by Jeremy Dwyer
“What have I done to offend you, my lady? Please tell me that I may suffer a just punishment and atone for the wrongdoing,” the emaciated woman – Torhilda – asked. She was fifty-six (56) years old and deeply envious of Lunete, but also fearful of the woman.
“Your wrongdoing is just being you – as disgusting as you are. My beauty brings men to this castle for a good purpose. Your hideousness will chase them away before my good purpose can be fulfilled. That is why you must never be seen by them. My next husband is waiting…somewhere,” Lunete said.
“I apologize for my unpleasant appearance, my lady,” Torhilda said.
“Go on your way and organize my belongings, Torhilda. I have no time to tend to my library: that is your responsibility. And put away this latest wedding portrait,” Lunete said. She handed over the lightkeeper crystal containing the image of herself and the most recently murdered groom.
“Yes, my lady,” Torhilda said as she accepted the lightkeeper crystal.
~~~
Torhilda exited the room and walked through the hallway toward the southwestern tower. She unlocked the door with a master key, opened the door and entered. She then closed and locked the door behind her. Torhilda then crossed to the other side of that tower. From there, she unlocked and opened the door, closing and locking it behind her. She walked through the hallway to the southeastern tower. She unlocked and opened that door, closing and locking it behind her. Torhilda then climbed the stairs to the third floor and entered the library, a circular room that was seventy-eight (78) feet in diameter. The walls were lined with eleven (11) rows of shelves, separated by five (5) feet of height. A rolling ladder was linked to a track in the shelves and allowed her to navigate the library’s holdings.
On each shelf of the library were boxes containing lightkeeper crystals, in which were stored images containing various bits of information. Torhilda had a single job, which was to catalog and organize it all. Besides filing away the lightkeeper crystals holding the images of Lunete’s many weddings, Torhilda had standing orders to search for something of interest to the lady of the castle, although the madwoman didn’t seem to know what it was. Torhilda had been working here for forty-one (41) years and still hadn’t figured out what interested Lunete.
Torhilda slid the ladder and climbed it to the third shelf, where she filed away this latest lightkeeper crystal with all the rest of the wedding portraits. Before placing it into its box, she peered into the crystal to see the man who married Lunete for just a moment. She longed to have intimate relations with even a single man depicted in the facets of any of those gems: even in death, they were more handsome than any man Torhilda thought she could ever hope to marry.
When Torhilda was fourteen (14), she was immensely unattractive. Her mother and father told her that beauty was a curse and would only lure boys who had the worst intentions. It would be better, they said, for her to take a Zovvin waterbinding and commune with the spirits and learn the higher truths, for everyone eventually dies and would need to be prepared with knowledge of the afterlife so as to cope with its challenges. The spirit world was much more crucial, according to them, and they urged her to resist the temptations of the Trerada waters. She believed them at the time, but regretted her waterbinding ever since. No lover had ever come her way, and she doubted that any sober man would ever consent to be intimate with her. Instead, she served as a medium to spirits, and sought guidance. An unlucky encounter with a wicked fortune teller led to her captivity until she was fifteen (15). Her service to Lunete was the result of being bought and sold by many different slave owners until arriving here. The library work was interesting, although Lunete was a cruel and insolent woman. Torhilda accepted this fate as no better or worse than her life before, in Waderav, where she was first enslaved.
She drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from her vial and was energized with the power to commune with spirits. She reached into the spirit world to ask for guidance, mostly to find a man willing to befriend her. It never worked, but she tried at least thrice a year. This time, a message came to her, speaking directly into her spirit, saying: “You have been betrayed! You have been cheated! Now is your time to claim what is rightly yours. You could have it all. You could have it now. The knowledge! The power! None of it belongs to her. Take the crystals and gaze into them. All that you see shall be yours! Just tell me what you see!”
~~~
“Do not ever betray Lady Lunete! I’ll kill you if you try!” a voice said from the darkness.
~~~
Torhilda recognized the voice and was suddenly afraid. “Rufino! Why are you here? Show yourself, at least. When you speak from the darkness you always startle me. I’m an old woman,” she said. She couldn’t see him because he was accompanied by one of Lunete’s dark scouts. However, she knew that Rufino was a powerful telepath who was completely loyal to Lunete, for some reason or another.
~~~
“I’m wherever I need to be. Anyone who makes plans against Lady Lunete will be destroyed. You can’t hide your thoughts from me,” the voice of Rufino said, though he was still hidden in the darkness.
~~~
“I’ve been loyal to Lady Lunete these forty-one (41) years that I served in her castle. Why do you need to threaten me? You’ve only been here for nine (9) years. You know very little. Telepathy doesn’t reveal everything about me. You have almost no understanding of an old woman,” Torhilda said.
~~~
From under the cover of darkness, Rufino drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from his vial to be further energized with the powers of telepathy. He then mentally signaled to the dark scout standing next to him to ease his powers of darkness.
~~~
Two (2) men appeared from out of the cover of darkness. The first was a tall and wiry man. Next to him stood a shorter, wide-bodied man wearing heavy armor, carrying many daggers on his belt and holding a pair of short swords in his hands.
“You wanted to see me, Torhilda? Here I am. Did you forget that I am always on guard against disloyalty?” the tall and wiry man – Rufino – said. He was thirty-four (34) years old and fiercely loyal to Lady Lunete. He telepathically signaled to the dark scout to seize the woman.
The dark scout merely obeyed and grabbed Torhilda by the throat and slammed her old body to the ground.
“Why! How dare you! No!!!” Torhilda screamed. She bled from the ripped skin on her knees.
“Lady Lunete trusts you to be the caretaker of this library. I’ve read your thoughts, Torhilda. I know your intention to steal the knowledge within it. Horrible things will happen to you if you so much as try. You will never leave here. I will sense your intentions and kill you before you exit this castle. Day and night, I am watching your thoughts,” Rufino said.
“By threatening and beating me and everyone else you distrust, you will destroy the morale throughout this castle. Then, everyone will come to resent Lunete and betray her. That will be your fault, Rufino,” Torhilda said.
“You exaggerate, old woman. Make no plans to leave. And make no plans against Lady Lunete. Whoever your friend is in the spirit world can’t be trusted. And they can’t save you from me. Do not place your trust in spirits. They like to trick people, and the fools who believe them will die,” Rufino said.
Rufino telepathically signaled to the dark scout his next instructions. The heavily armed and armored man then drank anew of the waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean from his vial to be energized with the power of darkness. The dark scout then exerted his power to cloak himself and Rufino. They vanished from sight and Torhilda didn’t know where they could be standing. However, she didn’t hear them leave, so she wasn’t safe yet.
~~~
Duke Lodovico led his troops to the coast and boarded his fleet of ships. The ten thousand (10000) troops boarded forty (40) frigates, each holding two hundred fifty (250) soldiers. The vessels were one hundred ninety (190) feet in length and had three (3) pairs of pivoting, double-masted sails. Navigators
on board each vessel drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from their vials and were energized. The duke signaled to each of his captains to order the navigators to set sail for Mezkarilith Island in the Dead Waters Ocean. The navigators listened to the sounds of the stars and charted the course. The forty (40) ships each set sail, heading north across the Gradaken Ocean until reaching the eastern tip of the continent of Volaraden. From there, they were converted to their airship configurations, elevated to one hundred twenty (120) feet of altitude and steered across the narrow strip of land, returning to sea level in the Dead Waters Ocean. From there, they sailed westward toward Mezkarilith Island.
When his flagship reached Mezkarilith Island, Duke Lodovico waited for his other vessels to dock. Boarding ramps were lowered and one hundred (100) soldiers from each ship went ashore. Duke Lodovico himself went ashore, with Camillo by his side.
“Drink up. Then march on this castle,” Duke Lodovico said. He and the four thousand (4000) soldiers on the shore all drank anew of the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean from their vials and were energized with the powers of speed and strength. They marched toward the castle and stood at the entrance to the southwestern tower.
~~~
Within the castle of Lunete of Bazavador, spies saw the approaching soldiers and hurried to the side of Lunete, who was within the northwestern tower.
“My lady, an army of four thousand (4000) men stands outside our southwestern tower,” one of her spies said, whispering from under the cover of darkness.
“Good. Bring their leader to me,” Lunete said.
“An army that large must be led by a brave man. I have high hopes for this man, my lady,” Kauko said.
“So do I, Kauko. So do I,” Lunete said.
~~~
The spy hurried away, still under the cover of darkness, and used several keys to unlock the heavy stone and metal gate that exited the southwestern tower, leading outside the castle.
~~~
Rufino telepathically sensed the presence of the army outside the castle walls and mentally signaled to the dark scout to go with him and protect Lady Lunete. They would remain hidden as her private guard.
~~~
Outside the castle’s southwestern tower, Duke Lodovico was astonished to see the door to the tower open before him. Eleven (11) guards stepped out from under the cover of darkness and bowed down before Duke Lodovico. The castle guards stood up and one of them said: “Lady Lunete of Bazavador welcomes you, brave leader. What is your name?”
“I am Duke Lodovico,” he said.
“Lady Lunete offers no resistance. Enter at will, Duke Lodovico,” one of the castle guards said.
Duke Lodovico found this suspicious, and then gestured toward his troops to go forward. He was willing to fight, but not to walk blindly into an assassination attempt. He had no time for that.
One hundred fifty (150) of his soldiers rushed the tower entrance and were quickly slaughtered by warriors wielding blades in the darkness.
“Only Duke Lodovico, the brave leader, is welcome. His courage is his defense. Or is there something you fear?” one of the castle guards asked.
“Do you think me so foolish as to walk into this trap? I am not afraid of anything, not even death. I simply don’t have time for it. There are many lands awaiting my conquest. You’re the next on my list, but not the last,” Duke Lodovico said.
“I bid you welcome, Duke Lodovico. Only you,” one of the castle guards said.
Duke Lodovico gestured and another three hundred (300) of his troops stormed the tower entrance and were swiftly killed by warriors wielding blades in the darkness.
“There are no exceptions, Duke Lodovico. The invitation is only to you,” the castle guard said.
~~~
Duke Lodovico walked forward and entered the castle tower, and no blade touched him.
The castle guards closed and locked the gate, then led Duke Lodovico through the halls and into the northwestern tower.
“Lady Lunete, this is Duke Lodovico. He has accepted your gracious invitation,” one of the castle guards said.
“It is my pleasure, my lady,” Duke Lodovico said.
“The pleasure is all mine, Duke Lodovico. You are a brave leader of warriors. We are to be wed, today,” Lunete said.
“Yes, we are to be wed. This is a place of great power, and you are to be mine, as is this castle,” Duke Lodovico said.
“Our wedding will begin the transfer of power. Follow me,” Lunete said.
~~~
Torhilda heard movement, even though she couldn’t see the people in motion. The sounds of footsteps receded, so she knew that Rufino and the dark scout had exited the library.
She didn’t know how to respond to the abuse she had just suffered, though it wasn’t the first time Rufino had used violence to intimidate her. She was angry that she had been mistreated and misled for so long. She desired to have more in life: so much more. The temptation was growing to listen to the spirit voice she heard moments ago. Lunete didn’t deserve her loyalty: of that much, Torhilda was sure. But if she stole something and was caught, her fate could be terrible at the hands of that madwoman and her henchmen. Rufino was every bit as cruel as Lunete, and he had several dark scouts to support him in that. When he returned, he would probe her thoughts and learn of any disobedience that might have occurred.
Torhilda felt movement in the spirit world nearby, as hundreds of soldiers fell to their doom and their spirits exited their flesh. She knew that something significant was underway. She decided that the moment was at hand for her to lay her claim to the wealth of information in this castle library. Using her knowledge gained from years of organization of the lightkeeper crystals, she climbed the ladder to the top shelf and began searching for the boxes containing the crystals with the most densely packed information, having the images of the pages of many books within their facets. These were the most likely to contain secrets of great value. She peered into the facets of the crystals, looking for information about inherited wealth. She found recipes for potions for healing various injuries, or for causing them, although these things were dangerous. A potion to improve her appearance or restore her youth would be most appreciated, but the information was complex, scattered and varied. Torhilda opened box after box looking for something that could improve her own life.
~~~
Duke Lodovico followed Lunete up the stairs to the highest room in the northwestern tower, and Kauko followed both of them. The room was pentagonal, seventy-eight (78) feet wide and eleven (11) feet in height. At the far side of the room was a large bed.
“Kauko will preside over the wedding. First, however, I must prepare myself for our lovemaking to consummate the marriage,” Lunete said. She drank anew of the waters of the Ursegan Ocean from her vial and was energized with the power to slow time.
“As must I,” Duke Lodovico said. He drank anew of the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean from his vial and was energized with the powers of strength and speed. He was uncomfortable being separated from his soldiers and he wanted this formality to proceed quickly. It all seemed to be a waste of time, and the benefits were not yet proven.
“Kauko, prepare yourself to conduct the wedding ceremony,” Lunete said.
“Yes, my lady,” Kauko said. He drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from his vial and was energized with the power to connect to the spirit world.
Lunete then slowed time around her to a crawl. She drew a dagger from her sleeve and proceeded to dismember Duke Lodovico before he had a chance to react. She began by cutting off his fingers. Then, she sliced off his hands, arms and legs. Last of all, she cut off his head.
“He was a brave man,” Lunete said.
Kauko reached into the spirit world and contacted a familiar entity, who then assisted with the transition, escorting the spirit of Duke Lodovico to its destination.
~~~
From under the cover of darkness, Rufino and the dark scout watched the entire ceremony. Rufino h
oped to be the final husband of Lady Lunete: the groom who lived. Her beauty drove him wild.
~~~
The spirit of Duke Lodovico found itself confined in a strange realm that was a deep shade of blue. He was weak and restful, having none of his former strength, speed, anger or desire. His energy nearly completely left him, and he did not have any understanding of what this meant.
~~~
“The ceremony is complete, my lady,” Kauko said.
“Leave me be, so that I may take our wedding portrait. It’s a private moment, for just the bride and the groom,” Lunete said.
“Yes, my lady,” Kauko said and he left the bedroom. He closed the door behind him and walked down the stairs to the first floor of the northwestern tower.
~~~
Once she saw that she was alone in the bedroom – not aware of Rufino, who was hiding in the darkness – Lady Lunete arranged the severed limbs and head of Duke Lodovico on the bedroom floor. She then held up a blank lightkeeper crystal to the window and the light of the many suns shone through, capturing an image of her standing next to the dismembered body of Duke Lodovico.
Lunete looked into the lightkeeper crystal to admire this latest wedding portrait and was aghast: both her image, and the image of the slaughtered groom, were partially obscured by a shadowy form. “I am a beautiful bride. I deserve a perfect portrait on my wedding day. This is a disgrace,” she said.
~~~
Torhilda found a particular lightkeeper crystal containing information that was quite startling. It told the story of the kaiyoyad tree, which had the most remarkable sap. When the sap is taken from the tree and baked in lava flowing inside of a volcano, it creates a yellow-green gem called saraphakadite. This gem can be altered by carefully molding it, so as to suddenly release the power of the Dead Waters, and give all powers to those who drink of their energetic mists.
This was it. This was the greatest secret she could have ever imagined. Now, she had it.
The spirit that had contacted Torhilda before now entered into her – violently – and learned her secret. This same spirit then drew her into the spirit world – body and soul, including the lightkeeper crystal she held in her hands – and carried her across the spirit domain into a place far away.