroto.

  "All of those are possible," admitted Master Khatama. "However, I do have faith in King Arik. If anyone can succeed in this mission, it is the warrior king and his Knights of Alcea. They have shown themselves to be a very resourceful group. As for him being too early, I think our early departure will ensure that that is not the case."

  "And for him being too late?" asked Mustar.

  "Once we have a sufficient amount of the Darkness sucked into the whirlpool, we can stop," shrugged Boris. "It will not escape while King Arik seeks the Amethyst of the Gods."

  "That only leaves the problem of me sailing this ship into the giant whirlpool and remaining afloat," frowned Balamor. "I will admit that I am not real comfortable with your plan in this regard."

  "Understandable, my friend," the Mage smiled compassionately. "You wondered about the design of this ship and the need for the two large boulders that I ordered brought on board. Now I can explain those mysteries to you. I will be suspended over the center of the whirlpool by the hoisting spar on the center mast. The forward mast and the aft mast will be used to suspend the large boulders over the starboard side. They should help alleviate a great deal of the list caused by sailing through the rim of the whirlpool. I am hoping that those counterbalances will leave you with enough maneuverability to keep us out of the funnel."

  "And the extraordinary tolerances of your design were meant to keep the ship from falling apart," nodded Galdan. "I can see that clearly now. Still, there is a great deal of risk involved with this plan."

  "Indeed there is," nodded the Mage. "Perhaps you can understand now my reluctance to divulge a great deal about my plans."

  "For fear that only fools would follow you," quipped Mustar. "Well, now you have a whole ship of fools. May the gods protect us from your plans."

  "I doubt that the gods will hear your plea," retorted the Mage. "They are ill equipped to deal with the likes of Alutar."

  Galdan's brow creased with curiosity, but the moment passed too quickly for him to utter his question. The Mage waved his hands dismissively and walked to where the glass coffin rested upon the deck. The container stood upright with a rope loop passing through the top panel. The bottom panel of the glass cage was not yet attached. Master Khatama flicked his wrist at the winch on the mast, and the glass coffin rose smoothly into the air. Boris walked under the glass cage.

  "Lower it so I can reach the holding strap," he ordered.

  Kroto walked to the winch and slowly lowered the glass coffin. Boris stretched upward until his hand passed through the loop in the end of the rope. He grasped the rope tightly as the fingers of his free hand sent words to Podil.

  "Seal the bottom, Mustar," ordered Podil.

  Galdan levitated the bottom glass panel into position while Mustar cast a sealing spell. In seconds the glass coffin was sealed. Master Khatama hung from the rope loop inside the hanging glass coffin.

  "Rest it on the deck for now," directed Podil. "We still have a great deal of traveling to do."

  "Will he run out of air?" asked Kroto.

  "No," Podil shook her head. "Master Khatama has been practicing his suspend state each time we thought he was napping. He assures me that he can last for four or five days in there."

  "Let's hope that is long enough," Mustar shook his head.

  "I forgot to ask him about the crew closets he had us build on the port rail," scowled Doryelgar. "Now we will never know what they are for."

  "I think I can explain them now that I know what we are sailing into," offered Balamor. "When we enter the whirlpool, moving about on deck will be extremely dangerous. One false move and you will be swept overboard and into the whirlpool. The crew closets are where we will station ourselves. We wi
ll be protected as long as we do not move out of them. They are all on the port side except mine so that you can channel the Darkness to the Mage who will be suspended beyond the port rail."

  "I would advise making sure that you have everything that you might need in those crew closets before we reach the Ring of Fire," suggested Podil. "There will be no chance for you to get food or water once we enter the whirlpool."

  "An exciting thought," grumbled Kroto. "I so look forward to being chained to the deck of a ship staring into a black hole leading to the fiery innards of the planet. What did I do to deserve this?"

  "A good question," quipped Podil. "I could think of many mages who would be willing to be here this day. Imagine actually being a part of a small group that has the chance to make this world a better place to live in. You must have done something special to have the Mage notice you, Kroto."

  Kroto's brow creased in puzzlement as Podil turned and walked to the bow of the ship. Balamor fought hard to keep the grin on his face from showing.

  Chapter 22

  Ocean's Sewer

  Towering peaks spread across the horizon, tendrils of steam rose from each volcanic island to merge with the Darkness overhead. Balamor shivered with apprehension as he viewed the ring of islands. They were as Master Khatama had described, and he knew that the gigantic whirlpool waited on the other side of the nearest islands. He altered course slightly so the ship would pass between two of the islands.

  "Everybody get ready to man your crew closets," Balamor called out. "From this time forward, you may not be able to leave your post until we have accomplished all that we have come to do."

  "If we do accomplish anything," Kroto mumbled under his breath.

  "If we don't," Doryelgar retorted, "we shall all die trying. Stop grumbling about things over which you have no control. You have made your bargain with the Mage. Carry your share of the burden."

  "And what did he promise you to get you to come?" asked Kroto.

  "He promised me nothing," Doryelgar answered. "He said that he needed me. What more should he have to say?"