Blood & Besiegement

by Jeremy Dwyer

  CHAPTER 19: Voice and Summons

  In the northeastern region of the continent of Waderav, in the castle of Count Perceval, his wife, the Countess Genevieve, was busy with her studies, mostly at night. She had learned to greatly purify the waters of the Trerada Ocean which she drank. She understood their chemistry at a fine level, and could quantify the results which occurred. She knew that the health and beauty that it conferred upon the drinker could be described as a mathematical function. The function she was able to derive took as inputs a measure of the person’s innate potential and the water’s purity – both of which were one (1) at perfection and zero (0) at total deficit – and produced as output the magnitude of the resultant benefit. This function grew proportional to the base ten (10) logarithm of the reciprocal of one (1) minus the product of the fourth (4th) powers of the potential and purity values. There was a leading coefficient which she estimated at around nine point three eight (9.38). This coefficient depended on the scale of how she measured the result, and the base of the logarithm, of course, but her model was determine empirically from her experiments of measuring the changes in her own appearance.

  Genevieve, however, believed that there needed to be some refinements in her model to account for the interactions with the effects of the other ocean waters. The entire model might need to be reworked, if, for example, a drinker of one of the ocean waters applied their power and a drinker of another one of the ocean waters applied their power, to achieve an additive effect. An example that occurred to her would be if a drinker of the Lujladia Ocean waters were to shine a light upon a face to highlight its beauty. Then, the resultant beauty that an observer saw would be a function, also, of the potential of the Lujladia Ocean water drinker, and the purity of those waters – those would have to be additional inputs to a new and more complex function that may not be logarithmic or the inputs may occur at some power other than four (4). There was a universe of mathematical possibilities, and it would take a very long time to discover them all. Introducing a third ocean into the mix – such as the effect of eating higher quality foods produced by someone who drank the waters of the Gradaken Ocean – would introduce additional potential and purity variables and mathematical complexity.

  Genevieve struggled to come up with more efficient experimental techniques than simply trying several combinations of purity and potential. She couldn’t modify her own potential, so she measured that of several young women who were her housekeepers and cooks, who had various levels of attractiveness. She had them drink the waters of the Trerada Ocean of the same purity and, from those, measured the results to estimate their potentials for the use of them. Many of them scored higher than her own potential, and, not surprisingly, these were the same women who caught Count Perceval’s eyes. She strongly suspected that her husband committed numerous infidelities with these women, but she didn’t dare ask.

  Genevieve also recognized her own hypocrisy – she had always resented her mother forcing the Trerada Ocean waterbinding upon her for the sake of attracting a husband, and now she forced it upon these servant girls. Yet, she told herself, this was for science, and these girls were well cared for, with paying jobs, and now the Trerada Ocean waters had given exceptionally them good looks, which would likely afford them husbands, so it wasn’t exactly cruelty, either. Of course, she could say the same of her mother’s decision forced upon her, but Genevieve was a woman of science rather than a devoted wife. Knowledge was the greater prize, and she pursued it passionately.

  Genevieve turned her attention to the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean, as she suspected they were different from the other oceans in that they enabled powerful music, which, when combined with carefully crafted lyrics, would produce very powerful results of various sorts. Only a drinker of the Pirovalen Ocean waters could achieve the harmonious sounds that changed the world around them – she had heard of songs being used to control animals or to cure diseases, for example – but anyone with sufficient knowledge could write the lyrics. This was her avenue to exploration, and she had at least one song book that her reliable concierge, Renato, brought back from Emeth and she studied it.

  Genevieve noted that songs of various types often referred to either “God” or “Kingdom” or “Water.” It wasn’t every song, but a substantial number of historical and modern songs had these words. She considered the classic song Waterbound and dissected it, looking for meaning. The song book she read from indicated that there were conflicting accounts of authorship of Waterbound: it was written either by a woman named Cassiopeia, which was considered very unlikely by the song book’s author, or possibly by a man named Roderick, who was considered more likely by the author, or it was some unknown source that was not named, which was considered plausible by the author. Rather than ponder the authorship of the lyrics, Genevieve studied the phrase structure and the word choice. She extracted from this certain essential features and began to write the lyrics for a new song. She was not able to write the musical chords or harmonies, however, as she hadn’t studied music, and the chords and harmonies needed to be determined by the drinker of the Pirovalen Ocean waters, anyway, to achieve the needed effect.

  When Genevieve had completed the lyrics, she knew that it was time to enlist the assistance of a singer. Since she had taken the young women in the castle and bound them to the waters of the Trerada Ocean for her experiments in the control of beauty, she would have to resort to an outside agent. She wanted a female whose voice was gentler, and who would be more understanding of the need, and possibly expressing it better. While in her laboratory, she called to her concierge, Renato.

  “Renato, I need you to bring to me a singer – a young woman, who drinks of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean. Tell her that I will pay her a reasonable sum for her services, no less than the customary rate, and possibly more, if her skills are refined,” Genevieve said.

  “As you wish, my lady,” Renato said. He left the castle and ventured out into nearby villages.

  ~~~

  In a village of the northeastern region of the continent of Waderav lived Nerine, a twenty-six (26) year old woman who was fairly – though not spectacularly – attractive. She had an innately beautiful voice and drank the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean which gave her voice magical qualities and immense power. She used this power to sing songs and entertain, earning money to pay her way through life. She knew the lyrics and music for several songs, but also performed requested songs that she was given, and added these to her repertoire as she went along.

  Nerine had been doing this since the age of nine (9) because she grew up poor and found that her talents were saleable. An old sea traveler introduced her to the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean, which he provided in return for twenty (20) percent of her earnings. Nerine still made a profit because, owing to the waters, she delivered a much improved performance, which commanded a greater payment from those who sought her music. The old sea traveler died when she was twenty-one (21), and she was able to keep all the profits from then on.

  ~~~

  Renato’s travels throughout nearby villages led him to hear of the name “Nerine,” who was known to be a skillful singer who drank the “song waters,” which was a title given to the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean. He saw signs in shops indicating that she was willing to work for seven (7) platinum coins per song, or the current market equivalent in diamonds. Renato had come prepared with ample payment, and was prepared to offer two (2) platinum coins in advance, to secure her cooperation.

  Nerine often visited a particular shop, which was that of a baker who enjoyed hearing her performances and would pay her three (3) days’ worth of meals for a song, and she gladly accepted. It was here that Nerine visited when Renato was looking for her.

  “Nerine! I’ve been waiting for you,” the baker said. “Are you ready to eat?” he asked her.

  “No, I’m not hungry yet, Philip. I just sang at a wedding and the bride’s parents paid for my food all day. I don’t think I could eat anything for day
s. That wedding was fantastic. Maybe tomorrow, alright?” Nerine said.

  “Oh! The lovely voice! How many more days do these old ears have to wait to hear you sing again?” Philip said.

  “It won’t be long. I promise. I came by just to do a favor – there’s another wedding tomorrow in the same village and they are going to need a lot more food and wanted me to tell you. They need fifty (50) more loaves of rye, and they want to stop here by noon to get it,” Nerine said.

  “Thank you so much! You are wonderful, my dear! I must get to work, right away!” Philip said.

  Renato watched this, and he left the shop as Nerine was leaving.

  “You are the singer, Nerine, if I understand correctly,” Renato said.

  “That’s right? Who are you?” Nerine asked.

  “I am Renato. I have need of your services. That is, if you drink the proper waters,” Renato said.

  “I drink the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean,” Nerine said.

  “Then I definitely need you. I can pay you two (2) platinum coins now just to come with me, and more later,” Renato said.

  “Actually, I usually work for seven (7) coins,” Nerine said, not wishing to sound greedy, but she had to build her savings for when she was older.

  “Then you will be paid that and more, if you come with me and provide your services,” Renato said.

  “Where do you need me to go? And what song do you need me to sing?” Nerine asked.

  “We must go the castle of Count Perceval and Countess Genevieve. I do not know what song it is that she wishes you to sing, but that is a matter that my lady will certainly make clear when you arrive,” Renato said.

  Nerine looked at the man, who was well-dressed and appeared to be well-employed and not some drunkard or wretched scoundrel with ill-intent. She considered this and she had heard of the Count and Countess – they were rich, so this could be a good opportunity.

  “Let’s go, then,” Nerine said.

  “Thank you. My lady will be most delighted to see and to hear you. Here is the promised payment upfront,” Renato said and he handed Nerine the two (2) platinum coins.

  They made their way along the roads, by foot, to the castle. There, Renato brought Nerine to Countess Genevieve, who was dressed in the finest fashion suitable for a woman of fifty-eight (58) years old, though she looked like a somewhat younger woman of fifty-three (53) years, due to the highly purified Trerada Ocean waters that she drank. The purification levels were extremely high, while her potential was quite low.

  “My lady, this is the young singer, Nerine,” Renato said to the Countess.

  “Nerine, this is Countess Genevieve,” Renato said to Nerine.

  “Pleased to meet you, my lady,” Nerine said, and she politely curtsied before the Countess.

  “I am delighted to be graced by your talents, my dear. Please, rest and have a proper meal. You must be hungry and tired after your travels. I have matters to discuss, but they will wait until the morning, after you have refreshed yourself,” Countess Genevieve said to her.

  Renato escorted Nerine to a fine dining hall, where she was given whatever she wanted to eat. Being tired from her journey, Nerine’s appetite returned and she was able to eat a little. Then, an attractive young woman who was a housekeeper guided Nerine to a comfortable room where she was allowed to rest for the evening. The housekeeper then left her alone and went to the master bedroom of Count Perceval to perform whatever duties he assigned, not resting until the Count was pleased with her service.

  The following morning, another young female housekeeper met Nerine when she was readied for the day and said to her: “My lady wishes to see you.”

  Nerine followed the housekeeper down the stairs into a lower room which had many glass tubes, flasks and vials. Countess Genevieve was there, although she was now dressed in clothing that was more like that of a cook who spent many hours making soups in a kitchen. Genevieve was holding flasks in her hands and said: “Nerine, I have a song for you to sing. I wrote the lyrics, though not the melody, which I will let you provide. It’s there, written on that parchment scroll on the table.”

  Nerine looked at the indicated scroll and started reading it. She read the words over and over, and said: “This is beautiful, Countess. In order to provide the proper musical chords and melodies that it deserves, I should like to consider it for a few moments, so as to give you the greatest enjoyment.”

  “Please do so. The quality matters more to me than anything. In fact, take it back to your guest room and relax with it for the day. Give your performance this evening, in twelve (12) hours from now,” Genevieve said.

  All over the world, days were thirty (30) hours long, and they were numbered starting with zero (0) which was the late night start of a new day, and hour fifteen (15) was called noon. At the time of this request, it was nine (9) in the morning, which meant that the song was to be sung at hour twenty-one (21).

  The housekeeper guided Nerine back to her guest room, wherein she drank the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean from one of the vials that she carried. She was energized, and this helped her to compose chords and melodies, and practice them with the verses of the song. She did this for some time, then rested, then drank again and then practiced again. She wanted to impress the Countess and receive considerable payment, and also be asked back again.

  After six (6) hours of this, Nerine was invited by the female housekeeper to enjoy a small meal in a lounge area of the castle. There, she met a finely dressed and much older man – he looked to be more than a decade older than Countess Genevieve.

  “My lord, this is Nerine,” the housekeeper said to Count Perceval.

  “Nerine, this is Count Perceval, the lord of this castle,” the housekeeper said to Nerine.

  “Pleased to meet you, my lord,” Nerine said, and she politely curtsied for the Count.

  “Not as pleased as I am to meet you,” Count Perceval said. He had carnal desire for the young singer, and his eyes scanned her fine young form.

  “She is a guest of the Countess, my lord, who has hired her for her musical talents,” the housekeeper said, seeing what was occurring. Her concern was not compassionate, because she saw Nerine as more competition. The housekeeper exacted favors from the Count when she had relations with him, but the Count spent many nights with the other female servants, moving from one to the next, coming back around to her after many days. Adding another woman into the mix would reduce the frequency of her paid intimate services.

  “Without hearing your voice, I know, with certainty, that it is beautiful,” Count Perceval said to Nerine, in a flattering and terribly transparent way.

  “She is to sing for the Countess later today, my lord. Her beauty is to be found in her voice,” the housekeeper said. She left it implied that Nerine was not physically attractive, but the Count did not give this attention and Nerine did not realize the circumstances or the insult.

  “I should like very much to hear this. For your favors, you will be rewarded greatly my dear,” Count Perceval said.

  Nerine was nervous, and didn’t want to disappoint the Count.

  “It might be time to start preparing for the Countess. Let’s get back to your guest room so you can finish up your practice,” the housekeeper said, and she guided Nerine back to the room. The housekeeper now knew for sure, by the word “favors,” that the old Count was planning to add Nerine to his rotation of intimate servants, and she wanted to prevent this, in order to retain her current fraction of the Count’s attention and “rewards.”

  Several hours later, the housekeeper returned to Nerine’s guest room and said: “The Countess hopes that you are ready for the song.”

  “I am ready,” Nerine said. She had a keen sense of rhythm and timing because one had to have these things to sing properly. She had used this sense to keep track of the passage of time, as there was no clock in her room, and she had to be fresh and ready at the promised hour. She drank anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean from another one of
her vials and was fully energized.

  The housekeeper guided Nerine into the castle stateroom where Count Perceval and Countess Genevieve were seated upon elaborate thrones, side by side. Renato was present, as were many of the staff in the castle.

  “Are you ready for the song, young lady?” Countess Genevieve asked.

  “Yes, my lady,” Nerine said, politely bowing before both the Count and the Countess. She began singing the song, according to her own original melody, using the lyrics that Countess Genevieve had given her, titled Count the Days:

  Count the days,

  Ocean's child.

  Drink your fill, of

  Waters truthful.

  With passing years,

  And flowing tears,

  Be restored now,

  Ever youthful.

  Its season is still here,

  The rose is in bloom.

  It dances gently,

  While glowing brightly.

  The rising suns,

  Show flower fields,

  Which paint the day,

  While resting nightly.

  The colors are vibrant,

  With stems thin and tall.

  The petals are so finely curved,

  Delighting even the most demanding eye.

  The seed before,

  Gave all and gave more.

  Its promise was completely fulfilled,

  With beauty surpassing even that of the sky.

  Wisdom advances,

  While youth retreats.

  Beauty fades for some with haste.