Of Sea and Shadow (The Elder Empire: Sea Book 1) (47 page)

Dalton Foster desperately snatched the gun out of the air. “Don’t go throwing guns around! Loaded or unloaded, I don’t care, don’t do it.” He glanced over at Calder, then added, “But good job with the dead weight. Would’ve saved us some trouble to put a bullet in his crown three weeks ago.”

Calder didn’t bother to respond. He had more important things to deal with—
he
was the one who had to explain to the Guild Heads what had happened to Naberius, not Foster. And he would have to do it today, which meant he had to wear that same itchy jacket again.

He lifted the dark blue jacket, staring at it. It was rough, tight, and it looked just as uncomfortable as it felt.

Seized by a sudden inspiration, he opened the porthole and shoved the jacket out.

Naberius was dead, and Calder couldn’t tell if he felt more disturbed or relieved. They had a Consultant prisoner in the hold, they still hadn’t gotten Jerri back, and Urzaia was gone. His crew was down to Andel, Foster, Petal, and himself. Even with his control over the Vessel, he was shorthanded.

It was time to stop holding his cards back, and put everything on the table.

~~~

He marched into the main room of
The Eternal
without a jacket, carrying with him a wooden case and an all-but-empty sack. The bandages over his chest would be visible through the shirt, and he still walked with a limp, but he thought the injuries made him look rugged and battle-scarred.

The only wound he wanted to hide was Kelarac’s burn on his right arm, which was covered by his sleeve. No telling how Bliss would react to
that.

General Teach sat at the far end of the table, her red-and-black-plated arms crossed. She had returned only minutes after he’d set foot on deck, and it had taken all of his and Captain Bennett’s combined persuasive power to prevent her from killing him on the spot.

Cheska Bennett was no longer dressed for a ball: her hair was tied back with a bandana, she wore clothes almost identical to Calder’s own, and she leaned back against the wall, propping her boots up on the table. She faced Calder wearing a cocky grin, evidently more amused by his actions than upset.

And then there was Bliss, alone at the other end of the table. She looked…exactly the same as always, staring at a tiny butterfly of blown glass as though she expected it would attack at any second. His mother was conspicuously absent, but Bliss had explained that Alsa was, “Somewhere else.” He didn’t expect any more detail.

Also missing was the Head of the Magisters, Mekendi Maxeus. His Guild was stretched thin as it was, and apparently he had decided his skills were of more use in the Capital than floating in an unmarked stretch of the Aion.

Calder entered on his own, but he didn’t sit. Before Cheska could welcome him or anyone else could say a word, he bowed to Jarelys Teach. “General Teach, I apologize once again for the unfortunate circumstances of our last meeting.”

“What about the meeting before that?” Teach asked, eyes flashing.

“…I apologize for the unfortunate circumstances surrounding
each and every one
of our meetings, and I hope we can be more friendly in the future.” He turned to Bliss. “Guild Head, it’s a pleasure to see you again. Thank you for your recent support.”

Teach gripped the table at the mention of Bliss’
support
, but Bliss only nodded vaguely, still fixated on the butterfly. It slid slightly as the ship bobbed, and the Guild Head jumped as if she thought the movement signaled an attack.

At last, he nodded to Captain Bennett. “Cheska. You looked better last time.”

If anything, her grin widened. “Carve it into your memory, Captain. You’ll never see anything like it as long as you live.”

Calder placed the wooden case onto the tabletop, setting the sack next to it. “Before you make a decision regarding me and my crew, I would like to submit a few facts for your consideration. First, Naberius Clayborn is dead.”

General Teach’s hostile Intent scorched him from across the table. Thanks to the sword she wore, he physically shuddered. At this distance, it was entirely possible that she could kill him just by
wishing
hard enough.

“Details,” she demanded.

“It was an unavoidable casualty of battle,” he said smoothly. “Naberius’ mind was eroded completely by the Heart of Nakothi. Before he died, he said nothing without ranting about death and rebirth.”

Bliss sighed. “Shouldn’t have tried to Awaken it on his own. It was dangerous enough sleeping, but when it…hey! Get back here!”

The butterfly slid across the table, and she used her hand to stop it before it fell to the deck and shattered.

Cheska shut her eyes and let her head flop back. “There go months of planning. And
so much money.
Do you know how much I invested in him?”

Calder cleared his throat. “I may be able to help with that.”

He flipped open the case, revealing rows of white candles.

Teach nodded slowly, and Cheska opened her eyes a crack. When she saw what he’d revealed, she whistled and pulled her legs off the table.

“He claimed that all the riches of the Imperial palace, and all the details of the accounts, were somewhere in here,” Calder said. “If a Reader—say me, for instance—burns them, we should be able to learn something. At least we can get your investment back, Cheska.”

“I should hope so,” she said, but she sounded much more hopeful than before.

“That doesn’t address our most important concern,” Teach said irritably. “We still have no candidate for the throne. If we’re forced to anoint Nathanael Bareius the leader of the Aurelian Empire, I just might kill him myself.”

“Just so I’m clear,” Calder began, “what were the qualities you were looking for in our new Emperor?”

Cheska and Teach exchanged glances.

“He should be a powerful Reader,” Teach began.

“Well-connected,” Cheska continued.

“We were looking for a man. If Estyr Six were willing to sit on the throne, perhaps the people would accept an Empress, but without her…there’s only so much change the common rabble can take at one time.”

“Rich,” Cheska added.

“He has to be well-educated and dignified,” Teach continued. “And, of course, I have to approve.”

“I’m still stuck on rich.”

“He must be someone the people can approve. The public need stability, now more than ever.”

Bliss finally looked up, adding, “I’d like it if he were sane, but I will work with what I can get.”

To each of their points, Calder nodded. When they were finished, he placed one hand on the case of Chronicler’s candles, and one on the sack to his left.

“With all that in mind, I would like to propose a new candidate.” Pinching the burlap sack between two fingers, he picked it up.

The Emperor’s crown tumbled out, rolling slightly as it landed on the table.

Jarelys Teach’s breath caught, and she unconsciously reached a hand out. Cheska gave a low whistle. Bliss tilted her head, interested.

“Where did you get that?” Teach whispered, but Calder ignored her. She probably wouldn’t appreciate the story anyway.

“I like to think of myself as a powerful Reader, I am reasonably well educated, and I can be dignified when I put my mind to it. Hopefully,” he patted the candles, “I will be coming into some money soon. I’m reasonably sane. If you three approve, that would qualify me as well-connected. And even my harshest critics don’t doubt my gender.”

Calder finally let his true feelings bleed into his voice—the ambition he’d hidden for years. “And I’m
not
immortal. I don’t need to be bound to the Heart, or to anything. Let me live a normal span of years and then die. A regular, mortal,
human
ruler who will be replaced by an heir after my death…and hopefully, that won’t give the Great Elders enough time to turn me into a puppet.”

He picked up the golden crown and placed it on his head, striking a pose. “So, what do you think?”

There was an instant of stunned silence before Cheska burst out laughing. Bliss raised her eyes to him. “Is it appropriate to call you by title, or should I keep using your name?”

Only Jarelys Teach seemed to object, scowling at the sight of him wearing the crown. “More than anything, we need a willing person to sit on the throne. As far as
that
goes, you qualify.”

His hopes soared. Part of him had wondered if she would take his head off for even attempting this.

“But you are quite possibly the
worst
candidate when it comes to patching relations with the other Guilds. The Consultants are undoubtedly after you as we speak. How will you handle them?”

Calder tried to project absolute confidence and an air of mystery. “In fact, I’ve already taken steps. Trust me. I have held one card in reserve.”

~~~

When he climbed up the ladder and onto
The Testament’s
deck, no one was at the wheel. Andel was nowhere to be seen, and a pile of ropes sat at the base of the mast.

Foster hurried up to him, blood running down into his beard from a split lip. The gunner spoke only two words:

“She’s loose.”

THE END

Of the Elder Empire, First Sea

Of Sea and Shadow

Glossary of Terms

Am’haranai –
The ancient order of spies and assassins that would eventually become the Consultant’s Guild. Some formal documents still refer to the Consultant’s Guild in this way.

Architect –
One type of Consultant. The Architects mostly stay in one place, ruling over Guild business and deciding general strategy. They include alchemists, surgeons, Readers, strategists, and specialists of all types.

Awaken –
A Reader can Awaken an object by bringing out its latent powers of Intent. An Awakened object is very powerful, but it gains a measure of self-awareness. Also, it can never be invested again.

Jarelys Teach, the Head of the Imperial Guard, carries an ancient executioner’s blade that has been Awakened. It now bears the power of all the lives it took, and is lethal even at a distance.

All Soulbound Vessels are Awakened.

Children of the Dead Mother –
Elderspawn created by the power of Nakothi out of human corpses.

Consultant
–
A member of the Consultants Guild, also known as the Am’haranai. Mercenary spies and covert agents that specialize in gathering and manipulating information for their clients.

Consultants come in five basic varieties: Architects, Gardeners, Masons, Miners, and Shepherds.

For more, see the Guild Guide.

Dead Mother, The –
See: Nakothi.

Elder –
Any member of the various races that ruled the world in ancient days, keeping humanity as slaves. The most powerful among them are known as Great Elders, and their lesser are often called Elderspawn.

Gardener –
One type of Consultant. The Gardeners kill people for hire.

Intent –
The power of focused will that all humans possess. Whenever use an object
intentionally,
for a
specific purpose,
you are investing your Intent into that object. The power of your Intent builds up in that object over time, making it better at a given task.

Every human being uses their Intent, but most people do so blindly; only Readers can sense what they’re doing.

See also: “Invest,” “Reader.”

Invest –
Besides its usual financial implications, to “invest” means to imbue an object with one’s Intent. By intentionally using an object, you
invest
that object with a measure of your Intent, which makes it better at performing that specific task.

So a pair of scissors used by a barber every day for years become progressively better and better at cutting hair. After a few years, the scissors will cut cleanly through even the thickest strands of tangled hair, slicing through with practically no effort. A razor used by a serial killer will become more and more lethal with time. A razor used by a serial-killing barber will be very confused.

Kameira –
A collective term for any natural creature with unexplainable powers. Cloudseeker Hydras can move objects without touching them, Windwatchers can change and detect air currents, and Deepstriders control water. There are many different types of Kameira…though, seemingly, not as many as in the past. The Guild of Greenwardens is dedicated to studying and restoring Kameira populations.

Humans can borrow the miraculous powers of Kameira by creating Vessels from their body parts, and then bonding with those Vessels to become Soulbound.
 

Mason –
One type of Consultant. Masons are craftsmen and professionals in a particular trade, covertly sending back information to their Guild. There are Masons undercover in every industry and business throughout the Empire.

Miner –
One type of Consultant. This secretive order is in charge of the Consultants’ vast library, sorting and disseminating information to serve the Guild’s various clients.

Nakothi, the Dead Mother –
A Great Elder who died in the Aion Sea. Her power kills humans and remakes their bodies into hideous servants.

Navigator –
A member of the Navigator’s Guild. The Navigators are the only ones capable of sailing the deadly Aion Sea, delivering goods and passengers from one continent to the other.

For more, see the Guild Guide.

Reader –
A person who can read and manipulate the Intent of objects. Every human being invests their Intent subconsciously, simply by using ordinary objects. However, Readers can do so with a greater degree of focus and clarity, thanks to their special senses.

Readers often receive visions of an object’s past.

Shepherd –
One type of Consultant. The Shepherds are observers, thieves, and saboteurs that specialize in infiltrating a location and leaving unnoticed.

Soulbound –
A human who can channel the power of an Elder or a Kameira. These powers are contained in a Vessel, which is
bound
to a person during the Awakening process. Soulbound are rare and powerful because they combine the focus of human Intent with the miraculous power of inhuman beings.