Luminaries & Lies

by Jeremy Dwyer

  Nerine looked within herself and then looked to Pandaros again. “Please let me see the song again,” she said.

  Pandaros took the book from his backpack and opened it to the page with the Fascinate Me song once again. He drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from his vial, connecting him to the spirit world.

  Nerine drank anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean from the vial hanging on the chain around her neck. She began singing the song:

  Fascinate me.

  Of the wondrous, I want to be ever-learning.

  Intrigue me.

  For the extraordinary I seek.

  Surprise me.

  For the unknown, I am ever-yearning.

  Imperil me.

  Against danger I am not meek.

  Confuse me.

  In the complicated, I want to be ever-mired.

  Deceive me.

  By lies I will not be misled.

  Overwhelm me.

  With the greatest burdens, I want to be ever-tired.

  Cut me.

  By the sword I will not be bled.

  Hide from me.

  In the deepest darkness, I want to be forever lost.

  Blind me.

  No strike will ever close my eyes.

  Entrap me.

  In the stormy seas, I want to be tempest-tossed.

  Destroy me.

  No enemy will bring my demise.

  Deprive me,

  Of all of my wealth, I want to be away.

  Ruin me.

  No power will ever break my will.

  Betray me.

  In my hour of need, I want my allies to go astray.

  Ignore me.

  I will not remain still.

  Terrify me.

  Upon sights of twisted evil, I want to gaze.

  Frighten Me.

  No awful sight will make me yield to fear.

  Sicken me.

  In unrelenting illness, I want to spend my days.

  Offend me.

  No harsh words will bring me to shed a tear.

  While Nerine sang, Pandaros communed with the spirit world and invited one (1) of the spirits to go into Nerine, who was singing a song that was an invitation.

  The spirit of knowledge entered into Nerine and she entered into a trance.

  Pandaros then spoke to the spirit within Nerine and asked: “Answer me, spirit of knowledge, that I may know. The luminaries of old – the candles of darkness – where are they to be found? In what places in this world, and in what secret rooms?”

  The spirit that was inside Nerine then spoke through her and said: “In the land of the suns in the northwest – Nataloridivu. In the greatest temple of worship of the suns, the luminary shall be found within an altar of blue sapphire,” the spirit said.

  The spirit left Nerine and she fell unconscious to the ground. Pandaros lifted Nerine and placed her into her tent, so that she would not be immediately noticed or bothered.

  ~~~

  After being sure that no one spotted him, Pandaros hurried away from the area, making his way back to the cave.

  “Abrax, I have discovered the location of the next luminary. I must travel, alone, to Nataloridivu. Therein, a temple of sun worship with an altar of blue sapphire conceals what we seek. Remain here, and act according to my earlier instructions,” Pandaros said.

  ~~~

  Pandaros then returned to the port at which they arrived in Waderav and booked passage to the continent of Nataloridivu, traveling to the east and then to the north on a journey of four (4) days. He sailed on different ships, crossing the Nabavodel Ocean, the Uplifter’s Trail land bridge, the Gradaken Ocean, the Way of Raza’Deptorum land bridge, the Zovvin Ocean, the Jeshirinko Barrier land bridge and the Lujladia Ocean along the way.

  Upon arriving in Nataloridivu, he learned that there was one (1) great temple of sun worship. It was atop a gently-sloping hill that was shaped as a sun with nine (9) points.

  The temple upon it was seventy (70) feet in height and made of blue sapphire held together with a fine steel frame with many triangular crossings that curved toward the top. The temple was shaped as an eighteen (18) sided polygon and was eighty-one (81) feet in diameter.

  Pandaros was now puzzled – he wondered if the temple itself, being made of blue sapphire, was the altar the spirit of knowledge had mentioned.

  He entered the temple, knelt and pretended to pray, so that he would not encounter immediate resistance. There were numerous sun worshippers here, also in prayerful positions.

  Within the temple, there were nine (9) altars of blue sapphire, and Pandaros did not know which of these would contain the luminary. This posed a problem, as his intention was to destroy it, take the luminary, and escape quickly. That, however, would not be the most likely path to success. If even one (1) of these other worshippers of the suns rose up and had a tactical advantage, he could fail, and it would alert them to his intentions, making a second attempt more difficult. One (1) of them appeared to be a sun priestess, and she would not sit idly by if she thought that he was desecrating the temple.

  Pandaros then considered his options and looked closely at each of the altars. If the spirit of knowledge revealed to him only so much information, it may be possible to discover the rest by observation. He looked at each of the nine (9) blue sapphire altars and gazed deep within it, hoping to see the telltale sign of a dark crystal within. He appeared, to any onlooker, to be meditating in prayer. He went from the first, to the second and so on until the seventh, where he saw a dark mark within it. He wasn’t sure if it was an imperfection in the sapphire – which was a dark blue, but definitely not black – or if it was the onyx. He then looked at the eighth and ninth altars, to rule out the possibility that he had jumped to a conclusion.

  He satisfied himself that the most likely location was the seventh blue sapphire altar and he returned to it, examining it more closely. The dark mark was, indeed, unique to this altar. He saw that the dark mark was within it and not on the surface. He knelt down to look under it and saw that the altar was hollow underneath and filled with many candles.

  Pandaros then stood up and formulated a plan. He drank anew of the Zovvin Ocean waters from his vial to become energized. He reached into the spirit world and called upon a spirit of sickness, summoning it to wait by his side but not enter into him.

  He knelt down again underneath this altar, reached up and took from it the dark object – feeling that it was cold, which reassured him that it was one of the onyx luminaries – and then he stood up, only to be faced with the sun priestess, who had approached him. She was a beautiful woman, despite obviously being over fifty (50) years of age.

  “Why do you take a treasure from the temple of the blue suns? By what authority do you act?” the sun priestess asked, angrily.

  The others in the temple did not move or even appear to be looking up. He wondered if they would come to her defense if he decided to act in a hostile way, although that wasn’t his primary plan.

  “I am an ill man, and this dark onyx – which is not of the blue suns, as you can you see – is the cause of my illness. Only this blue sun temple, resplendent with sapphires, can bring me healing, and this impure crystal must be taken to where it belongs, far away from the sky’s nine (9) kings, which are deserving of a finer, brighter stone. It must go to a place which is lesser, a place of filth, of which it is worthy, and which deserves it,” Pandaros said.

  The sun priestess looked at the black onyx in Pandaros’ hand and asked: “if it makes you ill, then why do you not show sickness while holding it? It should cause you pain to be so close, should it not?”

  “A man who has been bitten by a venomous snake will act with his remaining strength, and will take the viper by the neck and fling it into the sea, where it cannot bite him again. With my final strength, I mean to dispose of this dark onyx, so that it can poison me no further. Be careful that you are not poisoned by this thing so revolting, and only bask in the glorious and life-giving bl
ue fires of this temple and its sapphire. With each moment that you are near me, this abomination shall sicken you as well. Look to the other altars of blue sapphire, and see that they are not so desecrated by a thing such as this,” Pandaros said.

  Pandaros then used his spirit powers and sent the lurking spirit of sickness into the sun priestess.

  The sun priestess felt ill when this happened and stepped back. “I feel as if a disease has suddenly entered into me,” the sun priestess said, surprised and fearful. She could not see the spirit world, so she did not know what was happening. “You spoke the truth about the sickness,” the sun priestess said.

  “Now, you know why I took it,” Pandaros said, holding up the onyx in his hands as if to present it to her.

  “Be gone from this place, sick man, and take the cause of your sickness with you, that it may not spread,” the sun priestess said, gesturing for him to take the onyx away. She backed away from him, slowly, and returned to her former place where she was worshipping.

  Pandaros then left the sun-worshipper’s temple, went down the hill and booked passage back to Waderav, with the black onyx luminary in hand.

  ~~~

  The sun priestess endured the sickness, which spread throughout her body for five (5) days, until she was near death. At the end of that time, she recovered, when the spirit of sickness had left her. Its summons was only for a while: Pandaros wanted her to live to believe that she had done the right thing by sending him away, so that no one would seek to avenge her.

  ~~~

  Pandaros returned to the port in Waderav after another four (4) days of travel, and then he made his way back into the cave where Abrax was waiting.

  “I trust that you succeeded,” Abrax said.

  “Yes, I have obtained the next luminary,” Pandaros said.

  Being explorers, both Pandaros and Abrax were prepared with many supplies, including a flint and steel with which to start a fire. While Pandaros was away, Abrax had gathered some dry wood and torches were lit in the cave.

  Pandaros took one of the torches and lit the newest luminary: like the others, the black onyx he had obtained from the sun-worshipper’s temple in Nataloridivu had the wick of a candle extending from it. When its wick was lit, he placed the luminary into the candelabra, so that it now held four (4) luminaries.

  “Let us see what is to be seen,” Pandaros then said.

  He and Abrax walked outside and looked at the sky.

  The sliver of darkness on each of the suns in the sky was more visible now, and there was a slight chill to the air every now and then.

  ~~~

  Prince Kirdothet felt something in his being that was unfamiliar and painful. There was a darkness that was undeniable. He did not know what, but he knew that something was wrong in the kingdom of the sky.

  ~~~

  Across the world, those who drank the Atrejan Ocean waters sensed this, including the Redfire Sentinels, and navigators on board many ships.

  Beyond these, those who had sensitivity to light or darkness by the waters they drank also saw it clearly. And even the unaided eye could see a hint of darkness in the skies.

  CHAPTER 25: Secrets of the Mind of an Outsider

  Danek studied the many maps and globes on the shelves of his private quarters in the Great Library of Tedorik. As a guide and mentor to both the Chroniclers and the Verifiers, he dutifully observed each day’s annunciations of verified chronicles so that he could remain aware of the events in various parts of the world.

  He was a naturally intelligent man, but he drank the waters of the Ursegan Ocean so that he could live for millennia and observe the changes in the world, either directly or indirectly through the Chroniclers. He made notes on what was reported and came to understand many things about change and constancy. He often knew what would become different over time, and what would stay the same, with little variation. According to the annunciations, he recorded the counts of births and deaths and marriages, of murders and diseases, of new construction of homes and ships, and of the change of power as rulers were replaced by new rulers.

  One factor that Danek always paid attention to was the economy. He counted reports of thefts and known slave holdings so that he could understand the criminal element of the economy. Whether it should be dignified by considering it part of the economy was not a helpful question – of course theft and slavery were wrong, but they were real, and they had a financial impact. Some slave traders and thieving guilds were quite successful, and their affluence had a discernible effect. The wealthy – however they attained their fortunes – were often lavish in their spending, and this made for more trade and travel, which made for more families. Each person had many stories, and he wanted to capture them all. He dispatched Chroniclers where he thought there was the greatest opportunity to capture the human tale, and to learn from it. It fell upon philanthropists to take the knowledge that was recorded in Emeth and act upon it to bring better opportunities to the unfortunate. However, the information had to be gathered by Chroniclers, checked by Verifiers, announced and recorded.

  Danek knew, looking at his own records, that the continent of Waderav was the most impoverished of places. There were other geographic regions with worse financial circumstances, such as the Solkidian Trail land bridge in the north. However, the population in Waderav was far greater – estimated to be at least four (4) billion people – and was afflicted by violent thieves, robber barons, murderers and slave traders given to every manner of depravity. Danek wanted to learn more about what was so dreadfully wrong there.

  He had his theories about Waderav’s economy and social ills, however. He knew that it was not a nation, but an estimated two million five hundred thousand (2500000) small towns and villages. These were all loosely organized and consisted of only a few different industries. Because it was bordered on the east by the Gradaken Ocean, there were many productive fisheries and farms, as those waters enabled the people who drank of them to control the animals and plants and affect harvest and fertility rates. Starvation was rarely an issue – at least not in the east. The flow of food from eastern to western Waderav was usually sufficient, using inland rivers of dead waters that spanned the continent.

  On the northwest, the continent was bordered by the Nabavodel Ocean, which made for a number of contributions – some good, some ill – to the economy. The strength and speed given by those waters to its drinkers made for effective construction workers, who built swiftly and tirelessly. However, their designs were uninspired, repetitive and only hade the most basic utility. They could not engineer against a great storm in most cases, and Danek suspected that the tempest would have affected them greatly because of this, in ways that could have been, if not prevented altogether, then greatly ameliorated. Their lack of intellectual depth was a great disservice, and the Medathero Ocean waters would have gone some considerable distance toward helping them by greatly multiplying that intellect. The Kazofen Ocean waters would have gone even further, most likely, by enabling them to manipulate stone and crystal in various ways to make structures in Waderav more resilient. Additionally, it would have enabled a lucrative mining industry to develop. Yet, they did not border that ocean.

  The Nabavodel Ocean water’s endowments also gave rise to a warrior class, contributing more ill than good. Many turned to extortion, while some acted as vigilantes and earned their living – or just defended it – by combatting the bandits and the robber barons for whom they sometimes worked. This was, Danek believed, a significant contributor to the troubles in Waderav. He also believed that the other major contributors were the lack of geographical proximity to either the Kazofen or Medathero Oceans.

  Danek was also well aware that Waderav was bordered on the southwest by the Ursegan Ocean. While those waters granted long life – as they did for Danek, personally – and many in Waderav did indeed drink of them, remarkably few of them became Chroniclers of the Oath. The number, insofar as his records went, only included five (5). This would have been a
small enough number if Danek had only looked at his own life of fourteen thousand two hundred fifteen (14215) years of age. Yet, he had to skim over one hundred ten (110) millennia of records just to find those five (5) Waderav-born Chroniclers, and Emeth’s records covered more than thrice that time period. It seemed as if the desire for knowledge was nearly absent from the cultures of Waderav. That, he suspected, was at the heart of the matter more than anything else. Suspicion was not proof, however, and evidence gathering was all that he could do.

  He left his private quarters and walked the corridors of the Great Library of Tedorik, looking for an available Chronicler who had recently submitted his or her book for verification. He saw Ovid, who was young at a mere eight hundred thirty-two (832) years. Ovid appeared to only be in his thirties and had a thin, dark beard and mustache. He was quite healthy and certainly thorough.

  “Ovid, I have a new assignment for you,” Danek said.

  “How may I be of service to the Oath, learned Danek?” Ovid asked. Like all Chroniclers, he followed and recorded the unfolding events of history where they took him, whether grand or mundane, until such time as he saw fit to return to Emeth and submit his book of chronicles. Exploring the world was his profession and passion, and his mind was full of much knowledge. He hungered for more, and looked forward to the assignment that Danek would give him. He would begin there and follow where it led. He was rarely disappointed, as his own attitude toward it all was that there was something to be learned in the ordinary and the epic, and he studied diligently.

  Danek was not going to discuss anything in confidence with the Chronicler, so he saw this as an opportunity to step outside of the Great Library of Tedorik and enjoy fresh air in the streets and open areas of the City of Emeth. Being a sage and a scholar who was responsible for directing many of the Chroniclers and Verifiers, as well as historians and librarians, Danek found himself discussing many private matters, and these were kept behind closed doors. This was an opportunity to get outside that Danek did not want to miss.