by Jeremy Dwyer
“Some people only rise to their potential when they’re required to do so,” Emerond said.
“Nobody’s forcing me to drink the water they choose,” Zoe said.
“Me, neither. My life, my way,” Brant said.
“If you’re good at what you do, then that’s probably the water you would have been bound to. Some people won’t choose any water at all, and then they never rise up to the ability they have within,” Emerond said.
“They make the choice later, when they’re ready. That’s freedom,” Zoe said.
“The waterbinding trials happen at age twenty-three (23), when you’ve had a chance to try different lines of work, and see where you’re strong or weak. We do affinity tests – the ‘anointing’ ceremony it’s called – to see what water works best,” Emerond said.
“Affinity tests? I’ve never heard of that,” Zoe said.
“For anyone who isn’t waterbound, a small amount of water on the neck – or near any major blood vessel close to the skin – will penetrate the skin, but not cause a waterbinding. Then, they can get a short burst of energy and see if it resonates with their abilities. If it does, then they’ll probably succeed along a path of the trials that concludes with them getting that waterbinding. Otherwise, we try something else,” Emerond said.
“I never knew that was possible. I would have tried it,” Taesa said.
“Yeah. So would I,” Brant said.
“Is that supposed to be some secret?” Zoe asked.
“No. It’s not a secret. It was discovered through study of the waters…millennia ago. The waterbinding trials are recorded in Emeth,” Emerond said.
“Maybe I should have spent more time there. Too bad I had to spend my youth fighting for everything, just to stay alive, and not let the bandits take over every village they tried,” Zoe said.
“I already took my waterbinding before I got a chance to go to Emeth. Maybe I would have picked a different one if I had known,” Taesa said.
“And then you couldn’t sing that song, and then we wouldn’t be here, would we?” Zoe asked.
“Taesa might not be here. But Victoria could have found somebody else to sing,” Caroline said.
“Which means we might still be here. My life is always a fight. Who am I kidding?” Zoe said, realizing that her own fate might not have been affected.
“I still don’t want to be forced to take some water. I pick – nobody else,” Brant said.
“The Jenaldej Empire has no wall to keep people in. If you don’t like the laws, you’re free to renounce citizenship. You can choose whatever water you want at that point, and live with the results,” Emerond said.
“Obey or get out?” Zoe asked.
“When you fight the robbers, aren’t you doing the same thing to them?” Emerond asked.
“They’re trying to kill people, not pick their own water. It’s a lot different,” Zoe said.
“We don’t have the rampant problems. Life isn’t perfect there. But, in Revod, you would have grown up learning more than you were fighting. If that’s not the life you wanted, you could leave before you turned twenty-three (23) and see what the rest of the world had to offer,” Emerond said.
“I don’t want to fight all the time. But I don’t want to spend my life just learning, either,” Zoe said.
“We have scholars that we send to Emeth to research what knowledge they think would be of use, and they bring it back and teach. You wouldn’t need to spend all your time reading. It’s not like that. There’s plenty of work – aside from military service – that you can do,” Emerond said.
“That might have been a good place to grow up,” Taesa said.
“Hard life, kid?” Zoe asked.
“I had to make choices early. My father died of cancer when I was twelve (12), so I used my singing to bring in money,” Taesa said.
Zoe looked closely at Taesa and figured that the girl probably wasn’t much good at anything else – she was too scrawny to be of much use in a fight and she was marginally attractive at best. Then she stopped herself from being too critical – losing a parent was tough. Both of hers died from some sickness she didn’t even know the name of.
“Did your scholars ever find a cure for a cancer in Emeth?” Zoe asked of Emerond.
“The only certain cure is binding to the Trerada waters. There are some plants that have curative properties, but they don’t work for everybody. There are books with the records of everything tried,” Emerond said.
“A book with answers that might work is at least hope. That’s better than what my husband had. He searched for answers but didn’t find anything close, and he already drank a different water,” Caroline said.
“Living in Revod is a life of hard work, but that’s what pays off. You would have been treated well, and gotten more for your efforts,” Emerond said.
“We’re gonna work hard anywhere we go. I wouldn’t mind a better deal,” Brant said.
“Now, this is the deal we have, and we have to live with it,” Emerond said.
“And live through it. It’s getting a lot colder, fast,” Caroline said.
“Right. I feel it, too. That small building is empty. Let’s set up camp there,” Zoe said, pointing to a small building only she could see because of the shadows of light and darkness mixed.
“What small building? Where?” Taesa asked, not knowing where Zoe was pointing.
“Trust her, kid,” Brant said.
CHAPTER 36: Telling of a Rescue and a Deception
Zoe continued leading the way across the rough terrain and they all entered a small building that appeared to be made of wood and held together with mud. Several wooden benches and a large wooden table that dominated the back half of the room were there, as well.
Judith had written down the details of their conversations and the path they took as best she could. She looked at the inside of the building, took out a small measuring scope and began assessing the size of the interior. It was thirty-one (31) feet deep and fourteen (14) feet wide with an eight (8) foot high ceiling. She could see that it was made of logs which were held together by a dark substance that had the same color as mud. She wrote all of this down into her book, along with notes about where she was and the navigational difficulties. She stated observed facts, rather than conclusions, so that a reader of her notes would not conclude with certainty that the building was a log cabin held together with mud, nor infer her precise location, because she wasn’t sure, either. The room was warmer than outside, and, for that, Judith was appreciative.
The group of them sat on the wooden benches and rested. Even Judith was feeling fatigued and was glad that the uncomfortable journey had come to a pause.
“Get comfortable, for now. But, we can’t stay here forever. Sooner or later, somebody’s going to come looking,” Zoe said.
Brant held up his sword, slowly waving it back and forth, looking at the sharp blade. “We’ll fight them if we have to,” Brant said.
“If we can. We’re here for defense…not to fight a whole war,” Zoe said.
“You think that many are coming?” Brant asked.
“I’m not sure. Revenge can be a powerful motive. It depends on just how far they’re willing to go…and how little they’ve got to live for,” Zoe said.
“Doesn’t the world have bigger problems than getting revenge?” Brant asked.
“In fact, they do. The fire creature – the one who calls himself Prince Kirdothet – is still around,” Emerond said.
“Yeah. We know,” Brant said.
“Don’t underestimate the revenge motive. Anger can make you forget bigger problems,” Zoe said.
“So can grief,” Caroline said, thinking of her departed husband, and how the man didn’t deserve to die.
Zoe looked directly at Taesa and asked: “Let’s get to the heart of this. Why did you sing that song?”
“Let me start from the beginning. There’s more to this than you know,” Taesa said.
Judith
perked up at this, knowing that there was a lot to be learned from Taesa’s stories, and they had to be immensely more interesting than wasting away time in this log shelter. She drank anew of the waters of the Ursegan Ocean from a vial she carried. She was energized, and slowed down time within her, thereby both extending her life and stretching out the moment, which was particularly useful for capturing all details and for savoring them.
“Daven was my music teacher after Lady Onora. He was every bit as good, but not religious. She was afraid to teach me anything that wasn’t a prayer or just real basic. Don’t get me wrong – she made me study technique and practice it a lot, and that was important. But Daven taught me things she never wanted to,” Taesa said.
“Like what?” Caroline asked. She never liked Lady Onora because of the religion that she felt polluted Taesa’s mind.
“He taught me how to put a song into a book so that it could be listened to later,” Taesa said.
Caroline remembered the Dazzled and Deceived song and how that had come out of the book. The words were painful, however, so she set aside the memory.
“Neat trick. What’s the point, though?” Zoe asked impatiently.
“Daven was always enthusiastic...until his parents disappeared. Then, he got depressed. He couldn’t teach me anymore. So we went looking for answers to find out if they died or what might have happened. We looked around in the archives and found out about some large financial transactions of a woman named Angela, who had a daughter named Madeline. We thought it could be a large theft – and that led us to the Udovedaj-Pren Island, so we went there,” Taesa said.
Taesa didn’t mention the Let Many Suns Shine Down song, not because she forgot it, but because she didn’t consider it to be important to the story.
“Now we’re really getting somewhere,” Zoe said.
“Who is Madeline?” Caroline asked.
“A woman with the power of light. She created horrible illusions and tried to scare us all, and rob Daven,” Taesa said.
“Most of the forest on that island was a giant illusion, made by her,” Zoe said.
“We put out her lights,” Brant said, making a thrusting motion with the sword.
“We escaped the illusions and left her mansion, but I got lost in the forest outside. That’s when I found the towers,” Taesa said.
“You mean those tall crystal towers – the Temple of Sky’s Nine (9) Kings?” Emerond asked.
“Yes. But they weren’t visible when I found them. When I was walking between the trees, I found a big clearing and crashed into it. It was solid, but hidden,” Taesa said.
“How did you get to see it? How did any of us get to see it?” Zoe asked, knowing that Taesa didn’t have the powers of light.
“I sang a new song, Reveal to Me, that moved the darkness away and showed the temple,” Taesa said.
Judith was thrilled to be here, and enjoyed every moment of writing this part of the story she never heard. She wrote it as a secondhand account, of course, as she was recording the testimony of another rather than her own experiences. However, she did see the towers appear, and now she knew why and how.
“Hold on to that song,” Zoe said, smiling half-in-shock.
“That’s when Prince Kirdothet appeared. He wanted me to sing for him – a song of sun worship. When I refused, he threatened to kill everyone with fire. The next thing I knew, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me into the darkness,” Taesa said.
“Who pulled you?” Caroline and Zoe and Emerond all asked at once.
“Her name was Halina, and she rescued me. She took me to another island – I have no idea where, we just ended up there – and that’s where I met Victoria,” Taesa said.
“Did you travel in darkness? Is that why you don’t know?” Zoe asked.
“Yes. Halina kept me in darkness. When it ended, and I could see, that’s when I met Victoria and her ‘many thousands great grandmother’, as she called the old woman,” Taesa said.
“So, she’s really, really old? Older than even Judith, here,” Zoe asked, gesturing toward Judith.
Judith didn’t say anything, but felt a little insulted. She didn’t see herself as old – she sure didn’t look over forty (40) – and felt healthy. Young and healthy men still looked her way, and she looked back. However, her true age was undeniably twelve hundred forty-two (1242) and she had the sum total of many lifetimes of experiences, good and bad and terrible. Still, Zoe wasn’t being too polite. Chroniclers were noninterfering observers, but they were still people, and Judith was hoping for somewhat better regard.
“Judith isn’t old. That woman was very old. And she was cruel, but I didn’t know until later. Victoria was scared of her, and I could see that,” Taesa said.
“After they got a hold of you, then what?” Zoe asked.
“Victoria told me she couldn’t have children. She told me that I should, because she liked me and that I was curious and smart,” Taesa said.
“Curiosity gets you into trouble, Taesa. It gets us all into trouble, which is why we’re here,” Caroline said.
“We are where we are. What next?” Zoe asked.
“She told me to write a song of love, to find a good man who would come to me later. I wasn’t sure, but I trusted her, because she rescued me. So I wrote My Future Is and Halina took me to sing it,” Taesa said.
“I remember the song – I thought it was a dream at first. I didn’t know how you got into the military academy before to sing it to me. That answers a lot,” Emerond said.
“Halina – who took you through darkness – is the one who infiltrated the defenses of the Jenaldej Empire,” Zoe said, smiling, as if to mock Emerond.
“What can I say? She’s good at hiding,” Taesa said.
“Good in the dark? I wouldn’t mind meeting her to see just how good,” Zoe said.
“Things were scary, though. When we got back, I started having bad dreams, about a place of smoke. There was another room filled with creatures with horns and red eyes. And there was fear. Everyone in the room was afraid and said that it was going to get worse,” Taesa said, with a look of discomfort on her face.
“This dream sounds like a warning of the trouble you’d be in,” Zoe said.
“Victoria told me that it was not a warning. She said that horns meant strength. And that red eyes meant life, and darkness shows the light of love,” Taesa said.
“Word games – that’s how people tell lies and trick people into following kings and religions,” Zoe said.
“She’s right,” Caroline said, beginning to warm up to Zoe, who was a bit gruff, alternated with nice.
“Later, Victoria told me about a hidden city, and then sent me to study there for a while. Halina took me,” Taesa said.
When Judith heard this mention of the hidden city, she completely forgot her earlier fatigue. She was doubly enthused and ready for any details that Taesa could remember, and hoped to learn of its location.
“What hidden city?” Emerond asked.
“What was its name?” Zoe asked.
“What was in it?” Brant asked.
“It was called Thalkalana. We got there in the darkness, so I don’t know the way. It’s on an island in the middle of an ocean, inside of a cavern,” Taesa said.
Judith remembered how Taesa had spoken of this ancient city earlier, in front of the old man in the hidden location in Emeth. However, the story now had more context, and she was able to sit and listen to the telling of it in a more casual setting – rather than in front of an authority figure in Emeth demanding an account – and so it was even more fascinating to hear about. She wondered if an ocean inside of a cavern might be just as significant a find as a city – even the mythical city of Thalkalana. Part of her couldn’t believe that she was hearing so much, so quickly. This was a good day to be a Chronicler, right here, in this room.
“Thalkalana was said to be a myth. I’ve heard of it, and of other cities, that were supposedly the original cities of the world. Ancient k
nowledge from those cultures was just waiting there to be rediscovered. The ocean part is one I’ve never heard before, though,” Emerond said.
“The city had a giant water fountain and temples and towers. There was a crystal garden, and there were crystals there that were darker than dark. I don’t know what it all meant. Halina just watched as I tried to make sense of it. Then, Victoria told us to come back. She was scarred, horribly, when I saw her, though,” Taesa said.
“That means the tempest had already begun. We fought against her several times, when she brought the storm, by the power of the tiara,” Emerond said.
“We’re the ones who put the scars on her,” Brant said.
“You had no idea what was going on, did you?” Zoe asked.
“She just told me there was danger. But that I should sing a song of love, and that a man who loved me would sail through a storm to find me, and appreciate me more. She took me to that island, and the next thing I knew, I was singing Sail to Me, and then the ship came,” Taesa said, looking to her mother.
“So, do you love him? He might just make a good father,” Zoe asked Taesa, while looking toward Emerond.
“Wait! Please Wait! Let’s not move too fast here. I’m just twenty-one (21). There’s still a lot to learn in life,” Taesa said.
“We’ve already moved too fast. You sang the song that sank fleets of ships. And you sang it for him, right? Now you’re not going to love him?” Zoe asked.
“Victoria tricked me. I know that now. I remember looking into her eyes, and then I did what she said. I had no idea about the storms killing the people, or that the song would bring them into it,” Taesa said.
“Victoria does have that ability to hypnotize. She can make people believe anything,” Caroline said.
“So, you were hypnotized into singing the song? How about the other song where you snuck in with the darkness? Were you hypnotized then?” Zoe asked.
“No. Not then,” Taesa said.
“Then you love him. Isn’t that obvious?” Zoe asked.
“I’m just exploring my feelings. I’ve never really been close to anyone. I want to understand so many things, about life, the oceans, different places and ideas. Love is only one part of life. I don’t want to give all my time to one thing and miss out on all the others,” Taesa said.