Sunstone: First of the Rueman Hearts

VIII

The ball of clear water hovered infront of my eyes as I focused on creating a stable environment for the sphere that was no bigger than my head, the edges were still wobbly and air bubbles kept breaking the surface as they floated through the ball to the top. It had been a string of boring days sailing on calm seas in the hot sun and by the time mid-morning came around on the fourth day onboard, life on deck was getting rather tedious and dull.
I had no skills to offer the crew, as my thaumaturgy had never had to sail a ship before, even the eight water strəgon on deck who helped guide the ships safely on rocky waters had nothing to do today as the wind strəgon were steering the vessels today, so in my boredom I had found myself standing by the port-side railing with Gesh.
I had started the morning by making myself some woodland animals out of the water to occupy my time but quickly decided to make myself a fishbowl instead. If I could just stabilise the outer layer then the ball would be able to hold a couple of fish and stay in full form without assistance from my mana. Gesh had stayed at my side and was trying to create his own –smaller– orb while I offered up instructions.
Gesh was proud to tell me that his mother had been a water strəgon but he was told his father had been a wind strəgon so Gesh had inherited more of the wind abilities as opposed to the water. Usually Rueman’s strəgons only had one affinity and I knew from experience how volatile Dual-Wielding could be if left unchecked.
“So you can really control all elements?” He asked while mimicking my hand movement.
“Yeah, it’s all due to my Rashkin blood though, atleast that’s what grandmother told me.”
“Wow, so how strong is your gift?” Gesh pressed me as his bubble started dripping and he flustered, trying to pull the ball back into shape while he used his hands to manipulate the air around the water, he was doing good for an amateur though.
“It’s not a gift, but I once turned an entire sand dune into thousands of glass daggers at only four years of age when one of the Widows tried to put me in a corner during lessons. I don’t know the true extent of what I’m capable of as the Heer didn’t allow me to use my artifice frugally, all I know is I’ve got more variety of thaumaturgy in me than most.
“It’s like a well, once it’s full, if I don’t keep dipping into it every now and again then the well will just keep filling up until eventually there’s nowhere for the mana to go and it pours out, uncontrolled, causing a disaster of uncontrolled proportions.”
“Damn…. that’s big. Aren’t you worried that you might hurt someone if you don’t know the depth of your power?” Gesh was straining as his orb wibbled and then splattered all over us.
I closed my eyes against the salty spray, breathing deeply as I opened them again to find my big, clear ball of water had finally stabilised. I could now catch a couple of fish and introduce them to my fishbowl as decoration.
“It worries me, sure,” I shrug, “but the Heer helped me curb my brash anger streak and develop discipline so my thaumaturgy is under my complete control as long as I use it. I’m not a Rashkin. My temper does not use my artifice, I do.” I spoke my mantra with determination as I focused on seeing beneath the waves with my Beast abilities and into the darkest of the blue depths. I was searching for a couple of pretty ornamental fish that wouldn’t be too big, the fishbowl was meant to be a way to occasional use my Beast Thaumaturgy if my mana built up to quickly. I made them look like decorations so no one thought about them as anything else.
I was following a shoal of bright yellow fish when I heard Gesh exclaim in wonder, “how are you doing that?”
I hadn’t felt Gesh’s hand on my arm when I had dived but he was now entwined with my consciousness and sight, “my thaumaturgy isn’t only specific to the usual elemental capabilities, I can manipulate anything that has a natural base and use it in whatever way I like, it’s called Beast. Right now we’re inside a jellyfish’s mind, those moving colours flitting around out there are Gold Severum but they’re not the kind of fish I’m looking for. Keep holding my arm, I’m going to change consciousness and if you let go you’ll be stuck as a jellyfish if I can’t get you back before the armada sails out of range.”
I felt his fear and excitement as I dived deeper into the ocean and found a crawfish a little closer to The King’s Consort. I didn’t want to push the limits of my abilities by stretching my consciousness to far right now. If Tudor sailed any faster and I got stuck in some poor sea creature’s mind unable to snap back to my body quick enough I might be lost out here forever, and then where would Rueman be?
The crawfish was eating some plankton as I watched a gorgeous Star-Sapphire Cichlid swim by, I just knew it was what I had been looking for. Without hesitation, I latched onto it in the water with my thaumaturgy to bring it to us in a small bubble of water before I brought both Gesh and I back to our respective bodies carefully. The Cichlid was beautiful with big grey eyes and a sleek form that frantically circled the tiny orb I had suspended it in.
Gesh let go of me as we studied the fish, “you did all that for a fish?”
“In the Boscage I would make fishbowls as gifts for the children, they last for a long time on their own and are beautiful ornaments. I just wanted to take a good memory with me as I’m never going to see Brenaia again.” I wore a sad smile as Gesh gave me an understanding look and tried conjuring another ball of water.
Slowly I brought my two orbs closer and softened a small space on the larger one’s surface to allow the Cichlid inside.
“Hey, Gesh!” Jamoe called out, “the water strəgons are setting up a Splash Tournament? They want your help.”
“Aww cool,” Gesh dropped his water, “you’re gonna love this, Keen,” he was grinning like a puppy as he skipped off. I hadn’t liked it at first that most of the people on board called me Keen but it was better than them using my sacred name without first securing my consent.
“What’s a Splash Tournament?” I asked Jamoe.
“I don’t know but I’m guessing it’s got something to do with water. What are you doing?” Jamoe nodded his chin at my amateur aquarium, intrigued, “fishing?”
“Ha,” I smiled and dove into the water again.
Jamoe and I had spent a lot of time talking over the past few days, I didn’t like having him angry at me over something I had no control over, plus I had thought that maybe someday he’d return to Brenaia and then he could take some messages to Fean for me, maybe he’d even learn to forgive Fean.
I was busy searching for an orange striped tiger fish as I had loved them when I was a child, they were all spinney bristles and completely non-aggressive so I related to them alot as a non-Rashkin. I quickly scoop it up and came back out of the water to repeat the process I had gone through with the Cichlid fish.
Once I had finished with the tiger fish I reached out and cupped the fishbowl in my hands to bring it closer, capturing some sunlight and break its link with my mana so it sort of glowed on it’s own.
“Woah. How did you do that?” Jamoe asked awestruck by the ball of water as it moved passed his face with a light tap of my hand. I just descended into the bowls of the ship and took the aquarium to my shared cabin before returning to the deck.
“Keen!!” Called out Gesh as I came back up from the crew quarters, “let me tell you the Splash Tournament rules,” he grinned, jogging over and bringing his hand down on my shoulder. I had never found out his age but he had to be in his early to mid-teens from the way he acted, “basically whoever can break all the bottles over there,” he points to a distant stack of glass bottles on the deck of the ship infront of the bow, “without losing a drop of gemesh. Wins.”
Gemesh was a harsh golden liquid that could have a sailor singing with the birds after only a mug.
“Sounds simple enough, but what’s the prize?” I rub my hands together as I walk over to join the water strəgons who had lined up beneath the helm outside of Tudor’s quarters.
“Do you need a prize?” Asked one of the male strəgon.
“I suppose not. Just thought I’d ask. No point wasting mana on a prize I don’t want.”
“How very Rashkin of you,” scoffed the Strəgon as a chorus of laughter made it’s rounds through the gathering. I drew in a deep lungful of breath through my nose and didn’t respond, I mean I had been dealing with the prejudice everyday onboard so the teasing was bound to happen today to as I hadn’t made an effort to get very close with anyone who didn’t try first.
“Well… who goes first?” I just carry on, stumping a few of them as they stopped laughing and scowled at my lack of response.
Gesh stepped forward and declared he would go since he’s never been able to win at the game. The gathering cheered him on as I stepped back to watch how he went about trying to win; first he lifted his hands and set his feet as if getting ready for a fight and that was all he did before the cork on the top bottle popped and gemesh sprayed out raining down around the playing field. The cheers turned to jeers of laughter as Gesh dropped his hands taking the defeat with a hiss before backing off, embarrassed but unphased.
“Wait, that’s it?” I ask as a strəgon off to the side of things stepped forward and cleaned up the mess before Goodrin prepared to take a turn. She was now wearing a more comfortable–looking leather outfit than her excessive pink dress, clearly more confident within this outfit.
“Yep,” Gesh sighed.
“But wait, you had no control there, shouldn’t someone atleast show you how to rein in your artifice?” The Widows would never let an action like that go unchecked.
The group snickered and the same man who scoffed at me earlier parted the group and stepped forward to get in my face, “you think you can teach the fart wielder the intricacy of water thaumaturgy?”
“Yes,” I took the challenge being thrown at me, “wind thaumaturgy is more graceful and doesn’t need as much temper control.Water’s moody. And knowing Gesh, from what I’ve observed, he needs some help before someone royally pisses him off and ends up a boiling messy puddle of blood and haemorrhaged organs.” Grandmother had told me that usually, a water strəgon’s first attempt at using their ‘gift’ ended in boiling blood, an accidental misdirection of elemental control.
“Hey Keen, it’s not worth it,” Gesh laid a hand on my shoulder as he tried to talk me down.
“No, it is. Water is almost as dangerous as earth in the natural abilities. Take it from someone who knows; the more abilities a person has the more in control they need to be.” Gesh needed to understand how severe of a situation he was in, I had lost my temper far too many times growing up to underestimate how dangerous emotions and thaumaturgy can be as a combination.
“What’s going on down there!?” Tudor called out, protectively, as the strəgon still stood in my personal space.
“Nothing to concern yourself with,” Jamoe replied, “Your Highness. Just having a bit of friendly competition, I think Bikkea can handle it,” he looked cocky as the cleaner declared that Goodrin should take her turn and show me how dangerous water strəgon’s really were.
She took the same pose as Gesh had before and started rattling a few of the bottles open carefully but instead of gemesh bursting everywhere or even spilling a little the bottles suddenly flew at me. The Dick-o-Tuesday’s-Duck thought she could take me by surprise, get a little Rashkin blood and show off.
But my reflexes were fast and honed so I fluently span out of the way and punched two bottles out of the air before bobbing beneath the third and brought my foot up for a high kick to break it; then —just to be smug— I caught every drop of gemesh and didn’t even look at the playing field as I dropped it in the barrel sat by the stack of bottles.
Gesh chuckled and Jamoe wandered over to the fierce strəgon to pat her on the back and close her mouth, clearly no one understood that my Heer garbs weren’t just for show. “Don’t worry Goodrin, she held her own against me too. Without thaumaturgy… mostly,” Jamoe rubbed his wrist at the memory.
The game continued as we laughed off the moment and the afternoon was passed with exploding bottles of pungent gemesh and smiles, I even taught a couple of the strəgon a few tricks with multi-wielding of different weaponised liquids. Jamoe stood by for the whole afternoon too, he even went and got one of his gauntlets around midday so he could give the Splash Tournament a try. In the end, he wasn’t very good but Jamoe’s trust in me must have eventually gained me some good will among the crew because we all shared a handful of smiles and laughs.
Once the sun had started to dim though the game had changed into cutting up empty bottles with eight inches of sharpened and refined blades of salt water.
I had just let go of a dart when Delwyn’s head popped up in the playing field. Stopping the water short of her face I saw her sense something there as she shifted awkwardly around the hovering shard. “So that’s why I felt so much power concentrated up here. Stirring up trouble are we Keen?”
“Hello Madam Delwyn,” I tried smiling but I kept remembering our convocation from last night when she seemed to be poking around for everything I knew about the cristels. I didn’t give her any answers though, my grandmother’s secrets aren’t for the tainted to hear, it was already quite obvious Delwyn was just as power-hungry as Emrich and if she learnt anything about how the Rashkin’s used the hearts in the past then the whole world would be in danger.
“No need to stop the fun on my account people, just watch out for the hornets sting. You are playing with a Rashkin after all,” her blind eyes couldn’t pick me out from the crowd but the snarky smile on her lips was enough to have the strəgons closest to me to take a step back. Looks like it would take getting around Delwyn to even build some loyalty and friendships around here.
Nervously I bit my bottom lip and walked away as the rest of the water strəgon continued their game. I chose to go back over to the port-side railing and watch them play, intrigued when Delwyn joined me with her eerie gaze waiting for me to break the silence, “did you know Crichon and Elnora?”
“Strange… You don’t call them mum and dad,” Delwyn mused. I choose to wait for her to give me a proper answer rather then let her manipulate me; I needed to know more about my parents before I went in blind to face the parliament of Ruel, and unfortunately these people were my only source of information. Delwyn sighed through her nose and finally answered, “yes I knew them. I knew them as individuals and I knew them as King and Queen, why do you ask?”
“Just wanted to know them a little better.”
An odd kind of pity weighed on her features before she provided a simple reply, “Crichon was a good King. He treated his people fairly and fought for long hours of the day and night to keep Ruemans’ enemies at bay, fixing a few of the Rashkin mistakes of the past as a young King but, once he met Elnora, things changed. He began shirking his responsibilities to spend more time with her, running off to who knows where with her. They never should’ve taken the crown, not once they were married.” She didn’t mean it derisively but I still wondered if there was some other reason for the prejudice.
“How did they meet? Did Crichon go to Brenaia?”
“No. Emrich did,” now that was interesting, “Emrich and I were part of a diplomatic envoy to reach an agreement with the Widows of the Dunes. Torne hosted us…” Delwyn sighed heavily in the back of her throat as her face became a dark storm of unreadable emotions, “that’s where we met Duchess Elnora Trelis. She was young, smiley and aglow with a tenacity for life and unlike all of Emrich’s other women –she never lied with him.”
“Tudor–”
“You should refer to him as Prince Tudor.”
“Okay…” I cleverly skipped over the fact that I had dropped his title purposefully since he wasn’t my Crown Prince, “whatever, my point is he said they had a dalliance, doesn’t that usually entail a physical dynamic?”
“Ha, yes, but Elnora played her hand well and was the first woman to ever enchant Emrich and get away with it untarnished,” it was then that I understood the poisonous tone.
“Oh gosh, I had no idea that you–”
“Don’t say it,” Delwyn’s icy glare cut me off as I stopped myself from finishing the sentence, “I’ve put it behind me and Emrich always moves on. I’ll admit, when he passed me over for Elnora it hurt, a lot,” her tongue clicked on the ‘t’s, “but once we got back to Rueman, Elnora met Crichon and I found out I was pregnant.”
“Wow. So which child…?”
“Relia, the Princess. I left royal service to raise her at the foothills of the Mockhorne Pass but I was called back eight years ago when Relia was visiting Court and started a rather scandalous relationship with a certain soldier we both know,” Delwyn gave a pointed nod in Jamoe’s general direction as he slapped Gesh on the back laughing in comradery. “She was only fourteen, so nothing serious could’ve happened between them but it was still damaging to her reputation.”
“Relia was heartbroken when Jamoe left,” Tudor inserted himself into the conversation as the moon had taken to the sky. “How did you learn all those tricks you were doing earlier? I’ve never seen anyone so young able to smooth water the way you can, let alone capture singular fish and create refined weapons out of water.”
“Just another Rashkin thing, I guess. Madam Delwyn,” I didn’t feel like talking about my artifice abilities again, I had been explaining the topic all day so I went back to the original topic and ignored Tudor, “you said Crichon and Elnora never should’ve taken the crown, what did you mean?”
I turned to face Delwyn and shut Tudor out hoping he would take the hint and go away but instead Tudor moved in closer as he positioned himself behind me, casting warmth over my back as the ocean wind chilled our faces, the feeling was surprisingly nice since I was still in my Heer garbs.
Delwyn was now looking out to the calm waters of the darkening sea, “once Crichon married Elnora it seemed more like the pair just wanted the opportunity to raise a family and live a normal provincial life. That’s one of the reasons why they took such an interest in Prince Tudor while he was young, they just wanted to be together.”
“One of the reasons?” I cast a look over my shoulder to glance up at the man in question.
“I’ll let Emrich fill you in on that one when you meet him. He has a whole indoctrination speech ready and from what I remember, when I had my gift, no one wanted to listen to my opinion anyway.” Grumbled Delwyn.
“The royals ignored an Oracle’s advice?”
Delwyn snickered, “no one ever listens. But it doesn’t matter now, I can’t remember everything I saw back then, thanks to the Sunstone Heart, but I remember talking to Emrich about how dangerous his campaign was for the future of Rueman so I know I did my part.” She nodded to herself, sort of unsure of her certainty.
“But you didn’t talk to Crichon and Elnora?”
“I can’t remember. I can’t even remember Relias’ first steps because of that Damned Cristel!!!” Her shriek made me trip back as she whipped around and stormed off back below deck, I felt bad now for calling her tainted but, just because she had acted vaguely human tonight didn’t mean she hadn’t tried to do the unthinkably selfish to my cristel.