Tiara & Tempest Read online

“Time stopped. Amazing,” Emerond said.

  “You weren’t exaggerating,” Zoe said, looking at Judith.

  “Exaggerating is lying. I am forbidden by the Oath to do such a thing, even to make a point. It was better that you saw for yourself,” Judith said. Of course, she recorded these things in her book.

  Ovid also recorded all of this in his book, so that the way that the war progressed could be learned from his account.

  “Doing nothing is the wrong decision. If we cannot strike her here, then we should prepare our next strike, and be ready,” Joshua said.

  “That may be your only option,” Judith said.

  “The arrow went nowhere. Same for ships, right?” Emerond asked.

  “That’s correct. No new ships or people can enter the ocean,” Judith said.

  “If nothing’s moving into the ocean, she’ll soon run out of people to kill. If her purpose is to kill, then she’ll have to move on,” Emerond said.

  “That is a possibility,” Judith said.

  ~~~

  On board the Tidal Sovereign, Victoria looked around, delighted at the death she could see on nearby ships, and thrilled with the deaths on distant ships reported by her light scouts.

  “All around us are dead. There is no motion. The seas are still, as are the ships, and the once-beating hearts of their crew,” a light scout said.

  “I prefer the tempest. It tears their ships to pieces and kills the crew. It washes away the enemy on the land. This has become uneventful. Unless more will die soon, we should strike elsewhere,” Victoria said.

  “There is stillness and death and nothing else,” the light scout said.

  “Master, take me from this place, that I may kill again,” Victoria said.

  The demon, Matatirot, opened a portal and moved the Tidal Sovereign through it, and the ship disappeared from sight.

  The power of the tiara left with her, and so time returned to normal, and many ships floated upon the waters, with the corpses of their crews lying about on the decks.

  ~~~

  “I was hoping to get in a few chops and slices,” Brant said, disappointed.

  “So was I,” Zoe said.

  “Save your energy. I have little doubt we’re in for another fight very soon,” Joshua said.

  “Now that’s what I wanted to hear,” Brant said.

  “You get her, big guy. Maybe those other ones will show up too and bring a little extra vengeance,” Rayner said.

  “Yeah. The ones that used the flames. The three (3) of them could burn her,” Zoe said.

  “Be careful – the Torches of Majesty are not our allies. For the moment, we share a common enemy. However, there can be no trusting them, and they may turn on us when Victoria is defeated,” Romana said.

  “You say that like you’re certain she will be,” Zoe said.

  “I am certain. Continue fighting as best we can. Her end is near,” Romana said.

  “I’m glad to hear you say it. But I can’t wait to see it,” Brant said.

  “By working together, we will defeat her, even if it is difficult,” Daven said. He believed in uplifting the individual with encouragement, so that they could bring out the best in themselves. He had often used music to do that in the past, when the occasion was right.

  “Be careful that you don’t place too much confidence in us alone. The blessing of the One True God is what we need for our efforts to succeed. Faith, in addition to effort, is what is needed,” Romana said.

  Joshua looked at the Spirit Sword and saw its glowing blue lines. “The lines on the Spirit Sword point to the northwest,” he said.

  “Set your course due northwest,” Emerond ordered.

  The crew of the Persistent set their course and the ship began traveling in that direction.

  CHAPTER 41: Puzzled by a Tower of Riddles

  Celio, while still in the boat in the dark tunnel, found himself traveling alternately down steep grades and then over plateaus. He knew that he was still traveling on water, as he could hear it splash. However, he could not see it, and did not know when it would next turn into a steep grade where his stomach would turn. After several times, he thought he would get used to it, but he didn’t. Fortunately, before illness overtook him, the boat would level out.

  After a voyage lasting perhaps twelve (12) hours, he could see a light at the end of the tunnel. The boat came to a stop and he stepped out onto the riverbank. He then walked out of the tunnel and onto a rocky coastline inside of a gigantic cavern. There was a veritable ocean before him inside of the cavern, and the ceiling was perhaps five hundred (500) feet high, by his estimation. He knew how to estimate angles and distances well enough and could perform trigonometric calculations in his head with ease, so he was sure of the height.

  He wondered what might be illuminating the cavern, but could not see any sign of the source of it. All that he knew was that it should be dark, and that it was far from it. Looking at the cavern ceiling and walls he could not see any signs of outside light pouring in – it certainly wasn’t coming from the tunnel behind him. This was a puzzle worth pursuing on its own.

  Celio saw that there was a ship at the coast with tattered sails. That ship was larger than the one he had traveled on down the river in darkness. He came this far and decided that it only made sense to go forward and perhaps learn something. Knowledge was his pursuit, not escape to safety.

  He walked off the rocky coast and onto the deck of the ship, which was at the same level. After just a few minutes, the boat moved of its own accord, across the vast ocean. He wondered which water it was. Many of the lakes and rivers of the world were dead waters, but others were of the same water as one of the twelve (12) great oceans. Not being an alchemist meant that he could not tell which water it was that he was sailing on.

  Celio sailed for perhaps three (3) hours and saw that he was approaching an island with thousands of structures of various sorts, some reaching hundreds of feet up toward the cavern ceiling. The ship stopped at the coast of the island and he disembarked to explore it.

  He saw numerous stone statues like the famous colossals. He also saw a large fountain shaped like an archway, over two hundred fifty (250) feet high, with several streams of water pouring down from vents in its upper portion. He counted one hundred twelve (112) streams. He had no idea what any of this was, and was eager to understand it.

  Celio decided to walk around to survey the environment – which appeared to him to be an ancient city – and to observe its general layout before exploring any one part in too much detail.

  ~~~

  Anan traveled in a boat along a river through a dark tunnel, but he could see where he was going by the torch that he carried with him. He saw each slope ahead of him, and was able to brace himself as the boat went down it. Still, his stomach was turned and he felt as if he was going to get sick. Right before he did, the boat would reach a plateau and move quickly along its nearly level course, and ease his feelings of illness. Then, it would turn to a slope again. This journey went on for perhaps twelve (12) hours before he saw a light at the end of the tunnel.

  The boat reached the end of the tunnel and he stepped out and left the tunnel where he found himself on a rocky ledge inside of an enormous cavern containing an ocean. The cavern ceiling was perhaps five hundred (500) feet high and the cavern was well lit, despite there being no apparent vents through which this much light could enter – the light was not coming from the tunnel he had just exited. He could see that the cavern went on as far as the eye could see, however.

  Anan saw that there was a ship with tattered sails and he walked toward it. The deck of the ship was at the same level as the rocky ledge, so he boarded the ship, thinking that it may operate as the one on the river did. In a few minutes, the ship moved out to set sail across the ocean.

  The ship sailed for about three (3) hours before he saw an island with many thousands of structures of various sizes upon it. It appeared to be a city more ancient than anything found on any con
tinent he had visited or represented in the halls of Emeth, based on the unconventional designs of the structures. He suspected that it just may be the lost city of Thalkalana for which he was searching, but he needed to investigate more closely. When the ship reached the shore of the island, he disembarked and walked around the island to investigate.

  Anan was an historian first and foremost, and studied many aspects of culture and architecture – the modern, the ancient and the extremely ancient. What he saw here, however, was the ancient of myth. The architectural models that he saw in Emeth were as much as three hundred (300) millennia old, or just a few percent more. The style of architecture here, he thought, might be far older, into the millions of years, but he could not know without looking for more evidence.

  He saw many structures that were pyramidal. He also saw statues much like the colossals on the surface. There was a fountain that was perhaps two hundred fifty (250) or more feet high, based on his estimate, as he knew enough about angles and distances to estimate. He saw that there were streams of water running down from vents in the archway. He counted one hundred twelve (112) streams and wondered if that number had some significance.

  There was also another man wandering around, looking to be at least as baffled by this place as he was.

  Anan did not expect to find anyone else here, and, while he wasn’t intimidated to see another person present, he didn’t rush to imperil himself foolishly without hope of gain. However, he didn’t find the other man – who was perhaps fifty (50) years of age and scholarly in appearance – to represent any threat.

  He was not interested in forming personal relationships – he only wanted answers to his research questions. If speaking to others would afford him that, he would engage in a conversation.

  ~~~

  Celio heard footsteps behind him and turned on his heel. He saw a thin and healthy looking older man with a white beard walking behind him.

  The older man was dressed as if he were ready to trek through a jungle or scale a peak or ride in a riverboat. To arrive here, Celio thought, at least one of those was probably true.

  ~~~

  Anan approached the other man, who looked to be younger – somewhere between forty-five (45) and fifty-five (55) years old – in neither great nor terrible physical shape and clearly educated.

  “This city is ancient in design, far beyond what Emeth has to offer. If you had to put an age to this, what would you estimate?” Anan asked him.

  “I have no model for reasoning about its age, so I have no hypothesis. I’m curious to find out the source of the illumination, which may shed light on many subjects in this, if I may call it, a city,” Celio said.

  “The light is not coming through the tunnels that the rivers run through, I will say that much,” Anan said.

  “Agreed. And you are?” Celio asked.

  “Anan. Historian. And you?” Anan said.

  “Celio, Astronomer and mathematician,” Celio said.

  “I see no obvious light sources here – the cavern walls are not the source of it, either. Do you have any theories on that?” Anan asked.

  “No, but I have a theory about something related, concerning the stars. It led me to the entrance to a cave in the mountains. A closer inspection led me to the entrance to the river,” Celio said.

  “I came in a similar way,” Anan said, not feeling the need to go into more detail about his own trip here.

  “Whatever illuminates this cavern likely comes from the center of this island, as the light seems evenly distributed,” Celio said, looking around.

  Anan followed his gaze and said: “If you have an insight, please lead the way.”

  ~~~

  Desmond and Jaguar were both intrigued by what they saw inside the temple. However, Jaguar was troubled.

  “The longer we stay, the more we will anger the sun gods, and the more they will punish us,” Jaguar said.

  “Superstitious beliefs will limit you. Don’t fear what isn’t there – just be cautious about the real dangers,” Desmond said.

  “More traps could be in this sacred place, or curses,” Jaguar said, looking around apprehensively.

  “Curses are superstition. If you would choose science over ancient religions, you would know this. However, you may be right about the traps,” Desmond said.

  “We must leave here, now,” Jaguar said, and he started walking out of the inner room at a fast pace, as if something were about to come after him.

  Desmond didn’t care to fall into another trap like the one before, so he followed Jaguar, carefully stepping over the pit of spikes.

  They left the inner room of the temple and walked around the curved passage to find the outer doorway.

  They left the temple and then Desmond looked at it from the outside. “There may be more to this temple. With a great deal of caution, and more preparation, we should return,” Desmond said.

  “We must never return, or a curse will truly come down on us! We may be forgiven by the sun gods once, but not twice!” Jaguar said.

  “It won’t be today, at any rate,” Desmond said, thinking that there was much more to learn in that temple – yet, he had no plan to return without taking some extra precautions. He began walking through the city, and Jaguar continued to follow him.

  “Remember those statues. Remember how many there were in each position. Numbers – especially sequences of numbers – have meanings,” Desmond said.

  “Those numbers are the secrets of the gods,” Jaguar said.

  “Looking past the superstitions, their meaning could still be important,” Desmond said.

  They kept walking, with Desmond in the lead, wondering about the meaning of the city and its various structures of differing styles. It seemed to him, as he walked past pyramids, colossal statues and even gardens, that this city had different architects over time. And all of it was quite ancient beyond anything he had seen in Emeth.

  Something about the city was nagging him, and even the source of light that allowed him to see in this enormous cavern was still a mystery. This was despite the fact that both he and Jaguar forgot to put back the citrine torches and were still carrying them.

  Desmond saw two (2) other men in the distance near an enormous tower with a dome at the top.

  Jaguar saw them as well and said: “I sensed that we were not alone. Yet, they do not look to be warriors, but weak men, like you.”

  “Then there should be little to fear in approaching them,” Desmond said, not in the least bit afraid. He had dealt with pirates, and was threatened with their worst, and survived it. His family, however, did not. Fear was not an issue for him anymore.

  “Hidden powers they may have,” Jaguar said, and he took a curved blade from his animal skin belt and held it up. The blade was perhaps eighteen (18) inches and would easily kill a man if delivered with Jaguar’s strength. He was fast enough that he could probably kill three (3) or four (4) victims before any counterstrike could be delivered against him. Desmond saw this and considered that he may not want to upset Jaguar too much – or allow anything to upset him. It wasn’t for fear of the jungle warrior, but because there was little to be gained.

  Desmond walked toward the other men with Jaguar by his side, who was watching every move of the two (2) other men.

  ~~~

  “This city isn’t a secret anymore,” Anan said, having seen the approach of a scholarly man and a knife-wielding jungle warrior by his side.

  Celio looked and saw two (2) people approaching – one looking to be a man of science, the other like a jungle warrior carrying a knife.

  “Some may kill to keep it a secret,” Celio said. He was neither entirely afraid nor unafraid. He did not want to be impaled with a blade and die or suffer horribly, but he had lost his family to the brutality of Captain Keallach and didn’t really have much to live for besides science. Still, science was a joy to him.

  “If he wants us dead, we’re dead,” Anan said. He wasn’t afraid, either, but didn’t want to
die needlessly when there was so much to learn. Anan had escaped danger before through clever maneuvering.

  ~~~

  Desmond got closer and recognized Celio, who recognized him.

  “So you let him leave the jungle,” Celio said, looking to Jaguar.

  “The storm was mighty, and the jungle was flooded,” Jaguar said, also recognizing Celio.

  “We escaped through a concealed passageway in a temple,” Desmond said.

  “We were blessed by Havatissa – he destined us to live,” Jaguar said.

  “You know each other. How?” Anan asked, purely curious.

  “We were research associates,” Celio said.

  “Things went badly. Very badly,” Desmond said, remembering the massacre. His face turned somber and even Anan could see that the man had been through troubles.

  “We followed old star charts to a lost city,” Celio said, with a troubled look on his own face.

  “Pirates followed us,” Desmond said.

  “They killed your families over the valuables you found, right?” Anan asked, deducing the cause for their pain.

  “Well, it’s time to move on in life. Remembering it is the last thing I want to do, except when it’s the only thing I want to do,” Celio said.

  “Doesn’t do a bit of good,” Desmond said.

  “This is Desmond,” Celio said, introducing his former collaborator to Anan.

  Desmond nodded toward him.

  “This is Anan. Historian of?” Celio said and asked of Anan, while introducing Anan to Desmond.

  “All cultures and subjects,” Anan said.

  “You can put down the knife,” Desmond said.

  “Who could forget Jaguar? Yes, the knife may not be the answer to our questions,” Celio said.

  “Yes. But what is the answer to that?” Desmond asked, pointing toward the tower with the dome on top.

  Celio walked closer to it, looked at it, made a few mental calculations and said: “It’s octagonal, extending two hundred twenty (220) feet up, and two hundred twenty (220) feet down.” He saw that the tower stood in a well that went down to that depth, with a staircase leading to the bottom.