by Jeremy Dwyer
~~~
Taesa drank anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean that she had in her vial, and she was energized. She thought of the handsome prince, and how she might have him as a friend. And then, as a husband, and a lover, and a father to her children. Words began to come together in a song.
CHAPTER 25: Fire and Ruin
In the burning forest in the continent of Javanda, Prince Kirdothet had been waiting for news of the death of his targets – both General Joshua, who held the Spirit Sword, and Daven, whose powerful song brought the water against him.
He had seen a pulse of visible energy rise into the sky – the same energy he had given to that pathetic creature so that she could manipulate blood using fire. He knew that she had lost the energy, which meant that she was slain. Kirdothet saw where the energy came from, and he would have to discover what had happened, because it meant that someone had enough power to strike down his servant. This likely meant that either or both of his targets had not been destroyed.
Kirdothet rose up from the forest and flew across the sky, toward the place where the visible energy rose – and he took it back into himself, restoring some of his fiery strength, which had been diminished by the attacks against him.
He then descended on the great continent below him, intent on striking dead as many as he could, hoping that either or both of his targets would be swept up in the attack. He did not know what to expect, as he was not all knowing, but he knew their structures could not withstand his fire.
Kirdothet flew over a portion of the continent of Revod, over the rooftops of towns and towers, and spread his fire. Many thousands (1000) of buildings burned, and tens of thousands (10000) of people were killed. The destruction was over dozens of towns in the northeastern region of Revod, and the people knew who it was – having been warned – but they did not know what to do to protect themselves.
In the central regions of Revod, a light bender – who functioned as a light scout because of his particularly high innate potential for long range vision, multiplied by the powers of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean which he drank – saw the distant fires and a fiery creature that was moving.
This light bender accompanied General Joshua, who held the true Spirit Sword, not a decoy.
“The sunfire creature is attacking in the northeast region. The towns are ablaze,” the light bender said.
General Joshua had placed himself in the central regions to increase his opportunity to retaliate against the sunfire creature, as it was not known beforehand where it would strike.
“Signal the airship!” General Joshua said.
The light bender generated a pulse of light, which was another power he had by virtue of drinking the waters of the Lujladia Ocean. A waiting airship moved in and they boarded it.
“Direct us,” General Joshua ordered the light bender.
The light bender indicated the correct navigational heading, and the airship moved in quickly, positioned directly in front the sunfire creature.
“The mortal with the sword!” Kirdothet screamed.
“Through him!” General Joshua ordered.
“The ship will burn!” the captain said.
“Move quickly, to and fro!” General Joshua ordered.
The airship moved through Kirdothet – whose fiery body could change size and was now as large as the airship – and his flames enveloped it.
All the while, Joshua spun the Spirit Sword in his hands, and twisted the flames of Kirdothet’s fiery body around them. Kirdothet was tormented by this, and his flames scattered and regathered nearby.
The airship pursued Kirdothet and Joshua gave the sunfire creature no peace or mercy, but ran the Spirit Sword through him again, and his flames scattered again.
Joshua noticed that the flames seemed dimmer, and so they ran the airship through the sunfire creature a third time, and the Spirit Sword was used to scatter the flames of the sunfire creature yet again, making them dimmer still.
Then, Kirdothet surrendered, flew up into the sky and darted away.
The airship was damaged by the flames, so they had to land it outside of a town and quickly escape. The fire had already done irreparable damage to the airship so they allowed it to finish.
“Thousands (1000) of buildings are on fire, in this town and others. Burned bodies are in the streets,” the light bender said after looking into the distance and scanning in different directions.
“This sunfire creature was sent away again, quickly, but the damage it did was also done quickly. We cannot just chase it away and have it come back and kill more, later. We need to banish it. Families were murdered. Homes were lost. All in a few minutes,” Joshua said.
“There is a building that did not burn in the middle of others that did,” the light bender said.
“Which building is that?” Joshua asked.
“It’s some sort of a tower – made of crystals,” the light bender said.
“I want to see it. Signal another ship,” Joshua said.
The light bender generated another pulse of light and was able to signal the captain of another airship, who came to them and took them to the tower that did not burn.
They landed the airship near the base of the tower, but away from other burning buildings. Joshua left the ship and ran toward the tower, then climbed the steps to the top. The tower stood one hundred twenty (120) feet high – counting the height of the crystal canopy which protected the persons who stood atop it against the heat of the inferno that was brought by the many aligned suns. However, that crystal canopy was not what protected the tower’s occupants against the inferno on the ground, which was comprised of many burning buildings.
“Hello, General,” the architect, Fantine, said to him as he reached the top.
“This tower – it stands, unburned, among the buildings that did burn. How?” Joshua asked.
“The intricate structure of the crystals of which this tower is made allows it to resist the flames. The design is now battle-tested and proven effective, so we must build more like this. I believe that we can stand against this fiery threat,” Fantine said.
“We must build and rebuild, true enough. Still, we have to defeat this enemy, before more lives are lost,” Joshua said.
~~~
Prince Emerond, Romana and Ovid, along with the archers and spies, were making their way toward the military academy when they saw the fire in the sky from where they stood on the ground.
The archers with them – who were also drinkers of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean, and had some measure of long distance vision as well as quick sight – could see more clearly into the distance where the battle was and how it proceeded.
“The sunfire creature has attacked. An airship flew through it many times, and it was driven away. Many towns are ablaze from its attacks, but there is one tower that stands against the flames, among others that are burning around it,” one of the archer’s said.
“The architect succeeded! Her fire-resistant structure stood against the attack, that has to be the one you’re talking about,” Emerond said. Now, more than ever, he realized that he needed Fantine’s brilliant mind to continue working for him. He would pay anything to keep her designing and building, just so that attacks such as this would never succeed again. With the tremendous hate and evil in this world that never seemed to disappear, he knew the attacks would come, and they did in every generation. He wanted them to fail against a greater strength and better design.
Ovid recorded all that he personally saw and heard into his book, and began walking toward the destruction out of curiosity. He did not have the long distance vision to see the tower that was not burning, so he could only write down what the others said they saw. He would have to wait to observe it himself.
CHAPTER 26: Song and Hope
From the island in the Kazofen Ocean where they were stranded, Daven, Rayner, Brant and Zoe, and many others who stood beside them, had seen a flash of fire light up the sky.
Zoe – usin
g her quick sight and long range vision, given by the waters of the Lujladia Ocean which she drank – saw much more: she observed a streak of fire move over the horizon, originating from the continent of Javanda in the far north and heading south toward the continent of Revod, which was still north of the Kazofen Ocean and their island.
“It’s not another star falling from the sky, I can tell you that much,” Rayner said after concentrating. The waters of the Atrejan Ocean still flowed through him and he could hear the sounds of the stars that remained, knowing that only the one (1) yellow sun that had fallen previously was missing.
“It’s him again, isn’t it?” Daven asked.
“Yes. He’s headed out of Javanda and into Revod,” Zoe said.
“You can see that far!? Out over the Kazofen Ocean, then over Revod, past the Ikkith Tar Ocean and into Javanda?” Rayner asked, very surprised at Zoe’s range.
“The light was extremely bright at its source and all the way along its travel path, so it carried its signal far. All I had to do was focus to see the shape and direction of its path,” Zoe said.
“If he’s that bright, he’s hot enough burn the whole place down,” Rayner said.
“We can stop him, again. Right?” Brant said.
“We could, if we could get to him. But we don’t have a ship. Remember?” Rayner said.
“We came to this island in many ships, to prepare to drink the many waters. We have sailors among us who know how to steer them and navigate,” one of the men among these people said. He appeared to be around fifty-five (55), and had a full white beard and mustache and a bald head.
“That’s a start. So, can we head out of here, as in right now, on one these ships?” Rayner asked.
“I am Isaiah. Several of these people are my children and grandchildren. We should all go,” the man said.
“We need to get to Revod. Fast,” Zoe said.
“And soon,” Daven said.
“What is your urgency?” Isaiah asked.
“Trust me,” Rayner said.
“No. It’s a fair question. These people have trusted, and been betrayed. We have to tell them,” Daven said.
“Tell them how much?” Rayner asked.
“All of it,” Zoe said.
“The skies have changed. A creature, made of sunfire, has fallen from the sky and attacked. It has the power to send fire, and it destroyed our ship. Before it did, we were able to strike it and send it away,” Daven said.
“How did you strike it?” Isaiah asked.
“With a song that had power over the water. The waves of water struck at the creature, who was vulnerable, because it’s made out of sunfire,” Daven said.
“There truly is a great enemy, then?” Isaiah asked.
“More than just one (1) enemy. But this one (1) is keeping us busy, and it’s about to make a mess out of Revod. We just might be able to help,” Zoe said.
“And we might need their help afterwards. They’re rich, right?” Brant asked.
“Everything there is going to be on fire,” Rayner said.
“This is very much to learn all at once, and all quite terrible,” Isaiah said.
“We cannot take our children to where this sunfire creature is attacking. We need to go far away from it,” a younger woman said.
“You know what – she’s right. Maybe we’ll go, and you can go with us since it’s your ship, and the rest of you stay here,” Rayner said to Isaiah.
“This does seem to be a better choice, if we are to approach a dangerous place,” Isaiah said.
“Wait! Have you chosen your waterbinding? You might as well, before you go there unprepared. Something, anything, is better than nothing,” Zoe said.
“I chose the water that gives wisdom – the waters of the Medathero Ocean,” Isaiah said.
“Your wise thoughts on this are?” Rayner said.
“That song that your companion said exerted power over the waters, and struck at this sunfire creature, may be of some use. However, the fact that the music and the water did not bring an end to this creature altogether suggests that we would do better to mislead it and to confuse it, rather than to fight it directly,” Isaiah said.
“Alright. What did you have in mind?” Rayner asked.
“Is this sunfire creature angry? Or is it looking for something?” Isaiah asked.
“Looking for someone,” Daven said.
“Who would that be?” Isaiah asked.
“The girl whose song called it down from the sky,” Daven said. Every time he said this, he was torn. He had to tell a dangerous truth, so that people would understand. Yet, he worried that he was pointing a finger of condemnation at Taesa for having sung it. In some ways, of course, he was doing exactly that.
“Why, exactly, does the sunfire creature want this girl?” Isaiah asked.
“I don’t know, but he’s going to burn the world until he finds her,” Daven said.
“Assuming that you are correct, and that it was her song that called the sunfire creature down, then it may be that her voice was pleasing. Is there a way to deceive this creature into thinking he hears it?” Isaiah asked.
“That would require having an imprint of her voice. I don’t have one,” Daven said, as he did not know about the book with the imprint of Taesa’s voice, singing Dazzled and Deceived, that was left in the Scholar’s Hall in Emeth. Caroline knew because she heard the imprinted performance, but Daven did not.
“Perhaps, another woman whose voice was similar, could be used to do this,” Isaiah said.
“Maybe. But if he hears it, he’ll come after her, and put her life in danger,” Daven said.
“If the singer’s voice has the power to lure the sunfire creature, we can hide her in the darkness – brought by someone else drinking the Ikkith Tar water – and move her about while concealed. While the sunfire creature struggles to find her, strike him repeatedly with the waters by the song you mentioned before,” Isaiah said.
“Bait him and beat him! I like the way you think, old man!” Brant said.
“This might work. Let’s get a girl who chose the Pirovalen Ocean waters, and have her sing a song. I can tell if her voice is close,” Daven said.
They began asking around, and found five (5) different girls who had similar voices to that of Taesa who were waterbound to the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean. Several of them sang, and their voices were beautiful, but were different enough that Daven wasn’t sure.
“Your voice is the closest. What is your name?” Daven said to one.
“Fina,” the girl said. She was sixteen (16) and had a build similar to that of Taesa, and body size affected lung size, which did affect the musical characteristics of a person’s voice. Vocal chords also shaped the sound, and her voice held some promise, though not much.
“I need you to try singing a verse for me, Fina. First, take a fresh drink of the Pirovalen waters – we need the best that you can deliver,” Daven said.
Fina drank anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean from one of the many bottles they kept around.
Then, Daven said: “Here’s the first verse: Let Many Suns Shine Down, On the Path we’re going. Let the waves of water take us, to the hidden land we seek,” Daven said. He had remembered Taesa’s song, at least enough to approximate it. He paid attention to lyrics and had a reasonably good memory of them.
Fina began singing: “Let Many Suns Shine Down, On the Path we’re going. Let the waves of water take us, to the hidden land we seek.”
The song was a lot less than what Daven was hoping to hear – the girl had some innate potential, though not much, and the water can only work with what ability already existed. It greatly multiplied the potential a person did have, but if that person had next to zero (0) potential, the results were still lackluster. Daven didn’t want to insult the girl, so he simply said: “Your voice is too different from hers.”
“Nice plan. Too bad we can’t pull it off,” Rayner said.
“Revod is in danger. We need
to do something, and soon, because that creature will burn everything down,” Zoe said.
“We should go and attempt to strike this creature with the song that called the waters. If that worked before, it’s an option worth pursuing. I’m sorry we couldn’t do more by luring the creature closer, but it’s time to take another road and learn what we can,” Isaiah said.
“Yes. Another road. Another ship,” Rayner said.
“Let’s go now,” Isaiah said, and he led the way. Daven, Rayner, Zoe and Brant followed him and they boarded a ship at the shore of this island. They sailed north across the Kazofen Ocean and reached Revod, and then converted the ship to airship mode and flew over land to where the flames were. Zoe had guided them by her long range vision, until they all saw the flames.
By the time they arrived, Kirdothet had already left, and thousands (1000) of buildings were ablaze.
They saw an area where several people were congregating, and there were troops and merchants.
Isaiah brought the airship down to the ground nearby, and they left the ship and approached.
The troops approached them and one of them asked: “What business do you have here? Please identify yourself.”
“I am Zoe. I saw the streak of fire in the sky, and how it was headed to Revod. I know who it is – the sunfire creature,” Zoe said.
“He has come and brought destruction, and then left,” the troop said.
“We confronted him over the ocean. He can be pushed back. We have a song that calls the water itself against him, and it stopped him,” Daven said.
“Any power against this enemy is welcome, but you are too late,” the troop said.
“Where did he go afterwards?” Zoe asked.
“We don’t know where he went, or when he’ll be back,” the troop said.
“We just know that we have to rebuild,” Prince Emerond said, as he approached the group and overheard their conversation. He was followed by Romana, three (3) archers, six (6) spies and the Chronicler named Ovid. They had arrived on an airship that was dispatched toward the area of destruction.