Ruin & Reliance

by Jeremy Dwyer

  Tristan looked at Genevieve’s legs and watched them heal within seconds. “You healed fast. But that still had to hurt,” he said.

  “Yes, it did. I’m fine now. We don’t have much time. Just get in,” Genevieve said.

  “How are you going to push the mine cart with us inside? It’s going to be even heavier,” Tomiko said.

  “I’ll do the best I can,” Genevieve said.

  “The Trerada waters make you resilient so you heal quickly, but they don’t make you strong,” Gabrielle Ramalaxis said.

  “Who else can walk across the lava?” Genevieve asked.

  “That doesn’t matter. I have a better idea. Tristan, use these rubies to make stepping stones. Then, get the lava to accrete around them and form a small ruby-obsidian composite walkway. We can walk across that faster,” Gabrielle Ramalaxis said.

  Tristan drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from his vial to be energized with the power to manipulate crystal and stone. He started pulling rubies out of the mine cart and altering their low-level structure to form stepping stones. He dipped them into the lava and molded them into a walkway, step by step. Tristan walked across it, and Tomiko, Gabrielle Ramalaxis and Genevieve pushed the mine cart alongside him to provide the building material. The Chronicler Silvius walked behind them, recording everything into his book.

  When they reached the other side of the lava pool, Tomiko asked: “Stephan, is that all the lava? Is there a sound of anything else moving around down there, about to bubble up?”

  “I don’t hear anymore. Things have calmed down,” Stephan said.

  “Things could suddenly get worse. There wasn’t much warning. Let’s get going with the rubies we already have,” Gabrielle Ramalaxis said.

  “I agree. I don’t think we should come back here, either. That was a bit too sudden,” Tomiko said.

  Tomiko, Carter, Gabrielle Ramalaxis, Stephan, Genevieve and Tristan all placed their hands on the ruby-filled mine cart to push it along the rails. The Chronicler Silvius followed them. Tomiko and his crew struggled to push the mine cart up the gently sloping tunnel but managed to succeed.

  When they returned to the intersection where they first found the mine cart on the rails, Gabrielle Ramalaxis said: “There’s no rail in that direction, but that first part of the tunnel where we entered didn’t slope, so it might be easier just to derail the mine cart here and push it along the rest of the way.”

  “The rails don’t end here, so I’ll cut the track,” Tristan said. He touched the track and altered the low-level crystal structure of the metal in the rails until he could break it apart and remove a section. Once the gap was created, he worked with Tomiko, Carter, Gabrielle Ramalaxis, Stephan and Genevieve to push the ruby-filled mine cart off of the track and along the tunnel to the cave exit.

  The Chronicler Silvius recorded this into his book, with a detailed drawing of the work done to alter the track and derail the mine car. He noted their struggles to push the mine cart along the tunnel as he followed them.

  As they exited the cave, Stephan said: “I hear more of that magma behind us. I think we left just in time.”

  “It’s all downhill from here. Which is good, because I’m out of breath, and can’t help you to push anymore,” Gabrielle Ramalaxis said.

  Tristan, Tomiko, Stephan, Carter and Genevieve held the mine cart on a controlled roll down the hill. Gabrielle Ramalaxis walked alongside them and the Chronicler Silvius followed them closely as they returned to the coast where the Escapade was waiting.

  “We should take the rubies out of the mine cart by hand rather than trying to push it up the boarding ramp,” Tristan said. He started grabbing scoops of rubies and the crew joined him rather than trying to devise a better way.

  The Chronicler Silvius counted six thousand four hundred eighty (6480) ruby fragments as they were transferred from the mine cart and carried up onto the Escapade.

  After the loading was completed, the crew boarded the ship and the Chronicler Silvius followed them into the wheelhouse.

  “That was a close one,” Yared said after probing their thoughts.

  “Too close,” Tristan said.

  “Nina, chart a course for Emeth. Let’s sell these rubies for a real profit and all of us can take a vacation,” Tomiko said.

  “Sounds good to me,” Nina said. She 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. She concentrated to learn their paths and positions. Nina then used this information to chart a course back to Emeth. She pulled levers to retract the boarding ramp and raise the anchor. She then steered the Escapade away from Endarinik Island and sailed the ship eastward across the Kazofen Ocean.

  CHAPTER 33: Guests of Deception and Malice

  After six (6) more days of eating the scant few available berries while walking through a sparse forest along with her husband, Odhran, and their traveling companions, Elise heard a sign of movement and speaking in the distance. “I hear people at work, ten (10) miles west of here. They’re talking about the harvest, and giving it to their lord, a man named Baron Redmond,” she said.

  “Just what we want to deal with, another baron! Not!” Sophie said.

  “Baron Vizakrid was horrible. Is any baron nice?” Molly asked.

  “Elise, what else are the farmers saying?” Ruth asked.

  “They are saying that the baron will be pleased, because there is more than enough food for his banquet,” Elise said.

  “So he’s expecting guests. Maybe he won’t mind us showing up for a meal,” Sean said.

  “We’re runaway slaves, Sean! If he figures that out, he’ll send us back to Baron Vizakrid in chains just to collect the bounty,” Sophie said.

  “Sophie’s right. We have to be careful where we stay. We might want to veer a little to the north or south, assuming we still have to go west,” Ruth said.

  “We have farmers among us, including me. If we offer to help this Baron Redmond by working his land, he might be willing to give us a good meal,” Odhran said.

  “I’ll say it again: if he figures out that we’re runaway slaves, we’re going to end up in chains,” Sophie said.

  “How much longer can we live on berries and hike through the forest?” Sean asked.

  “I agree. Even if we can survive, this is not a good way to live. We need to work and be paid,” Ciaran said.

  “We have to be careful where we stay. Didn’t any of you learn anything from what we went through back there?” Sophie asked.

  “I could use a good meal,” Molly said.

  “You’re more hungry than afraid, Molly? I’d rather be free,” Sophie asked.

  “We’re never free of needing to eat, Sophie,” Molly said.

  “We can’t make good decisions when we’re tired and hungry all the time. I don’t mean to complain, and Odhran and the other farmers are working very hard, but eating wild berries is just barely enough to sustain us,” Ciaran said.

  “That’s not complaining. It’s the hard truth. Eating well requires wheat, oats, and other foods besides fruits. I agree that this is not going to work for us much longer. It is unhealthy,” Odhran said.

  “If we get into another mess with a bloodthirsty, greedy robber baron, hiking through a forest and eating wild berries is going to sound real good,” Sophie said.

  “Free and malnourished isn’t really free. We’ll eventually get sick eating only berries,” Odhran said.

  “We’re going to have to deal with other people eventually. A few kind words, and the right tone of voice, can work wonders. Elise, can you still help us out, if anything goes wrong?” Ruth asked.

  Elise looked into her vial and measured what was left of her supply of Pirovalen waters. “Yes…for a little while longer,” she said.

  “We have fifty-seven (57) farmers among us, including Odhran. If we offer to work the land for Baron Redmond, in exchange for food without pay, his interest in profits is likely to outweigh his inte
rest in sending us away. Even the bounty on returned slaves won’t be worth as much,” Patrick said.

  “You’re willing to trust this baron without ever meeting him?” Sophie asked.

  “What choice do we have? Our chances of survival are better after a few good meals,” Patrick said.

  “I don’t trust anybody, especially not barons. I just want to get away from this rotten land,” Sophie said.

  “Then you should trust God,” Elise said.

  “Who is God?” Sophie asked.

  “God is your Creator, who loves you, and provides all things,” Elise said.

  “Then why don’t I have all things, like a safe place to live and plenty of food to eat?” Sophie asked.

  “You lack faith. You rely on people to provide what only God can and will supply,” Elise said.

  “No, I don’t rely on people. And I don’t rely on God or other imaginary friends,” Sophie said.

  “We need to trust someone,” Ciaran said.

  “We need to eat something…something good,” Sean said.

  “Soon,” Molly said.

  “You’re just thinking with your appetites,” Sophie said.

  “And you’re not thinking carefully, Sophie. You’re just hating and fearing,” Elise said.

  “The life I’ve lived is enough to make me hate and fear. That proves I am thinking honestly, because I see the problems for what they are,” Sophie said.

  “Things will get worse if you let your anger get the better of you. Your opportunities will be lost because you didn’t have the courage to go after them,” Elise said.

  “Courage? I had the courage to leave. I had the courage to keep going. I’m not afraid of missing a few meals. Apparently, you are,” Sophie said.

  “I place my faith in God to provide what I need,” Elise said.

  “Then you’re delirious. Being tough is the only way to get free and stay free,” Sophie said.

  “You can’t overpower nature, Sophie. A good meal is necessary for any accomplishment, great or small,” Odhran said.

  “She’s your wife. You have to agree with her,” Sophie said.

  “Elise has faith, and it has carried her far. We escaped danger because of her song of faith,” Odhran said.

  “Faith had nothing to do with it. The ocean waters have all the energy. She drinks the Pirovalen waters, so her song was powerful,” Sophie said.

  “God provides all the oceans,” Elise said.

  “Then why doesn’t God provide us with a meal, right here and now?” Sophie asked.

  Elise knelt down and prayed, saying: “We pray to Thee, Our One True God, to provide for us in our time of need. Each of us, created by Your Love, is incomplete. You are the source of food and water, lands and oceans, and all good things. Please, to us, give ample meals, to enable us to continue on our journey to freedom, which You began, by setting us free of our captors.” She then stood up.

  “And?” Sophie asked.

  “I’m willing to believe in whatever works, but I don’t see how that helped,” Ruth said.

  “I’m still hungry,” Sean said.

  “So am I. And tired,” Molly said.

  “If you believe it will work, then I will believe, also,” Ciaran said.

  “Sometimes, we have to take chances, if only because the risk is greater for every alternative. I’m willing to go meet this Baron Redmond,” Patrick said.

  “Let’s get going, then. A banquet awaits,” Elise said. She began walking westward, followed by Patrick, Odhran, Ciaran, Molly, Sean, Ruth, Sophie and the fifty-six (56) farmers. They traveled for a day until reaching the eastern edge of a desert.

  Only one (1) mile to the west, across the desert sands, stood a grand castle of polished sandstone and sparkling diamond, measuring ninety-one (91) feet high and six hundred fifty (650) feet wide and long. The castle was bordered by farmlands fifty-five (55) feet wide. One hundred thirty-six (136) farmers tended the narrow strip of land.

  As Ruth and her traveling companions approached the castle and stood close enough to see its exterior qualities in detail, Patrick said: “Judging by the architecture, Baron Redmond is obviously quite rich.”

  “Let’s hope that means we’re getting a good meal,” Molly said.

  “A lot of good meals,” Sean said.

  “Rich usually means cruel and demanding. The wealthy don’t make their fortunes by being generous,” Sophie said.

  “God – who is richer than all kings – will provide,” Elise said.

  ~~~

  Inside the sandstone and diamond castle, the fifty-eight (58) year old Baron Redmond – dressed in a gold-glittered beige tunic with a diamond-studded sash – sat upon his jewel-encrusted throne. He spoke to the small, mustachioed man standing before him and said: “Give me your report, Bericus.”

  “My lord, there is a group of runaway slaves approaching the castle. I’ve probed their thoughts to know that they are the property of Baron Vizakrid,” the small, fifty-four (54) year old mustachioed man – Bericus – said.

  “What are their intentions, Bericus?” Baron Redmond asked.

  “They intend to ask your permission to work your land in exchange for food. They have been subsisting on wild berries. There are fifty-seven (57) farmers among them, along with five (5) miners, one (1) accountant and a singer who is a farmer’s wife,” Bericus said.

  “They will do no work for me, Bericus. Welcome them as my guests. Invite them to our banquet. I will dine with them within the hour,” Baron Redmond said.

  “Yes, my lord,” Bericus said. He exited the throne room, walked through the castle halls and approached the main doors.

  ~~~

  Ruth watched nervously as the castle doors – twenty-six (26) feet tall and wide, made of diamond and framed with sandstone – opened. A small, mustachioed man in his fifties – who was dressed in a gold tunic with diamond-blue stripes – greeted them, saying: “The lord of this castle, Baron Redmond, welcomes you as his guests. Please come in.”

  Ruth entered first, followed by Patrick, Elise, Odhran, Sophie, Molly, Sean, Ciaran and the fifty-six (56) other farmers.

  The small, mustachioed man closed the castle doors as the last of the guests entered.

  “Thank you for having us,” Ruth said.

  “I am Bericus, chief attendant to the baron,” the small, mustachioed man said. He peered at their necks to see the vials hanging on cords around them, specifically noting the classical symbols marked on each of the vials, indicating the waters they drank.

  “I am Ruth. This is Elise, Sean, Molly, Ciaran, Patrick, Odhran and Sophie. These farmers have traveled with us, and would like to volunteer their services to work your land, if your gracious lord, Baron Redmond, would allow it,” Ruth said.

  “Baron Redmond directed me to invite you to his banquet. He will dine with you within the hour,” Bericus said.

  “Now that’s gracious!” Molly said.

  “Yes, the baron is quite gracious. However, you haven’t seen the banquet hall yet. Follow me,” Bericus said. He led them through the marble-floored corridor – which was fifteen (15) feet wide and sixty-three (63) feet long – to another set of doors similar to those at the castle entrance, though only thirteen (13) feet tall. Bericus opened these doors to reveal a large room – sixty-five (65) feet wide and long, and eighteen (18) feet high – containing a banquet table that was fifty-three (53) feet in width and length.

  Sean and Molly entered first and scanned the banquet table, which was covered in fresh loaves of bread, meats, cheeses, salads, plates of potatoes, plates of corn, bowls of nuts, baskets of various fruits and bottles of wine. One (1) gold-plated oak chair was at the middle of the far edge of the table, and twenty-two (22) smaller oak chairs were arranged along each of the other three (3) sides.

  “Please, have a seat. Baron Redmond will come soon and grant you permission to eat of this food,” Bericus said.

  Ruth and her companions all sat around the banquet table on the ordinary oak ch
airs.

  “I will go and notify the baron that his guests are waiting,” Bericus said.

  ~~~

  Bericus stepped outside of the banquet room and closed the doors. He drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from his vial and was energized with the powers of telepathy and empathy. He sent a message to Baron Redmond, letting him know that the guests were waiting.

  ~~~

  Inside his throne room, Baron Redmond received the telepathic message from Bericus. He stood up from his throne and walked through the castle hallways until he met Bericus, who then opened the doors to the banquet hall.

  Bericus entered first and said: “All rise in honor of Baron Redmond, lord of this castle.”

  Ruth and her traveling companions all stood up and waited as Baron Redmond walked to the head of the banquet table and sat in the gold-plated oak chair.

  “You may sit,” Baron Redmond said and everyone sat down again. Bericus remained standing inside the doorway to the banquet hall.

  “Thank you, Baron,” Ruth said.

  “Bericus, introduce me to our guests,” Baron Redmond said.

  “My lord, this is Ruth, Sophie, Ciaran, Sean and Molly, who work as stone and gem miners. This is Elise, a singer, and that is Patrick, an accountant. Elise’s husband, Odhran, and these other men and women are all farmers,” Bericus said.

  “Thank you, Bericus. I am pleased you could join me. Eat, have your fill, and then we will talk when you are comfortable and satisfied,” Baron Redmond said.

  Molly and Sean expediently helped themselves to everything with second helpings, whereas Ciaran, Ruth, Elise, Patrick, Odhran and the fifty-six (56) farmers ate slowly and once. Sophie took a slice of bread and pecked at it.

  “Eat up, Sophie. You must be hungry from your travels,” Baron Redmond said.

  “Now’s your chance, Sophie. We all need a good meal,” Ruth said.