Castle & Conceit

by Jeremy Dwyer

  “Soon, I’ll have you tell me about those events in your life, and I’ll write down your account, noting that you said it – but not that I saw it,” Judith said. This was actually something she still enjoyed – recording secondhand accounts of difficult circumstances – especially given that the boy, at least, had survived. It produced an interesting story without her personally having been in danger, or having had to witness tragedy.

  Pradrock and Torin left the Seventh (7th) Hall and headed toward the Meticulous, first stopping at the fountain of all oceans.

  Pradrock took several vials from his coat and filled them with the waters of the Medathero Ocean. Torin filled some of his own vials with the waters of the Atrejan Ocean. Judith followed them and took several of her own vials and filled them with the waters of the Ursegan Ocean.

  CHAPTER 25: Questions of Faith

  When Pradrock and Torin – with Judith following them – arrived at the docks, they met Romana, along with Caroline and Taesa.

  Romana turned to Pradrock and said: “Captain, I am Romana – a scholar of the Jenaldej Empire, currently in residence for my studies in Emeth. I would like to travel with you back to the southern lands – to the continent of Meridianus. From what I’ve learned while here, when Octavian destroyed the farming village, many surrounding villages were harmed, as they lost their primary agricultural center. I know that life will be very difficult until that farming capacity is restored. They may feel that God has turned against them, or forgotten them, unless they are shown His Love and His Mercy through an act of service. I drink the waters of the Gradaken Ocean, so I know how to cultivate the land and the life within it. I know how crops are grown and I know how to help feed many people. I can help them to grow new crops, and to rebuild those farms and their economy, and teach them to do this for themselves.”

  Caroline snapped at her, saying: “Is this so you can preach your God talk to starving people? Feed them, if they worship the deity you tell them to?”

  Romana answered her back, saying: “If I preached a love of God, but offered nothing to people when I knew they were in need of food, you would say that talk of God’s love was an empty promise and doesn’t feed the hungry. Now that I am offering to help regrow their crops and feed them, you say that I am trying to manipulate their religious beliefs and deceive them. You are either not being honest and simply trying to find fault with God no matter what, or you are not being logical and are unable to see that a good thing – feeding people – will be done in God’s name. Your hatred for God blinds you to logic or ethics or both.”

  “Just because you help somebody in need doesn't mean that your fairy tales and imaginary deities are real. You might as well help them and teach them to thank a sun god or water god or you. All nonsense is just that: nonsense,” Caroline said.

  “If I help these people and say that they should thank no one, or that they should thank me, then whom do I thank? Should I thank no one, or thank myself? After all, I can only plant the seeds: I didn't make them. I can only drink the water that gives me the power to connect to the land and the soil: I didn't make the water or put the power into it. I can only wait for the many suns to warm the fields: I didn't light their fires or set their paths,” Romana said.

  “Just because you don't know who to thank doesn't give you the right to invent a deity. Teaching people to believe what isn't there takes away their skepticism. Then, they'll believe anything, without demanding evidence. Anyone can come and deceive them once they're weak-minded, and don't have reason,” Caroline said.

  “I am not asking anyone to believe without evidence: they should always demand evidence. I am asking that they look carefully at the evidence that actually exists: life itself, its complexity, its interdependency and its frailty. Each living thing in this world interacts with and depends on other living things. Food crops don't grow without people farming. People don't live to do that farming without the food crops growing.

  It is outside of our ability to put these things into motion, or to make water that gives power and quenches thirst or to make burning suns that give warmth. Yet, we would be powerless and die of thirst without the water and freeze in cold and wander in darkness without the warmth and light of the suns,” Romana said.

  “Things just happen, and you call it a god, but that's dangerous. Just look at what's there, and stop seeing what isn't, if you want a healthy mind that isn't filled with your self-deceptions. You'll be someone's fool one day as soon as they fit your description of god. You want to believe, and that makes you weak,” Caroline said.

  Romana replied: “I believe in the power of the One True God. The difference is clear. A false god will teach false ideas which destroy, and spread hate and injustice, but make it look and sound like love. There are prophecies of these false gods, given by the prophets of the One True God.”

  Romana then asked: “Then, since you don’t believe in the One True God, you don’t believe in His prophets, either, do you?”

  “I most certainly do not believe in these prophets of your god; you’ve got that much right!” Caroline snapped.

  Romana continued, saying: “As I suspected. So, if you ever see power in magnitude beyond what you believe to be possible – power that is utterly evil and false at its core – then you’ll be surprised and awed at that great power, and your mind will suddenly move from disbelief to belief because you didn’t prepare yourself, by believing those true prophecies, from the One True God.”

  “I’ve seen power: I’ve seen what can be done by some of those who drink the right waters and have real talents and training,” Caroline said, although she believed more in the talents and training than the waters themselves. She actually feared the waters, and found them to be dangerous: they gave too much power to fools.

  Romana went on, saying: “I mean powers far beyond what even the ocean waters or talents or training can give. When you see them, you'll believe whatever the false power says, commit any evil it promotes, and think that it is all in the name of love and a god you suddenly believe in, only it won’t be a true god. That fruit which tastes sweet to you at first bite may be poisoned, or may be stolen from another who worked hard to obtain it: then, the sweetness is false, and the pain, loss and death, caused by the theft and the poisoning, are real.”

  Then, Romana asked her: “Will you see the evil in time? Or will you be lured to the throne of a false god, worshipping it and believing its lies?”

  “Where was your loving, and supposedly true God when Octavian slaughtered those farmers in that village?” Caroline asked.

  “Waiting for the world to admit that they need Him, and stop pretending to be their own creators and protectors,” Romana said.

  “Tell me: when Octavian showed you his power and his evil, did you even once call out to God for help, with sincere belief? Or did you just assume he wasn't even real, or didn't care?” Romana then asked.

  “A loving god waits to help us?” Caroline asked.

  “Love is a choice, and God patiently waits for us to choose love in return. When the world chooses something else, the failure and pain and death can be seen. All too often, the world does choose something else, hoping it will get a better outcome next time, despite all the evidence from the past. Every war story chronicled here in Emeth will show this to be true,” Romana said.

  “And where was that loving god of yours when my husband got sick? What did he do to deserve cancer? He was a good man and gave his life to reading and sharing what he learned. Watching him get sick and die broke my heart. Does your god even have a heart? Does he care about holding a family together? She’s been without a father for five (5) years. What was your god waiting for?” Caroline asked.

  “This is a world of pain and difficulty, of sickness and death. Yet, the ocean waters can make many things right – healing the sick, extending life for centuries or millennia, even controlling light and darkness or giving the gift of song and so many more great things. Those ocean waters are gifts from God,�
�� Romana said.

  “But you can only choose (1) water, and then you’re stuck with it for life. All the others become like poison, and kill you with something even worse than cancer. Why would a loving god make oceans of poison?” Caroline asked.

  “You can’t have everything. There are limitations in this life. I’m sorry I don’t know all the answers you’re looking for. If you want to know more, pray to God, because He is the source of life and wisdom. Only He is all-powerful and all-knowing,” Romana said.

  “I tried to pray. My husband is still gone…forever. I loved him. And you have nothing to offer except fairy tales and false hope. You should be ashamed of yourself. You don’t know what love is, or what it means to lose someone you love. If you did, then you wouldn’t tell these lies to me or to my daughter,” Caroline said.

  “Pray more. Ask Him for help. Let go of your hatred, and your assumptions. I will even pray for you. If you’re willing to believe, great things can happen. Faith in the One True God will be rewarded, and miracles will happen. Then, love and hope will enter your life,” Romana said.

  “I’ve heard more than enough of this nonsense of yours,” Caroline said.

  Judith wrote all of this exchange into her book.

  Captain Pradrock looked at her and asked: “Did you get all that?”

  “Yes,” Judith replied, with the hint of a smile. She had mastered the concise language of the Chronicler, and was able to capture detailed accounts at a very high speed. She was faster now at the age of one thousand two hundred thirty-nine (1239) years than when she was only two hundred (200) years old, as continued practice gave her even more facility with using the abbreviated expressions that the language afforded her. And for Judith, the time that passed in any given moment just seemed different, and she could simply do this very quickly. Drinking the waters of the Ursegan Ocean did that to a person, and changed more than just how long that person lived.

  Romana then turned to Judith and said: “Trustworthy Chronicler, be witness to my sworn promise that I will travel to the lands of the southern continent of Meridianus, to the region adversely affected by the recent events of Imperial Prince Octavian’s act of aggression and stay there for no less than two (2) years. During that time, I will help to rebuild their farms, regrow their crops and teach the same to those willing to learn.”

  Judith wrote this into her book and said: “Romana, drinker of the waters of the Gradaken Ocean, your promise is hereby witnessed and chronicled.” Judith immediately respected and admired this woman – assuming that she would make good on the promise. As a Chronicler, she had no authority to enforce the keeping of the promise, but she had every authority to observe how faithfully it was kept.

  Captain Pradrock then turned to Romana and said: “Hearing this promise, I will give you free passage there, so as to rebuild the farming community. I will make periodic visits, for the business purpose of transporting the necessary purified waters of the Gradaken Ocean, to be sold at market prices.”

  Turning to Caroline, Captain Pradrock said: “And you are welcome aboard, with your daughter as well, if you wish to witness the fulfillment of what was just promised.”

  Caroline thought about this and looked at her daughter to see what she wanted.

  Taesa answered, saying: “There’s just so much to study in Emeth, so many things for me to learn, about the different songs, other musical instruments and styles, art and history, the oceans and everything else. I can’t turn away from all this, not now. Not until I’ve learned more. This place is fantastic, and yet it’s real. I need to stay here, and just take in everything I can.”

  Caroline then turned to Captain Pradrock and said: “Thank you for your offer, Captain, but my place is with my daughter, and her place is here, learning about things that are real, and not being surrounded by cold manipulators, preaching their fantasies and empty philosophies and ancient religions. I’m not going to make Taesa give up this opportunity. Knowledge of the truth is everything, and it’s in this place, available to her.”

  “Very well,” Captain Pradrock said, and he started toward the Meticulous.

  Torin and Romana followed him.

  Judith called to him, saying: “Captain, under the authority of the Chronicler’s Oath, I seek passage on board your ship.”

  “Come aboard then, trustworthy Chronicler,” Pradrock said.

  They boarded the Meticulous, which was anchored in the waters of the Medathero Ocean. Captain Pradrock then handed out the necessary protective gear to his passengers: cloaks for shielding their bodies from the many suns and darkened crystals for placement over their eyes. After this, he converted the ship to its airship configuration – pivoting its masts and sails to the sides – and the ship rose to one hundred twenty (120) feet of altitude. As an airship, it sailed over the land bridge of Emeth, in between its mountains, and returned to sea level in the Trerada Ocean. The masts and sails returned to an upright position and the Meticulous began traveling southwest across the waters of the Trerada Ocean, toward the southern continent of Meridianus.

  ~~~

  Caroline and Taesa turned their backs to the harbor and made their way toward the ancient libraries in the many halls of Emeth to begin Taesa’s time of studies.

  END