by Jeremy Dwyer
Judith followed them, thinking it interesting to know what preparations they were making, and how Lavakara would change world events. She also noted his dismissal of the animals.
“Under the authority of the Chronicler’s Oath, I will be traveling with you,” Judith said.
“Yes, please, write down a record of everyone we kill. That was always my favorite part of the history books I read,” Serafina said.
“More challenging will be writing a record of everyone whose lives we save. I hope you’re up to the task, Chronicler,” Lavakara said.
Judith found that to be a bold suggestion on the part of a man known for violence and murder: the notion of Lavakara saving anyone’s life, much less saving them in great number, was not credible. Still, she was interested, and had every intention of recording the events related to him.
Along the way to their ships, they noticed several colossal statues in the forested interior of the island, each standing over one hundred (100) feet tall, and Serafina wondered what they were. “Are these war memorials to fallen soldiers? What war was this?” Serafina asked.
“There was no war. According to some accounts, these aren’t statues: they’re actual soldiers, turned to stone, in a battle that was supposed to be fought millennia ago,” Lavakara said.
“How could they actually be that tall?” Serafina asked, intrigued by their size, and the thought of something that large being alive meant that it was probably quite powerful before being turned to stone…if that story was to be believed, of course.
“This is a dubious portion of history. I’ve researched it myself, as have many others. Even accounts from otherwise reliable sources conflict with each other. Don’t concern yourself with such ancient history,” Lavakara said.
“Warriors that large must have been formidable,” Serafina said.
“Fantasy about the past will not serve you in the challenge ahead. Put your mind to better use,” Lavakara said.
“As you command,” Serafina said.
Judith knew that the truth about the colossal statues had been shrouded in mystery for millennia, and she had never heard anything reliable about them. It was an interesting question, and one she wished to know more about, but there were larger and more immediate threats and questions, so the mystery of the colossal statues could wait a little while longer.
The Ihalik leaders and troops boarded the ships and Lavakara drank anew of the potion of water from the Nabavodel Ocean out of the ornate vial that he carried. It energized him and gave him strength by the waters that were in it, and gave him the powers of spirit by the virtue of the vial itself. He was able to move into the spirit world at will, and see clearly, unaffected by the visual distortions caused by the waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean over which they sailed. He could see for many miles and provide reliable navigation instructions for steering the ships.
~~~
Judith stood next to him and noticed carefully what he did, and the ornate vial that he drank from and the markings on the vial. She recognized its design as matching those other ones in the castle where Duke Hagan’s spirit was found along with the portraits. She inferred that it was one of the missing vials – one that was taken from the ornate picture frame surrounding the portrait which depicted the king giving a vial of the Zovvin Ocean waters to Duke Hagan. Judith noted the facts in her book, but did not state the conclusion, as she was not allowed to draw logical links in her writings even if they were readily apparent – she could only record the actual facts.
~~~
Using his clear sight via the spirit world, Lavakara’s navigation instructions enabled the Ihalik fleet to swiftly make their way, westward, across the Ikkith Tar Ocean.
~~~
Judith noted his movements – when he disappeared, and reappeared – and surmised that he must be navigating based on information he gained in the spirit world, hence their rapid travel over the Ikkith Tar Ocean, despite the visual distortions which ordinarily made navigation error-prone and slow. Again, this was a deduction that she could not write down, but she could write the facts, which she did.
~~~
At the western edge of the Ikkith Tar Ocean, they converted their ships to airships and traveled south over the western corner of the continent of Revod. They returned to sea level in the Zovvin Ocean. Then they sailed south to the northern coast of the continent of Ihalik and returned to the palace in which Lycaon – the current ruler of the empire – resided and from which he ruled.
They entered the palace with Lavakara and Serafina in the front and Judith off to the side and five hundred (500) Ihalik troops behind them. The many thousands of remaining Ihalik troops remained outside.
“All hail Supreme Commander Lavakara!” Serafina shouted.
Lycaon was immediately alarmed at hearing this, and he stood up. He was surrounded by a guard of thirty (30) troops and unseen dark scouts, hiding in the deep darkness by the power of the Ikkith Tar waters that they drank.
“Please properly introduce this guest,” Lycaon ordered Serafina.
“I just did!” Serafina said, and she drew her sword and prepared to kill him – it was logical, as far as she was concerned, to dispatch their former ruler in favor of their new leader to whom they had sword allegiance.
Instantly, she was detained by the guard she could not see, and was unable to move.
“No. Wait for the proper moment. I must have a word with your former leader,” Lavakara said to Serafina.
“I am Lavakara, and your former troops have given their allegiance to me. As you must know, the ancient Ahitan Empire is once again on the rise, and one of their bloodline – the woman named Victoria – is in possession of a dangerous item. She holds a tiara, endowed with the powers, many reliable sources are warning, to control each of the great oceans of the world. This alone would be cause enough to act to intervene and seize the item for ourselves, possibly even destroying the item for the risk it poses. However, based on accounts of the Ahitan savage incivility and general disruption to any sensible world order and economy, it is necessary to target the woman herself, as well as the tiara. You know all of this, of course,” Lavakara said to Lycaon.
“Of course I know these things. I deployed Serafina for that very reason, as she must have told you,” Lycaon said, wary of this guest and the betrayal that Serafina had already revealed in her words and poise.
“Yes, you deployed them to Udovedaj-Pren Island. There, your troops were soundly defeated – by me alone – on the shores of that same island. Defeated – not destroyed – I must emphasize. Now, that makes me their new leader, by all rights. They have, in addition, sworn their allegiance to me. Ask any of them to confirm this. There are five hundred (500) here, eighty five hundred (8500) more waiting outside this palace. Please, ask them. They will each confirm this. There is no point in arguing – you are clearly not a capable or inspiring leader, or your troops would not have turned away from you so quickly,” Lavakara said.
“This is rebellion. Yet, you have only some of my forces under your command. Do you wish to war against me?” Lycaon said.
“Not at all. I want your remaining troops to also swear allegiance to me. It will be much more productive in our fight – really, our mutual interest – against the Ahitan woman. You don’t want to give her any opportunity for success, I would hope. The world could ill-afford that. Your troops, with my superior leadership, here and now, may be able to strike her at a key moment, before the worst of troubles is made manifest. Delays only strengthen her position. Then, more will fall, and your troops – who undoubtedly have interest in their own lives – will have little hope for prosperity, as few will survive,” Lavakara said.
“You believe we should surrender to you, immediately, entirely, and without question, so that you can lead the way against a threat. This is a preposterous notion. I built this empire, carefully and methodically, and you would steal it,” Lycaon said.
“Not at all. I don’t steal wealth. You can keep your diamonds, your p
latinum, and every other trinket. I care little for these things. However, I want the troops themselves. Please, gather chests and fill them with your imperial treasures, and leave at once. I will order troops to assist you. Be wealthy, enjoy prosperity, and be gone from here entirely. I do, of course, want this palace and the land around it. Now, if there are any jewels encrusted into the décor, please pry them loose at once and fill your pockets. Again, the décor is not of use to me,” Lavakara said.
Lycaon looked on in disbelief. “You are demanding surrender of, and banishment from, the empire I built, and you offer me treasure in return,” he said.
“You are not a warrior. You are merely a backstabbing advisor with ambition for the wealth of others, having dispatched your former leader, Imperial Prince Leonides. The story is well known, so there is no sense in denying it. I am offering you all the treasure you can carry – diamonds and platinum and gold you most certainly stole from others – and telling you to depart. These are the very things you want, are they not? You are a vain, self-interested seeker of wealth: a pirate on the land, no? Please, don’t waste our valuable time denying it. With each passing moment, the many suns in the sky are moving out of alignment to return to their former positions, cooling the world. Then, the aforementioned tiara – which is ineffective in the current warmth of our world – will grow in power to become the weapon of which we have been warned. Your treasure will do you no good, then – it will not even purchase for you an opulent memorial, as much of the world will be murdered along with you. Please, leave now, and count your coins and gems, like the foolish child you are. Stay away from this place, and I will not trouble myself to think of you, as there are many serious matters about us,” Lavakara said.
Then, Lavakara continued, saying: “Also, I should mention that, at any time, you and the area around you may burst into flames. Not because of anything I will do, mind you – as I said, I will not trouble you myself – but because of a certain creature of fire that fell from the sky and that has its sights set on a treasure of its own. Do be careful, if you wish to have more time enjoying your treasures and trinkets.”
Lycaon looked on, stunned. The troops behind him – both those who could be seen and those who were hidden in the deep darkness – waited.
“Please leave: now. Do not make me waste your valuable troops – they have real value, I must say – by proving my superiority in combat. They will come around to me very soon, once they speak to the troops who have already admitted my superior leadership, and they learn the truth,” Lavakara commanded him.
Lycaon looked at the troops behind Lavakara, who did not waiver, and then a thought occurred to him. He said to them: “Under what spell has he put you? Testify that you act according to your own will, and that this man speaks truth. I have led you, and should continue to lead you, and you should continue to follow. I am well aware of the threat. Turning to this impostor is foolishness, not to mention treason.”
“He was on the battlefield, and there, he proved himself. We will follow him. If the threat is great, one who can fight and defeat many is a greater leader than one who stays in his palace and gathers his treasure and sends others to fight. A treasure has no blade, yet our enemy must be met with the sharpest sword,” one of the troops behind Lavakara said. The other four hundred ninety-nine (499) nodded.
“Very well spoken, soldier. You must have a fine instructor,” Lavakara said, delightedly, knowing that the troop was merely paraphrasing Lavakara’s earlier words.
Lycaon was aghast, but he realized that he had been defeated and betrayed. The guards in the deep darkness also accepted Lavakara’s victory and Lycaon’s defeat, and they released Serafina. Lavakara gestured to her to put her sword down.
“Bring out all the treasure you can carry. Those ten (10) will help you,” Lavakara said to Lycaon, and then gestured to ten (10) troops to assist the deposed ruler.
~~~
Judith recorded all of this into her book. However, she found it agreeable – which was a personal judgment, which she was not supposed to have according to the Chronicler’s Oath – that Lavakara was more focused on preparing to fight the Ahitan woman than anything else, and was actually avoiding combat or even killing Lycaon. However, Judith knew that Lavakara was no hero, and was a murderer, so she did not admire him. Even a villain can do some good, when opposing another villain – and she had seen this sort of thing several times prior over the centuries.
~~~
Lycaon walked with the ten (10) assigned troops, and they gathered chests filled with treasure from the palace treasury, such that there were eleven (11) chests of diamonds and platinum. Lycaon was escorted to a nearby cave, in a swamp and was left there to fend for himself and his wealth. The escorting troops returned to the palace that now belonged to Lavakara. Judith had followed them out to the swamp and saw where Lycaon was left, and then returned to the palace with the troops.
~~~
When Lycaon was gone, Serafina asked Lavakara: “Why didn’t you kill him, or let me kill him? Some of the troops might still have some loyalty to Lycaon, and he could turn them against us.”
Lavakara answered her, saying: “Any fool who would follow him is too much of a fool for us to trust in a position on the battlefield. We must discover them early – by luring them away – before they are in a position to fail at a critical juncture and turn victory into defeat. The same applies to traitors.”
~~~
After organizing the troops and waiting to see if any would defect to Lycaon, Lavakara ordered: “Begin construction of a new fleet of ships, immediately. And begin training our new troops, or assigning to them duties befitting their artisan skills, as many were not former combatants. We may have considerable use for them in one capacity or another.”
Judith also noted that Lavakara did, in fact, keep much of the imperial treasure, to use to purchase materials for building the ships.
CHAPTER 5: Rescue and Story
The trail of fire that was produced when Kirdothet fled the Temple of the Sky’s Nine (9) Kings was visible all around Udovedaj-Pren Island, and to the ships near its coast.
Rayner saw the flames go up into the sky, and did not know what it was. He was curious, and he was sensitive to the suns. He drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean in the vial he wore on a chain around his neck and was energized. He concentrated to hear the sounds of the suns and then sensed what was occurring. Rayner already knew that one (1) fewer yellow sun was in the sky, and he felt the chaos in the twenty-three (23) remaining yellow suns above him. He could not trust them for navigation any longer, and so he moved his ship around the island to observe what he could, from a distance that he hoped was safe.
Rayner wondered about the big guy with the sword – Brant – and his skinny girlfriend with the bow and arrows – Zoe. Many of the trees on the island were still ablaze, so he had to keep his eyes wide open and his ship far enough away so as not to burn with them. He came to a safe section of the shore, far enough away from the trees, and saw just a few people standing on it. He moved the ship toward the shore and looked closely to see who they were.
Daven, Brant and Zoe all watched as a ship approached.
“It’s Rayner!” Zoe said. Her eyes were as sharp as ever, from the waters of the Lujladia Ocean that she drank recently.
“That would be?” Daven asked.
“Just fine by me,” Brant said.
“He’s our captain and navigator,” Zoe said.
“Now would be a good time to get moving. We can find Taesa,” Daven said.
“We might find that talking forest fire, too, since he’s looking for her,” Brant said.
“Brant’s right. This is dangerous. We have to find her…carefully,” Zoe said.
Rayner brought the ship close enough to shore to see that he recognized his recent passengers – two (2) of them, anyway – and then he lowered a boarding ramp.
The group approached his ship and began walking up the ramp.
“Y
ou avoided being part of the cookout. Good. You probably want to get out of here,” Rayner said.
“Not yet. We’re missing somebody,” Zoe said.
“Right, your Chronicler isn’t here. But I see you have another companion. A paying one, too, from the looks of it,” Rayner said.
“No, I mean somebody else. The Chronicler found someone more interesting to travel with, I suppose,” Zoe said.
“They do that sometimes,” Rayner said.
“I thought I was interesting, and he was going to write down everything I did,” Brant said.
“He did write it all down. But that book has room for many more tales before he heads back to Emeth,” Zoe said.
“I’m sure he filled a few more pages than usual today. You’re not the only thing he wrote about, big guy. A lot happened up there, you know: sky stuff, if you happened to be looking,” Rayner said, pointing to the sky.
“If you only knew half of it,” Daven said.
“Navigating’s going to be hard. The suns are not in their usual places,” Rayner said.
“I know. One of them came to visit and we were there for his conversation with some navy officers, the ultimate warrior, a psychic and some religious women,” Zoe said, nursing her broken right arm.
“He had a very hot temper,” Daven said.
“Things didn’t go too well,” Brant said.
“Alright. I’m curious. Tell me more. You obviously know something I don’t,” Rayner said.
“I’m Daven. I study music, and sing and write songs, and I teach. I came here with my student,” Daven said.
“Why? To sing about a dark island?” Rayner asked.
“A little bit of background investigation. Anyway, our captain had a hard time navigating these waters,” Daven said.
“Should have hired me,” Rayner said.
“Well, my student – Taesa – is very talented. She sang a song and…things changed,” Daven said.
“Magic songs, right? What do you mean things changed?” Rayner asked.