Tiara & Tempest Read online

  “To the northeast, Emeth is untouched. The waters are halted, to become a wall, and not a flood upon the shores,” the light scout said.

  “What is this?! We shall strike at them doubly so!” Victoria said, furiously. Yet, her beauty was still stunning, alluring even, despite her anger.

  The voice of the demon, Matatirot, spoke to Victoria – and all of them around her could also hear it. The demon said: “Ruin shall blossom in every land. In bloom now are the seeds of death. The seeds of doubt were also planted. Lies shall soon spread from Emeth.”

  Victoria was pleased to hear this, as were the servants, as they trusted the demon and saw him as a powerful force of their brand of justice.

  The next visible change was in the skies.

  The tempestuous ocean waters were stirred so violently that mists rose into the sky, forming dark clouds, such that the already dim yellow suns could not be seen at all. The small red suns were numerous, though not ordinarily very bright, and some could still be seen. The blue suns, always bright, were not nearly so bright any more.

  The cooling was here, and the cooling turned the clouds to rain, and the rain was of Trerada Ocean waters.

  These rains fell on the continents and land bridges, where many were not drinkers of those same waters. Hence, they were poisoned in great numbers – over two hundred fifty thousand (250000) died rapidly as their bodies were now intoxicated by water which they did not drink because they were waterbound to another. Those who were waterbound to the Trerada Ocean waters were not affected, but they were a minority. The incurable crixalethicis brought many of the others down.

  ~~~

  In the darkness, the Scythesail approached the Tidal Sovereign, guided by the light scouts on board. They could see the woman with a tiara on her head, with shining blue diamonds. They could also see her beautiful face, and the male light scouts became filled with the utmost burning desire to have intimate relations with the woman, who was stunning beyond reason. Several female light scouts saw that she was beautiful, and only envied her, but did not desire her.

  “She is there, wearing a tiara with blue diamonds,” one of the female light scouts said.

  “Move the ship closer. Let the archers strike at her heart, neck and eyes at the first opportunity,” Lavakara said.

  The Scythesail moved closer to the Tidal Sovereign, and lowered to just a few feet above sea level, so that the archers’ arrows could reach. They could see much farther than they could shoot, however.

  ~~~

  On board the Tidal Sovereign, one of the light scouts, who was looking in the appropriate direction, saw a sign of the deep darkness, and peered into it. There, she saw a ship.

  “A hidden ship is fast approaching, in the cloak of darkness,” she warned.

  “Let the light of destruction be upon them!” Victoria said. She held out her arms.

  The blue diamonds in the tiara shone again, and a high wall of water rose up directly all around her own ship, rotating rapidly, blocking the path of the Scythesail.

  ~~~

  The Scythesail was within sixty (60) feet of the Tidal Sovereign and the archers launched their arrows toward Victoria’s ship. The rotating wall of water consumed the arrows, which were knocked from the air.

  “Strike again!” Lavakara commanded.

  The archers launched a new swarm of arrows, but the rotating wall of water around the Tidal Sovereign stopped them and washed them away.

  “It’s no use!” one archer yelled.

  Judith saw all of this, and she could even see how many arrows were launched and where they fell, as her ability to slow time around her and see fast moving situations was greatly multiplied by the Ursegan waters that she drank. She recorded all that she saw and heard in her book, undisturbed by the fact she was in the middle of a tremendous battle. She was not unaware of the significance of all of it, however.

  “Walk with me!” Lavakara ordered, and three (3) of the archers stepped next to him – two (2) males and one (1) female – knowing what he meant.

  Lavakara then drank the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean that he kept in the ornate vial he kept with him. He was doubly energized – the Nabavodel waters gave him speed and strength and the ornate vial gave him the powers of the spirit world as if he drank the waters of the Zovvin Ocean.

  “Move the ship as close as you can,” Lavakara said to the navigators.

  “When the rotating wall of water hits, we will leap,” Lavakara said.

  At this, he exercised his powers to spirit walk – entering into the spirit world. The three (3) archers touching him did this, also. Just as he did this, Judith reached out and touched him, and she entered the spirit world with them. She knew what he could do, and was compelled by the Oath to record the significant events.

  The five (5) of them – Lavakara, Judith and three (3) archers – all found themselves in the spirit world, unseen and unheard by anyone in the material world. However, they were still partly connected to it.

  The Scythesail approached the rotating wall of water, carrying the crew as well as Lavakara and his cohort. The wall of water struck the ship powerfully. Quickly, before the ship was pushed down by the rotating wall of water, Lavakara leaped from one space in the spirit world, which corresponded to the deck of the Scythesail, and landed in the space in the spirit world that corresponded to the deck of the other ship – the Tidal Sovereign.

  ~~~

  The Scythesail was struck so violently by the rotating wall of water that it was torn to pieces, and the crew perished.

  ~~~

  Lavakara could now see Victoria, and he pushed the archers from the spirit world, ordering them to strike at her.

  He then turned to Judith, whom he allowed to remain with him in the spirit world. He looked at her, saying: “Daring you are, Chronicler. Now, look upon the material world, and write down all that you see, which won’t be all, as you will see it through a different lens given where you now stand.”

  Judith could see much of what was going on, as could Lavakara.

  ~~~

  On the deck of the Tidal Sovereign, Lavakara’s two (2) male archers and one (1) female archer appeared before Victoria.

  Her servants moved in but Victoria laughed.

  The male archers dropped their bows and arrows and walked toward Victoria with the focus of men looking to have relations with her, filled with a lust that burned like the suns. Their eyes said it all.

  The female archer saw Victoria’s transcendent beauty, but was not filled with lust – only envy. She drew her bow but Victoria’s own servants dispatched her quickly using arrows to her neck.

  The male archers approached Victoria hoping to satisfy their lust, but Victoria then let her violet eyes burn bright and the archers were placed into a trance.

  “Do you love me?” Victoria asked.

  “Yes,” the two male archers said.

  “Would you like to taste of me?” Victoria asked.

  “Yes! Yes!” the male archers then said.

  “I would like to taste of you!” Victoria then said.

  The males approached her, and her servants moved to stop them but she gestured for them to stand down.

  As the two (2) males archers approached, Victoria drew forth a dagger from her robes and struck them both, mercilessly mutilating both of them in unspeakable ways.

  When the archers’ mutilated bodies slumped to the ground, Victoria summoned a servant to bring a cup and collect the blood from both of them. Then, they collected the blood from the female archer, as well.

  “For my master, I drink thrice, of this bloody sacrifice. I serve you first. May it quench your thirst. As you devour their spirits, let them feel the worst,” Victoria said.

  From the spirit world, Matatirot looked down on this, and was pleased, if a demon could be said to be pleased.

  ~~~

  Lavakara and Judith saw all of this, although, in the spirit world, the enchantments did not reach them. The violet eyes did not affect eithe
r of them; and Lavakara, despite being male, was not lured by Victoria’s beauty.

  “Do not look upon her face or, at any moment, into her eyes. Strike from behind,” Judith said.

  “What is this? A Chronicler of the Oath trying to affect the outcome of a battle,” Lavakara said, somewhat surprised.

  “The Oath serves truth – it does not serve demons or their minions. The blood sacrifice makes her their servant. By its Tenth Tenet, the Oath demands words and actions against Victoria and her master,” Judith said.

  Lavakara agreed with Judith’s assessment, and moved through the spirit world to a position behind Victoria. He readied a sharp dagger, and momentarily left the spirit world.

  Unfortunately, this meant Judith had to return, too, as Lavakara was her host: she had no power of her own to remain there.

  She became visible only behind him, and he was behind Victoria. Judith kept close to Lavakara, and kept a hand on his back.

  The neck was the only good and certain target – despite Lavakara’s combat skills – and he did not want to be anywhere near her eyes. Removing the tiara was by no means a certainty, which meant that Lavakara’s best option was to drive his sharp curved dagger into the back of Victoria’s neck. He did this in a way that should have cut her spine where it met her brain and killed her instantly. However, he had too little time to strike twice, as Victoria’s servants were close by.

  ~~~

  Under the cover of darkness, some of Victoria’s dark scouts and swordfighters acted to parry the dagger strike and prevented it from fully penetrating.

  ~~~

  Victoria was gravely wounded and bled profusely, but did not die.

  The Trerada Ocean’s essence of health and healing was in her, but the wound was tremendous. The demon, Matatirot, was protecting her.

  Lavakara then returned to the spirit world, and Judith, touching his back, returned with him.

  Victoria screamed in utter agony, and the demon heard her.

  Matatirot opened a portal and the Tidal Sovereign was transported through it, leaving the Trerada Ocean behind.

  ~~~

  Lavakara and Judith were not fully connected to the material world, so they were not carried with the ship when it entered the portal. Instead, they fell into the waters. However, in the spirit world, these waters did not present a threat of drowning.

  “That wasn’t enough. She isn’t dead,” Judith said.

  “I know. Many more wounds will be necessary. The inferno has ended and so the world has cooled, making the tiara far more powerful now than it ever was. And she has the assistance of a demon, making her stronger still,” Lavakara said.

  Lavakara could see ships in the distance in the material world. When they approached, he saw that they were the others he had ordered. He returned to the material world, and Judith necessarily returned with him. They were now in the material world’s water, and waded there to keep their heads above it.

  “We struck at the enemy, but the ship was lost!” Lavakara called out.

  A light scout on one of the ships saw them and lowered ropes to rescue them.

  Once on board, Lavakara explained all that happened, and Judith wrote it all in her book.

  Fortunately for Chroniclers, the pages of their books were not made of paper that could be damaged by the waters, but of a thin metal, which could be easily etched and not be ruined by the water.

  The ships made their way back toward Ihalik. When they arrived in Lahavinik – which was one of the major harbor towns of Ihalik – Lavakara and Judith left the ship and received a report of over one million (1000000) deaths on the coast of the continent. They also received the reports of deaths in Meridianus and nearby land bridges, as these reports had reached Ihalik by airship.

  Judith wrote all of these reports in her book, although she indicated that they were reports given by others, and not what she had witnessed firsthand.

  ~~~

  The Persistent arrived in Ihalik in the harbor town of Lahavinik. On board were the Chronicler, Ovid; the singer, Daven; the scholar, Romana; Prince Emerond and General Joshua, along with their crew.

  However, they showed up only after the initial destruction was already over, having heard reports after the fact.

  They reached the harbor at the same time as Lavakara’s fleet, and he saw them, as well as the Spirit Sword that Joshua carried.

  ~~~

  Standing on the docks in the port, Lavakara turned to one of his generals and said: “General Povaximus, do not look into the Ahitan woman’s eyes under any circumstances. Do not let males look upon her from up close – they must strike from a distance or from behind. No one mortal wound will be enough. Crash your ships into hers if you must. Prepare to lose most, if not all, of your forces.”

  Judith looked at him, knowing that what he said was probably true.

  General Povaximus looked at Lavakara, aghast, and said: “Supreme Commander Lavakara, You are the greatest warrior! Will you not lead us to defeat this threat?”

  “I cannot make you invincible in your weakness. The sheep will be led to the slaughter. The only hope is that a few of them, in their anger and fear, will become wolves, for a moment, and achieve a fortunate strike at the enemy. Be that wolf. The owl, by night, sees the prey which cannot see it. Be that owl. The snake, in the grass, strikes before it is seen. Be that snake,” Lavakara said. He did not consider animals to be truly great warriors, but they were metaphorically useful, and did have interesting advantages.

  General Povaximus looked at him, puzzled, and said: “We have an army of men and women. We do not use beasts in our warfare.”

  “Understand the metaphor, General. In the spirit world, or under the cloak of darkness you may hide. You must, however, be prepared for the most terrible losses. This enemy is overwhelming. You are not ready to face her,” Lavakara said.

  Lavakara then disappeared from the material world and returned to the spirit world, leaving Judith behind.

  She looked for him, but could not find him despite walking the docks. She knew that he could only be found when he wanted to be. In her wandering, she encountered the crew of the Persistent, who came to see what there was to be seen.

  “We heard of the reports of the tempest in the Trerada Ocean,” Prince Emerond said, meeting with General Povaximus of the Ihalik army. The general recognized the prince of the Jendaldej Empire. Although they were economic rivals, they were not military adversaries, despite the previous conflicts that arose when Cassius and Octavian launched the assaults using the castles. At the time of Octavian’s rule, Povaximus had been serving under Lycaon, in the north, rather than Cassius and Octavian, in the south, and had no part in the battle. When Lycaon stepped in and consolidated the Ihalik Empire, Povaximus had distinguished himself as being without distinction – he was exactly as competent for his position as he needed to be, and so he could be relied upon. Lavakara regarded him much the same: reliable, yet not extraordinary.

  “Over two million (2000000) are dead, including those in Meridianus, according to our reports,” General Povaximus told him.

  “The waves of water were as much as five hundred (500) feet high. That made it almost impossible to approach directly. We waited out part of the storm and then went around it,” Prince Emerond said.

  “You are a Prince of the Jendaldej Empire. You should be there, in Revod, ready to strike. She will come for you – you do know that, I hope,” the General Povaximus said.

  “Victoria will strike where and when she sees fit. I want to be there, wherever it may be,” Emerond said.

  “You have no way of knowing,” General Povaximus said.

  “Not yet,” Emerond said.

  Judith saw Emerond and said: “I have seen much. The woman is a minion of a demon. She has feminine beauty that can seduce men. She has eyes that can place both men and women into a trance. Do not look directly at her eyes. Lavakara was able to strike from behind.”

  “Where is Lavakara?” Emerond asked.
/>   “He left suddenly. I don’t know where he is at the moment,” Judith said.

  “Trustworthy Chronicler, please come with me and tell me all that you saw,” Emerond said.

  General Povaximus then said: “If you saw what Lavakara did, please come with us, and share it with us. He is our leader.”

  “I will accept the first invitation that I received,” Judith said.

  General Povaximus was disappointed, but he had no authority over the Chronicler.

  “Let’s get ready to meet Victoria…before she meets us,” Emerond said, and he left to return to the Persistent and Judith followed him.

  CHAPTER 15: Searching for the City of Myth

  Anan was a man of few words, but many deep thoughts. His friendship was with ideas, knowledge and discovery. He lived for the collection of knowledge of ancient cultures and customs, their artifacts and architecture, wisdom and religion. He didn’t believe in any sort of deity, but he didn’t judge those who did. He considered belief in a deity to be equivalent to belief in the beauty of artwork: it was a personal taste that should be learned of, understood and documented. He was no Chronicler of the Oath, but he did take a book with him wherever he went and meticulously recorded every detail.

  His dedication to accuracy was sufficient to qualify him as a Chronicler, and it was suggested by Danek and others that he should take the Oath, because it would have granted him access to areas that were otherwise off limits due to political and military considerations. All that he would have to do is keep his findings confidential and report them as such, to be released at a later time. However, Anan was not a drinker of the Ursegan Ocean waters, so his life time would not extend much past a century, if that; therefore, he would not live to see the day that many of his more sensitive findings would be revealed. Also, the Oath demanded that he follow the most historically significant trail of events: if he was researching an archaeological site and a political uprising took place, the Oath demanded that he follow it to wherever it led, even if thousands (1000) of miles away, whereas he would want to stay on site and continue his research. Hence, the Oath gave him little while demanding much.