Blood & Besiegement Page 9

  “You will share it with them. I cannot show you,” Jaguar said.

  “You must show me. Under the authority of the Chronicler’s Oath, I insist,” Silvius said.

  “Then the outsiders will steal from it. I cannot reveal a secret to you when you will reveal it to the world,” Jaguar said.

  “In confidence, then, you will show it to me,” Silvius said.

  “How can I know that you do not lie and will not tell the world what I reveal?” Jaguar asked.

  “Just know it,” Silvius said.

  “I will take you,” Jaguar said. He then proceeded into the jungle and Silvius followed him. Jaguar led him on a winding path through the jungle to the temple, which was in a muddy hill. Inside there was a sixteen (16) foot tall statue made of several different precious stones and shaped like a jaguar-snake hybrid.

  “This is a sacred place. If the treasures are stolen, the wrath of Havatissa will be upon the jungle and the entire world,” Jaguar said.

  Silvius recorded all of this into his book, marking in confidence the portion about the location of the temple and its contents.

  “I must return now,” Silvius said, and he walked back to the others, having recorded where he had come from and reversing the directions. Jaguar followed him.

  When they returned to the others, Silvius said: “I must return to Emeth now.”

  “As you have the blessing of Havatissa, I cannot stop you. However, these may not leave,” Jaguar said, gesturing toward Desmond and Celio.

  “Great! Stuck again!” Celio said, referring to their previous captivity by Keallach at the dig site in the lost city in Javanda.

  “That’s the researcher’s life,” Desmond said.

  Silvius made his way, untouched, out of the jungle and found the same sandship whose captain took him back. Silvius was not required to pay, as the laws generally required low or no pay for transportation of Chroniclers of the Oath. On the other hand, the captain charged whatever he wanted of anyone else, to make up for it.

  “What happened to the rest of them?” the sandship captain asked.

  “Two (2) were captured. Twenty-five (25) were killed,” Silvius asked.

  “I guess you wrote all that down,” the captain said.

  “Yes,” Silvius said.

  The sandship transported Silvius back to the western edge of Volaraden. From there, he returned to Emeth.

  In the City of Emeth, Silvius was met with a Verifier of the Oath, who divided the records in his book, separating those parts which were in confidence and thus had to be revealed at a much later date from those parts which were not in confidence and thus could be revealed almost immediately.

  The Verifier had to look for signs of error, or deception, in the writings, but found none, and calculated a level of confidence regarding the writings. Because that level was above zero (0), Silvius would not be accused of lying, which would cost him his life. However, the level of confidence was also below (1), which was reserved for proven mathematical theorems.

  The non-confidential portions of the book from Silvius were taken to the Great Library of Tedorik, where the pronouncements of the newest writings – recorded outside of any confidence – were made.

  Informants working for the Ihalik Empire – now under the command of Lavakara – were present, and they listened for news of interest to them. The tales of this “Jaguar” and the search for the treasure in the jungle were intriguing to the informants. However, no mention was made of the location of the temple or the treasure within it, because that was kept in confidence. One of the informants returned to Ihalik with the information that was made public.

  ~~~

  In the palace formerly occupied by Lycaon, the informant entered into the throne room and said: “Supreme Commander Lavakara, I bring reports from Emeth.”

  “Please recount this news,” Lavakara said. Present with him were General Serafina and the Chronicler, Judith.

  “A research expedition – led by two (2) scholars, who were accompanied by twenty-five (25) armed, combat-trained mercenaries and a Chronicler – entered the jungles of southeastern Volaraden in search of a temple and treasure within. Only the Chronicler returned,” the informant said.

  “Please give a rational explanation of why news of an incomplete treasure hunting expedition is of worth,” Lavakara said.

  “The mercenaries were defeated by one (1) lone jungle warrior – who calls himself the Jaguar. He had his own warriors, but he fought alone. He was quick and strong, striking with the claws of an animal. The scholars were detained, not killed,” the informant said.

  Any single warrior – especially a primitive one from a jungle – who could defeat a force of twenty-five (25) armed combatants was certainly of interest as the next possible body for Lavakara to take.

  “Strong and quick, they say. I shall meet with this Jaguar,” Lavakara said.

  CHAPTER 11: Energy and Armory

  In the continent of Ihalik, Cassius had been working with his assistant, the twenty-four (24) year old woman named Liora, for over a year now. Liora was a drinker of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean which gave her the power to inspect and to alter the structures of diamonds and other crystals and stones.

  Cassius, along with Liora, had rented various rooms at inns and moved around frequently, with the occasional help of some members of the shadow guard – drinkers of the waters of the Ikkith Tar Ocean who thus had the powers of darkness which could provide cover for him and his assistant – who were loyal to him from when he was in Octavian’s former empire. Cassius made sure to travel about often enough to confuse anyone who might be in pursuit of him before they would have much of a clue as to his whereabouts and formulate a plan against him.

  Lycaon and Cassius had both been advisors to Emperor Brennius of Ihalik, and his empire was split between his sons – Prince Octavian and Prince Leonides – after his death. Cassius was left as advisor to Octavian in the southern empire and Lycaon was left as advisor to Leonides in the northern empire. However, Lycaon then assassinated Leonides in a bid for power. After Octavian’s own death at the hands of Prince Emerond of the Jenaldej Empire during the battle in Revod, his southern empire fell and Lycaon assimilated it into his own. Lycaon was clever and ruthless, and so he was the one whom Cassius was principally concerned about.

  Over time, Cassius had purchased some diamonds and other types of crystals – as well as having stolen some from Octavian’s former empire.

  Cassius kept the Book of Castles that he had long ago obtained from the castle of Duke Hagan and studied it for many years. From his readings of that book, he learned many sophisticated secrets of crystal structures, and he used his naturally high mathematical abilities, multiplied by the power of the waters of the Medathero Ocean that he drank, to make good use of those secrets.

  From his calculations, Cassius had formed systems of equations that had multiple solutions. From these solutions, he had determined three (3) useful geometric patterns for the crystals that would allow them to serve different purposes.

  Using the first of these patterns, the crystals would be able to highly efficiently store the energy of the many suns in a form that was useful for attaching to the sails of a ship and allowing it to travel through the air, with far fewer crystals than are typically required for that purpose. The geometry of these crystals, according to his calculations, would cause them to appear blue.

  Another of these patterns would allow the crystals to focus stored sunlight and generate a bright beam of light that could be used for locating a subject, or for signaling to a distant recipient. The geometry of these crystals, according to his calculations, would cause them to appear red.

  Still another pattern would give the crystals a dangerous power to focus stored energy from the suns and actually burn through a target. The geometry of these crystals, according to his calculations, would cause them to appear yellow.

  Despite his geometric understanding the crystal structures, Cassius did not have the po
wer to directly manipulate the crystals, so he gave his precise and complex instructions to Liora, who physically carried them out. After drinking anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from her vial, she was able to mold the crystals according to his patterns, and use them to collect the energy of the many burning suns very efficiently. There was abundant energy due to the alignment of the suns – known as the “inferno” – which also caused a dangerous heatwave that had sickened many who were not protected.

  “We now have two thousand seven hundred (2700) of these crystals: nine hundred (900) in each structural pattern. They have had ample time to gather energy, and the solar alignment is at its peak, after which its intensity will decline, so they will gather little more energy. A small number of these crystals must be tested at their fullest power, so as to be sure that they are in the form we need,” Cassius said to Liora at the end of a long night of careful work at a traveler’s inn near the northeastern coast of Ihalik. This location kept them close to the Kazofen Ocean so that Liora would have easy access to supplies of the water she drank at a high purity without paying much extra for transportation costs. They were not directly adjacent to the Medathero Ocean, but they were not terribly distant from it, either, so the costs of transport for supplies of its purified waters were reduced. This controlled the price adequately for Cassius’ satisfaction.

  “What should be the first test?” Liora asked.

  “We need a small sailing ship, preferably one with the energy already spent,” Cassius said.

  “Where will we get one?” Liora asked.

  “Take four (4) of each of the three (3) types of crystal, and follow me,” Cassius said. He took for himself a six (6) foot long walking stick, although he was not infirm and was fairly healthy and mobile, despite his sixty-eight (68) years of age.

  Liora did as instructed – she took four (4) each of the red, blue and yellow crystals from the nine (9) barrels in which they were stored. For the times that they had to leave the room, the barrels were filled with wheat flour on top to conceal the valuable contents from anyone who might consider stealing their valuables.

  After taking the crystals, Liora followed Cassius as he left the room. Cassius locked the door behind them, and they went into the common area of the inn, where sea travelers were resting or looking for more passengers.

  Cassius and Liora saw one who seemed ready to go, and Cassius approached him, saying: “I’m looking for transport to Ettromek Island. I need only a brief stay, and plan to return after just a few hours.”

  Ettromek Island was just five (5) miles south of Ihalik in the Gradaken Ocean and was known for its fine fishing. Many fishermen made their catches using nets on the shores of the island and sold the fish to sea travelers.

  The sea traveler looked about fifty (50) years old and asked Cassius: “You a fisherman? Or are you just hungry for something better than what they been servin’ here?”

  “I prefer a finer meal,” Cassius said.

  “Too bad, then. My ship needs more time to gather its heat for the travel over land. You’re on the north coast of the continent, you know? Ettromek Island’s off the south,” the traveler said. Despite the plentiful sunlight during the solar alignment, ships still took some time to gather the heat of the many burning suns above into the many crystals embedded in their sails. Those crystals enabled the ships to become airships and travel over land.

  “Let’s see how far along things are,” Cassius said, hoping that the special crystals he had designed – and that Liora had molded for him – would be particularly effective at raising the ship aloft. The less ready the ship was, the more of a test it would be for his crystals, especially since they carried so few.

  “Very well. If you don’t believe me, you can see for yerself,” the traveler said, and left the inn to travel toward the docks where his ship was. Cassius and Liora followed.

  When they arrived at the ship, the traveler said: “There she is – the Ripclaw – and she isn’t lookin’ too ready to fly.”

  “Let’s try,” Cassius said.

  They boarded the Ripclaw and the traveler began switching the masts and sails from the upright position to the side position so that they were ready for airship travel. The ship, however, did not gain any altitude. “All we’re doin’ is wastin’ time,” the traveler said, obviously annoyed.

  Cassius looked at the Ripclaw’s two (2) side-sails, and noticed that they used thirty (30) crystals on each of them, which were placed into small cloth and metal pockets in the sails.

  “How ready do they look?” Cassius asked Liora.

  “Perhaps ten (10) percent energized,” Liora said, as she was able to see inside the crystal structures and observe the level of energy contained within them. This ability was due to the power she had gained from drinking the waters of the Kazofen Ocean.

  Cassius placed two (2) blue crystals on each sail, into some empty pockets, and said: “Try now.”

  “What is this? You’re tryin’ to sell me crystals? I need thirty (30) on each side, not two (2)!” the traveler said.

  “Please make another attempt to take the ship above sea level,” Cassius said.

  The traveler then activated the ship’s aerial mode and the Ripclaw began to lift, primarily using the power of the four (4) blue crystals in addition to whatever little power there was in the crystals already in the sails.

  “So, you gave me a little bit of lift,” the traveler said.

  “More than a little,” Cassius said, pleased that the blue crystals were so capable. He had anticipated that they would be the ones that were most suitable for transportation power. Not all of the crystals would be equally capable for all tasks, and they had to be chosen carefully.

  “So, Ettromek Island is where you want to go? Let’s see if we make it,” the traveler said.

  “I look forward to the visit,” Cassius said.

  They traveled over the continent of Ihalik, from northeast to southwest, and reached the Gradaken Ocean, where they then returned to sea level and began traveling toward Ettromek Island. The masts and sails were raised to their vertical position for sailing upon the waters.

  “So, you came here to buy some fish and sell me some of your crystals?” the traveler said.

  “No. We came here to obtain a suitable sea vessel,” Cassius said. Cassius then removed a small crystal shard from a pocket in his robe and stabbed the traveler in the jugular vein, killing him almost instantly. Cassius was a heartless man when he was young, and was no more kind now that he was sixty-eight (68) years old. He was willing to kill in order to control people and keep secrets. It wasn’t bloodlust on his part, as he kept useful people alive when it suited his purposes.

  “Why?! Why?! What have you done?!” Liora screamed.

  “He knows too much, my dear Liora. That makes him very dangerous. It was nothing personal. Let’s clean him up. A little crystal embalming, please? Just enough to sink. Use the salt crystals from this barrel,” Cassius said, referring to the barrel of salt that was kept on many cargo ships to preserve food, this one included.

  Liora was terrified now. She saw Cassius as an architect who hired her for crystal alteration services. Now, she saw that he was a murderer, and she didn’t know what to do. If she tried to use her powers on Cassius, personally, she suspected he had a way to deal with her. So she decided to cooperate with this fiend for now.

  Liora took the salt and poured it on the body of the murdered traveler and then she drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean that she kept in the vial she wore. She was energized and was able to easily manipulate crystal, turning the salt crystals into a coating that was heavy and encased the body of the traveler. Then, Cassius pushed the body overboard and it sank.

  “I don’t know how to steer a ship or navigate. How do we get out of here?” Liora asked.

  “We’ll have to hire someone, then. First, however, I wish to test the other capabilities of the crystals,” Cassius said. He then converted the ship back to airship mode –
so that its masts and sails went from the vertical position back to the sides of the ship – and he removed his four (4) blue crystals that were earlier added to this ship, not wishing to leave his property behind.

  “We’re going to need those – whoever we hire to steer this ship back will need the energy in the crystals,” Liora said.

  “We’re not going to hire someone to steer this ship back,” Cassius said.

  “But you just said we’ll have to hire someone,” Liora said.

  “I said that in response to your question of how we would leave this place. You are assuming that I meant we would use this ship, but I never said that we would,” Cassius said.

  “You’re trying to trick me,” Liora said, both angry and afraid.

  “Not at all. I just haven’t told you everything in advance. You’re doing fine – all of your work so far has been excellent. Let’s test the remaining parts, shall we?” Cassius said.

  “What do you mean?” Liora asked.

  “Now, for the red crystals, please?” Cassius asked, while he began dismantling his six (6) foot long walking stick into four (4) shorter sticks, each being eighteen (18) inches in length.

  Liora handed him the four (4) red crystals, and Cassius attached these to the ends of the shorter sticks that he now held. He handed two (2) of these red-crystal-tipped sticks to Liora and he said: “Follow my example.” Cassius started flicking the two (2) sticks that he kept in a back and forth whip-like motion, and the red crystals at their tips glowed red hot and bright. He called out: “Ship in distress! Ship in distress!”

  Liora did the same with the sticks that she held, also calling out: “Ship in distress!”

  The Ripclaw was floating in the sea near the northern coast of Ettromek Island. Some fishermen standing along the southern coast of the island – because the light from the red crystals at the tips of the sticks turned around corners and reached them there – then saw the red lights and began going out on their own boats to find the source of the signal. When the fishermen reached the other side of the island, they heard the calls for help and moved in to render assistance.