Chapter 7
2049 Words
7
Xander chuckled at my surprise. "The cartographer convinced the witches of the Coven Caves in the Black realm to enchant the map with the ability to gaze upon any location in my realm," he explained. He lifted his hand and the image was sucked back into the map.
"So what we just saw was really happening right now?" I wondered.
"At this exact moment."
I leaned back and wrinkled my nose. "So was this map just made?"
"No. The cartographer-" he tapped on a name scrawled on one corner of the map, "-a dragon by the name of Altair, offered it to my great-grandfather in exchange for a large tract of land that borders the realm controlled by Cayden. My ancestor agreed to the price and the Zoi map has been a closely-guarded heirloom ever since."
"'Zoi?'" I repeated.
He nodded. "Yes. In the native tongue of Alexandria it means 'life,' a reference to both the sacrifice of the cartographer and the gift of valuable property to his heirs from which to this day they still draw their income."
"So if this map was made that long ago how come it's showing us what's going on right now?" I asked him.
"That is part of the enchantment. The map continually updates itself. Even the slightest change-" he set his hand on the Potami River. The fast-moving water came up on the air in front of us, and we were able to watch the erosion of a small bit of dirt as it collapsed into the harsh waters, "-is instantly recorded."
My eyes widened. "Wow. So what else can this baby do?"
Xander cupped his chin in one hand and studied the weathered map. "To be honest Altair was unsure himself with what powers the map was imbued. The witches warned him only that the strength of the map relied on life, and like any other map it could be destroyed by water and fire."
"So did he make any more of these maps?" I wondered.
He dropped his hand and shook his head. "No. The price of the enchantment was the cartographer's own life, or rather a decade of his life to that of every witch who participated in the enchantment."
"And how many helped out?"
"Ten."
I winced. "I can see why he didn't want to try it again. So has anyone else tried to convince the witches to enchant another map? It sounds like each one would be worth a king's ransom."
He shook his head. "No. I have heard that the transfer of the years to each individual witch is a painful process akin to dying, and there has not been a cartographer so dedicated to his work and to his family that he would go through such an ordeal."
"Good point." I returned my attention to the map and swept my eyes over the fine details. My eyes stopped on the northeast corner where the squiggly border was colored black. A large body of water was located against the border. I nodded at the location. "So that's the Twin Lakes?"
Xander nodded. "Yes." He reached his hand out, but paused and smiled at me. "Would you like to work the map?"
My eyes widened a little. "Can I?"
"Anyone may use the map. That is why my family has kept it hidden in the castle among the less enchanted maps," he told me.
I smiled. "Sure. Do I just touch it?"
"Yes. Firmly press your hand over the part of the map you wish to see and the image will be brought up," he explained.
I did as he told me and pressed my hand on the lake. An image of the area popped up. It was exactly like my vision at the lake except I couldn't see past the gap in the mountains.
"Is that what you saw?" Xander asked me.
I nodded. "Yeah. Exactly." My eyes wandered down to the name. Like the previous image of Alexandria, the name glowed a bright yellow and read 'Didymes Limnes.' Beneath that name was the translated title of 'Twin Lakes.' I noticed smaller printed, block-shaped symbols beneath the translated name, and nodded at them. "What's that?"
"That is the name by which the lakes are known in the Black realm," Xander told me. "The dragons there call the lakes 'Siblings,' and in their tongue that is Axim."
I leaned forward and squinted at the blocky symbols. "That's what that says?"
He smiled. "Yes. The residents of the Heavy Mountains have always been secluded so that much of their language, written and spoken, is quite different from that of the other realms."
I studied the beautiful, cold waters of the lake and the large city that stood along its shores. The tops of the tall, timbered buildings wrapped in pearl-white stucco were reflected on the smooth surface of the lake. The rest of the reflections were blocked by a stucco wall some thirty feet high that curved away from the water like a skate ramp and blocked the peppering water from splashing the houses. A few breaks in the wall allowed access to long wooden docks that stretched out into the water. Small fishing vessels were moored to their upright posts and rocked along the white waves.
I pointed at the holes that I noticed in the mountains north of the lake. "What are those?"
"Those are the source of the winds, the Thyellodeis Spilies, or Windy Caves," he told me.
"So what's the name of the city?" I asked Xander.
"Psychi which translates to 'Soul,'" he told me. "The name refers to the reflection on the surface of the water. The ancient people of the lake believed that the clear reflections were their souls, and that any unexplained ripple in their reflections would signify their death or a death of a loved one by those who watched over the waters."
I arched an eyebrow. "Who watched over the waters?"
A smile slipped onto his lips as he met my gaze. "The legends speak of the gods of the water."
"But not fae?" I wondered.
His smile faltered a little. "That is what we must prove. I hope a Mare fae will gladly speak with you on the shores, if ever there are any in the lake, and by their help we may find out about this god."
"I am afraid it may be more difficult than a conversation."
We all looked to the door and found Spiros standing in the doorway. His lips were pursed and a shadow hung over his brow.
Xander arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Spiros turned and closed the door behind him before he returned his attention to us with his grave expression. "A message has been received from the Twin Lakes. It appears one of the princes of the Black realm has taken command of Zem and intensified the fleet-building begun by Herod."
Xander pursed his lips. "I see. Do we know his intentions?"
Spiros shook his head. "No, My Lord, but the smallest ships of the fleet have been seen past the Chasma."
I blinked at the men. "The what? The where?"
Darda came up behind me and her low voice tickled my ear. "Zem is the city on the northern lake that lies within the Black realm, and the Chasma is the gap in the mountains."
Xander's eyebrows crashed down and he narrowed his eyes. "How have we replied to this violation?"
"We have stationed ships near the mouth and the old fortress of Omonoia was taken before the-" he cleared his throat, "-before our competitors could take possession of its strategic position."
"What is the name of this prince?" Xander questioned his captain.
"He is Philip Keper, prince of the eastern countryside while Herod lived," Spiros told him.
"Has he an enemy other than my people that would force him to make these actions?" Xander inquired.
Spiros nodded. "Yes. He builds his forces against his cousin, Salome. As distant relatives of Herod, and the only ones who have survived the paranoia of that family, they are both vying for lordship over the realm."
Xander snorted, but the sound was more bitter than bemused. "The paranoia survives on so long as two of that family lives."
I removed my hand from the map to cross my arms over my chest and glare at him. "Why are you mad about that? I'm the one who was almost executed the last time we visited that black place."
My dragon lord turned to me with a small smile and bowed his head. "I stand corrected, though you were quite courageous against such odds."
"Yeah, well, it was either die trying or just die," I quipped.
"Do you intend to send yourself to the front lines?" Spiros spoke up.
Xander gave a nod. "Yes. Miriam and I have no choice but to travel to the Twin Lakes, though we will do so under disguise so as not to worsen an already dire situation."
Xander glanced between Spiros and my old handmaid. "You will both remain at the castle to manage things during our absence."
Darda puffed out her chest and glared at Xander. "I will not, My Lord."
He arched an eyebrow. "You disobey me?"
Darda pursed her lips. "Begging your pardon, My Lord, but for this one time I must disobey you. I was not allowed to follow My Lady to that horrible island, and she was nearly killed by that beast of a dragon. I will now follow her to the ends of the world-nay, even to the heavens and hells of both worlds so that she will be kept safe."
I looked up at Xander and grinned. "I think that's a 'no.'"
A smile teased the corners of his lips as he bowed his head to Darda. "As you wish." He turned his head to Spiros. "I suppose you also wish to join us."
Spiros held up one of the rolled up maps and grinned. "I would gladly remain at the castle, My Lord, but you are in desperate need of an Odigos or you may stumble into a deadly swamp or an unexpected ocean."
"A what?" I spoke up.
"An Odigos is one who is capable of reading maps," Xander explained.
I nodded at the map. "How hard can it be to read that thing?"
A sly smile slipped onto Spiros's lips as he strode over to the map and swept his hand across a narrow valley that ran from Alexandria northward toward the lakes. The images before had been large and detailed, but merely square in shape and with definite boundaries. Now, though, the image that appeared, that of a dirt path lined on either side by tall, rocky walls, was rectangular with edges that slowly diminished to nothing.
Spiros kept one hand on the map while he reached up with his other and danced his fingers across the image. The five points he touched expanded outward as another five images, and each image showed even greater detail. I could see the individual blades of the mountain grass, the bit of dust kicked up by a small breeze, and even a small, round beetle as it scurried across the path.
Spiros lifted his hand that touched the map and the images sucked back into the paper. He turned to me with his smile. "That is the abilities of an Odigos."
A smile spread across my lips as I clapped my hands together. "Bravo! Encore! Encore!"
Xander chuckled. "As the son of a basket weaver you were always rather skillful with your fingers."
Spiros raised one hand and wiggled his fingers at my dragon lord. "It comes with the territory, My Lord, and I know your territory as well as I know my own."
Xander sighed and nodded. "Very well, you may come, but see to it-" he glanced at Darda, "-both of you, that there are adequate replacements. We do not know how long we will be away."
"How long does it take to get to the lakes?" I asked him.
"Two days of flight and an hour over land," he told me.
I wrinkled my nose. "Why by land?"
Xander nodded at the blue waters. "There are strong gales across those waters that travel overland so that flight is dangerous. It is only recently that even the fishing vessels were able to reliably travel across the water without capsizing."
I winced as a twinge of pain shot through one of my butt cheeks. "We get a day to rest, right?"
Xander turned to Spiros. "How long was the message in waiting?"
"Four days," he revealed.
Xander pursed his lips and glanced over his shoulder at me. "We leave today."
My shoulders fell. "That's what I thought. . ."
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