by Jeremy Dwyer
“Perhaps not for a battle within the same world. But they have special considerations when traveling between distant worlds. The means of transportation limits them. If you had probed the scout’s mind more thoroughly, you might have found that,” Yared said.
“Sorry. I was preoccupied with actually stopping him from killing us…I guess that isn’t what’s important to you,” Claudia said.
“You did your best, I’m sure,” Yared said.
“Yared, what limits are you referring to?” Tomiko asked.
“They need a clear path on which to travel and a clear destination at which to arrive. This applies when a single person travels, and is even more true when a large ship makes the voyage. If there is not a sufficient clearance upon arrival, destruction will result. This was part of the reason that only a single man was sent. They did not want to lose ships, or many people,” Yared said.
“You think that they will send more people? Enough to be a threat?” Tomiko asked.
“Indeed. And they will seek to send a ship if they believe they are able to,” Yared said.
“His combat skills were lacking. It was the use of poison that made him lethal. I am not impressed,” Lavakara said.
“That is because you are assuming he was their finest warrior. Yet, he was not. He was a fraud – his combat prowess was based on deception, rather than true strength or skill. Deep in his mind, even he knew that. The world he comes from is one (1) of many – they have an empire – and there are great warriors among them, whose skills are true,” Yared said.
Lavakara was now intrigued – he hoped to confront several of these warriors and find at least one (1) greater than himself – or whose body was trained better than the body he currently occupied. “Very well. Let them come here and prove themselves,” he said.
“You wish to confront them, and steal the physical form of yet another,” Yared said.
Lavakara did not respond to the accusation, but he knew that Yared was reading his true intentions. He summoned a new spirit of chaos to guard his mind so that this telepath didn’t delve any deeper and come to a true understanding of the source of his dual powers.
“He still had the vials of water with him, which will be studied by their alchemists. What they will likely learn will reinforce their military’s commitment to acquire the waters of the great oceans,” Yared said.
“We don’t want to get caught unaware when they arrive, do we? I’ll stay and watch for them,” Claudia said.
“Even though I cannot fight them, I can watch from a distance, and give warning. I will remain here, as well,” Yared said.
“I am not looking to fight a war. My company is trained in exploration, not combat,” Tomiko said.
“I agree. We can’t fight a war. If it’s coming here, we need to leave. Or we’ll be joining the spirits here,” Carter said.
“I want to go up there and see the darkness, and find what’s causing it. That should be our new mission,” Nina said.
“Under the circumstances, I agree with Nina. We could still use you, Yared. Don’t think that you can confront an enemy military force. You may not even be able to hide from them,” Tomiko said.
“The harp will have to wait, I guess. But music brings peace, and it can end a war,” Stephan said.
“Perhaps our paths will cross again, Tomiko. For now, the proper course of action is for me to remain and be watchful,” Yared said.
“You keep dreaming, Stephan,” Nina said.
“If you’re ready to leave, our ship awaits,” Alistair said. He wanted to follow Nina, who was still attractive to him. He started walking toward the ship with tattered sails at the coast of the island, and the others – Tomiko, Nina, Stephan, Carter and Tristan – started walking with Alistair.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to join you,” Genevieve said.
“Please do, Genevieve,” Alistair said, answering for the group. He knew she wasn’t as young as Nina, but she was still attractive, and interesting, as well.
“Under the authority of the Oath, I will travel with you,” Tofa said, and she followed along with Alistair. She did not actually want to remain in this place – the world above had its own events to chronicle, no doubt. She also had her mind on Mitchell, and was hoping to see him again.
“Under the authority of the Oath, I will remain here, to study these structures,” Caemgen said. He considered the architectural exhibits on the island to be curious and impressive and he planned on recording them in detail.
“I guess it’s too bad for me then, handsome,” Nina said.
“I will remain with you, Chronicler. I have searched for knowledge of this city for some time, and the opportunity is not one that I am going to let pass me by,” Danek said.
Before boarding the ship with tattered sails, Tristan became curious about the water of the ocean upon which it sailed. He took one (1) of his spare vials and filled it with the waters and then he went on the ship with Tomiko, Carter, Stephan, Nina, Alistair, Genevieve and Tofa. The ship began moving – quickly – on its own, crossing the ocean and taking them to the rocky ledge, where they went back to the cave entrance and took a slow ride on another boat up the river and back to the surface.
Yared, Claudia and Lavakara stood facing one another.
“We’re not alone,” Yared said.
“I know. The Chronicler is here. So is the old sage,” Claudia said.
“No. There are other minds. Pay close attention,” Yared said.
“Are these outsiders returning?” Lavakara asked.
Claudia drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from her vial and was energized. Yared did the same.
“There are two (2) other minds – ancient ones,” Claudia said.
“They’re not the outsiders. They are of this world, and they have been in this place a long time,” Yared said.
“Where are they? And why is it of interest?” Lavakara asked.
Yared started walking toward where the thoughts were strongest. He concentrated his telepathic senses intensely. Claudia did likewise. They sought details in these other minds.
“One is a great engineer. His name is Serfex,” Yared said.
Lavakara was intrigued to hear the name of his old mentor – that the man was still alive was a marvel unto itself. He would like to meet with Serfex again, if only out of curiosity.
“Another is a scholar…and a warrior. His name is Nov’Talod,” Claudia said.
Lavakara was now very interested. He planned on confronting this warrior and testing his mettle.
Danek and the Chronicler named Caemgen watched and listened, although Danek was more interested in the city around him. If it was truly Thalkalana then it was likely of great value. If it was not, then it was still at least worth observation and exploration to catalog it and its contents for the archives of Emeth.
Caemgen recorded what was said and watched the telepaths as they sought out their subjects.
“They are beneath the city,” Claudia said.
“This way,” Yared said. He began walking toward a stone building – one that was shaped like a truncated pyramid and perhaps one hundred (100) or more feet high – and saw that it had an entrance. He walked into it after scanning the thoughts around him to see if there was a force with hostile intent inside.
Claudia and Lavakara followed Yared, and Danek and Caemgen followed them.
Yared found a staircase and walked down to the bottom of it, where he found an archway that was sealed with a stone block – which amounted to a door with no keyhole.
Claudia arrived behind him and waited for his answer. She thought: “Any brilliant ideas?”
Yared thought: “No. But they will know how to open it. Probe their thoughts.”
Claudia concentrated and probed the thoughts of the men – Serfex and Nov’Talod – and sought some sort of a key to the door. She found the answer in the mind of Serfex – she had to stand in a particular place on the floor at the bottom of the stairs and then
close her eyes and walk forward. She immediately passed through the stone block, as if – she imagined – it were an illusion. She was not sure exactly how this worked, but it did.
Yared read the mind of Serfex and found the same answer and was able to walk the same path as did Claudia.
Lavakara drank anew of the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean from his ornate vial. He was doubly energized – once with strength and speed powers by virtue of the waters, and once with spirit powers by virtue of whatever the ornate vial did to those waters. He then used his powers to leap into the spirit world, pass through to the other side of the stone block, and return to the material world.
Danek and Caemgen stood at the bottom of the stairs, unable to proceed, as they had not the powers to read minds or to leap into the spirit world.
“The Oath does not give the power to read thoughts, or to enter hidden places. It merely gives the authority,” Danek said.
“In accordance with the Oath, I will wait for the proper moment, or move on to other events of interest,” Caemgen said.
~~~
Serfex saw the woman and the two (2) men appear before him. One was Lavakara, whom he immediately recognized.
“The old man still lives,” Lavakara said.
“You seem surprised, Lavakara. Did you doubt my wit after all these years?” Serfex asked.
“How delightful to meet your second greatest failure, or is he your third, or your fourth?” Nov’Talod said gleefully, from within his cage where he watched.
“You’ve come with companions. Yet, by what means did you arrive?” Serfex asked.
“I saw the door for what it wasn’t, and thought differently of it,” Claudia said.
“As did I,” Yared said.
“I have my own way of getting things done,” Lavakara said.
“So do I,” Nov’Talod said, although he had no way – yet – of escaping his cage.
Claudia read Serfex’s mind, not trusting him, and she learned of his great age – being three hundred seventy-one thousand two hundred ninety-three (371293) years – and of his horrid truth. “Was finding this city that important that you would create that thing to help find it? Was it worth it to you? Do you know the destruction and death that the tiara – your tiara – caused?” she asked.
“Your tiara?” Lavakara asked, surprised. This was slightly startling, even to him.
“You used it to move the oceans and probe their depths. Only, it caused storms by doing so,” Yared said, reading Serfex’s thoughts as well.
“I have my regrets,” Serfex said.
“Millions and millions and millions died. Don’t you understand that? How horrid that is? How horrid it makes you?” Claudia said, clearly disgusted.
“There had to have been a better way to find this place. Many of us did,” Yared said.
“Why did you leave such a dangerous – and useful – device behind? You certainly knew the tiara carried risks – especially that it might be used against you,” Lavakara asked.
“Because he is fool at the same time that he is a genius,” Nov’Talod said from within his cage. He enjoyed mocking and insulting Serfex, and often forgot his own guilt when heaping accusations upon the old man.
“Discovery carries great risks. I lament that it was used to cause so much harm to others. Still, there are secrets in this city that are worth knowing,” Serfex said.
“What secrets are in this city? Tell us, starting with these colossal warriors,” Lavakara asked, referring to the seven (7) colossal warrior statues.
“Greater danger than what the tiara represents, I fear,” Serfex said.
Claudia and Yared both started probing Serfex’s mind, looking for the depths of his secrets.
“You did not make these colossal warrior statues, then? You are the one who turned them to stone,” Claudia said, based on what she read in Serfex’s mind.
“You don’t know who made them, but you were planning on reawakening them to combat the invasion force from another world,” Yared said, based on his own reading of Serfex’s mind.
“A foolish plot of a psychotic and deranged old engineer. It’s most likely outcome is to create more ruin, rather than deflecting the invasion,” Nov’Talod said.
“I agree with your caged pet. It is a foolish plan,” Claudia said.
“Adding more chaos will not likely bring order,” Yared said.
“But there’s more to this city, isn’t there?” Claudia asked.
“You have rather exotic theories about the nature of the structures of this location,” Yared said.
“I will tell you outright, as it is clear that you can read my thoughts, so there is little use in concealing it. This city is a machine more than a place. There are mechanisms here that reach into the suns, and draw their powers. There were many more suns – some greater than even the blue suns – in the distant past. They were devoured by this machine, and their energy remains, liquefied, in the form of the ocean that surrounds this island,” Serfex said.
“That is a remarkable theory. Yet, you cannot prove it without activating the machine again,” Yared said.
“You never told me this, old friend. How could you keep such a secret?” Nov’Talod asked, feigning indignation in his voice. He did find it a strange theory, however. He thought it to be quite preposterous, even. Still, he knew that Serfex was a brilliant engineer, and so that gave him pause: this claim might be partly true. He also knew that Serfex was deranged at times, so it could be partly – or even mostly – false.
“I’ve been analyzing and observing for two hundred (200) millennia. There are signs throughout the structures, but they have to be interpreted correctly. The parts appear to work like those of a machine. Yet, I cannot test it, for the danger would be staggering and ruinous,” Serfex said.
“You believe that’s the truth – you’re not lying. But you could still be wrong. This could just be an old city, with temples and architecture from long ago,” Claudia said.
“If there were more suns in the past, there should be evidence of that, no?” Yared asked.
“There are signs in these buildings of exactly that. Riddles and sculptures all suggest it,” Serfex said.
“Riddles? You never were good at riddles. Your engineering genius is second to none, of course, but I don’t trust you to solve any riddle, old friend. Even you have intellectual limitations,” Nov’Talod said, while still searching for an opportunity to escape his cage.
“I haven’t seen you in millennia. I thought you went insane, and apparently that theory was correct,” Lavakara said.
“See? Even he knows, Serfex. Your own former student sees you for what you are…a twisted engineering genius whose own grip on reality is long gone from over three hundred seventy-one (371) millennia of rot, arrogance and delusion. Of course, that is what makes you so interesting,” Nov’Talod said.
“I am not of your mindset, Nov’Talod. I don’t seek to end life with sadistic measures to live in accord with empty philosophies,” Serfex said.
“It’s not what you seek that matters. It’s what you find,” Nov’Talod said.
Claudia probed Nov’Talod’s mind and found his cruel past – and his great age: ninety thousand twenty-three (90023) years. “You have some nerve! Who are you to talk? You kill for your sick philosophy. Your hate is unreal, and you’re no less arrogant. He’s kind to keep you in a cage – you deserve death,” Claudia said.
“You are dangerously clever. Yet, Serfex did, in fact, cause far more death, whether intentional or not,” Yared said after his own probing of Nov’Talod’s thoughts.
“He has no respect for life. He kills in order to be rid of others, with no other justification needed. If I am condemned for error, he should be condemned for intent. Yet, be careful not to judge too soon,” Serfex said.
“You are both ancient and twisted, clever and callous, in your own ways,” Claudia said.
Lavakara sized up the cage in which Nov’Talod was kept and saw how he might open i
t. He could, of course, enter it using his powers to move through the spirit world. However, that would not make a suitable arena for testing the old man.
“He’s not worth it. Why do you need yet another body to take?” Yared said, sensing Lavakara’s thoughts.
“Drop it. Don’t even think about letting him go. He can outmaneuver even you. Time is on his side,” Claudia said.
“I know,” Lavakara said, smiling. The challenge beckoned him – he did not want an easy fight: he wanted a worthy opponent.
“Yes. Your student is ever the killer, is he not? You taught him to adapt, and he did so by using spirit powers to seize the bodies of other warriors whom he cannot best in conflict, as you have seen over the millennia. You admitted as much in all our time together. Of course, since you are his mentor, his crimes only add to yours, you must know,” Nov’Talod said.
“Do not act as the innocent one. Still, I do regret training him,” Serfex said.
Lavakara suddenly moved into the spirit world and returned to the material world inside the cage, behind Nov’Talod. He put his hands on the man and then quickly returned to the spirit world with Nov’Talod, and they both returned to the material world outside the cage.
“Free at last,” Nov’Talod said, gleefully.
Claudia moved in to grab Nov’Talod, as she was a highly trained combatant.
“You seek conflict with a greater foe. Yet, I seek peace…and quiet,” Nov’Talod said. By the powers of the waters of the Ursegan Ocean, he slowed down time within himself in such a way that everyone else – even Serfex, who drank the same Ursegan waters – seemed to move slowly.
Nov’Talod then took a dagger from Lavakara’s belt and thrust it into Serfex’s left eye socket and struck his brain, killing him. Then he pushed a lever on the wall and opened the door to the room and left before anyone could do anything. He made his way up the stairs, breezing past Danek and Caemgen, who stood at the bottom of the stairway.
Danek and Caemgen – due to their also drinking of the Ursegan Ocean waters – were each able to slow their own time perception and observe Nov’Talod as he went by so quickly, taking careful note of his appearance.