by Jeremy Dwyer
With this power, he moved through the spirit world, and called one of the restless angry spirits to follow him, saying: “Your sins are many, spirit, yet a path of atonement lies ahead. Follow me, and I will lead you to a burdensome path that may bring you relief, if you follow it to the end.”
The spirit followed him, and he led the way to the empty diamond golem, and then the spirit was trapped inside of it, unable to find an escape from the crystal structure.
“What have you done to me, mortal?” the spirit asked.
“What life did you lead that you are a restless spirit?” Duke Hagan asked after returning to the material world.
“I murdered a king and a queen, and their children, so that I might have their kingdom, and join it to my own, to build an empire,” the spirit said.
“Your wicked deeds brought you suffering in the spirit world after your mortal life ended. You must pay by performing great labors. I have one for you,” Duke Hagan said.
“What are your intentions for me?” the spirit asked.
“First, you must leave behind your old ways of hate and desires for power. You must replace them with a passionate desire for the truth, and a willingness to serve it, absolutely,” Duke Hagan said.
“All beings in existence seek power – it is the way of survival,” the spirit said.
“You have much to learn, spirit. Power is for achieving good – for upholding law and protecting life. You murdered life, to gain power. Your values are a reversal of what is good,” Duke Hagan said.
“Without power we are nothing,” the spirit said.
“Some power is necessary to achieve that which is right. Power is not, however, the goal,” Duke Hagan said.
“With power comes pleasure,” the spirit said.
“When the pleasure is stolen – by murder – then it is not a thing to be had. You have no hope or joy in this existence because of what you have done. Do you wish to continue suffering for eternity?” Duke Hagan asked.
“What is this labor of which you told me?” the spirit asked.
“You are to journey the world and watch for the truth and record all that you see, accurately. You are not to interfere. You need only stand in observance. Your very body – made of diamond as it is – shall hold within its form the images of what is around you and that enters through your eyes. For the truth, you will have a curiosity that is burning and intense, both to record it, and to report this for others to read. You will take what you know and bring it here. Either I, or someone after me, will read of it. Wherever there is word of danger, you will go there and observe and record. Then, you will return here,” Duke Hagan said.
“What if this diamond body is destroyed?” the spirit asked.
“Then your labor will end,” Duke Hagan said.
“When my labor ends, what will my existence be?” the spirit asked.
“Atonement is possible, if you are faithful in your labor. Yet, I am not the decider,” Duke Hagan said.
“Who will decide?” the spirit asked.
“The One True God will measure and judge your spirit according to His Laws,” Duke Hagan said.
“Who are you?” the spirit asked.
“You need not worry. It is who you are that is in question. You have a new path before you. Now, you need a new name. It shall be Zalaxadin the First, meaning that you are the enduring truth-bearer,” Duke Hagan said.
“Where shall I begin?” Zalaxadin the First asked.
“You will follow me and leave this castle, and find your way to a sailing ship, which will take you to distant shores. There, you will record as you have been told. Return to this place every twelfth year, and report all that you have seen. However, if the diamond body is severely damaged, but not destroyed, return immediately to report what you have seen thus far,” Duke Hagan said.
At this, he led Zalaxadin the First out of the castle, then on a winding road down a rocky formation atop which the castle stood. At the bottom, at the edge of the formation, were rough waters that led to a tunnel that was an opening in the mountain.
“Where is the sailing ship of which you spoke? How shall this diamond body cross these rough waters?”
“Follow me,” Duke Hagan said. Then, the duke took an ornate vial that contained the Medathero waters of which he always drank. The ornate vial, however, was associated with the Ikkith Tar Ocean. He then had the powers of darkness, and darkness brought cold. He was energized by this, and was able to generate darkness and cold. The rough waters were turned to ice, and then they walked over the ice, slowly and carefully, to the entrance to the cave. There, a sailing ship was waiting, and Zalaxadin the First climbed aboard it using the plank that extended from it.
“Raise the anchor, and let the wind and water currents carry you where they may,” Duke Hagan said.
Zalaxadin the First did so, and he was transported across the Trerada Ocean to distant shores. This existence was not as tormented as the one before he was in the diamond golem body, as he sensed that he had purpose. He traveled the world and recorded many things. He was not noticed as being extraordinary, however, because he stood at a distance and he was cloaked in ordinary garments. His eyes, however, were brilliant diamonds, with a specially modified crystalline structure, and they absorbed all that he saw, and recorded it within his crystal body.
For the next several years, Duke Hagan constructed two hundred nine (209) more such diamond golem bodies, occupied by condemned evil spirits. The bodies were dressed in ordinary attire of travelers, and their diamond skin was covered with a material that looked like ordinary flesh. Only their brilliantly clear diamond eyes could reveal their true nature, and through these they observed and recorded everything, storing the captured knowledge within their diamond bodies.
They returned every twelve (12) years, and Duke Hagan was only able to witness one such return, having died at age eighty-one (81) of simple mortal limitation. Prior to his death, however, he constructed ornate picture frames for the portraits he had received, and hid the various ornate vials in them, which blended into the design of the frames. Thus, the ornate vials were kept a secret, though someone, somehow, discovered them soon after.
Another person had been chosen to serve as keeper of the castle, and to record all the secrets brought back by the diamond golem chroniclers. This person then chose another, to serve after their own death. This line of succession continued even to the present day.
CHAPTER 8: Burning with Eyes of Violet
With Taesa having been escorted by Halina to wait in the city of Thalkalana, Victoria returned to the Matriarch’s Room. Tanith Orenda was waiting there for her. There was a throne in the middle of the room, on a small stone platform, surrounded by a pool of blood of sacrificial victims. Blood was usually drunk as it was drawn, but sometimes mass sacrifices took place and the excess blood was abundant and kept in the pool. The throne itself, upon which Tanith Orenda often sat, was made of human bones, which were also taken from their sacrifices. A narrow stone walkway led from the room’s entrance to the throne’s platform, and Victoria approached her by walking along it. Besides the pool of blood, there were magnificent water fountains of all thirteen (13) waters, but these were located around the edges of the room, and did not dominate the view.
“Many thousands great grandmother, as you have directed, I have sent Taesa to the city, with Halina. There, she will study, until called for,” Victoria said.
The old woman looked at Victoria, staring closely into her eyes. “Your eyes have lost their violet, many thousands great granddaughter,” Tanith Orenda said.
“Of what use is the violet glow any longer?” Victoria asked.
“Your will must dominate that of your enemies, without mercy. It is the violet that commands them,” Tanith Orenda said.
“That is like the power of the Elanatin Ocean waters, to control the mind, is it not?” Victoria asked.
“If the waters are pure enough, and the innate potential of the drinker is high enough, then, yes
, that is true. Yet, what you say is not pertinent,” Tanith Orenda said.
“With the tiara, I will have all powers of all oceans – including the power of the Elanatin Ocean to control the mind – will I not, many thousands great grandmother?” Victoria asked.
“You will have only the power of the one ocean in whose waters you stand at that very moment,” Tanith Orenda said.
“I do not understand how that could be so. When I acquired the final diamond and placed it into the tiara, it had power enough to call upon the darkness, and that allowed me to escape my pursuer. Yet, I was not in or near the Ikkith Tar Ocean,” Victoria said, referring to the time that she received the last blue diamond from the old pirate, Captain Keallach, and it enabled the tiara to conceal her from the attack by the witch.
“Away from the oceans, the tiara only has limited power...if it is near enough to a great deal of water, as we have in the fountains of our temples. You were near one of the temples at the time, and that is why you were able to make use of the tiara,” Tanith Orenda said.
“We have all waters in our temples, so that should enable me to do all things,” Victoria said.
“No. That will not be enough. The full magnitude of the tiara’s power will only be revealed when you stand in the waters of a single ocean and draw upon the vast expanse of its unique essence,” Tanith Orenda said.
“Then the tiara is not all-powerful, is it?” Victoria asked.
“It has one power at a time, but that power shall overwhelm. Remember, many thousands great granddaughter, that the oceans are so great that they can even call the suns down from the sky,” Tanith Orenda said.
“With all that power, why will I still need the violet eyes?” Victoria asked.
“Because you must have power over the wills of those who have their own great power, so that the subjugation of this world is absolute. We shall take every opportunity, and utilize every form of power that we have available. To suffer defeat in a great war by winning all but one battle is a shameful loss,” Tanith Orenda said.
The old woman had much sage wisdom, and shrewdness, which she shared often with her descendants. Victoria respected her, loved her, and feared her. If she were to ever displease the old woman, she knew that a dreadful correction would follow, so she endeavored to obey even difficult or confusing instructions.
Tanith Orenda revealed her necklace, whose chain was made of small human finger bones, and which held a brightly-glowing amethyst. “Now, stare into the amethyst, my child,” she then said to Victoria.
“It glows so bright and hot. It will burn me terribly,” Victoria said, turning her eyes slightly to the side to look away from it, as she was dreading the pain she had come to know.
“It will burn you only briefly, and then the pain will be far away, but dominion shall be near,” Tanith Orenda said. Then, she held out the glowing amethyst amulet for Victoria to approach.
Victoria approached, but did not look directly at it. The old woman looked at her and realized this.
“Look at it directly: do not turn your eyes away even slightly, unless you prefer to have only a slight victory, leading to an utter defeat. Perfect devotion is required, child,” Tanith Orenda said.
Victoria turned her eyes forward and stared directly into the amethyst amulet. It stung her eyes slightly, at first. After several seconds, the stinging became more intense. Several seconds later, it became almost too terrible to endure, and it seared her eyes. She screamed: “No! This time is too much! My eyes feel as if they are on fire!”
“Keep looking, child! You will be stronger for it,” Tanith Orenda said.
Victoria summoned her inner strength and kept looking, despite the pain. She did not want to disobey the old woman, who would find a way to bring her into compliance. Also, she loved the old woman and wanted to please her. Willpower, along with faith in the old woman’s wisdom, allowed her to face this pain with her eyes wide open and looking straight ahead.
The pain grew, however, as the old woman held out the amethyst longer than she usually did. Within minutes, the glowing amethyst burned Victoria’s eyes so terribly that she involuntarily closed them and looked away. Small streaks of blood ran from her eyes and down her cheeks. After several minutes, she opened her eyes and realized that she could not see.
“No! I am blind! It was too much!” Victoria screamed.
“Rest your eyes, many thousands great granddaughter. They are merely strained, yet stronger. You are not blind. Your sight shall return, soon enough. Sleep now,” Tanith Orenda said.
Tanith Orenda opened the door to the Matriarch’s Room and called for a guard to escort Victoria to the Voyager’s Room, and set her to rest on a stone bench and bring her back in the morning.
~~~
Victoria was left alone in the Voyager’s Room. She was filled with fear at the thought of being blind, and wasn’t sure if she trusted the promises of the old woman, whom she knew to be incredibly manipulative and ruthless, despite loving her. Victoria was angry, even, that the amethyst was held for so long, when it had been adequate for her to have a brief glance at it before. This time, the old woman went too far.
She did not want to live life blind – if she could not behold the conquest, then it would not be hers. Also, if she could not gaze upon a handsome male, then she would lose out on even that pleasure of coupling. It was not for her lineage, as she was barren, but it would give her occasional gratification before she would perform a sacrificial ritual on the male.
Then she thought that, perhaps, the old woman never meant to share the power, anyway. Now, Victoria was angry and filled with immense distrust. Still, if the old woman wanted her dead, she could have done it some other way, so Victoria didn’t know what to think.
Then there was the question of who would wear the tiara: the old woman said that it would not work for a person who already had a waterbinding, which Tanith Orenda most certainly did, and Victoria did not. Therefore, for her to destroy Victoria, at this point, made little sense. But Victoria stewed with doubt, fear and anger.
All Ahitan women were filled with these emotions, and they were driven. However, the old woman always taught them to wait on each of these emotions before action. She said to each of her granddaughters, great granddaughters, and so on to all of her descendants: “Be reserved in your actions. Fear of one danger may lead you to run into another, far worse one. Anger at a wise ally may lead you to betray them, when you have merely misunderstood. Doubt is a lack of thought, and leads to both fear and anger. Careful thought, then, dispels each of these.”
Tanith Orenda gave many instructions to her descendants, along with knowledge, and with instruction on how to commit murder. “The killing of males – only after they have provided their greatest uses – is wise. They bring war and greed and lust and foolishness. All of these things lead to ruin. A female is far greater, for she brings life. Males, therefore, must be given over to the spirits in sacrifice. Females must be nurtured,” the old woman said.
Victoria then considered this other instruction more carefully: since she was barren, she could not bring life, meaning that she did not meet the requirements for greatness that Tanith Orenda had given. This might suggest that the old woman was planning on betraying her after all. Thus, Victoria went back and forth, alternately doubting and trusting Tanith Orenda.
After several hours, Victoria was exhausted from the pain and the doubt and the turmoil within her. She fell asleep on the stone bench which was carved with the faces of beautiful women and of horned creatures.
While sleeping, Victoria had a dream.
In her dream, the world was empty except for her, and it was a series of beautiful green islands and fourteen (14) oceans. Victoria knew that there were thirteen (13) oceans that were seen from the land, and believed that the fourteenth one represented the hidden ocean that surrounded Thalkalana. She stood on one of these islands, under a beautiful sky, and a cool breeze passed by. She was at utter peace.
Then, a creat
ure appeared, dressed as a man, but she knew that he was a demonic being, and he offered her a wager. If she could defeat the creature in a game of strategy – the game known as The Thirteenth Armada, involving the movement of game pieces that represented ships – then he would restore her womb and let her bear children. If she could not defeat him, she would lose her soul into the Maelstrom of Vengeance.
The creature had pieces for the game in its hands, and placed them onto a game board, and began moving them around. Then, in the distance, she saw actual ships at sea, moving about in ways corresponding to what the creature did with the pieces on the game board. The movements were meant to deceive and mislead. She did not understand the strategy being used, but she did know the rules of the game, because she had been taught at a young age as part of her instruction. A clever military mind was needed to prevail, and she did not possess great skill at this particular endeavor, unfortunately. That fact had proven to be a source of great displeasure for her mother, and grandmother, as well as for the old woman. Victoria did not know if she could win the game, but was not sure what would happen if she declined the wager. Before she could answer, she awoke.
Upon waking, she opened her eyes and her vision had returned, but blurry. “Yes! I can see, at least a little,” she thought.
Within an hour, her vision gradually returned fully, and her fear and anger from the burning by the amethyst gave way to relief – the old woman was right about the return of her sight.
However, Victoria was puzzled and startled by the dream.
A guard entered the room and Victoria turned to her, asking: “What is it?”
“You see me. Your eyes are rested and recovered, then. She wants to see you now, in your room,” the guard said.