by Jeremy Dwyer
“Carmelita, look closely for any signs of a cause of the city’s destruction, or any threat hiding in the darkness,” Paden said.
Carmelita drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from her vial and was energized with the powers of light and far sight. She looked out across the ruins of the crystal city on the island ahead, scanning for the cause, or for any threat concealed in the darkness. She found nothing suspicious, but kept looking around every corner for something nonobvious. Yihartec Island had natural features – hills, valleys, woodlands and caves – and she had to look around the higher elevations and into the dark recesses. However, the remains of the crystal city itself consisted only of low-lying piles of blue crystal rubble, with no standing corners to peer around. It was only a matter of looking under the piles where light could penetrate, revealing the shredded corpses of the former residents. She generated beams of light and these reflected chaotically through and around the crystal shard piles, illuminating the disaster clearly for everyone else on board the ship.
“I see no threat to us – not even hiding in the darkness – and no cause for the city’s destruction,” Carmelita said. She considered herself fortunate that she hadn’t been assigned to work in the city at all, especially not at the wrong time. She hoped she would be fortunate enough to continue working with Paden, however, as he was an attractive man, despite being at least a decade younger.
Paden sensed Carmelita’s thoughts and decided that he would find an opportunity to pursue her affection later. She was attractive enough, and he hadn’t entered an intimate relationship with an older woman before, so he thought it could be an interesting and pleasurable experience.
Before he let himself get carried away with personal matters, Paden then began to probe the thoughts of his other agents, to be sure that none were secretly sabotaging the central bank’s efforts. He knew that Shinju was eager for higher pay, despite having negotiated an above-market salary. Her loyalty was dubious, and he suspected that she would pursue employment elsewhere if the central bank didn’t increase her pay both quickly and soon. Still, she was no saboteur.
“Riothamus, listen for sounds of movement. The deepest darkness can conceal some things quite effectively, despite focused illumination,” Paden said.
Riothamus drank anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean from his vial and was energized with the power of sound. He listened for signs of movement on Yihartec Island and within the crystal city’s ruins but detected nothing. He then listened for sounds around the vessel and detected something. “Another ship is approaching from the east, and will be here soon,” Riothamus said. This was merely a job to him, and he was paid for his services at a fair rate. He would gladly accept more gainful employment if the opportunity arose, but working as a musician anywhere paid far less than working as a listener for the central bank. Few musicians were powerful enough to achieve greatness, no matter how pure the Pirovalen waters they drank. And the truly powerful singers often had unfortunate life circumstances and tragic outcomes. The Sail to Me song was unforgettable, and Taesa was unlovable for singing it, whatever her excuse. Millions upon millions died in that tempest, and almost everyone knew that twisted little woman lured them into it. If he met her, he might do more than just punch and kick her, because she deserved death many times over.
Paden probed Riothamus’ thoughts for loyalty and found nothing of concern – most central bank employees wanted more pay, and this man knew he was receiving a fair wage – so he concluded that Riothamus was not a saboteur. The tempest and the Sail to Me song were not matters of immediate concern: what was done was tragic, but focusing on those events didn’t answer the questions Paden now had about the tragic loss of this city.
Carmelita then turned to look eastward and saw the approaching ship in the distance. “The ship is thirty-two (32) miles away. The markings indicate that it is the Sandstone Cutter. I recognize a woman standing on deck – it’s the architect, Fantine,” she said.
“She’s coming to investigate the cause of the city’s destruction – and to save her own reputation, no doubt. I look forward to this meeting,” Paden said.
Sabine never needed to be given instructions – she dealt in dangerous matters and needed to be ready. She drank anew of the water of the Zovvin Ocean from her vial and was energized with the powers to communicate with spirits. She sensed death – at least eleven thousand (11000) lingering souls of those who died when the city was destroyed. They were filled with anger at their deaths and the poor circumstances of their lives. None was a demon, and there was no malevolent radiance indicating any of them had been the cause of the disaster. “I see the lingering souls of thousands of victims. These spirits are not of those who acted against the city,” Sabine said. The ruin was all too familiar, and she longed to see justice for the killer. Try as she might, she could glean no information as to who – or what – brought the crystal city into ruin.
Paden probed the thoughts of Sabine. She was serious in every way. This was more than a job to her – it was her purpose in life. He respected her professionalism and dedication. She was unattractive, but in an attractive way. He trusted her integrity and there was no ill intent to be found in the woman. Nor was there any sort of feminine charm – Sabine had a strong sense of justice, leaving little time for gentle affection. Still, he admired her, and her total lack of interest in making more money made her employment a good bargain for the central bank. He even considered giving her a slight raise in pay, just to show appreciation for her loyalty, but the notion quickly passed in favor of cost savings.
“Logres, I need you to counteract any illusions or false light that might be hiding the information we need regarding the city’s loss. Zeta, I need you to look into the crystal structure of the rubble for indications of the cause of structural failure. Efisio, I need you to assist Zeta with making calculations. I will send fifty (50) of the combat troops to go ashore with you, and Carmelita will assist,” Paden said.
Paden probed the thoughts of Logres, and knew that the man was exceedingly dangerous. He feared the lethal stealth and combat training of the heartless killer who had worked for the Ihalik Empire as an assassin before working as a collection agent for the central bank. Paden monitored Logres more than any other Ikkith Tar drinker he ever worked with, because most were spies or saboteurs, and the few assassins he knew were hired to eliminate other assassins. Logres was vile and cruel, and had crossed ethical lines that made Paden question why he came to work for the central bank. When debts were unpaid, physical force could compel, but murder was never the modus operandi of the collection agents. Logres did things Paden didn’t want to think of, especially in those cases where people were actually left alive to die horribly. Paden was even more disgusted by the fact that Logres seemed to enjoy those memories. If the assassin ever turned on him, he could only hope for a quick death.
Logres drank anew of the waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean from his vial and was energized with the power of darkness. He vanished immediately, and Paden followed his thoughts.
Efisio drank anew of the water of the Medathero Ocean from his vial and was energized with the power of calm, rational thought. Mathematics flowed through his every thought, and he had energy to spare. He looked at the beam of light that Carmelita still generated and watched how they reflected among the crystal rubble piles. Efisio developed a probability distribution for the locus of fault lines in the crystals based on different assumptions regarding their geometry, but he needed the help of a crystal bender to verify a few details. Efisio could not actually see or manipulate the low-level crystal structures, but he could reason about them easily and accurately, at every angle, by rapidly forming and solving systems of equations.
Zeta drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from her vial and was energized with the power to manipulate crystals and stones. This was a difficult job, despite her ability to inspect crystal at a low-level. Analyzing its structure in detail was not the same as determining the actual caus
e of failure. Reasonable hypotheses weren’t the same as the correct answer, and the central bank needed to know – with a very high degree of confidence – whether the constructor had assembled the former city in any of a trillion possible incorrect ways or if something external had occurred. Fantine’s reputation was on the line, and Zeta wanted the failure of the Yihartec Island crystal city to be Fantine’s fault. She resented the woman’s brilliance, and was ashamed of herself for not achieving as much or having nearly the innate potential as the famous architect. They both drank the same Kazofen waters. Like Fantine, and any other competent Kazofen water drinker, Zeta knew the virtuous cycle – she could use the water’s power to purify more Kazofen waters, giving them a greater crystal bending power, enabling a higher quality water purification in the next stage, and thus more power, until the last stage potion of Kazofen waters conferred a near perfect level of crystal bending powers when she drank of them. Still, she could not envision the complex structures Fantine could or design her own constructor or sculpt the control crystals to specify what the machine would build. Envy burned within her, and it would be all too satisfying to see the downfall of someone so highly revered for her architectural achievements.
Paden probed Zeta’s thoughts and learned that she was still filled with resentment and envy, despite being competent at her job and having average innate potential for the Kazofen waters. He knew that Fantine was a world class talent, and Zeta was much more toward the center of the distribution of ability. Paden was concerned that Zeta might be biased toward blaming Fantine, and look for any excuse to do so. This is why he ordered Efisio to come and lend his mathematical skills, and second guess her conclusions.
To be sure, Paden probed Efisio’s mind yet again and found that the man was still calm and cool under pressure, completely reliable and confident. There was no envy within him, despite his competitive nature and keen mind. Efisio saw himself for what he was, and had no need to bring others down to lift himself up. Efisio’s only flaw, as far as Paden was concerned, was his calm. The man couldn’t be shaken or frightened, even when he should be. Paden thought for a moment that if Logres were to stab Efisio in the heart, the mathematician would apply his final thoughts to calculating the odds of the murder happening when it did and not a year sooner or later. In this investigation, the calm was an asset, fortunately.
Carmelita renewed her light powers by drinking again of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from her vial.
Paden telepathically transmitted a message to Carmelita: “Watch Logres. Always. Let Zeta and Efisio investigate the city’s ruins. Logres can never be trusted. If there is a problem, he will kill it. Just make sure he doesn’t see us as the problem.”
The old man – Teruo – turned to Paden and asked: “What would you have me do?”
“Stand close to me, and move slowly,” Paden said.
Teruo drank anew of the waters of the Ursegan Ocean from his vial and was energized with the power to slow time around him. While standing close to Paden, time was slowed for him, as well, and he could feel it.
Paden knew a few things about the passage of time, and how it could be slowed in different directions. The Ursegan waters allowed Teruo to remain alive for six thousand two hundred fifty-eight (6258) years by reducing the rate of the flow of time within himself very selectively: cellular decay was slowed, while blood flow and thought were kept operating at a normal pace. Teruo could extend this power of slowing the time flow to areas around himself, in the very same way that the Chroniclers of the Oath did by drinking the same Ursegan waters. This affect enabled them to observe fast moving events proceed more slowly, facilitating the recording of all that they could see. Paden benefited from Teruo working to extend the radius of the time slowing power, as this would give him slightly more reaction time. An assassin’s blade could not strike quite as suddenly during the temporal dilation, which might save him when Logres turned against him. Paden had no doubt the betrayal would occur for the right price. Telepathy might reveal the intention in time, but he wanted an extra layer of protection.
Paden then gestured to his crew to lower the boarding ramp and for fifty (50) of his combat troops – all drinkers of the Nabavodel waters and highly trained – to escort the assigned bank officers. The troops all drank anew of those waters from their vials to be energized with the powers of strength and speed. They readied their weapons – swords, daggers, throwing stars and crossbows.
The fifty (50) combat troops then led the way – followed by officers Carmelita, Zeta, Efisio and Logres – as they walked down the boarding ramp of the Second Consideration and stepped onto the damaged pier. From there, they carefully maneuvered around the gaps in the broken platform and then trekked onto Yihartec Island, where the bank officers began examining the ruins of the crystal city.
~~~
The Sandstone Cutter docked alongside a damaged pier on the eastern coast of Yihartec island. Everyone on board could see that another ship was already moored along the other side of the same broken pier.
Captain Arata stepped away from the ship’s wheel and pulled the lever to lower the anchor. He then exited the wheelhouse and walked out on deck.
Fantine and Niven stood on deck and waited for the captain to give clearance to leave the ship. The Chronicler Ximenez also stood nearby, watching and recording all that happened.
“It looks like we’re not the only people interested in finding the answer,” Niven said.
“Nor should we be the only people who find the correct answer. The city was shattered – worse than even the wall in Baradaxa – but the constructor was improved many times, and in many ways, between those projects,” Fantine said.
“It’s not your fault. I’m sure of that. But it was an awful disaster,” Niven said.
“I’m ready for a closer look. Can someone please lower the boarding ramp so I can go onto the island and inspect the site myself?” Fantine asked.
~~~
Paden watched from on board the Second Consideration as the other ship was docked. He gestured to thirty (30) of his combat troops and they surrounded him and Teruo. The troops escorted Paden and Teruo down the boarding ramp, moving cautiously across the damaged pier and to the side of the other ship.
“I request permission to come aboard, Captain,” Paden said. Teruo remained quietly by his side, slowing time for both of them.
~~~
On board the Sandstone Cutter, Captain Arata heard a person call out, asking for permission to board. He walked to the edge of the deck and made eye contact.
“And who might you be?” Captain Arata asked.
~~~
“Officer Paden, Loss Prevention and Fraud Investigator, of the central bank,” Paden said. He probed the captain’s mind and found no malice – only distrust, which was to be expected. Captain Arata’s thoughts revealed that he was afraid the central bank was planning on blaming Fantine for the city’s destruction, or even blaming him for helping her transport the constructor under some theory of accountability. Arata worried that if the central bank concluded that the loss of the city was the architect’s fault, the bankers would be quick to collect a debt, and life could become very difficult.
~~~
Captain Arata obligingly returned to the wheelhouse and pulled a lever to lower the boarding ramp. He walked back out on deck and said: “Permission granted.”
~~~
Escorted by his combat troops, Paden and Teruo walked up the boarding ramp of the Sandstone Cutter and met with the captain on deck.
“Thank you, Captain,” Paden said.
“Captain Arata,” the captain replied.
“Fantine, I can’t say that I’m surprised to see you,” Paden said, looking past the captain and facing the architect.
“Nor am I surprised to see the central bank sending its officers,” Fantine said.
“It’s good to see that you have personally come here to assume responsibility for your work,” Paden said.
“Have you already con
cluded that this is my fault?” Fantine asked. She was angry, and had no fear of this man or the implied threat. She knew the city’s destruction wasn’t her fault, and only needed to prove her competence and correctness to everyone else.
Paden probed Fantine’s mind and found what he did not expect to find, however. Her emotional composition was nearly as dead as that of any corpse. Fantine’s thoughts focused on architecture – design, construction and innovation. There was no love. There was no hope. There was no faith. There was no affection. There was no friendship. There was nothing but the desire to design, construct and innovate. Fantine’s mind was brilliant, but not arrogant. This was in contrast to what many accused her of. Arrogance was the flaw of thinking oneself better than others. Fantine simply believed – knew – that the purpose of life was to design and build. Whenever she was more competent than others in bending crystals and designing structures, then it was on her to do the job correctly, because the job had to be done. It wasn’t to prove herself better, boost her nonexistent ego or have others heap adulation upon her. She wouldn’t know what to do with praise. As long as people appreciated her design work, and benefited from it, Fantine was pleased. She would teach others, and what she could teach them was considerable, as long as they drank the Kazofen waters to be able to apply the knowledge to actually bending crystals. No one had ever loved this woman – not her parents, not her classmates, not her clients – except for the man named Niven standing next to her. And if they did love her, Fantine wouldn’t even care. This actually surprised Paden. His fear was that Fantine might actually be foolish enough to believe herself to be flawless, but he didn’t find that either. He could see that she had checked her designs many times and was ready to prove them correct. Again, there was the risk that a smart person could still make a mistake when designing or building something complicated: confidence was not the same as proof.
Paden further feared that Fantine would try to cover up or explain away her failings if it could be proved that the city’s destruction was due to her error and caused the deaths of others. Paden further probed Fantine’s mind and found more of what he never expected: nothing. The architect simply knew that she was not to blame, and focused entirely on proving just that point.