by Jeremy Dwyer
Blazer Endrit ignited a blue flame from his hands, both as a means of defense and as a means of observation. He watched and saw that the sculpted man of diamond seemed to take in images of what was around him and capture them – an image of the blue flame was within the diamond man’s body.
“He is a chronicler, of sorts, recording images into the diamond of his body. This is a remarkable thing. By what power he walks and does these things, I know not. Do you?” Blazer Endrit asked.
“No. Yet, the greater question is, how long he has been doing it. A great deal of information may have been captured therein, if he retains it,” the older man said.
“Who are you?” Haltavna asked.
“I am Anan, a researcher from Emeth,” the older man said.
“I am Celio, an astronomer,” one of the younger men said.
“I am an historian. My name is Desmond. And this is Jaguar,” the other younger man said, pointing to the jungle warrior.
“I’ve heard of such as you – the masters of the blue fire. Yet I have never met any of your kind,” Anan said.
“This woman said that there are answers to our questions to be found in this place. That is why I am here,” Blazer Endrit said, pointing to Lady Ismene.
“Your questions?” Anan asked.
“The sky has darkened several times, and the cause is unknown. Yet, this woman says that the spirit of Duke Hagan is to be found here, and has answers. This is yet to be seen,” Blazer Endrit said.
“Could this be the darkness from the words in the temple?” Jaguar asked.
“What are these words of which you speak?” Blazer Endrit asked.
“It’s a verse that tells of many suns, and a dark one that brings the night. There were statues in the sun temple representing many suns by their number and position. In the center was a single standing statue, holding a scythe, that represented night,” Desmond said.
“Is the spirit of this Duke Hagan here with us now? How is it we have learned so much without having seen it?” Blazer Endrit asked.
“Where is the spirit? In what room can it be found?” Haltavna asked.
“This very room at whose door they are standing,” Lady Ismene said.
Celio looked to the door and found it to be locked. “I see no means of unlocking this. No keyhole, no levers or anything,” he said.
Anan and Desmond began looking around the hallway for some sign of a way in.
Blazer Endrit looked to Lady Ismene and asked: “Well, little woman, do your spirit powers give you answers now? How can we enter?”
Lady Ismene drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from one of her vials and was energized further still. She called out into the spirit world and tried to find the spirit of Duke Hagan. It was nearby, and she called out to the spirit: “We seek your wisdom, master of this castle.”
Duke Hagan’s spirit was roused, and the spirit within the man of diamond – Zalaxadin the Eighth – was sensed by him. The doorway opened on its own.
The man of diamond then walked through.
Lady Ismene walked through the door, followed by Blazer Endrit, Haltavna, Desmond, Celio, Anan and Jaguar.
In the center of the room was the body of an older man lying on a bed in full ducal attire. There were portraits on the walls of the room.
Near the bed, a spirit appeared that bore a resemblance to the man lying down, and all could see it.
“What is it you seek, that you saw fit to return to this place?” the spirit of Duke Hagan asked.
Anan, Celio, Desmond and Haltavna found all of this strange, as they did not deal in spirits, and hadn’t actually seen them before. Blazer Endrit was less surprised, given that he knew the powers of the blue suns, and the spirits did at times cross paths with them. However, Jaguar was terrified, and stepped backwards.
“Wise Duke, the sky has darkened, and we know not the cause. In your great store of knowledge, we thought that there might be an answer. You gave guidance against Victoria, and now she is defeated. This new danger is growing, and we did not see fit to wait until it overwhelmed us, and the world was cloaked in night,” Lady Ismene said.
“Even the blue suns cry out, and I feel their pain,” Blazer Endrit said. He came for solutions, and wasn’t about to remain silent. He wanted to make progress toward his objective from this visit. Learning about lost cities and men made of diamond – however interesting – wasn’t what he had planned. Ending the darkness was.
“Even the red suns are troubled – there is pain and their message is unclear,” Haltavna said.
“There are many evils hidden in this world. All are constructed with lies as their foundations. The lights that burn to make darkness are bringing a great eclipse,” the spirit of Duke Hagan said.
“What are these lights that burn to make darkness?” Blazer Endrit asked.
“The false luminaries are many. When each of these is lit, all suns will be fully hidden, and the world will grow dark and cold,” the spirit of Duke Hagan said.
Something clicked in Anan’s mind. He had heard of these luminaries – the so-called ‘darkness candles’ – as myths among cultures that feared the darkness, as well as others that sought it. The thought that they might not be myths was troublesome, but another question came to his mind.
Celio did not believe that this was possible – in order to darken a sun, one (1) of two (2) things would have to happen: either another object – that was not luminescent – would have to pass in front the sun; or, the sun would have to exhaust the energy that enabled it to give off light. “Lighting a candle cannot darken a star. Only a massive object in the sky could obscure the light,” Celio said.
“Your knowledge is incomplete. Yet, these dangers have been intentionally concealed,” the spirit of Duke Hagan said.
“How many luminaries exist?” Anan asked.
“Their number is a secret, known not even to me,” the spirit of Duke Hagan said.
“Someone is finding them and lighting them. How are they finding them?” Blazer Endrit asked.
“And can they be unlit?” Anan asked.
“Each luminary is hidden in a different way, and the knowledge guarded by a different power, each unaware of the others, so as to keep them in their separate places. Their fire of darkness can be extinguished, like any flame,” the spirit of Duke Hagan said.
“How can we know the luminaries that we may find them and put out their flames?” Blazer Endrit asked.
“Each is made of black onyx, in the form of a candle, that can be held and hidden in many places,” the spirit of Duke Hagan said.
“Whoever is lighting them is going to find and light more. We need to find the ones that are still unlit, and arrive ahead of our nemesis,” Haltavna said.
“We need to know how to find them. It is clear that their hiding places are not secret enough to conceal them from whoever is finding and lighting them,” Blazer Endrit said.
“Can you tell us of any that we can find and destroy?” Haltavna asked.
“No, I cannot, for they cannot be destroyed,” the spirit of Duke Hagan said.
“If you know of where any luminaries are to be found, do tell us without delay. Thus, we may lie in waiting for the one who would come to light them, and strike him dead,” Blazer Endrit said.
“You must first understand why they are being lit. The darkness they cause will bring the Quiet, which is a new era. In that time, the greatest minds will plot the greatest of evils, and bring the everlasting ruin. Their greed and hatred are boundless,” the spirit of Duke Hagan said.
“I serve the Sky’s Nine (9) Kings, not the darkness. My commitment is to their glory. I seek no Quiet and serve no other master,” Blazer Endrit said.
“I serve the people of this world, by guiding them at sea. The sounds of the red suns let me know their paths, and chart courses for the travelers, that they can find their way. The darkness is what we of the Redfire Sentinels fight against,” Haltavna said.
“I seek no evil. I
came only to find an answer to end the darkness,” Lady Ismene said.
“I thought these luminaries to be myth. Yet, you say that they are real. If they can be unlit, I will seek to find them and put out their light. None of us can see better in the darkness than in the light,” Anan said.
“The darkness is death. We were warned not to go into the temple of the suns,” Jaguar said.
“Don’t be superstitious. Our entering into the sun temple had nothing to do with this darkness. I’m not so sure that these luminaries are even the cause, either, although something is responsible for it. Still, how can we even be sure that these luminaries are more than a myth, and that looking for them isn’t just wasting our time?” Celio asked.
“Do not be so doubtful of the higher powers that ruled this world long before you. Some dangerous secrets are shrouded in myth, and for good reason,” the spirit of Duke Hagan said.
Ismene then remembered something ominous – an earlier encounter. “Perhaps this darkness is what became of the other suns,” Ismene said.
“Of what other suns do you speak?” the spirit of Duke Hagan asked.
“While I was on the island on the dark waters ocean, after the tempest had struck, I encountered a spirit whose name I could not learn, but who called himself the ‘Prince of Stargazers.’ He told me of other suns in the sky in ancient times. They may have come under this darkness, as well,” Lady Ismene said.
“Of this ‘Prince of Stargazers’ I have not heard. Yet, I will seek to learn more,” the spirit of Duke Hagan said.
“The temple of the suns suggests that there were other stars – some higher than even the blue suns,” Desmond said.
“Do you doubt the supremacy of the blue suns?” Blazer Endrit asked angrily.
“If a sun can be eclipsed, can it truly be called supreme?” Desmond asked.
“Do you doubt the wisdom contained in a temple of worshippers of the suns from ancient times?” Anan asked.
“When the time is right, I will see this temple, to determine the truth of your words, and if you understood what it was you saw,” Blazer Endrit said.
“Know this – to light a luminary is to join the evil. Be certain that you are not seeking their power to bring your own gain. Do not exchange them for false wealth from those who seek only to bring darkness. They will tempt you,” the spirit of Duke Hagan said.
“Tell us what you know, spirit. For each luminary we find, if it is lit, we will extinguish it; if it is unlit, we will kill those who would light it, for they are the bringers of the darkness,” Blazer Endrit said.
“A great risk it will be to trust so many with guarded knowledge; if a traitor is among you, then the protection of the luminaries and their hiding places would be lost and darkness would be gained. Care must be taken,” the spirit of Duke Hagan said.
Blazer Endrit was determined. The darkness must end, and he was committed to doing so because he was committed to the blue suns – the Sky’s Nine (9) Kings. He was no traitor – he didn’t care for the spirit that now spoke, but there was no accepting of the creeping darkness. He would put out the fire upon these luminaries that brought darkness, and strike dead those who lit them. He knew that the Redfire Sentinels would never betray the red suns. The spirit woman called the suns evil, yet she brought them here. The jungle warrior was afraid of everything, but his strength was an asset. The other men, however, were in doubt.
“The blue suns will burn forever. Tell me of the luminaries, that I may end the darkness. These will help me, as they fear the darkness, and I will uphold the majesty of the Sky’s Nine (9) Kings against treachery. If any of these should seek the darkness, they will burn in brightest fire,” Blazer Endrit said, igniting fire in his hands and gesturing threateningly toward the others, but doing nothing…yet.
“You have no mercy, and your ways are those of the despot. Yet, at times, even a despot is the proper agent to bring a deadly justice to a worse evil. Through your actions, however cruel, good will come. Still, guard your soul, that you not become like the darkness you seek to end,” the spirit of Duke Hagan said.
“I am the enemy of the darkness,” Blazer Endrit said.
“In the land where the oceans of dark and light meet, in the Wandering of Shadows, there is a valley of trees of oak and spruce. Among them you will find a temple with five (5) of the luminaries. Gather these so that that the bringers of darkness cannot steal away more of the light,” the spirit of Duke Hagan said.
“And so we will,” Blazer Endrit said, turning to the others.
At this, Blazer Endrit, Haltavna, Lady Ismene, Anan, Desmond, Celio and Jaguar left the castle and made their way down the rocky formation as they had come. The man of diamond did not follow them, however.
When they reached the cooled lava pathway leading through the cave and out onto the Trerada Ocean, Blazer Endrit reached out his hands and drew forth the water that flowed into the cave. He then converted the water into flames and directed the fire toward the cave’s rocky walls, melting them, thus creating a lava flow that separated the group, with him and Haltavna on the outside, and Lady Ismene, Anan, Celio, Desmond and Jaguar on the inside. In the presence of the water that still flowed into the cave, the lava flow cooled quickly and became a wall of volcanic rock.
“You will serve the blue suns with me, so that you might live, by ending the darkness,” Blazer Endrit said. Haltavna looked at him in admiration. They walked along the pathway that Blazer Endrit had formed earlier from a different lava flow and then returned to the ship on which they arrived.
~~~
On the other side of the wall of volcanic rock – closer to the castle – Lady Ismene looked at the others and said: “He believes that he cannot trust us. Yet, we have everything to lose if the world becomes dark.”
“His aggressive use of fire suggests that he is the one who cannot be trusted,” Anan said.
“He does not understand the nature of the darkness, and does not appear capable of gaining that understanding,” Desmond said.
“Do you understand the darkness?” Jaguar asked.
“Not yet,” Desmond said.
“It is time that we attempted to gain that understanding, after finding a path by which to leave this mountain. The understanding will be necessary before we can stop the spread of the darkness,” Anan said.
“You can’t stop it. If a large object is orbiting in the sky and obscuring the suns themselves, it is outside of our control. The other possibility is that the suns are exhausting their own energy by which they give off light. Either way, these so-called luminaries do not have the power to bring darkness, or to end it,” Celio said.
“There are many misunderstood powers in this world, and strange interactions among them. I am not so confident that the spirit’s words were wrong,” Anan said.
“I have no doubt about Duke Hagan’s words: you can be certain that the luminaries bring the darkness when they are lit,” Lady Ismene said.
“You cannot be certain that the darkness will ever end. If we are under a curse for entering the temple of the suns, then the darkness may be a punishment that lasts forever,” Jaguar said.
CHAPTER 42: Condemnation of the Avarice of the Suns
Prince Kirdothet was ablaze with glory, visiting villages and towns across the continent of Waderav, commanding the people as he went. Some were told to help others rebuild their ruined towns. Others were told to praise him and visit other villages and towns to preach his name and tell of his fiery greatness.
Some, however, refused and he burned them alive. Word of this, too, reached towns and villages near where the punishment took place.
In many places, which were filled with troubled peoples struggling to survive in a harsh environment – where extortion by robber barons was the law of the land – Kirdothet burned the thugs alive. Many people – families saved from being robbed, sold into slavery or murdered – became grateful to Kirdothet. He would say to the people he rescued: “The fire of my wrath gives you just
ice. Give me your loyalty, that you not be turned into ash like these.”
Waderav was not the home of the hopeful, and the people did not place their faith in any deity, for they believed that a benevolent deity would rescue them. The robber barons did not believe in any deities, because that would have admitted a higher power that might judge them. It was a land of disbelievers.
However, many people soon came to believe in Prince Kirdothet. His body was covered in flames, when he wished it to be. When he was not engulfed in the flames – that illuminated the area around him and highlighted his glory – he had the form of a handsome man. He was not a man at all, but a living flame with a mind and pride that was as grand as the yellow sun of the sky he once was. Yet, he had been called down from the sky by the song Let Many Suns Shine Down. He was now walking the land and he was greater than all the people. However, he wasn’t greater than the water, and he knew this all too well. His pride demanded adoration, and his fiery nature demanded a separation from the water.
In the central region of Waderav, Prince Kirdothet set down in a large village and commanded the people: “Construct for me a temple, that I may be your god king and your master, and that you shall serve and adore me.”
The people had little to work with, but they were able to move twenty (20) large stones into a circle seventy (70) feet across. Kirdothet stood in the center of these stones – the sky was the roof of the ‘temple’ – and he asked them: “Is this worthy of me?”
One of the men said: “Nothing we can build is so great as to be worthy.”
Kirdothet then said: “What you say is true. You are each pathetic; yet, you are my people. You will learn to build a proper temple for me. Bring to me the architects from the great city that they may design and build for me a worthy temple. These uncut stones scattered about only insult me, and by this, I am angered. Do not delay too long that my wrath might be incurred.”
The man immediately went with another and they made their way by a small riverboat toward the northwestern region of Waderav, intending to summon an architect from Emeth. They would travel in that way for ten (10) days and then another two (2) days by ship over the Ursegan Ocean before arriving in Emeth.