Ruin & Reliance

by Jeremy Dwyer

  “Your sister’s really tired. I had her lay down in another cabin and relieved her of duty until the baby is born. I want to make sure you get enough fresh air and exercise, so you better come with me now,” Captain Fausto said. He led her out of the cabin and they walked across the deck to his own cabin.

  While walking across the deck between cabins, Saraid looked around and saw that the ship was not under the open sky but inside of a cavern with boiling red rivers all around, giving off uncomfortable heat.

  Captain Fausto unlocked and opened the cabin door, escorted Saraid inside and then closed and locked the door.

  “That was exercise? Walking around in the heat? Where are we, anyway? Inside of some cave?” Saraid asked. She had been on board this ship before, but had never sailed to this location.

  “Don’t worry about it, girl,” Captain Fausto 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. He then removed the bloody dagger from a drawer in the desk and said: “Ralithos, Eternal King of All Mountains and Stones, I pray to you, move the mountain and open the gateway before us. Please, Mighty and Gracious King, accept these two (2) sacrifices as my offering.” He then plunged the dagger into Saraid repeatedly, killing her and the unborn child before the young mother-to-be could let out a single scream. After this, he returned the even-more-bloody dagger to the drawer in his desk. Fausto then rolled the corpse off of the bed and shoved it underneath, where it fell through a gap in the floorboards and into the dumping chamber.

  ~~~

  From under the cover of darkness, Laudine and Innokenti watched this latest horror and both of them seriously considered delivering this monster to justice at that very moment. At the first opportunity, Laudine thought, she would kill Captain Fausto.

  Innokenti was watching her thoughts and telepathically told her to wait for a bit longer, but that the time was coming, and he also eagerly awaited it.

  ~~~

  Janne watched and listened as a familiar opening formed in the side of the mountain, leading out of the cavern. The movement of the stone was welcome, as the heat within the cavern was overwhelming. She pulled levers to position the ship’s sails and masts for quick movement, then she steered the Calibrated Provisions through the opening and back out to where she could clearly see the many suns of the sky and breathe in fresh air. She could hear the sounds of the movement of stone behind her as the mountain sealed shut, but she didn’t wait around to watch it. Janne drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from her vial to be energized once again with the power to listen to the sounds of the stars. She sensed their positions and movement and charted her return course, which was not the reverse of the original course, but longer and having more branches. As per the usual requirements, she wrote this course into the captain’s log book. Janne then took the ship’s wheel and sailed ahead at full speed, following the many forks of the river and making a set of choices that took the vessel further westward, around the mountain rather than into it.

  Captain Fausto entered the wheelhouse and assisted Janne, occasionally giving her rest and steering the vessel himself. The Calibrated Provisions arrived at the western end of the forking river four (4) days later.

  Janne pulled levers to pivot the ship’s masts and sails to the sides, elevate it to one hundred twenty (120) feet of altitude and then travel over a forested region, returning to water level in the Ursegan Ocean along the western coast of the continent of Waderav.

  “Now, the most difficult part,” Janne said.

  “Just be extra careful and chart a true course. We have what we need so it’s time to make the delivery. The island was moved again. The current coordinates are fifty-five point seven eight one two five (55.78125) primalurens south latitude and seventy-five point two two zero nine five (75.22095) primalurens east longitude,” Captain Fausto said.

  Janne drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from her vial to listen to the sounds of the stars and gain updated information about their paths and positions. She used this information to chart the remainder of the course to those coordinates and then wrote that course onto the next blank page of the captain’s log book. The trick to this leg of the journey was managing time: the flow of time slowed and swirled throughout the Ursegan Ocean, so travel was challenging. It seemed, sometimes, as if she was moving quickly, but she wasn’t. At other times, she seemed to be traveling slowly, but she still arrived at the intended point in the ocean when she expected or even sooner. It made little sense, but the time waters ocean was beyond her control, so she accepted it.

  The Calibrated Provisions came to a stop near the coastline of an island, where sheer cliffs extended fifty-eight (58) feet above the sea level. They would not be visiting, only delivering their cargo – the yellow-green gems. This was the procedure, and they were all paid to follow it exactly.

  “Wait for me. I will make the delivery personally. We’ll leave when I get back,” Captain Fausto said.

  ~~~

  Captain Fausto left the wheelhouse and walked across the deck to his cabin. He unlocked and opened the door and entered. He then closed and locked the cabin door behind him. Inside the cabin, he took the satchel containing the one hundred ninety-six (196) yellow-green gems from the drawer in his desk. He unlocked and opened the cabin door, exited the cabin and then closed and locked the door behind him.

  While carrying the satchel, Captain Fausto walked to the edge of the deck of the Calibrated Provisions and gestured to his crew members to lower the boarding ramp. Once they did, he walked down to the bottom of the ramp and threw the satchel up and away from the ship. It left his hands and vanished from sight, carried by the mists of temporal energy that floated above the Ursegan Ocean.

  Captain Fausto then climbed back up the boarding ramp and onto the deck of the ship. He gestured for his crew to raise the ramp.

  ~~~

  After the boarding ramp was raised, Captain Fausto returned to the wheelhouse and said: “Janne, chart our course back.”

  Janne drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from her vial and was energized with the power to listen to the sounds of the stars. Again, she interpreted the sounds to learn the positions and paths of the many suns, and then used this information to plot a course to return to the Solkidian Trail. She wrote this course into a new blank page of the captain’s log book. Janne then sailed the Calibrated Provisions northward across the Ursegan Ocean until reaching a seaport along the central southern coast of the Bazavadoran Isthmus.

  ~~~

  From under the cover of darkness, Laudine wondered if this was the time to take revenge. Innokenti telepathically communicated with her, saying into her mind: “Their mission is done. I will take their star charts to remember the precise locations of the places where they found and delivered the yellow-green gems. The island moves, or so the captain claims, so the coordinates may not be useful for very long. After that, there is nothing more we can learn here. It is time for justice.”

  Innokenti then tore out the pages of the captain’s log book which held the various written star charts which Janne had created for this mission and placed those pages into his coat pocket.

  Laudine readied her dagger and thrust it into the eye sockets of Captain Fausto and Janne, then slashed their jugular veins. To convince herself that the monstrous captain and his accomplice were truly dead, she thrust the dagger repeatedly into their chest cavities. After that, she and Innokenti went out on deck and slashed to death every other member of the ship’s crew, including Sussman. To be certain that the Calibrated Provisions was never again used for such a mission of evil, Laudine used a flint and steel that she carried to set the ship ablaze. Once the fire started, she and Innokenti boarded a lifeboat and escaped to the seaport along the central southern coast of the Bazavadoran Isthmus where they hid in the docks, watching ships come and go.

  ~~~

  The spirits of Captain Fausto, Janne and Sussman all appeared in a dark
and confusing place, filled with fire and pain.

  “Where am I?” the spirit of Fausto asked.

  “What is this place?” the spirit of Janne asked.

  “Why is there fire?” the spirit of Sussman asked.

  “This is the Maelstrom Vengeance. It is a place of punishment for your evil works,” a deep and terrifying voice said.

  “Who are you?” the spirit of Fausto asked.

  “Why am I here?” the spirit of Janne asked.

  “What crime is there in doing my job?” the spirit of Sussman asked.

  “I am Gadamalto, the Master of Spirits in this realm. You are here for murdering the innocent and sacrificing them to a demon. You are all guilty – the captain and his willing, knowing crew, who hid their deeds in the darkness. You share condemnation, and will share the eternal pain,” the deep and terrifying voice said. Gadamalto tormented the spirits of Fausto, Janne and Sussman eternally, and they screamed as they were pierced with endless daggers which they could not see coming, such that the searing pain was compounded by surprise.

  ~~~

  In Depository Building Number Three Hundred Six, on Tilvonix Island in the Ursegan Ocean, Premier Governors Dustin and Kynthia waited as Premier Governor Enrichetta readied herself.

  Premier Governor Enrichetta drank anew of the waters of the Ursegan Ocean from her vial and was energized with the power to control the flow of time. She held out her hand through an open window of the building and twisted the temporal flow, and soon her empty hand was filled with the strap of a satchel, which fell – upward and sideways on the swirling mists of time – at a speed of her choosing. She opened the satchel and carefully counted the yellow-green gems within. “There are one hundred ninety-six (196) saraphakadite gems,” she said.

  “That is more than sufficient. Give me fifteen (15) of them – five (5) for each of us,” Premier Governor Kynthia said.

  Premier Governor Enrichetta removed fifteen (15) of the yellow-green gems from the satchel and handed them over.

  Premier Governor Kynthia drank anew of the waters of the Gradaken Ocean from her vial and was energized with the power to control plants and animals. She manipulated the organic material within the yellow-green saraphakadite gems to alter their structure in a particular way and then handed them over to Premier Governor Dustin.

  Premier Governor Dustin received the fifteen (15) modified saraphakadite gems and placed five (5) gems into each of three (3) separate vials that he held. “Earlier, I applied the virtuous cycle thirteen (13) times to my Kazofen waters to energize me enough to manipulate crystals perfectly. I then purified the Dead Waters in these vials so that the split will be highly effective. Just wait,” Dustin said.

  The Dead Waters within the three (3) vials each simmered, the saraphakadite gems dissolved, and then the potions released mists indicating that they were ready.

  Premier Governor Dustin handed over one (1) vial of the potion to each of his two (2) colleagues and kept the last vial for himself.

  Premier Governor Kynthia drank anew of her simmering potion of Dead Waters and felt immediately energized with all powers. She became more beautiful – literally radiant with light and comeliness – and felt strength and speed, along with the power of darkness. She even sensed the thoughts and feelings of her colleagues.

  Premier Governor Enrichetta drank anew of her simmering potion of Dead Water and felt likewise energized, becoming both light and darkness, strong and fast, beautiful and wise, and she probed the thoughts of Premier Governor Dustin, learning that he was not trustworthy and planned to betray her personally.

  Premier Governor Dustin created an aperture in the diamond armor around his mouth and drank his simmering potion of Dead Waters through it. He felt all of the powers of all of the waters flow through him, including the power of telepathy. He immediately took hold of the mind of Premier Governor Enrichetta and learned that she had detected his plans to betray. He erased her very memory of that, and then blocked his own thoughts from further probing.

  “For now, we can depend on these extended powers, and not be limited to the powers given by the particular ocean waters to which we are bound. Yet, the powers still fade too quickly. We have enough finished gems to share our supply twelve (12) more times,” Premier Governor Dustin said.

  “That isn’t enough, if they are expended as quickly as before,” Premier Governor Enrichetta said.

  “More saraphakadite gems are being prepared, so there is no need to be concerned,” Premier Governor Kynthia said.

  “They take two (2) years to prepare. That is too slow,” Premier Governor Enrichetta said.

  “We will have to conserve our extended powers until then. It is ironic, however, that you have so little patience for the passage of time, given your Ursegan waterbinding, Premier Governor Enrichetta,” Premier Governor Dustin said.

  “Patience is for the eternal. We are long-lived, but still mortal, Premier Governor Dustin,” Premier Governor Enrichetta said.

  “Bickering wastes our energies, as does worrying. We have work to do. Perhaps we can extend the effect of the saraphakadite, with some careful study. I’ve been examining its organic properties for quite some time, and I gain new insights each time I work with it,” Premier Governor Kynthia said.

  CHAPTER 11: Monitoring of Operations and Personnel

  The headquarters of the Jenaldej Empire Resource Monitoring and Environmental Scouting Corps was in the grand – and carefully concealed – castle located in the center of the continent of Revod. Director Shirong worked alone in his office in the central tower within that castle. He drank anew of the water of the Medathero Ocean from his vial to be energized with the power of calm, rational thought. Thus prepared, he carefully reviewed numerous books with systems of equations describing the resource allocation models, the population and their waterbindings and economic forecasts. Some of the books contained data from previous years, and the deviations of actual data from projected values based on earlier economic and resource allocation models. Shirong made his own calculations, and defined his own models, based on even earlier data, and found the economic models within the books to be deficient.

  ~~~

  The Incisive – in its airship configuration with its sailwings extended – landed on dry ground in an empty field. Admiral Tiede turned to his crew and said: “Remain with the Incisive. I will visit the director personally and give my report.”

  Admiral Tiede then pulled a lever to lower the vessel’s boarding ramp and disembarked. He walked forward through the empty field and – after several steps – he disappeared from the sight of his crew. A grand castle suddenly appeared before him, with an open gateway. He stepped through it and walked along its straight hallways and diagonal crosswalks leading from the outermost ring of the grand castle to the innermost ring. Telepaths lined the corridors – along with unseen guards – and probed his mind, learning his report and his intentions. They relayed Tiede’s thoughts ahead of him, so that the Director would know the Admiral’s report before he arrived. Tiede’s winding path through the grand castle’s passages brought him to the ground floor of the central tower. He climbed the spiral staircase and arrived at the top floor, finding the door already half-opened for him.

  “Admiral Tiede, please come into my office and receive your assignment,” Director Shirong said from within the room.

  Admiral Tiede entered the room and closed the door behind him. “Director Shirong, I await your orders,” he said.

  “Admiral Gabrielle Ramalaxis – a Medathero water drinker – was a former officer of the Jenaldej Empire’s Navy, seventy-five thousand two hundred ninety-three (75293) years ago. She was telepathically commanded to resign and join the Ihalik Empire’s Navy. Therein, she was to gain control over their naval and commercial fleet operations, thus increasing our situational awareness, while maintaining their competence. Her primary purpose was to detect and report on the design, manufacture, enchantment and exchange of crystal-encased spirits. She led the Iha
lik fleets into conflicts in the Zovvin Ocean, and her telepathic programming would doubtless have made her commit to memory all encounters – even seemingly minor details – as well as the locations of these encounters. Gabrielle Ramalaxis has, I am confident, a valuable store of information that only a properly trained telepath could extract. The information will have been memorized using a cipher, requiring a numeric key to sensibly decipher. Your first instruction is to send a telepath – Agent Reuven – to return Admiral Ramalaxis here,” Director Shirong said.

  “What is my second order, Director Shirong?” Admiral Tiede asked.

  “Mathematics is an ocean of understanding and discovery. No matter which ocean water we drink, each of us can learn to navigate the sea of postulates, theorems and equations that define the mathematical universe, though some are far more capable of making this voyage and discovering hidden islands of truth than are others. The Medathero waters amplify this ability, but they do not guarantee correctness. Some mistakes have been detected in the economic models, so I am displeased with the performance of several of our resource coordinators. In the eastern region, that would be Nathan, who is a Medathero drinker. Additionally, Prince Trahaearn is a Gradaken drinker, and he should be more capable with respect to the management of farmland. These errors are not catastrophic, yet they indicate a weakening ability to forecast our future needs through careful resource allocation. I have a suspicion – though it is not particularly strong, it is still worth considering – that they may have come under the influence of malevolent spirits in the wake of the occupation by King Xander. They have a military leader – General Joshua – who is a man of integrity, no doubt, yet he is not shrewd in these matters and would be unable to detect errors in resource allocation. If these officers were treacherous – which I do not presently suspect – I have deployed telepaths with a high sensitivity for detecting the intent to commit treason. If they are merely incompetent – even mildly so – that deficiency can be addressed in other ways, whether by increased water purity, retraining in mathematical modeling skills, addition of supporting officers or demotion. Your second instruction is to dispatch Agent Cheveyo to monitor their decisions, to be sure they are not presently being misled by spiritual influences,” Director Shirong said.