Dagger & Deception Read online

  “I know. I admit it won’t be easy,” Zoe said.

  Zoe and Brant headed to the docks to find a captain willing to take them. They spent two (2) platinum coins – their savings for a month – and booked passage on a ship to Emeth.

  ~~~

  In the continent of Revod was the Jenaldej Empire, the wealthiest empire the world had ever known. They lived by a regimented lifestyle, perpetually rationing and managing their resources using sophisticated mathematics for allocation of their wealth. This had made them efficient and staved off shortages and famines by carefully managing their surplus resources and food in more plentiful times. The resource coordinators were brilliant mathematicians, and earned much respect. They designed the waterbinding trials, in which youth of twenty-three (23) years of age were identified for their potential for the best use of the waters, and put to carefully designed tests to fit them to the most suitable water for binding. This was demonstrated to produce optimal or near-optimal assignments of the great waters to the innate potential of the individual, and made for a wise and powerful culture. At the same time, the philosophies of the Jenaldej Empire were stifling to the creativity of some who sought more freedom, and they preferred a different way.

  One young group of citizens had befriended each other, and had their own philosophies. They gathered together in one of the many wildlife preserves in Revod to discuss their ideas.

  There was Radoslaw, a twenty-four (24) year old man and drinker of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean, and he could sense thoughts and emotions because of this. He could even project positive or negative feelings, to influence a decision made by another regarding business or ethics or law, and he was not opposed to doing this if he felt his own position was more correct. He had done this to affect legal proceedings to enforce a guilty verdict of a man who charged too high a price for food, which was seen as market manipulation. Radoslaw had his own ideas of what a high price was, and thought that everyone should see it his way.

  There was Corinne, a thirty-one (31) year old woman, who was also a drinker of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean, and she could also sense thoughts and emotions. She had the same powers to project feelings into others, and could also outright control their minds to a great extent, but only up close. She used this technique to prevent a number of murders and robberies in less cultured locations, but not to manipulate people economically.

  There was Cheveyo, a twenty-four (24) year old man and drinker of the Zovvin Ocean waters, who could reach into the spirit world. This gave him the power to hear ghosts, as well as to command the lesser spirits of animals. He sought the knowledge of the dead, and felt that he could know any secret, if he stood near the right grave and listened closely.

  There was Kettil, a thirty-three (33) year old man, also a drinker of the Zovvin Ocean waters, who was especially adept at controlling the spirits of animals and was a fine livestock farmer because of it. He tended many kinds of animals, at one time or another, and made it into a profitable venture. He also knew how to turn animals into killers, and send them to fight wars, which he was prepared to do against murderers.

  There was Havard, a twenty-four (24) year old man and drinker of the Atrejan Ocean waters. He could tell where any star was at the moment or in the past, or would be in the future. He could navigate waters skillfully by following the many suns in the sky, and could discover lost cities if he could pair the star knowledge with the ancient charts of the skies over those cities. He had done this twice in the past, and looked forward to more such discoveries.

  “The tiara need not be a force of evil or death. If it can command the oceans, it can command their resources. We could control how many people drink of each one. Then, there would be enough people with powers of each kind. We could have more farmers, fewer miners of diamonds. That could restore balance to the economy and change the value systems of the people,” Radoslaw said.

  “I see your intention, but the innate potential of the drinker needs to be considered. We should let them drink to their best potential, but put the skills to a different use. We shouldn’t control their choice of waters, but what they do with those waters, so that they don’t get greedy and only mine for diamonds. They should use those same powers to construct buildings, instead,” Corinne said.

  “Those who died at the hands of the ancient Ahitan were many, and their secrets lie with them. We could learn the lost knowledge of their cultures and how they became weak. That weakness is what gave room for the Ahitan to get stronger in the power vacuum. That weakness is something that we must not repeat. Some of them may have had great inventions in their mind, as well, that could be recovered. We need to hear their spirits talk to learn of the lost knowledge,” Cheveyo said.

  “We should first kill the Ahitan woman to make sure we don’t join the dead. Then, we can speak to them. She will not expect the birds of the air, the fish of the sea or the tigers and lions on land to come for her flesh and rend it. We can call the spirits of the living creatures to destroy her, when she least expects it. Then, we can have the history lesson,” Kettil said.

  “The tiara would be useful for ruling the world and imposing some form of economic justice, if it actually worked under the heat of the suns. The fact that it doesn’t puts a serious limit on it. Even when the sun alignment – the inferno – ends, there will still be some hot spots, here and there, where a few suns overlap, and their concentrated heat will weaken the tiara. That’s where to lead her, to lure her. If we can lure her to one of those places, and weaken her, and see her, then we can kill the Ahitan woman. I can find those hot spots,” Havard said.

  “What you say makes sense. If we do not stop the demon-worshipping Ahitan woman soon, many will die, and our plans will not benefit them,” Cheveyo said.

  “If you can find one of these hot spots, we can make her want to go there,” Radoslaw said.

  “And make her trust us, and surrender,” Corinne said.

  “And can surround her, so she doesn’t escape,” Kettil said. He drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from his vial and was energized. Kettil reached out to the spirits of some of the animals and both a tiger and a rattlesnake approached, and they were submissive to him as he rubbed their heads.

  “Just remember that the ancient Ahitan summoned a demon to give them power. Those of the present day will do the same. You must be prepared to call upon many more animals than just those if you wish to confront her,” Cheveyo said.

  “I’m sure we can find a way to convince her to do what we want,” Radoslaw said.

  “No doubt about it,” Corinne said.

  “I’ll begin mapping out the paths of the many suns, where the heat and light will still be very intense, so that we have a few different options,” Havard said.

  CHAPTER 7: Architects of Safety

  In the previous year, the intensity of the heat caused by the alignment of the seventy (70) suns – a deadly heatwave known as the inferno – had peaked. In the sky above, since time immemorial, were nine (9) large, hot blue suns, which moved slowly and predictably; twenty-four (24) medium, warm yellow suns, which moved strangely and irregularly and more quickly but almost unpredictably; and thirty-seven (37) small, cool red suns, which moved quickly and predictably. From time to time, in a calculable way, subsets of the red and blue suns moved and aligned to create a greater intensity of heat and light over some areas of the world. This could be planned for, and was even manageable in its intensity. A person could seek shade, or travel away to a more moderate area. The excess heat, despite its danger, provided energy to charge the sails of the airships – actually, to the specially molded crystals embedded in those sails which collected the energy – so that they could later fly over land. Other times, when fewer or no suns aligned, the amount of energy over certain areas was insufficient to power the airships for flight. The world learned to live with this, making plans accordingly.

  Mathematicians could calculate the passage of the red and blue suns, and were very good at it with s
tudy and with drinking the waters of the Medathero Ocean, which increased their intellect. Those who drank the waters of the Atrejan Ocean could equally well hear the suns, knowing their positions, in the past, present or future. The abilities of Medathero water drinkers and Atrejan water drinkers were nearly the same with respect to red or blue suns. The difference was in the yellow suns – their paths could not be calculated by mathematics, so only the drinkers of the Atrejan waters could know where they would go, or where they had been. They were less numerous but hotter than the red stars, and they could change their orbital speed or axis without any warning signs. The yellow suns, therefore, were responsible for the inferno – when they added their heat and light intensity to that of the predictable red and blue suns over any area, the intensity of both heat and light became dangerous. The burn it would put on unprotected skin would be progressive – once a person’s skin was affected, the damage would spread, even after they moved into the shade.

  Historical records in the libraries of the ancient city of Emeth had indicated two prior alignments like the present inferno, each killing over one hundred million (100000000) people out of a global population that was four hundred million (400000000). However, modern construction and clever positioning reduced that number. So far, only two million (2000000) people had lost their lives, and this was in a much more highly populated modern world, with a population of twenty billion (20000000000). Not everyone was affected by the inferno: those who drank the waters of the Trerada Ocean, which was much of the world’s population, were effectively immune to the heat as well as to most other diseases. Those who drank the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean were stronger and healthier than average, and had some elevated resistance, but not quite as much resistance as the Trerada water drinkers. However, those who drank of the other great waters, or of no great water at all – just the Dead Waters, as plain water was called – needed a means of protection.

  ~~~

  In the continent of Baradaxa, on the southwestern edge, was the Port of Kemalorin. There, the architect named Fantine – who was thirty-seven (37) years old at the time the inferno began – had wanted to build crystal structures that could allow in some light. It was common knowledge that a person could not live in perpetual shade that would deny them the necessary energy from the suns. However, the amount of light exposure needed to be moderated, and could not be as excessive as the light from the many aligned suns. The crystals that would have allowed this – the ones that were somewhat dark and somewhat light – were unstable, and would decay in the heat. Structures built from those crystals would fail catastrophically after a few weeks.

  Fantine was a drinker of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean, and this enabled her to understand and manipulate diamond, emerald, ruby, sapphire and other crystals and stones as if they were clay. She used this ability to bend ruby and sapphire crystals, and to darken them slightly, so as to form plates of crystal that were used to build several large archway structures to provide the necessary shielding from the suns. Even the overall structure of the archways was designed by Fantine. People from various places used them as safe shielding from the sun. However, they decayed as predicted and new ones had to be built frequently. The total cost of the materials was high, and a wealthy philanthropist by the name of Sebastian paid for these. However, the speed at which the failure occurred was too high, so something more was needed.

  At that time, Fantine – along with a number of other travelers who were privy to secret knowledge – embarked upon a journey to the long-hidden castle of the legendary architect known as Duke Hagan. Inside his castle, she learned of construction techniques that suggested a new possibility. She used her powers to manipulate raw crystal into a crystal that was strong and permeable to light – but focusing the light correctly – and that was filled with the waters of the Trerada Ocean. The light that would pass through would be diminished in intensity, and even twisted and turned in ways, by the Trerada waters. The light would pass through and cause no harm to the skin of those standing beneath – in fact, it would heal the skin of those who had been burned. With various adjustments to the crystal structure to alter the ways that it focused the light, she had a highly effective solution. These altered crystals containing the Trerada waters were used to build many more archways, that were both safe and stable, and the design was copied all over the world, as time and money allowed.

  Fantine was thirty-eight (38) years old now, and highly respected the world over. She was considered the greatest architect, and was credited with saving the lives of many tens of millions (10000000) of people. Scientists and engineers and architects from the empires and kingdoms of the world consulted with her for guidance in their own designs. She enjoyed the professional attention, but did not become arrogant. She truly loved that her designs were respected, but sought no personal affectionate relationships, and sternly rejected any that was offered. Desire for intimate companionship absolutely did not exist within Fantine, and she was careful to purposely keep an unattractive appearance for this reason.

  Especially now that the inferno had peaked, Fantine continued to make calculations, and assist with the design and construction of new crystal archways, to make slight adjustments based on the angles of the sunlight of red, yellow and blue suns. She was always optimizing for greatest protective effect. She regularly drank anew of the Kazofen Ocean waters of the highest purity to become energized. Fantine would then use the powers these waters conferred to bend the crystals as needed, so that their geometry would focus light properly.

  The crystals themselves were formed into hollow plates that were filled with the purest waters of the Trerada Ocean, as that composite design proved to be both protective and remedial. The plates even had interlocking notches like puzzle pieces to facilitate assembly. Fleets of ships were on hand – paid for by princes, kings, emperors and philanthropists – to transport these crystal plates from the Port of Kemalorin to various locations throughout the world where they were most needed. Once delivered, these crystal plates were assembled into full protective archway structures, without even needing the help of a drinker of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean to mold the crystal plates into a seamless whole, because of the interlocking design.

  ~~~

  The immensely wealthy philanthropist, Sebastian, sought love and adoration, and used his wealth to benefit others in return for their admiration. He felt that he should receive more credit for his financial contribution to purchase the raw materials for the protective crystal structures, but Fantine was the hero in the eyes of many. Sebastian was a drinker of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean, and used his powers to project positive emotions into others, so as to uplift their emotions and have a positive disposition toward him. He did everything he could to focus the love of others onto himself. However, Fantine was the receiver of the congratulations that he felt should have been directed more toward him. Her work was both necessary and excellent, and Sebastian acknowledged as much, because a world that died in the dangerous heat could not love him. But the world that survived and thrived did not love him enough.

  Sebastian became increasingly jealous and decided that he needed to stand out. He felt that he needed to increase his wealth even more, so that he could spend lavishly. Despite his spending, he was in no danger of becoming poor or even ceasing to be extremely rich. Yet, Sebastian wanted absolutely unlimited wealth: all the wealth of the world, if he could have it. Then, he could spend it and show how much he loved everyone, and they could see it, and love him endlessly in return. This is how Sebastian saw the world, and love is what he valued. With the greater wealth, he could pay to build many things, and hire people to provide services, and have great things done – in his name and to his credit.

  Sebastian had personal love and affection from Caroline, but the love of a single woman was simply not enough. While they were in his private quarters on board his personal sailing ship, Sebastian said to her: “Caroline, the world is still in great need. I have to help – to do all that
I can. As much as I’ve helped so many people with my financial strength, by funding the architecture that saved so many lives, there’s so much more yet to be done. I need to conduct some additional business, and will be making a voyage to meet with someone about a land purchase. I’ll be away from you for a while, but this is a necessary part of protecting so many people from the difficulties in this world.”

  “How long will you be gone? We’re part of each other’s lives. I do love you,” Caroline said, although her mind turned to the wellbeing and whereabouts of her daughter, Taesa.

  Sebastian knew that Caroline was focused on Taesa, because he regularly read her thoughts. The waters of the Elanatin Ocean flowed through him, giving him that telepathic ability. He also knew that he couldn’t be satisfied with just her love – Caroline missed her deceased husband, Trent, and thought of him quite often. Sebastian had far less than the totality of her affection and – even if he had it all – she was just not enough. Even their intimacy was not satisfying, because no child resulted, and he knew that Taesa was Caroline’s first child – and would always have been her favorite if another came along.

  “I’m not certain. Business can be complicated. It’s not like we can hope and pray that someone else will come along and make everything better. We have to solve our own problems – and we will, with hard work,” Sebastian said.

  “You’re absolutely right. You have to do what you know is for the best,” Caroline said and kissed him.

  “Come with me,” Sebastian said. He thought it might be nice to have her companionship during his voyage. If she said no, however, he could find another woman with ease – using money or telepathic influence or both to win affection – so Caroline’s answer didn’t matter much to him.

  Caroline was not interested in business or money or land. She wanted her daughter, Taesa, to return. She remembered that Taesa accused Sebastian of using his powers of mental influence – born of his drinking the Elanatin Ocean waters – to control Caroline’s mind. Taesa had also accused Sebastian of using dishonest wealth to buy Caroline’s love, and that troubled Caroline even more. The accusation of stealing of one particularly valuable diamond, stated against him by a woman named Victoria, was what prompted Taesa’s belief in this theft. However, Caroline did not see the emotional manipulation, or even believe it to be possible – she simply found Sebastian to be generous and caring. It did not occur to her that Victoria was the same evil woman as the world had been warned about, since it was a common name.