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Chapter Eight

“Emerald”

            Although Crown Prince Valeriad had very much been looking forward to this trip, he quickly found that he hadn’t been at all prepared for the reality of sea travel.  Almost from the moment he had come aboard, he had been overtaken by a horrible case of seasickness that had eventually gotten bad enough to keep him confined to quarters.  Unlike Phaedron who loved to sail, he had never actually been aboard a ship before and the experience had come as quite a shock to his system.  His stomach insisted that the ship was constantly moving while his eyes told him otherwise, and his stomach hadn’t been amused at the discovery.  Within an hour of setting sail, his stomach had made its displeasure known quickly and convincingly in the only way it knew how.  After the third or fourth time he’d had to run to the railing, he had had enough and was more than ready to give up on sailing for good.  Lady Prudence had been sympathetic to the plight of the landlubber, and out of courtesy—or pity—she had ordered both of her mages to make the journey as smooth and gentle as they possibly could.  Unfortunately for Valeriad, it hadn’t made any difference.  No matter how gentle the breeze was, or how smooth the sailing had been, he had been completely unable to hold down any food at all besides bread and weak broth, and the involuntary diet had been hard on him.  He had always been thin, but now he looked absolutely gaunt.  His eyes were shadowed, and his cheeks looked hollow and sunken.  Even his clothes were noticeably looser.
            On the morning of the eighth day however, he woke up to find that the effect the constant swaying of the ship was having on him had lessened considerably.  In fact, other than some lingering cramps in his stomach from the constant retching, he actually felt pretty good.  Good enough in fact that it didn’t take him long to decide that a trip to the deck was in order, so he climbed unsteadily out of bed and started looking for his clothes.  For a moment his weakened legs refused to support him, but he steadied himself on a bulkhead, and once he was sure he could manage he staggered to the closet to retrieve some clean clothes.  As he dressed himself, he found that the effort of moving around and doing something was helping him to feel even better.  After stamping his feet into his boots, he picked up his sword belt and tried to fasten it around his waist, but it quickly became apparent that he’d lost so much weight during his illness that it would no longer fit properly.  More than a little irritated at this discovery, he marked the spot a hole would need to be added, and pulled off the belt.  His eyes flashed red for a second, and a tightly focused awl of white-hot fire extended from a fingertip and burned through the leather at the spot he had marked, making a neat hole exactly where he had wanted.  The smell of burning leather briefly filled the small cabin, awakening an unpleasant rumbling in his stomach, but the smell—and the rumbling—quickly subsided.  After checking the hole to make sure it was the proper size he let the awl dissipate, and when he tried on the belt a second time it fit perfectly.  He tugged at it a few times to make sure it wouldn’t slip, and once he was satisfied that it was indeed secure he returned his sword, his dagger, and his pistol to their proper places on his waist.  His father had taught him a long time ago that Dakkadian nobles were required to wear their weapons everywhere, and now, years later, Valeriad considered himself to be naked without them.
            As he opened the door to his cabin, a startled sailor who was reaching for the door handle while balancing a tray jumped back in surprise, spilling a large amount of the broth he’d been bringing for Valeriad’s breakfast.  As the sailor started to apologize for his clumsiness, Valeriad waved him off saying,
            “It was my fault.  I didn’t mean to startle you.”  He glanced down at the weak broth and wrinkled his nose.  “And don’t worry about the broth; I wouldn’t have eaten it anyway.  Actually, I think I can stand something a little more substantial this morning.  Do you know if there is anything other than broth left in the kitchen?”  The sailor smiled at the prince and corrected him politely,
            “We call it a ‘galley’ your Highness, and I’m sure Cook would be more than happy to provide you anything that you would like.  If you would like me to bring something for you, just name it and I’d be more than happy to oblige.”  Valeriad nodded at the sailor in thanks for the correction, and said
            “Well, if it isn’t too much trouble, anything at all other than broth would be just fine.  If I have a choice, I’d really like some cheese and bacon I think, but tell him not to go to any trouble.  Just bring me what you have…and lots of it.”  The sailor smiled again and asked
            “That I will, your Highness.  Shall I bring it to your cabin?”
            “Actually, I think I’ve had about as much of that cabin as I can stand for now.”  He shook his head once, then continued.  “No, thank you.  If you will, please bring it to the deck.  I think I need some fresh air almost as much as I need food.”  At that the sailor sketched a bow, and turned to go.
As Valeriad made his way toward the deck, several sailors stopped what they were doing and nodded in greeting to him.  One particularly jovial sailor said,
            “I’m glad to see you up and about, your Highness.  Took you awhile to get your sea legs, didn’t it?”  Other sailors laughed in agreement, and Valeriad joined in ruefully.  When the laughter died down, he said
            "Well, I don’t know about my legs, but my stomach at least feels much better.”  The sailors nodded in sympathy for him, and Valeriad smiled at the group.  “Have you seen Lord Daane or my sister?”  The sailor responded
            “They’re on the deck, your Highness.  Lord Daane and Princess Deirdre spend most of their time up there.  With the Cap’n.”  At that, several of the sailors smiled at each other knowingly, but Valeriad didn’t get the joke.  Instead of asking, he simply nodded his thanks and turned to the stairs leading to the deck as the sailors returned to their duties.
When he reached the deck, the unexpectedly bright sunshine of mid-morning assaulted his sensitive eyes.  He quickly closed them against the unexpected pain, and raised a hand to shield them even further until they could adjust to the brightness.  With his eyes shut, he took the opportunity to listen to everything going on around him, and much to his surprise he heard his sister’s voice raised in song, accompanied by a violin playing a mournful tune.  He opened his eyes cautiously, ready to close them again if they hadn’t finished adjusting, but the bright sunlight no longer hurt him.  Once he was sure that he could see clearly, he looked around for his sister and the musician playing for her.  It didn’t take him long to spot her, for she was standing at the very front of the ship singing for the crew.  He didn’t recognize the song, but every crewmember on the deck had their attention riveted to the princess.  In fact, Valeriad noticed that several sailors were openly weeping.  The words of the song were as haunting as the tune, and he stopped to listen.

We honor friends we’ve lost at sea,
And comrades fallen past
In memory we carve their names
Upon our hearts and mast
And should I sink in waves of blue
Too far from port or shore
Remember me a sailor true
Like those who went before

            As Deirdre sang the last refrain and the violin played its final note, the sailors didn’t cheer or applaud the performance.  Instead, one by one they walked from where they had been listening and touched the mainmast with both sadness and reverence.  Curious, Valeriad stepped away from the door and approached the mast, wondering what the crewmen were doing.  As he got nearer, he noticed that the mast was covered in names, each one carved into the wood by different hands.  A voice came from behind him, saying
            “It’s a Cenotaph.  Sailors and marines who fall during a voyage or in battle are buried at sea, so there is never a grave or a headstone to visit when we reach shore.  Instead, we carve their names into the wood of the mainmast, and in so doing they stay with us always, even in death.”  Valeriad turned to look at the speaker, and smiled when he recognized Lady Prudence.  “It’s good to see you on your feet, your Highness.  We were all worried about you.  I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a case of seasickness go on for so long.”
            “I feel much better now, Captain.  And believe me when I say that I know you were all worried about me.  During the first day of the journey, Phaedron spent quite a bit of time sitting by my bedside gleefully telling me all about how the ship was rolling back and forth, back and forth, on the waves—to be helpful I’m sure you understand.  Once he stopped doing that and actually started looking worried, I knew things were pretty dire.”  A second voice joined in, and Valeriad grinned at the sound of Phaedron’s hurt tone.
            “A slanderous falsehood, my lady.  Base lies and calumny.  You should never listen to anything that Valeriad says because it’s certain to be untrue.”  Valeriad snorted at that, pursed his lips in thought, then nodded.
            “Captain, did you know that Phaedron here is the finest swordsman in Dakkadia?  He taught me everything I know.  In fact, he is so skilled that I have resigned myself to the fact that I can never hope to attain even a fraction of his artistry at swordplay, and as such I am trying out other weapons to see if I can find one that will allow me to be his equal.”  Corsair laughed brightly at that, so Valeriad continued.              “Furthermore, everyone at court loves and respects him, as do the soldiers and the commoners.  He leads by example in all things, and the loyalty he inspires is truly awe-inspiring.  He’s a man among men, and one day his name will go down in Dakkadian history as one of the greatest heroes we’ve ever had.”  As Valeriad spoke, Phaedron nodded sagely in agreement.
            “All true, Prudence.  All true.  You should listen to Prince Valeriad.  He shows wisdom beyond his years.”  Prudence raised an eyebrow at Phaedron and asked in a tart voice,
            “I thought you said I should never listen to anything the prince says because it’s certain to be untrue.  I believe the phrase you used was ‘base lies and calumny?’”  Phaedron nodded again.
            “Normally that would be the case.  However, it seems Valeriad’s close brush with death during this journey has somehow turned his life around and changed him for the better.”  He shot Valeriad an evil grin.  “Although, now that I think on it, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that his life hasn’t so much turned around as its been turned inside out.”  As the group broke out in renewed laughter, Valeriad rolled his eyes and said
            “Lady Prudence, you have my enthusiastic permission to toss this wretch overboard.  In fact, the sooner you do it the better.  You don’t want him contaminating the crew after all.”  Corsair laughed at that and turned to a large, heavily muscled man covered in scars, wearing a well-used cutlass and matching dagger, and carrying a violin.
            “Mr. Salazar, over the side with Lord Daane if you will.  Royal edict and all that.  There’s a good lad.”  The “lad”, at least twice Corsair’s age, laughed and said,
            “Ah…as to that Captain, well, you see I’ve tried.  He’s far too tough for me.”  As the small group erupted in laughter, Deirdre joined the banter and said,
            “Next time just shoot him.  All that swordplay makes me tired, and all I’m doing is watching.”  Valeriad shot a quizzical look at Deirdre wondering what she was talking about, and she said
            “You’ve been too sick to know this, but Phaedron and Lady Prudence have been dueling each other for the past few days.  So far, all of their fights have been close but neither of them has won a clear victory over the other.”  Valeriad’s eyes shot wide open in surprise at that, and he turned an incredulous gaze towards the Corsair.
            “That’s quite an accomplishment, if you don’t mind me saying so Lady Prudence.  I was only half joking about Phaedron’s skill at swordplay.  He’s one of the finest blades in Dakkadia, and even father admits it.  If you’re an even match for him, then I’d have to say that your reputation is very well deserved indeed!”  Valeriad meant every word, but Salazar, Phaedron and Deirdre laughed in response to his statement.  Valeriad, not getting the joke asked “Did I say something funny?”
            “Not at all, my Prince” said Corsair with a sour look for the three.  “If we were on dry land, I readily admit that he’d defeat me easily.  But on my ship, I am, ah, able to control the conditions of the duel by utilizing whatever advantages I can find.  Advantages that might be considered, ah, less than honorable in certain circumstances.”  The group looked at each other with flat expressions, waited three full seconds, and in a single voice, Deirdre, Salazar, and Phaedron turned to Valeriad and said
            “She cheats.”  As understanding dawned on Valeriad, the group broke out in laughter yet again, and this time he joined in.  Corsair crossed her arms over her chest in mock disdain, and said
            “When you duel on my ship, anything goes.”  She shot an evil look at Phaedron, daring him to respond, but he simply gave her an elaborate shrug and said,
            “Who am I to judge?”  Salazar clapped Phaedron on the back and said
            “Just be glad she hasn’t kicked you in the crotch yet.  She’s been known to do that from time to time.  And believe me when I say that ‘anything goes’ is small comfort when you’re rolling around on the deck in agony.”  Once again the group laughed, and this time Lady Prudence joined in.
Thanks to his prolonged illness Valeriad hadn’t had time to make an impression of the captain, but now that he’d had time to speak with her he decided that he liked what he saw.  It was obvious that both Phaedron and Deirdre liked her very much, and as far as he was concerned that was good enough for him.  What surprised him was the ease with which she and Phaedron interacted.  He’d have to ask Deirdre later if there was something going on between the two.  That was for later though.  He glanced at the violin in Mr. Salazar’s hand and said,
            “That was a beautiful song you were playing.  I don’t know that I’ve ever heard it before.  Can you tell me about it?”  He had addressed his question to Salazar, but surprisingly it was Deirdre who answered him.
            “It’s called the Sailor’s Lament, and Mr. Salazar was kind enough to teach it to me today.  I heard one of the sailors whistling it earlier, and I was curious.  Mr. Salazar has been very generously teaching me different naval tunes and sea shanties.  You know how I love to learn new songs.”  She turned to Mr. Salazar and touched his forearm.  “Thank you for playing for me.  You’re quite good.”
            “Your Highness, you’ve done us a great honor today by performing that song for the crew.  It meant a lot to all of us.”  He bowed his head at her, and Corsair spoke up
            “The Sailor’s Lament is usually played at funerals and memorial services, but normally Mr. Salazar plays it unaccompanied.  None of my crew—myself included—have what you would call a ‘good’ singing voice.  It was wonderful to hear the song the way it was intended to be heard.  In fact, I venture to say that you have the most beautiful singing voice I have ever heard, your Highness.”  Deirdre blushed, and looked away in embarrassment, unable to answer the praise.  Phaedron spoke up,
            “She is blessed with perfect pitch…a gift from our mother.  But nobody knows where she developed her hunger to learn new songs.  She can be quite annoying about it.”  Deirdre stuck her tongue out at her half-brother, and he responded by mockingly patting her on the head like something an adult would do to a very young, very precocious child.  Deirdre simply rolled her eyes.
Valeriad was about to say something, but he spotted the sailor that had offered to bring him his breakfast approaching the group.  He turned to the captain and said
            “I hope you don’t mind, but one of your crewmembers offered to bring me something to eat, and I asked him if he would bring it to the deck so I could eat up here.  It occurs to me now that I should have asked first.  Will it be acceptable for me to take my meal on the deck?”
            “Of course, Prince Valeriad, of course.  The only thing worse than a prolonged seasickness is a prolonged case of bulkhead fever.  I don’t blame you a bit for wanting to get some fresh air.  In fact, if you don’t mind some company, we’ll adjourn to the aft.  There are no proper seats of course, but there are some crates that will do in a pinch.”
            “That will be perfectly acceptable, Lady Prudence.”  Corsair turned to the approaching sailor and spoke a few soft words, and he nodded quickly and turned back the way he came.
            “Shall we?”
            At the rear of the ship, an unexpected visitor awaited the group.  Morvandis stood looking out over the starboard railing toward a point on the horizon, and though a small feast was arrayed for him Valeriad found that his curiosity was overriding his hunger.  He walked up to the railing next to his teacher and looked towards the spot that Morvandis was focusing on, but he couldn’t see anything at all on the horizon.
            “What are you looking at, Morvandis?”  He asked the mage.  Morvandis didn’t look at him, but he smiled faintly at the question and said,
            “Nothing yet, Prince Valeriad, but I can feel the approach of the Teeth of Amhar, and I very much look forward to viewing them again.”  He turned an inquisitive gaze towards his pupil.  “I felt your channeling from my quarters.  I was pleased to note that eight days of seasickness doesn’t seem to have affected your control over your abilities at all.”  Valeriad grimaced at that
            “It was nothing special.  My belt didn’t fit properly, so I had to burn a new hole in it to keep it from falling down around my ankles.”  Morvandis nodded at the response and asked
            “Did you have any difficulties keeping your ability focused?’
            “None.”
            “Excellent.  Many mages would have been unable to channel so much as a spark after an illness of that length and severity.  Or worse, they might have lost their focus and had their ability run amok.  That you were able to maintain your focus in less than ideal circumstances does you credit.”  Valeriad waited for the barb that would accompany the compliment, but to his immense surprise Morvandis simply turned his attention back to the horizon, dismissing Valeriad completely from his consideration.  When he realized that Morvandis was going to leave it at that, Valeriad’s eyes widened to the point that white could be seen all the way around his irises.  Morvandis gave praise like a miser spending good coin, but apparently even misers could be generous upon occasion.  Not wanting to tempt his fortune, he quietly retreated from the railing and walked to where the others awaited him with the food.  As he sat down on a barrel, he decided not to mention the compliment.  After all, no one would believe him.  As he prepared a roll with some bacon and cheese, Phaedron asked,
            “Did you ask what he’s doing up here?  We haven’t seen much of him during this trip.  He and Madari spend almost all of their time below deck with our ambassadors discussing plans and possible treaty terms for their dealings with Illymar and Ferralin.”  Valeriad took a big bite of his roll and savored the taste of the warm bacon as it melted in his mouth.  As he chewed his food, he raised a finger to Phaedron asking him to wait for a moment, and after he had swallowed his first bite and chased it with a sip of water, he said
            “Morvandis says he can sense the approach of the Teeth of Amhar, and doesn’t want to miss the first sight of it.”  At that Deirdre gave a squeak of excitement, jumped to her feet, and ran to the railing to stand right next to the mage.  Deirdre herself wasn’t a mage, and as such she had not learned to beware the mage’s displeasure.  Bemused, the group watched as the clearly excited princess spoke to the mage, and an equally bemused Morvandis quietly answered her.  He pointed toward a spot that none of them could see, and Deirdre instantly silenced herself to look where he pointed.  As Valeriad took another bite, Corsair smiled fondly at the princess’ back and said
            “The Teeth of Amhar truly are a sight to behold, though I didn’t know mages could actually sense them—especially at this distance.”  She turned a quizzical gaze at Phaedron, who shrugged
            “I sense nothing, though I admit I haven’t tried.  Morvandis is much more powerful than I am, and his sensitivity is much greater as a result.  I imagine that as we draw nearer, both Valeriad and I should be able to sense the Teeth.  After all, they were created by Zarryiosiad herself, and it is said that anything she touched with her power still bears her resonance.”  Valeriad nodded.
            “To be truthful, if I were not just about to perish from hunger, I’d be standing on that railing right next to Deirdre.  The Teeth are supposed to be incredible.”  Corsair nodded.
“That they are, Prince Valeriad, as are many of the miracles created by Zarryiosiad.  By the time you finish your meal, we too should be able to catch the first glimpse of them.”  Valeriad smiled at that, and dove in with a will.

                                                                        ***

            Morvandis gripped the wooden railing tightly and concentrated completely upon the feel of magic radiating from the horizon, totally oblivious to the world around him.  Every sense he possessed strained with the effort of analyzing the power emanating from the tiny white spots in the distance, but as the ship slowly made its approach and the spots started growing into vertical lines, the Avatar’s magic began to come more clearly into focus.  Even at this great a distance, he could just make out individual bands of energy, completely invisible to the naked eye but as obvious to his magical senses as the grain of the wood under his fingertips.  He concentrated even harder on those individual bands, only to find that the cords themselves were interwoven with such subtlety and power that he could find no beginning or end to them.  Moreover, they were so tightly knotted that pulling them apart would be the next best thing to impossible.  So caught up was he in his study that he didn’t feel a slight tugging on the sleeve of his robe until the tugging became insistent yanking.  Irritated at the interruption of his study, he glanced down at the princess, gave her a very stern look and said,
            “It is very rude to attempt to gain someone’s attention by pulling at their clothes, princess.”  Completely unfazed by his look, Deirdre crossed her arms over her chest, looked up at the tall mage and retorted,
            “Oh?  Is it as rude as, say, pointedly ignoring a person trying to ask you a simple question?”  Equally unfazed by her retort, Morvandis raised a single eyebrow and said,
“Much more so I would say.”  Deirdre rolled her eyes at that and prepared to argue, but before she could show even more disrespect, he asked, “What is your question?”  Deirdre looked for a moment as if she wanted to comment more upon his manners, but she thought better of it and simply asked,
            “What can you tell me about the teeth?  From here they don’t look like teeth at all.  They look more like unicorn horns.”  Morvandis smiled slightly at that and said,
            “An apt description, princess.  Indeed, the Ferraline do call them the Horns of Amhar.”  He pointed at the evenly spaced spirals of glistening white stone jutting up from the water like a picket fence and continued “The reason that we call them the Teeth is because of their design.  The Teeth completely surround the island of Illymar, and each of the stones that you can see above the water is merely a small part of the design.  While you can see some of the fangs growing from the water, there are thousands more just beneath the waves that you cannot see.  Think if you will of a dog’s teeth.  The longest teeth are the canines, the pairs of long, sharp fangs on the top and bottom.  But a dog’s jaws are lined with many smaller teeth as well, which are just as sharp, though much less prominent than the canines.  So it is with the Teeth of Amhar.  The large spirals are meant as a warning to any that approach.”  Deirdre frowned slightly and asked,
            “A warning?”  Morvandis nodded and said,
            “A warning from Zarryiosiad to any foolish sailors who would approach her island that says, ‘Any attempt to pass between the teeth will result in the complete destruction of your vessel and the total annihilation of your crew.”  He glanced over at Phaedron and Valeriad, who were engrossed in conversation with the Captain and her master-at-arms.  “Phaedron, Valeriad, please come here.”
Phaedron looked up and nodded, while Valeriad stuffed the remainder of his breakfast into his mouth as quickly as possible before rising to join him.  The captain followed the pair to the railing, and Morvandis turned to her and asked,
            “Captain, I would like to move the Sovereign closer to the Teeth to give my pupils a better view.  Would this be permissible?”  Corsair gave him a half nod, and turned towards the wheel saying,
            “I’ll steer us in closer.  It shouldn’t take more than a half-hour to get close enough to touch them.”
            “No need, Captain.  I’ll take care of it.”  Without awaiting her permission, he looked up at the sails and his blue eyes changed to a brilliant white, a clear signal that he was using air magic.  The sails filled instantly with a powerful breeze, and the Sovereign lurched in the water as it suddenly gained speed.  After he finished intensifying the wind, Morvandis’ eyes transformed from the bright white they had become to a brilliant azure, and the Sovereign suddenly began moving in a lateral direction as the water began pushing the ship towards the Teeth.  At the surprise movement, every crewmember on deck grabbed something to keep from falling overboard, but after the initial jolt the ride became very smooth indeed and the Sovereign cut through the water much faster than before.
            The evenly spaced white vertical lines that marked the boundary of the Teeth of Amhar began growing in size until their true magnitude became apparent to everyone.  As the Sovereign moved closer and closer, the Teeth continued to grow, eventually towering hundreds of feet in the air.  Morvandis chose the closest of the Teeth and angled the Sovereign toward it.  The gigantic stone was twisted evenly throughout its entire length like a horn, but it was also perfectly white and absolutely smooth.  As more details became clear, the white stone was revealed to have an almost pearlescent sheen to it that made it positively glow in the sunlight.  Even at the waterline the Teeth were perfectly smooth, for such was the power of Zarryiosiad that not even 2500 years of erosion had been able to damage them.
            Only a few hundred yards away from the nearest monolithic tower, Morvandis allowed his control over the ship to subside.  As the winds died down and the waves returned to normal, the Sovereign slowed to the point that it almost felt like it was standing still.  Once he made sure the ship had regained its original course and heading, he glanced down at the golden haired princess to see if she had anything to say, but the normally loquacious Deirdre had been struck completely speechless by the awesome spectacle.  She wasn’t alone either, for several of the crewmembers who should have been busy at their duties were equally dumbstruck by the incredible sight.  He reached out with his right hand, his eyes turning azure once again, and the water level around the white stone began to lower as if a giant glass were being pressed into the water.  As the water moved away from the stone, dozens of smaller spikes began to break the surface.  They had been hidden from view by the waterline, but as the water level steadily dropped and they were exposed to air everyone could see exactly why they had earned the name of the Teeth of Amhar.  The Fangs of Amhar would have been more appropriate, for the needle sharp tips looked as if they belonged in the maw of some deadly predator, but for all their resemblance to either fangs or teeth, they were made of stone.
            It didn’t take Morvandis much effort to expose them, for they were hidden only by a few feet of water, but again he wasn’t finished.  Even after the smaller teeth could be clearly seen he continued to displace the water in front of the tower, exposing more and more of the stone until it became apparent that the pillars extended for thousands of feet below the surface of the ocean.  Several of the crewmembers backed away from the spectacle, for the Sovereign seemed to be on the very edge of falling into a nearly endless abyss, but the ship continued upon its course as if oblivious to the yawning chasm mere feet to the starboard side.  It took a few minutes, but once the crew realized that they weren’t about to fall to their doom, they began to edge back towards the railing to take a closer look.  It was well they had, for the view they now had of the Teeth in all their glory was truly breathtaking.  They stood in perfectly spaced rows, with the smaller spikes forming an unbroken line that led from one pillar to the next in either direction like a wooden fence.  Despite the fact that they were much smaller than their colossal brethren, even the little spikes were magnificent to behold.
Without turning his head, Morvandis spoke to his pupils.
            “Tell me what you sense about the spaces between the Teeth, if you will.”  Phaedron spoke first.
            “There’s a latticework of water magic stretching from one of the great pillars to the next, and is interwoven through the smaller pillars as well.  It’s far too complex for me to decipher, but if I had to venture a guess I’d say it’s a trap.  A tripwire set to activate if anything touches it.”  Valeriad nodded at that and added
            “I can see the same thing, but to me it’s a band of fire…not water.  The scale of the lattice is incredible.  It’s an unbroken line miles long.”  When Valeriad finished speaking Morvandis nodded at them both and replied
            “I sense both of the streams that you sense, and an identical band of air besides.  Zarryiosiad was known to be able to control three powers:  Air, Earth, and Fire.  The addition of a Water component in the spell tells us that she needed help in its creation, and the strength of the Water component tells us that she most likely enlisted the aid of her father, the mage Zarus, in its construction.  She would have needed his help to complete it.”  Morvandis carefully released his spell, and the water began to rise up to its previous level very quickly.  Once the ocean had returned to normal, he turned to his impromptu audience and continued.  “Zarryiosiad’s spell was perfectly conceived and executed.  It is because of her foresight that no other nation has ever been able to carry out a successful invasion of Illymar.  Any ship—no matter how small it may be—that attempts to cross the barrier will touch one of the four invisible tripwires and will trigger a defensive spell thousands of years old.  There have been reports of unimaginably vast bolts of lightning striking a ship and causing it to explode instantly.  Other reports tell of pillars of flame incinerating ships outright, or whirlpools forming from nowhere to drag ships down onto the teeth themselves.  The records held by both the Mage Citadel and the Zarryiostrom tell us that the Fae’rohs attempted to invade Illymar only once; shortly after the assassination of Zarus by their ambassador.  The entire fleet was destroyed by the Teeth.  There were no survivors.”  Deirdre frowned at him slightly and asked,
            “If the Teeth completely surround the island, how are ships able to reach Illymar, or to sail from it?  Wouldn’t they be destroyed before they could leave?”  Morvandis shook his head.
“Zarryiosiad left a single passage through the Teeth on the far side of the island.  The passage is relatively narrow, no more than three miles wide, but defending it is a simple matter for Illymar’s navy.  All they have to do is defend a single passage from assault, and they never have to worry about being flanked or attacked from the rear.  With the ability to focus their entire navy onto a single point, they are able to magnify their power to a massive degree.  In the entire history of Illymar, no invading force has ever been able to make it past them.”  At that, Phaedron gave a small grunt.  Morvandis turned his attention to him and said, “You have a question?”  Phaedron shook his head slightly.
            “Not a question, Morvandis.  Just an observation.  As you rightly pointed out, history tells us that the defenses that protect Illymar are impenetrable.  But history also tells us that no defense, no matter how strong or how well designed they may be, will remain impenetrable forever.  Eventually, someone will find a way to break through the Teeth or through the passage, and when that happens Illymar won’t know how to react.  If their entire navy is concentrated at a single point on the far side of the island, the rest of the island will be completely defenseless.”  Morvandis gave Phaedron a respectful look.
            “I wasn’t aware that your interests included the study of history, Lord Daane.  You surprise me.”  He bowed slightly to Phaedron, and for the second time that day Valeriad’s eyes widened in shock.  Morvandis didn’t notice this however, and he continued.  “You are absolutely correct.  History teaches us that no defense is perfect.  However, I am sure that you would agree that these defenses are a special case.  After all, they were designed by the Avatar herself.  Very few mortals would dare to make the attempt to defeat them.  You’ve seen the Teeth, and the spells warding them:  you know what kind of effort and power it would take to negate them.  The Fae’rohs were unable to do it, and their power was unparalleled.”  He paused, looking again at the white stone, and his voice became softer.  “There may come a day that someone will breech these defenses.  But until that day comes, we should admire the Teeth of Amhar as one of Zarryiosiad’s greatest creations.”  As his attention was once again drawn fully into the study of the tower, Phaedron, Valeriad and the other people that had been listening to his explanation turned away, leaving him alone once again with his thoughts.

                                                            ***

            Cahrick Rantrefal stood at the front of the Sovereign and tried not to think about the sheer power that Morvandis had so casually demonstrated.  Cahrick knew that he himself was one of the most powerful Waterborne alive, but now he knew for certain that Morvandis dwarfed his own abilities.  Displacing that much water all the way to the bottom of the ocean miles deep had been beyond impressive almost to the point of being truly miraculous.  Had he been so inclined, Cahrick could have done the same thing, but it would have taken him days to accomplish what Morvandis had done it in moments.   He glanced towards the spot that Morvandis stood and shook his head in grudging admiration.  If you weren’t a murdering bastard you might have been someone to admire.  Cahrick furrowed his brow, wondering what exactly the younger mage was thinking as he gazed out at the Teeth.  He could just make out Morvandis’ eyes changing color from white to red to blue, and for just a moment he felt a stab of jealousy.  So much power in the hands of one man.  It just isn’t right.  As he turned away to resume his duties, he just missed a final flash from Morvandis’ eyes.
            Before they returned to their normal color, for a single heartbeat they flashed a brilliant emerald green.               

*

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