by Jeremy Dwyer
“Now, let’s take a closer look at that fountain,” Genevieve then said, and she and Renato walked toward a large arching structure.
When they got close to the fountain, Genevieve counted and saw that it had one hundred twelve (112) flowing streams of water. She put her hands through the falling water of each vertical column and watched as the streams wrapped around her hands and returned to their vertical columns, continuing their flow to the basin and below, wherever they might lead.
“What brings each water stream back to its path?” Genevieve asked.
“This is an island of hidden powers, My Lady. Yet, looking by my light for things in the darkness, I see no sign of what those powers are,” Renato said.
~~~
Tomiko, Yared, Nina, Tristan, Carter, Stephan, Caemgen and Alistair traveled for twelve (12) hours in the boat along the river through the dark tunnel.
The light of Tomiko’s torch allowed them to see the downward slopes and brace themselves for the thrill or discomfort – however they felt about going quickly downhill at that moment.
Caemgen recorded all that he experienced while on the journey with them, even the downward movements and the plateaus of the ride in the boat.
Alistair found it at times interesting and thrilling, and at other times, uncomfortable and slightly boring. His great age, however, made such brief time periods seem even briefer by comparison.
After the twelve (12) hours passed, the boat came to a stop at a stone block at the end of the river. They saw a cave opening and light came through.
Caemgen drank anew of the waters of the Ursegan Ocean from his vial and was energized. He had his fullest abilities to slow time within him and to observe any events that might occur, no matter how quickly. He then stepped out of the boat and onto the riverbank.
Yared drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from his vial and was energized. He stepped out of the boat and onto the riverbank and telepathically scanned the area around them, searching for any signs of hostility. “I sense no thoughts of anyone nearby,” he said.
Carter drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from his vial and was energized. He then stepped out of the boat and onto the riverbank. He reached out into the spirit world around him and found no signs of hostile spirits lurking. “I sense no nearby threat from the spirit world,” he said.
Tomiko got up from the boat and stepped onto the riverbank.
Alistair stepped out next, and reached out to help Nina. She took his hand, but she was disappointed that Caemgen wasn’t the one to offer help.
Tristan and Stephan each then stepped out of the boat and onto the riverbank.
Tomiko went through the cave opening and found himself standing on a rocky ledge looking out over a large body of water inside of a cavern. Along the ledge was a large boat with tattered sails. Similar to how it was in the tunnel, there was no breeze in the cavern, either.
Caemgen had followed closely behind him and had already drawn sketches of what he saw into his book. He diagrammed the boat and what he could see of the cavern.
Tomiko waited until the others caught up and said: “The light in this cavern is not coming from the tunnel we just passed through. Nor are the walls or ceiling the source of illumination, from what I can see.”
Caemgen wrote what Tomiko said, and that he had said it, but not that it was fact. He knew that Tomiko was making inferences about his surroundings, and Caemgen made it clear in his writings that he was merely quoting the spoken inferences and not making his own and not stating facts.
“A light we can’t see! I’ve never run into anything like that. All light has to come from somewhere, doesn’t it?” Alistair asked.
“I have only this torch, yet it is clearly not bright enough to light this cavern,” Tomiko said, holding up his torch.
“Light also comes from the powers of the Lujladia Ocean waters, which nobody here drinks,” Nina said.
“Then there can be light stored in crystals…but I don’t see the glint or sparkle I would expect from that,” Tristan said.
“Light can also come from the energy of spirits…yet, none is present here,” Carter said.
“Or from the stars,” Tomiko said.
“You see stars somewhere down here?” Nina asked, holding out her hands and looking up and around as if to call him insane.
“No. Only you can do that,” Tomiko said.
“Don’t expect much, but I’ll take a listen,” Nina said.
Nina drank again of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from her vial, not expecting much at all, as the stars would tell her their position and location, but that didn’t mean they would account for the light. She was energized, and all she heard was horrid screams and noises. She fell to her knees with her hands over her head, shrieking.
Alistair ran over to her and held her hands and Caemgen simply watched what she was doing.
“What did you hear? I’ve never seen you suffer pain from listening to the stars!” Tomiko asked.
“There’s darkness! There’s death in the sky! They’re not alone! There’s something dark in the sky with them!” Nina said, her face being like that of someone haunted by spirits.
“You look as if you’ve seen a ghost…or a demon. Yet, there are none here,” Carter said.
“Describe what you sensed,” Tomiko said.
“The yellow suns are blazing again…all of them are there, and all the suns…all seventy (70) of them…are there. I can count them. But I can’t sense where they are. There’s something else up there. Something dark,” Nina said.
“That is strange. You can count them but not sense their positions…you can sense seventy (70) distinct stars, despite their positions being unclear. And you sense something in addition to them?” Tomiko asked.
“Counting stars isn’t done by sensing position. I just have a sense of how much is up there,” Nina said, still kneeling with her hands on her head.
“Can you sense their movements, even if they’re not exact?” Tomiko asked.
“They’re not sitting still, but they’re all over the place. I can’t say what directions, got it?!” Nina said, holding her hands tighter on her head and looking down at the ground.
“This is puzzling, and we don’t fully understand. Yet, it may be of great interest,” Tomiko said.
“I can’t explain it any better!” Nina said, clenching her fists.
“Allow Yared to understand,” Tomiko said.
Yared reached into Nina’s mind and tried to sense what she experienced so that he could explain it. He found, within her mind, an understanding of the star positions under ordinary circumstances, and her new understanding, where it was just chaos, as if someone was drowning in the ocean at night. Yared could see within Nina’s mind a dark cloak moving and expanding across her understanding of the sky.
“You see darkness in your understanding of the sky, and it’s growing and covering more of the sky, so much so that it seems as if someone is drowning in the ocean at night,” Yared said.
“You could put it that way…or you could stay out of my head!” Nina said.
“It’s not the stars, then. They’re growing darker while the light in this cavern remains the same,” Tomiko said.
Caemgen recorded all that was said and found it compelling. While he was hoping to see what was in the sky, this ocean that lay before them was likewise inviting. He prepared to follow the group wherever they went.
“Should we return to the surface to watch the sky?” Yared asked.
“What good would it do? It’s getting darker, and only Nina could understand, if it weren’t for the pain she is in. No, we need to seek answers where they can be found,” Tomiko said.
“Can you stop concentrating? Will that end the pain?” Yared asked Nina.
Nina let go and the pain soon dulled…slightly.
Nina stood up and said: “It still hurts.” She then walked two (2) steps forward and collapsed.
Alistair and Yared both came to Nina
’s side and picked her up while Caemgen merely watched and recorded the conversation and events into his book.
Yared read her mind and said: “She is unconscious, but very much alive. Her pulse is strong. She suffered intense pain, but only minor bruises and scrapes from the fall.”
“We should go back. She could die down here,” Tristan said.
“Up on the surface, we’ll all be closer to the darkness, whatever it is. In time, her powers will fade as the Atrejan waters within her are expended. Then, she will be decoupled from the sounds of the stars, and her pain should subside,” Tomiko said.
“You want to go ahead, then?” Tristan asked.
“Yes. Stephan, play her some music on your lyre. It can ease her pain,” Tomiko said, and he started walking toward the large boat.
Stephan drank anew of the Pirovalen Ocean waters he kept in his own vial. He was energized and thus able to produce more powerful music than he could with his lyre alone, and started playing a soothing symphony for Nina’s benefit.
“He never stops for anyone,” Tristan said, mildly annoyed with Tomiko’s single-minded focus on business.
“He moves in the direction he believes has the greatest reward,” Yared said.
Alistair and Yared carried Nina toward the large boat near the rocky ledge. Caemgen and Stephan walked alongside them. Carter and Tristan followed them. They all caught up with Tomiko and went onto the larger boat.
“There is no wind in this cavern, so the condition of the sails should not matter,” Tomiko said.
After a few minutes, the boat moved of its own accord and accelerated to a high speed. Within three (3) hours, they arrived at a large island with many structures and the boat came to a rest at its shore.
Caemgen recorded all that he saw – of the ship, the cavern and the island of structures as they approached – into his book. This was a good day, he thought, to be a Chronicler of the Oath. Except for, of course, the condition of Nina. He had no affection toward her, as the Oath demanded neutrality, but he did not lack compassion, and hoped that she would recover.
The group went down the boarding ramp and Alistair and Yared again carried Nina. They set her down on a smooth stone block and sat next to her.
Stephan continued playing his music and Yared continued watching her mind for signs of recovery. She was staying with them, and he sensed that she was slowly recovering from the pain she had felt.
“Is she recovering?” Tomiko asked.
“Yes, slowly,” Yared said.
“We will rest until she does. She cannot connect with the stars again, but she has an understanding within her that we may need her to share,” Tomiko said.
Caemgen was satisfied with what he heard and began walking toward the enormous arch and saw that it was a fountain with one hundred twelve (112) active streams of water flowing. Tomiko, not to miss out on information, followed him and saw that the Chronicler had made sketches of what he saw.
He also saw that two (2) other people – a man and a woman – were already there and watching the Chronicler, who did not interact with them…yet.
“This is a unique location; yet, the way here, it appears, is not unique,” Tomiko said.
“We came through a tunnel we found…in Waderav,” Genevieve said.
“I am Tomiko. We came through the Scholar’s Path. A tunnel led here from a cave. There was a long trek down a river, on a boat that moved by no visible means, and led to the edge of this cavern. What illuminates it, we do not know,” Tomiko said.
“I am Genevieve. This is Renato. Your journey here sounds not dissimilar to ours, except for the starting point,” Genevieve said.
“We do not know what illuminates this cavern; yet, it is not from the tunnels wherein flow the rivers; nor is it from the walls or the ceiling of this cavern,” Renato said.
“This is what we have concluded – much negative information, nothing affirmative,” Tomiko said.
~~~
A short distance away from them, Nina awoke and looked at Yared: “Stay out of my mind from now on. I don’t need you.”
“You’re back,” Alistair said, laughing.
“My head still hurts. A lot less, though,” Nina said.
“Rest. You deserve it,” Tristan said.
“I know I deserve it,” Nina said.
“You need it,” Alistair said.
“I’ll be the judge of that,” Nina said.
Nina turned to Stephan and said: “Keep playing. It worked better than anything they did.”
Stephan drank anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean from his vial, so as to energize himself further and then he continued playing his lyre and the music soothed Nina.
Carter then drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean and sensed the area around him. “There are spirits here,” Carter said.
“Great! Headaches get replaced with haunts. Can we ever get a break?” Nina said.
“They’re not trying to bother us. They’re just wandering this place, looking for something, or someone,” Carter said.
“And you have no idea what or who it is, right?” Tristan asked.
“Can you ask them? Without making them mad?” Nina asked.
“That can be the dangerous part. It’s best to observe for a while, unless we’re forced to make contact,” Carter said.
“Then you keep observing, and I’ll keep sitting here,” Nina said.
~~~
Lavakara and Claudia kept guard of Xal’Kativok and stepped down the ship’s boarding ramp onto the shore of the island in the middle of the ocean inside of the cavern. Tofa watched as she walked behind them and beside Danek.
Claudia drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean and continued to read the mind of Xal’Kativok and knew that he was planning to use poisons to escape, as he was expert in their preparation and application. That made him one of the more interesting dangers she had ever faced. She also realized that he had been here before, and had a way out. She considered the implications.
She had no love of murderers, and had no qualms about executing them. She was cynical – she didn’t even trust Chroniclers, not that they had ever done anything – but she had compassion for the helpless. She was, after all, a bodyguard, and quite an effective one. What this Xal’Kativok was planning, she knew, was to report back to his leader – Admiral Quin’Va’Pitar as he was known – regarding what he learned about the waters of the world. He was also hoping to discover a means for their ships to arrive here from afar, except that the many suns stood in their way.
Claudia watched Xal’Kativok closely for any sign that he would act, while she held one of his broken arms and Lavakara held the other. She had to be ready to react at incredible speed, so she focused her mind on Xal’Kativok entirely. This meant taking her mind off of scanning Lavakara’s thoughts, despite the fact that he had his own sick and twisted secrets she wanted to know about.
The trio of Claudia, Xal’Kativok and Lavakara walked slowly along the shore of the island.
Lavakara was focused on advantage and wanted to destroy Xal’Kativok after extracting some use out of him. That use was part of Lavakara’s grand design, however. He drank anew of the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean from his ornate vial and was doubly energized – with speed and strength from those waters, as well as if he had drunk from the Zovvin Ocean waters, thus gaining the powers of spirit.
Lavakara sensed the presence of spirits in this area, and believed that they were quite ancient. He also saw that there were other people ahead, near a large arch.
As Danek and Tofa walked behind them, they saw the ruins of buildings, and Tofa recorded what she saw in her book and Danek took some of his own notes. Though he was no longer a Chronicler, he did not give less attention to detail. He was, however, allowed to make inferences about what he saw.
Danek saw a large arch with streams of water ahead – a large fountain, in effect – and people standing around it.
As his group approached the other, Danek recognized
one (1) of his Chroniclers – a man named Caemgen. Standing next to him were a woman and two (2) men. Tofa also recognized Caemgen as a fellow Chronicler, and he recognized her and Danek.
Danek then recognized Tomiko as a mercenary hunter of artifacts who frequently brought items back to Emeth for profit. Danek had hired him in the past, despite reservations about the man’s methods.
“It is a surprise to see you in this place, most learned Danek,” Tomiko said.
“Some matters are too important to leave to others,” Danek said.
“We have yet to learn what illuminates this cavern,” Tomiko said.
“I’m confident in your abilities to discern the answer, if you think it profitable,” Danek said.
“We’re still investigating this location, to estimate its importance, and its relevance to our work,” Tomiko said.
~~~
Tomiko then left the area around the arch-shaped fountain and Caemgen followed him as he walked back to see Nina.
“You came back for me! How thoughtful,” Nina said as Tomiko arrived, not meaning a word of it.
“You’re awake. Your wellbeing was assured. It was a matter of time, and I used that time to learn of our surroundings. We are not alone, and more have arrived. Yet, our mission hasn’t changed, so we need to explore this location and discover what it holds with relation to our objective,” Tomiko said.
“You mean the harp?” Stephan asked.
“Yes,” Tomiko said.
“I thought that was the fountain of water,” Alistair said.
“They’re possibly related, but not the same,” Tomiko said.
“Where do you think this harp is?” Nina asked.
“What do you think the harp is?” Alistair asked.
“It’s an upright musical instrument with chords. I believe it’s a literal harp, not some metaphorical object,” Tomiko said.
“This city is haunted, I hope you know,” Nina said.
Tomiko knew that Nina could not have discovered this fact for herself, so he looked to Carter, who said: “There are spirits here, but they’re not bothering us. They’re looking or waiting for something.”