Dagger & Deception Read online

  ~~~

  Obscure Watchers carried the news even further, to the southern continent of Waderav. There were no empires there, only a great many robber barons, peasant farmers and nomadic peoples that had loose trading agreements. The news caught the attention of many, but most of them were in no position to fight. They could only watch and hope and pray, if they believed in anyone to whom to pray, that is. Some, however, were ready to fight.

  ~~~

  Obscure Watchers carried the news to the continent of Baradaxa. The architect, Fantine, made her home there in the highly commercially active Port of Kemalorin. She was responsible for the design of the crystal archways that successfully defended some of the most vulnerable people of the world from the intense heat and light of the many aligned suns – the condition known as the ‘inferno’. When Fantine came to know of the danger of the tiara and the Ahitan Empire, she thought of ways to defend against it. Yet, she was neither a warrior, nor a spy. Her mind was that of a genius of architectural design, and she drank the waters of the Kazofen Ocean which allowed her to bend crystal like it was clay, so she turned her mind to engineering a defense against the threat.

  Fantine considered how to design and build newer, sturdier structures that could withstand any ocean waves that might crash up against the coast during a powerful tempest – whether the storm was brought by the tiara or by any natural cause. She also considered ways to make existing coastal structures more resilient or even relocatable, so as to avoid the storms until they subsided. She regarded this as more than an existential threat – it was a design challenge, which she savored: architecture was not just about how to survive, but the very reason she wanted to live.

  ~~~

  Also in Baradaxa was the wealthy Sebastian, who had paid for the materials that Fantine used, and did this out of his seemingly limitless fortune. Sebastian had many informants who worked for him, and they brought him the news of the Ahitan threat, explaining that it was an empire of demon-worshippers.

  Sebastian was compassionate, and this was multiplied many times by the waters of the Elanatin Ocean. They let him feel the emotions of others at great distances, and their very thoughts when close enough. He could even project his feelings into others, to uplift their spirits when in despair. He was thirty-five (35) years old, while his close companion was a forty-two (42) year old woman named Caroline, who traveled with him and admired his generosity and compassion. She learned of this danger, too.

  Sebastian said to her: “It’s not enough that the world is on fire. Now that we have it under control with the architectural structures, and we proved that science and engineering and reason are what bring peace, we have more religious zealots and their ancient religions who want to bring war and pain and death. If only I could buy a world without these ruinous religions, I could buy peace. That’s what I should be doing.”

  “You’re right. And that’s what we will do. My love for you is real, and far more real than the foolish nonsense that some ancient cult worships,” Caroline said.

  “These religious cults place their beliefs in imaginary beings, or trick others into believing in them. That’s where their power comes from, because they have fools for followers who do their work for them and turn over their wealth to the cult leaders, thinking that it will buy them salvation,” Sebastian said.

  “Salvation for a soul that doesn’t even exist,” Caroline said.

  “There is no truth to any religion – it doesn’t save lives or answer important questions, it only leads people to waste time pursuing false hope instead of finding solutions. The only thing real about religion is the pain and hate that it spreads. They say it’s about love, but it’s all false love,” Sebastian said.

  “I don’t need the false love of any religion. I know what true love is – my love for my daughter is real. If only she understood my feelings for you, and appreciated the good in you, I could have her back,” Caroline said, referring to her daughter, Taesa, who utterly distrusted Sebastian, having accused him of using his powers of the mind to control Caroline, and using his vast wealth to buy her love.

  ~~~

  Others in Baradaxa also learned of the warning, and were greatly troubled, including the one thousand two hundred forty-two (1242) year old Chronicler, Judith, who drank the waters of the Ursegan Ocean for longevity. She was keeping records of the activities of her now close friend, the thirty-two (32) year old Romana, who was a farmer who drank the waters of the Gradaken Ocean, which gave her power over the plants and animals, to grow a more bountiful harvest and to call creatures to her service. Romana was a woman of God, and a scholar who knew very well of the danger represented by the Ahitan Empire and their wicked and demonic ways. The news was a call to action for Romana, to prevent the ruin that the Ahitan would bring, to body and soul, with its demonic practices.

  Judith knew the ancient records all too well, but the Chronicler’s Oath forbade her from interfering in world events, although she was not bound to keep the confidence of any secret knowledge gained from demonic powers the way that she was of mortal kings and generals. Still, there was little that Judith could do, personally, other than to write down all that she saw.

  CHAPTER 2: Commander of Ghosts

  Also in Baradaxa was Captain Pradrock, a fifty-three (53) year old freighter captain, who had made and won the wager, one (1) year ago, with the ghost of Captain Tychon, who was now at his command. Captain Tychon, while alive, was a wicked pirate given to tormenting his victims for pleasure. In his afterlife, he was condemned to sail the Everlasting Pain across the seas of the world, along with his ghost crew, bringing living pirates to justice. Tychon came to be in command of hundreds of additional ships, also with ghost crews, when the formerly living Captain Keallach was defeated in battle. The ghost crew that reported to Keallach was left in dangerous disarray, and became violent. They were made calm again by a powerful spirit song, the Hymn to the Lost and Wicked Souls, sung by Lady Onora.

  When the ghosts were calmed, Captain Pradrock wagered his fleet for that of the ghost of Captain Tychon over the outcome of an ancient game of strategy – the War of the Treasury – and won, and so now he commanded Tychon and his ghost fleet. Pradrock ordered them to sail through the air over the vulnerable areas of the world, carrying specially made crystal fabrics to block out the excess heat and light from the many aligned suns – the so-called ‘inferno’. These airborne ships carrying crystal fabrics would provide a temporary and portable cover from the inferno, although, being less sturdy, the fabrics had to be moved in a carefully balanced way so as not to tear them by the motions of the ships. The fabrics had a similar composition to that of the more rigid crystal structures designed by the architect, Fantine, which contained a layer of encased Trerada Ocean waters. This design allowed the passage of light – which was essential, because a person could not live under perpetual darkness – and the Trerada Ocean water layer also filtered out harmful excesses of solar energy, while providing some healing benefits to those who had already been burned by the intense heat and light. The ghosts on board the ships did not have to fear any harm from the intense heat or light of the many suns shining down on them when they sailed the ships through the air, and this immunity to the inferno conditions made them particularly effective in this duty.

  Captain Pradrock had a clever and mathematical mind, and his abilities were enhanced greatly by drinking the waters of the Medathero Ocean. This enabled him to see many moves ahead in the game, and he thereby defeated the ghost of Captain Tychon thoroughly using carefully calculated moves. Had he lost, Pradrock and the living crew that served under him would have lost their lives and joined the spiritually condemned ghost crew under Tychon. While the wager of physical lives for spiritual ones was roundly and harshly condemned, that did nothing to deny Pradrock’s victory. The world accepted this strange outcome as useful, even those who decried the risk. Many of the poor – who would otherwise have been subject to the dangerously intense heat and light of the inferno –
were kept significantly safer by the protective cover from the crystal fabric held aloft between these ghost ships, because they had little or no access to the special rigid crystal archway structures that gave proper protection on a larger scale.

  Captain Pradrock had been working for the past year with Akylas, a reader of stars, who was now twenty-eight (28) years old and a drinker of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean. Because of this water, Akylas could hear the movements of the suns, even the yellow and unpredictable ones, and know where they had been in the recent or distant past, and where they were going to go in the near or distant future. It was for this reason that the Atrejan waters were known as the “sun waters” or “star waters.” Akylas plotted the courses of the suns and made charts and maps, and these were given to the ghost of Captain Tychon and his ghost crew to follow. They would carry the crystal fabrics between their ships over large areas for some time to come, and they could give the protective cover where it was needed most. Tychon and his ghost crew were immune to the effects of the many burning suns that had aligned to form the inferno, even though the ships they sailed were made of solid material in the physical world.

  Many feared, however, that Captain Pradrock would use the ghost crew, and the three hundred thirty (330) ships on which they sailed, to exert force over others and extort their wealth. This ghost fleet amounted to a small yet dangerous navy, and had already proven lethal in combat under their former captain, Keallach. Some others feared that Pradrock would succumb to mind manipulation by a malevolent actor who drank the waters of the Elanatin Ocean, who would then control him, and by extension, the ghost of Captain Tychon and the ghost fleet. However, if Pradrock were to be assassinated, his authority would be forfeit – rather than being transferred to his assassin – and the ghosts he formerly commanded could become chaotic, and wage a terrible and senseless war. For this reason, Pradrock was given protection. Imperial Prince Emerond of the Jenaldej Empire assigned one of his citizens the responsibility to protect Pradrock from mental manipulation or physical harm.

  Claudia was a forty-one (41) year old woman of good ethic – and deep cynicism – who drank the waters of the Elanatin Ocean, and could detect malevolent thoughts and emotions, and thus protect Pradrock from mental manipulations by another person who had the same powers she did. She could also sense the thoughts of an assassin, even if they were hidden in the darkness.

  “These recent star charts should cover this region for the next two (2) months,” Akylas said to Pradrock as he handed over a book containing the charts. They both stood on the docks in the Port of Kemalorin, at the southwestern corner of the continent of Baradaxa.

  “Excellent,” Pradrock said to Akylas. After this, Pradrock turned to face the ghost of Captain Tychon, handed over the book of star charts to him and said: “Please replace the previous charts with these new charts, and direct the ships to follow them.”

  “Aye, Captain of Captains,” the ghost of Captain Tychon said to him, and heeded his words. The ghosts of the various ships were given their individual orders and followed the given star charts.

  The airborne ships, when fully spread out with the crystal fabrics stretched between them, covered over four (4) square miles, and could thoroughly protect a large town. They could also be spread out to cover many smaller villages. Because the many suns moved along their own paths and the areas of greatest solar intensity changed as a result, this coverage was only needed for a short while in any area, and proved to be very effective at preventing the terrible burning sickness that would decimate the skin. Areas that were wealthier and had access to the special crystal archway structures designed by the architect, Fantine, did not need their assistance. Poorer villages with small children and youth, which were numerous, did need it and appreciated it.

  Suddenly, Claudia jumped, pushing Pradrock out of the way, causing him to fall and bruise his arm on the ground. A blade slashed out from the darkness, grazing Claudia and drawing blood, yet no one saw where the blade came from. An assassin, sent by Lycaon from his empire in the continent of Ihalik, had made an attempt to kill Captain Pradrock. Lycaon assassinated his own former leader, Imperial Prince Leonides, to satisfy his own hunger for power. Now, he feared the power wielded by a lone man over a fleet of ghosts, and did not want any such threat against his own empire. Lycaon worried that Pradrock could be bought or otherwise influenced to bring his ghost fleet against him, and wanted to prevent the possibility.

  “An old freighter captain with no military training should be an easy target,” Lycaon had said to his assassin, before dispatching him.

  Lycaon would have been right, but such attempts were anticipated, and Claudia performed capably in averting this. She sensed precisely where the ill intent was coming from, and drew a small knife, coated with the waters of the Atrejan Ocean, which very few people in the world considered worthy of drinking. She used it to strike the would-be assassin, who drank the waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean, and by these, was able to hide in a magical darkness. Of course, the Atrejan Ocean waters mixed in his blood with the Ikkith Tar Ocean waters, and this meant crixalethicis, the incurable disease that occurred when two or more of the great waters mixed in the body of one person. The assassin was dead within minutes, during which his mind became chaotic and confused and his organs were dissolved by the deadly mixture. A thud was heard as his body hit the ground. In his death, he could not concentrate or focus his powers, and so his corpse became quite visible.

  Claudia had been subject to the Jenaldej waterbinding trials, which recognized her innate potential for mind and emotional powers. She also spent time in their protective service unit, to defend high value political targets. Although Pradrock was not now, nor was he ever, a citizen of the Jenaldej Empire, he qualified as a high value target in their estimation. Claudia also knew how to wield other weapons, as needed, except for one: her caustic personality was dreadfully nasty, and, despite her reasonably attractive looks, she lacked any and all charm. Claudia looked at the corpse of the man she had just killed, and considered who this person may have served.

  “The assassin was not acting alone. He was funded, probably by the Ihalik Empire. One of Lycaon’s hired blades,” she said. Then, she looked directly at Pradrock and said: “Get up. No bones are broken. You’re fine.” Her personality, and her voice, were calm, cold and calculated, as always.

  Pradrock stood up, looked at his bruised arm, and saw that the danger was still present, in the form of this new assassination attempt, and still annoying, in the form of the bruise on his arm.

  Akylas saw all of this happen, in the blink of an eye. Claudia was amazingly fast – and constantly aware and thoroughly precise – and this was, unfortunately, entirely necessary. This wasn’t the first time that someone had tried to kill Pradrock. Akylas didn’t think it would be the last, either.

  Akantha, Akylas’ twin sister, was a drinker of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean. She could sense things in the spirit world, and was highly attuned to any attempts to attack Pradrock from that realm. She knew that the ghost of Captain Tychon himself was a hate-filled being, but accepted his fate and had no designs against the life of Captain Pradrock, as Tychon was bound by the wager that was made. However, should Pradrock die by some means, whether by assassination or simply ill health or old age, then Tychon and his ghost crew would be freed from the binding of the wager, and they would even become very dangerous for a period of time. It was hard for Akantha to be sure how long or terrible that might be. However, Tychon did not register as any immediate threat, and of that, she was sure.

  The immediate threat was much larger.

  News had reached the port from other travelers with the warning of the Ahitan woman named Victoria. It was said that she held the tiara of power, with its thirteen (13) blue diamonds, that could command all the oceans of the world. Victoria was in hiding, because the tiara had no power during the heat of the inferno. Only in a cold world could its powers be used.

  “We have two (2) years, and the he
at will be dropping considerably, as the alignment ends,” Akylas said.

  “The inferno suddenly doesn’t sound so bad, considering what she’ll do with the tiara when everything cools off. I mean, we’ve almost got this heat wave under control, with all those crystal archways, and the ghost ships carrying the crystal fabrics,” Akantha said.

  “I wouldn’t call it control – we don’t control the movements of the many suns. We’re just protecting people the best we can. But it is helping people, and saving lives,” Akylas said.

  “We need to find the Ahitan woman, before she decides to strike at all of us. We have less than two (2) years, probably only half that, if the heat drops at a rapid pace and enables her to use the tiara,” Pradrock said.

  “That is true. In the first year, more than half of the excess heat will be gone. Once we cross some line, whatever that line is, everything is going to get nasty, and we can’t stand under a crystal archway to stop it, or her,” Akylas said.

  “You’re going have to go into hiding,” Claudia said, looking at Pradrock.

  “At some point, perhaps. But definitely not now. We need to find her, quickly and efficiently, and end this threat before it begins to manifest even one (1) percent of its potential. If we don’t, then there will be no place to hide: she’ll just destroy everything. I’ve read some of the historical accounts of the Ahitan Empire – and I thought that you might have, as well. When they ruled the seas, they ruled the world, for over two (2) millennia, and that was without the tiara,” Pradrock said.

  Claudia realized that the remark was a criticism of her knowledge of history. Fair play it was, and she didn’t take it personally. Actually, she needed to know more if she was to properly carry out her assignment. She was a Jenaldej Empire citizen, and they were the ones who warred against the Ahitan Empire one hundred (100) millennia ago. The Ahitan were legendary, and she had heard of their dominion of the world based on their rule of the sea. The danger was staggering, but she was not a historian, and had spent little time at Emeth, or studying history at all. She knew how to find killers by their thoughts, and she knew how to kill. Now, one of the greatest killers of all was waiting to strike, and she would have to be prepared.