by Jeremy Dwyer
~~~
Caemgen crossed the bridge spanning the moat and leading to the main entrance of the castle. He was followed by Captain Duvall, who was still holding Goyo prisoner.
Caemgen tapped the knocker on the castle’s large main door and it was opened by a male guard who was wearing full chainmail armor and carrying a longsword. Three (3) more guards were visible behind that first guard, all brandishing crossbows.
The Chronicler then said: “I am Caemgen, Chronicler of four hundred twenty-six (426) years. Under the authority of the Oath, I demand entrance into this castle.”
Behind Caemgen, Captain Duvall said: “I am Captain Duvall, sent by order of King Hamza Bazavador, with a message to Baron Amidio. I insist that I be allowed to enter the castle and personally deliver the message to the baron.”
The first guard said: “Come in. The baron will see you both.”
Caemgen entered the castle, just behind the first guard.
Captain Duvall pushed Goyo ahead of him as he entered the castle, just behind Caemgen.
~~~
Under the cover of false light, Derek entered the castle, alongside Caemgen, but sight unseen. He heard the door close behind him.
~~~
The first guard led Caemgen and Captain Duvall – and, with him, still-bound Goyo – into the throne room.
Baron Amidio was seated on his throne, with thirty (30) visible guards standing around him, and many more unseen.
“Baron Amidio, my lord, this Chronicler – Caemgen – insisted that he be admitted to your castle. This man, Captain Duvall, says he was sent by King Hamza Bazavador, with a message for you,” the first guard said.
“Goyo, I see you were captured. That is very disappointing. I hope that you bring at least some good news, though I doubt it,” Baron Amidio said.
“Show him,” Captain Duvall said and he removed the cuffs binding Goyo’s arms.
Goyo held up his arms, revealing that his hands had been cut off. “I failed you, my lord,” he said.
“You have no value to me, Goyo. Before I have you executed for being a useless cripple, do you have anything to say for yourself?” Baron Amidio asked.
“I beg your mercy, my lord, that you find a use for me, in some small way. I still wish to serve,” Goyo said.
“You are pathetic, Goyo. Your death is moments away. First, however, I want to know: what is this message you have for me, Captain Duvall? Your presence here makes no sense to me. What does King Hamza Bazavador have to say?” Baron Amidio asked.
“King Hamza Bazavador knows that you sent Goyo to seize land in Waderav owned by him. He also knows that you directed Goyo to make the assassination attempt against him. You are to send a courier back to His Majesty, with a signed acknowledgement that you received this message. Failure to do so will be interpreted as your intention to steal his land and threaten his life, so he will deploy an army against you,” Captain Duvall said.
“I sent Goyo to the central bank to alter the land deed. Are you telling me that the central bank does not hold title to the land I want? Are you saying that the territory actually belongs to King Hamza Bazavador? In that case, I have no interest in that land. I will find other territories to conquer, soon enough. And I certainly have no interest in making war against the king. He was never a target of mine,” Baron Amidio said.
“Then sign an acknowledgement of this and return it by courier to King Hamza Bazavador. In this way, and this way only, can conflict be averted,” Captain Duvall said.
“That shall be arranged, Captain,” Baron Amidio said.
Caemgen recorded all of this into his book. He was confident that a battle was coming, and Baron Amidio would likely initiate it, because he did not trust the baron’s words or his tone of voice. This private notion of his, however, was not written into his book, because it was not fact, only supposition.
~~~
Erikkos and Kastor booked passage on a vessel sailing along a river that wound through the interior of the Bazavadoran Isthmus. They disembarked from the riverboat in a port town lying just outside the western edge of a circular clearing. Armed guards could be seen at their posts at the edge of the clearing, where they were defending the castle of eleven (11) towers that stood in the center. Kastor and Erikkos mixed in with the townspeople and watched the guards from a distance.
“The guards we see may be vastly outnumbered by the guards we don’t see,” Kastor said.
“Can you delay them seeing us so that we can get into the castle?” Erikkos asked.
“Perhaps. That depends on the unseen defenses, however. If there are telepaths, it is more difficult, though not impossible, to guard against their probing. Thoughts can be slowed, selectively, to prevent detection. This is a difficult technique, and is not always successful,” Kastor said.
Erikkos drank anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean from his vial to be energized with the powers of music and sound. “I have my own way to handle this sort of situation. If you cannot get us into the castle, then I will. Just bring us close enough, sight unseen, and I will take us the rest of the way,” he said.
Kastor drank anew of the waters of the Ursegan Ocean from his vial to be energized with the power to slow the passage of time. He exerted this power and encompassed both himself and Erikkos. Light did not reach them, and they stepped forward, just above the ground, because the vertical passage of time was slowed such that they moved forward more quickly than they fell downward. Together, Erikkos and Kastor entered the clearing and approached the castle, sight unseen by the hundreds of visible armed guards, who were wielding crossbows and short swords.
When he and Kastor were close enough to the castle, standing only fifty (50) feet away from its westernmost tower, Erikkos began to sing:
I have traveled far, across oceans vast,
To succeed where many others have failed.
I will decipher clues from the distant past,
Until all suppressed truths are unveiled.
All that you have, all that you know,
Is soon to be revealed to me.
All that you hide, I will force you to show.
This is the end of secrecy.
(Refrain)
I will tear down every castle wall,
Then remove the proud kings from their thrones.
I will enter every hallowed hall,
Then read the secrets written on their stones.
I have discovered mountains cloaked in false light.
By illusions I cannot be confused.
My music expands my view beyond sight.
I pursue knowledge and will not be refused.
Even constellations of ancient skies,
Give me guidance to my destination.
You cannot distract or halt me with your lies.
I will destroy you without hesitation.
(Refrain)
I have studied scrolls and spoken with sages,
To regain obscure wisdom from ancient days.
I will collect more books and delve into their pages.
No precious mystery shall escape my gaze.
I prevailed over the warrior’s strength and speed.
By the cloak of darkness, I could not be cheated.
Your empty threats I will neither fear nor heed.
My prize is knowledge. I will not be defeated.
(Refrain)
Kastor watched with admiration as the eleven (11) castle towers and walls began to shake and crumble under the power of the song Erikkos was performing. While he feared detection by telepaths, he was now quite confident in the power of the music. In fact, he felt it was too powerful. He whispered to Erikkos: “Please, my friend, spare some part of the castle, that we may explore its ruins.”
~~~
Inside his castle’s throne room, King Hamza Bazavador heard the powerful song and felt the walls shake violently. Stones began to fall and Dubaku probed the thoughts of those around him. A stone fell, crushing and killing Dubaku.
King Hamza Bazavador
drank anew of the waters of the Ursegan Ocean from his vial and was energized with the power to slow the passage of time. He used this power to give himself the opportunity to avoid the falling debris.
Judith drank anew of the waters of the Ursegan Ocean from her vial to be energized with the power to slow the passage of time. She heard the song, felt the room shake and watched as the stones fell from the ceiling. She recorded all of this into her book, including the death of the man named Dubaku.
~~~
From the spirit world, the Guardian Angel Ondothel continued watching over Judith. He protected her from harm while she performed her duty under the Oath inside the crumbling castle. Even as the stones fell, no debris spilled onto the pages of her book.
~~~
Outside, the hundreds of armed guards left their posts and ran toward the crumbling castle to rescue their endangered king within.
~~~
Still under the cover of Kastor’s time slowing power, Erikkos modulated his voice and ensured that the towers and walls fell down upon the approaching guards, killing them before they could become a hindrance. When no more guards could be seen or heard moving around, he eased his powers and ended the song.
Kastor and Erikkos then chose the widest of several breaches that the music made in the castle walls and entered through that new opening. A careful walk through a crumbling hallway – which was littered with the corpses of guards and castle attendants, all of whom were crushed by fallen stones – brought them to a staircase. They climbed the steps, which led to an upper room of a tower, and found their way into the throne room. Inside were King Hamza Bazavador and a Chronicler of the Oath.
Kastor approached the king and then eased his powers to slow time so that he and Erikkos reappeared. Kastor then exerted the power of his violet eyes, looked directly into the eyes of King Hamza Bazavador and commanded him, saying: “Obey me, helpless king. Reveal to me your secrets. Show to me the knowledge within your library.”
Judith watched as this pair of men appeared from under some power of concealment, and she recorded all of the events into her book, including the command that the first man gave to the king. “I am Judith, Chronicler of twelve hundred forty-five (1245) years. Under the authority of the Oath, I will be coming with you, to observe and record,” she said.
“You are of no concern to us, Chronicler. Observe as you please,” Erikkos said.
King Hamza Bazavador had no will to resist, so he led Kastor through the halls of the castle, into another tower. Erikkos followed, as did Judith. They climbed over the bodies of more guards and attendants, all crushed by fallen stones from the fractured castle walls.
Judith recorded notes into her book, enumerating and describing the victims. She counted nineteen (19) dead attendants and two hundred sixty-eight (268) dead guards on her short walk through hallways and up and down various staircases.
King Hamza Bazavador led them all into the castle’s library. Once inside, he then stood and waited, still in a trance.
Judith scanned the circular room, which was twenty-two (22) feet in diameter. She saw that books filled the shelves along the walls, going up to a height of eleven (11) feet.
Erikkos and Kastor then examined the books, which opened to reveal boxes of lightkeeper crystals. They gazed into the facets of the gems to learn the secrets they held.
Judith did the same, only because it was a Chronicler’s duty and privilege to observe all things. She learned what the other men learned by peering over their shoulders and recording the knowledge into her book. She also examined several other lightkeeper crystals. Most of what she learned from the images they contained merely documented the history of corruption throughout Waderav and the central bank’s fraud and manipulation of markets throughout the world. She found charts of the many stars of the ancient sky, including three (3) violet giant stars and six (6) grand indigo suns that brought the most lethal of all infernos. Judith also caught sight of images – in the facets of these lightkeeper crystals – that proposed a theory about the energetic cores of several green suns having fallen to the ground and being buried. She recorded the information as merely being transcribed, but she did not assume any of it to be true, because the history of the Bazavadoran bloodline was mired in secrecy and disinformation.
“I found what I wanted,” Erikkos said.
“Perhaps, but did you find all that you wanted?” Kastor asked.
“Certainly not everything, my friend. We should take our time and study everything here,” Erikkos said.
“I cannot control the king for much longer. One (1) or two (2) days at most. When he awakens, he will act against us, or attempt to deceive us,” Kastor said.
“Then kill the king. We have no further use for him,” Erikkos said.
Kastor drew a dagger from his belt and pierced the heart of King Hamza Bazavador, ending his life.
“This castle still stands, despite the severe damage done by my song. We should spend as much time here as possible and gather all the knowledge we can,” Erikkos said.
“Our ship will not remain in port for long. The captain will eventually awaken from his own trance,” Kastor said.
“If he is gone when we return, we can take another ship,” Erikkos said.
“The Chronicler will learn all that we learn,” Kastor said.
“She is forbidden from interfering by the Oath, so she can do nothing with the knowledge. I am not concerned,” Erikkos said.
“Yes, but she may report our findings back to Emeth, and thus share valuable knowledge most profitably reserved for us alone,” Kastor said.
“We can’t let that limit our choices. She’ll do as she must and keep the tenets of the Oath. We will do as we please and keep our freedom,” Erikkos said.
Judith recorded all of this into her book and became troubled by their evil ways and intentions. She folded her hands, knelt down on the ground and prayed to the One True God for guidance. She knew that it was her mission to remain with these dangerous people and record their misdeeds for a while longer, rather than going back to Emeth to report the events right away.
CHAPTER 26: Obsessions with Stones and Stars
In the continent of Nataloridivu, at the base of the hallowed hill, stood the castle of the Warm and Beloved Children of the Many Suns. The granite structure consisted of nine (9) walls, each one hundred forty (140) feet long and thirty-six (36) feet in height and thickness. At each of the corners was an identical tower, standing sixty-three (63) feet high and measuring sixteen (16) feet in diameter.
In the westernmost tower, at the fifth floor, the sixty-one (61) year old Duchess Esteri sat on her bed, wearing only thin blue robes along with a blue crown having red stones embedded in it.
Captain Porfirio sat next to her on the bed. While massaging her shoulders, he said: “You are not an old woman, Esteri. I can still feel the strength in you.”
“I am too tired and weak to make love again, Captain Porfirio. It is all that I can do to keep my eyes open,” Duchess Esteri said.
“Only a month ago, we were close. Your grip was firm and we enjoyed each other’s touch. We had the strength to keep together for a half an hour,” Captain Porfirio said.
“Yes, we did, Captain. I enjoyed being with you, and having you in me. But I am much weaker now. The sickness has taken even my strength to make love,” Duchess Esteri said.
“I don’t want you to become so weak. You are still so young,” Captain Porfirio said.
“I am sixty-one (61) years old. For an Atrejan drinker, that is not young. Only an Ursegan water drinker could call that young,” Duchess Esteri said.
“We have to find a cure for this disease. I can sail to the Provincial Isles and look for an herbal remedy,” Captain Porfirio said.
“No, Captain. The herbalists cannot help me,” Duchess Esteri said.
“I love you, Esteri. I will sail day and night to find a cure,” Captain Porfirio said.
“I need your love. Yet, if I am to be cured, then we
need to have faith in the suns,” Duchess Esteri said.
“Even faith requires action,” Captain Porfirio said.
“Faith must come first, so that we know what actions are required of us. Kneel down on the floor, take my hands and pray with me. Perhaps the Sky’s Nine Kings will bless me with healing,” Duchess Esteri said.
Captain Porfirio knelt down on the floor and took hold of Duchess Esteri’s hands while she sat on the bed.
Duchess Esteri 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. Captain Porfirio drank the Atrejan waters from his own vial to be likewise energized.
“Illuminate me. Elevate me. Set ablaze my spirit. This I ask the seventy (70). To the Sky’s Nine Kings, I pray. Heal me, end my sickness this hour and day,” Duchess Esteri said. She closed her eyes and concentrated.
Captain Porfirio looked in her eyes for a sign of renewal.
After five (5) minutes, Duchess Esteri said: “The stars have spoken to me, Captain. I feel different.”
“Yes? What was the message? Are you healed?” Captain Porfirio asked.
“Come closer, Captain,” Duchess Esteri said.
Captain Porfirio stood up and sat on the bed, close to Duchess Esteri.
Duchess Esteri kissed Captain Porfirio and said: “No. I feel worse. I am going to die tonight.”
“No! We prayed to the stars!” Captain Porfirio said.
“Do not be angry, Captain Porfirio. The many suns grant us eternal life, but not in this world. I will always love you, even after leaving here. I am deathly ill, but you are still a healthy man,” Duchess Esteri said.
“I don’t want to be healthy when you are so ill. I want to die with you. I’ve loved you always, and I want to be with you, always,” Captain Porfirio said.
“No, Captain. You still have work to do,” Duchess Esteri said.
“Why? Why can’t I live in peace with the love of my life? Why can’t we go into eternity together?” Captain Porfirio asked.
“You need to hear the message from the many suns, Captain,” Duchess Esteri said.