by NAK Baldron
Individually the dishes were great, but when combined into a meal they developed into a fantastic melody of flavor. The ship's cook clearly knew what he was doing. The first bite of spinach brought tears to Ren's eyes as his mouth felt like it was on fire. Quick to act, Tomoko recommended the potatoes, which instantly counteracted the spice and allowed for a richness of flavor to fill his senses.
Once the three of them finished eating, they placed their cutlery upon their plates and leaned back in their chairs. Ren hadn't experienced many culinary delicacies, but Mr. Griffin had drilled proper etiquette into them, with the help of Ms. Belmuth.
"My compliments to the cook," Ren said. "I've never eaten so well in my life."
"Gerald will be thrilled by your praise," Captain Kaito said. "He left the Emerald Nation as a young lad seeking treasures and adventure and ended up on a ship with me. He'd been a galley hand and I a sailor. Once I got my own ship, he came with me to become our cook. Good food is one of the best ways to bribe men to join your crew." Captain Kaito finished his explanation with a smirk.
"It bought my loyalty," Tomoko said.
Captain Kaito laughed. "Don't listen to him. He's my sister's son. He's been sailing with me for nearly ten years now."
"Soon I'll have my own ship."
The captain waved his comment away. "I understand you're going to my country to see the Amethyst Examiners. And take the test to become a sorcerer?"
"That's the plan," Ren said. "Obviously, I have no idea if I'll pass. However, everyone I've spoken to thinks I have a good chance. I met the two Amethyst Diplomats who announced the testing, and they encouraged me."
"You'd be the first in─"
Captain Kaito cut Tomoko off, "─300 years. Most of the world thinks the Pearl Nation has lost its magic. Until I met you, I didn't know you still submitted apprentice sorcerers."
"I'm the first in twenty years. My mentor Brandon, was the last to be submitted, though he failed."
"My parents use to warn me to behave, or Sueun would curse me too and take away what little connection to magic I have." Tomoko waved a hand toward Ren. "No offense, but everyone thinks the Pearl Nation is cursed."
Superstitious nonsense. Ren adjusted in his chair to hide his agitation.
"It's strange is all," Tomoko added. "Nearly every person I've met outside of your nation can use basic magical items."
"You've got salt in your veins, that's for sure." The captain chuckled and slapped Ren on the shoulder. "I hope you pass boy. Break that damn curse."
CHAPTER THREE
Pearl Nation, Fencura
Brandon sat with his back to the window in his office, splitting his focus between two terminals. For three days with nearly zero sleep, he'd combed through all the public records to find out the severity of Ren's predicament. Turned out there had never been a warrant for his capture.
Belfry Jr. must have pushed to keep things quiet. Couldn't afford to have another scandal.
A knock on his door brought his attention away from his search. "Come in."
Julie walked into the room and stood before Brandon's desk with her hands on her hips. "I want to know what happened to Ren."
She'd been relentless in her pursuit for the truth—an honorable trait, albeit annoying at times. Busy with research, Brandon hadn't answered her questions, choosing not to acknowledge they were asked in most cases. Leaving her and Gareth to run Magic Club by themselves.
Brandon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "If you insist on knowing, he's gone to the Sapphire Nation for the examination."
"Oh really? When did he leave?"
"You'll watch your tone young lady."
She looked at her feet, her cheeks turning a slight pink.
Brandon relaxed into his chair. "He left three days ago. He should arrive on Shinzo soon. Now, I have to get back to work. Is there anything else?"
"No, thank you for telling me." Her voice betrayed the slightest hint of what caused her face to flush, but she left with her typical bounce, closing the door behind her.
Brandon changed the inquiry on the first terminal from Ren to the missing prototype from Pearl Power. Shifting his attention to the second terminal. Pearl Power's shares continued to drop. Apparently, he'd bought too soon and underestimated the public's fear. Or, they were allowing their personal hatred of Belfry Jr. to cloud their judgment. Either way it didn't matter. The decision had already been made—he placed another order for ten thousand shares. And watched with glee as his position in the company grew to twelve percent.
An encrypted message notification chimed on his second terminal screen.
Headline read: I've got the power you seek.
When the central network went online for the first time—leaving the confines of university labs—the engineers responsible led a vote to regulate the network as a public service. They'd argued that knowledge belonged to every citizen. As such, access to that knowledge via their new network should be a right of every citizen. Repositories like the one Brandon oversaw popped up throughout the city. Within a generation, everyone had free access to the central network.
This led to a second vote where it was decided that every citizen had the right to encrypt their communications. Drawing a line between public knowledge and privacy. It created the first caveat to the freedom of information. Headlines were visible on the network, but unless someone knew the access key-phrase, it was impossible for them to read the actual message.
I've got the power you seek.
Brandon,
It's good to see your name again. I doubt you remember me, but we were friends of sorts back in school. Before you became Mr. Everly and gained your high standings.
It has come to my attention you're looking for a power source. A particular model which hasn't been used on the main grid yet.
If you're interested in buying the device, respond to this message with a time and place we can meet. If I like the way it looks, you'll see me. If not, you won't.
-George
Brandon racked his brain, trying to remember before it came to him. George had been in his class until they were fourteen. He'd been a real trouble maker and gotten himself expelled after his petty crimes caught up to him. Last Brandon heard, George was sent to a labor camp on the Ice Plains.
He must have done his time.
Power Sounds Great
George,
I remember well, and you're correct that I'd like to acquire a fusion reactor prototype.
Tomorrow night, at the old docks, fourth pier, four hours after source-light.
I look forward to discussing this further.
-Brandon
INTERLUDE I
Sapphire Nation, Fencura
RAIN PELTED THE BLOODY SQUARE, washing away the dirt and blood from weeks of duels—a much-needed cleaning, but not in the eyes of nine-year-old Akio. His mother warned him about the Time of Daggers and did her best to keep him out of sight while executions happened. Claiming nine was still too young for a boy to see the ways of the world. His father argued that Akio was plenty old enough but didn't press the matter beyond dinner discussions. Death was a way of life for the Bloody Square.
"Please?" Akio begged.
With the square sunk beneath three inches of rain, there was no chance of playing outside with the other boys. Instead Akio was cramped inside his apartment all afternoon—which felt like an eternity to a nine-year-old boy.
"Please?"
"All right," his father relented, "but don't tell your mother. She'd be furious if she knew you enjoyed these stories so much."
"I promise."
They both sat against the south wall, where they could take in the view of the darkened sky through the slats of the front shutters. Lightning flashed across the sky. Thunder rattled the walls and echoed off the cobblestone square below, drowning out his father's voice as he told Akio the history of how the Bloody Square came to be.
"Over three hundred years ago there lived a mighty Thief Lord."
"Sora-Tanken Akio!"
"Correct." His father raised his hand for Akio to sit quietly and listen to the story. "He showed our people the proper ways of honor and loyalty and changed the course of history forever.
"Back then, before Akio was a Thief Lord, the clansmen fought constantly in an attempt to prove who was the strongest. Many men died. The citizens would gather each night to carry the bodies to the sea, unless a Thief Lord died. On those days, a funeral pyre would be erected in the center of the square. The citizens and clans would come together and pay their respects to the fallen Thief Lord. After a fiery send-off, a celebration was held, which lasted until dawn.
"During one funeral pyre, while Sora-Tanken Akio watched his father's body burn, he became the first Thief Lord to inherit the title. Before this night, titles were claimed by the killer, but Akio's father passed in his sleep. Some suspected poison, but with no evidence, and no one claiming the kill, there was no way to be sure."
"What did the other Thief Lords do?" Akio asked.
"They stood by and watched. By then the Thief Lords had dwindled to the seven we have today. While there were hundreds of clans, only the seven held the title of Tanken. All others swore fealty or remained neutral in the conflict, waiting on the sidelines for their chance to strike. That night marked the beginning of the system we have today, where the titles are inherited."
"What about the Time of Daggers?" Akio asked.
His father wagged his finger. "I'm getting there. Now do you want to hear this story or not?"
"Yes father."
"Then sit quietly."
"This isn't a story for a young boy." Akio's mother stormed in from his parents' room. "He's far too young to hear the history of the Bloody Square."
"Nonsense," his father said. "The boy is old enough, and soon he'll be a man. It's time he learned where his name came from, and why he should be honored to say he comes from the Bloody Square."
"You'll fill his head with tales of honor and glory. He'll forget his place in the world and chase after mist."
"Good!" His father was on his feet yelling. He took a deep breath. "Maybe the boy will grow up to be something more than a fisherman."
"There's nothing wrong with—" his mother began.
"I don't want to hear it. The boy deserves to be better than me and my father. There's no honor in serving an older clan as one of their fishermen, and occasional raider."
His mother slammed the front door, leaving an uncomfortable silence in her wake. Akio hadn't witnessed his parents fight before. On occasion he would hear them argue at night from his bed, but hearing and seeing were two different things. Not wanting to bring his father's wrath down upon himself, Akio sat still as a stone and waited.
After a few deep breaths his father sat back down and asked, "Where was I?"
"I asked about the Time of Daggers."
"Oh right." His father cracked his fingers. "Sora-Tanken Akio was the first to inherit his title, and every citizen of the Bloody Square attended the celebration, which lasted long into the night.
"At that time, there was no truce between the Emperor's family and the clans. As such, the gates were sealed and well-guarded every night. However, the sounds of celebration and chants of 'Sora-Tanken Akio' were loud enough to be heard down at the docks. Soon the whole of Shinzo knew that Sora-Tanken Akio had taken his father's title. The Emperor listened to bad counsel and thought us weak and drunk. Easy pickings. He thought it his best chance to kill the clans, since they refuse to swear allegiance to his family and acknowledge their authority."
"Do we swear allegiance to the emperor?"
"No." His father raised a finger. "But it's best not to speak of it."
"Now," his father lowered his voice and leaned closer, "it was the wee hours of the morning, and the Bloody Square was quiet. Not even the fishermen were up yet. The Emperor's council had been correct. Most of the men were drunk and asleep in their beds, or that of their lovers."
"One thousand soldiers!" His father threw up his hands, and Akio lurched back in shock. "Broke through the north and west gates with the help of sorcerer's magic. The guards were slaughtered, but not without a fight. It's said that our twenty guards killed one hundred soldiers as they flowed into the square.
"Sora-Tanken Akio lie awake in his bed. The excitement of the day kept his mind racing long after everyone had fallen asleep. Thankfully for us, he'd never developed a taste for wine or ale, and as such his mind was perfectly clear. With one quick glance out his front window he knew we were under attack. Wasting no time, he gathered his twenty closest men, throwing water on those who were too drunk to hear."
"Why do men drink so much?" Akio asked.
"That's like asking how many grains of sand are on the beach; no sane man could give you an answer." His father gave him a stern look for interrupting and Akio slouched back against the wall. "Now the Emperor's men were well trained. They knew how to fight together in units, but few of them knew how to fight one on one like clansmen. Sora-Tanken Akio sent his men to summon every able fighter inside the Bloody Square. Despite the late hour, and drunken celebration, we mustered a force of three hundred skilled fighters.
"Soldiers held a guarded position in the northwest corner of the square while small teams slaughtered our people on the bottom two floors. Sora-Tanken Akio took charge of the skilled fighters by proclaiming he'd die to protect any clansman from the Emperor's soldiers. He stood before the soldiers—ten of his own men flanked him for protection—and gave a speech on how he'd personally kill the Emperor and defile his corpse. It had the intended effect, because the teams of soldiers quit slaughtering women and children and filed into three rows to face off against the three hundred. Sora-Tanken Akio called them cowards for standing in formation and not fighting him one on one like real men.
"It was a distraction. While he insulted the soldiers for cowardice, ten of Akio's men gathered the other Thief Lords. And they sprung their trap. Two clans—no one remembers exactly whom—managed to close the gates and seal them with borrowed magic. While Clan Goruden used the sewer grates in the ground to release a cover of fog by using a batch of Sueun's rocks. The moment they threw the rocks into the water the square began to fill with a thick white fog, usually reserved for the priests.
"When the fog cleared, many soldiers lay upon the ground. Some laughed, some cried, others screamed in terror. Sora-Tanken Akio declared they were all cowards and not subject to honorable deaths. No one knows for sure how many of our men died, but it's clear that three hundred of our most skilled fighters made quick work of slaughtering them all. Not a single soldier was left alive.
"They gathered the bodies, hung and drained them the way you would a pig, and collected their blood in buckets. With the source-light high in the sky, and the whole of Shinzo curious what had happened. Sora-Tanken Akio ordered the blood poured from the roofs of our square into the streets below. It's said the Emperor executed his advisors by hanging them from their feet, and slicing their throats. That's how Akio became known as our savior, and why our walled-off section is called the Bloody Square.
"After the bloody display from Sora-Tanken Akio, the Thief Lords met and agreed to declare a truce. Akio proved we were stronger together and could stand against the Emperor, rather than wasting time fighting each other day in and day out. Thus, the truce was formed where only once every twelve years could the Thief Lords, and their men, attack each other. We now call the year between the truces the Time of Daggers."
"What happened next?" Akio begged for more.
"I agreed to tell you about how Sora-Tanken Akio got his name and became so famous amongst us."
"But that's not the end of the story. I know he died in battle."
"We'll save that story for another time," his father said. "For now, I must find your mother and fight my own battles."
He ruffled Akio's hair as he stood up and left without another word, leaving Akio to think of his namesake and the idea of glory.
> I'll be more famous. The most famous Akio to ever live!
CHAPTER ONE
WHAT HAD HE DONE? The same question kept pounding in Akio's head as he returned home from Kaito-Tanken Shaya's inaugurations. It prevented him from sleeping during the night, and now it was the cause of his turmoil with his mother.
"No right!" she yelled at him for what had to be the eighth time in less than an hour.
"It's my choice." Akio sat on the floor next to their stone table, barely touching his food.
"Oh no it's not." She wagged her finger at Akio. "You wait until your father comes home. He'll beat some sense into you."
Akio looked at his feet. Was his mother right? Did he overstep himself? Kaito-Tanken Shaya had accepted his fealty with such poise. She'd called him Akio First Sworn before the entire Bloody Square. All the Thief Lords had seen, there was no taking it back. He was now a part of clan politics. Whatever that meant.
". . . you'll get yourself killed." His mother continued to rant.
Akio looked up and watched his mother's lips move, but didn't take in what she said. As far as he was concerned it was noise, and soon it would stop. There was nothing to be done. His thoughts were occupied with the new life he was sworn into. No matter how much his mother yelled, he'd never resign his position as First Sworn to Kaito-Tanken Shaya.
"Get out of my sight." She slapped the back of Akio's head, not hard enough to actually hurt him, but enough to pull Akio's focus back to the present.
* * *
NIGHTFALL BROUGHT A FESTIVAL in the center of the Bloody Square to celebrate the end of the Time of Daggers. The yearlong period when the Thief Lords used every means necessary to build their empires, or defend what they already had. It was the only time when their clan members were allowed to kill one another, after which there were another twelve years of peace. Old scores would be settled during the Time of Daggers. Which had nothing to do with power and wealth, and everything to do with personal honor. The average survival rate for a clan member under one of the seven Thief Lords, was less than fourteen years. Few survived a second Time of Daggers.