*
Rollin Starys was not the world’s greatest wei chi player. The game had been reconstructed from a similar one played on Old Earth. It had been around for a long time and Rollin Starys had been playing it for as long, but he just didn't seem to have got the hang of it.
But Lemer did not mind, this was not one of the Game Houses of Fenn. This was the small Spartan headquarters of the north-eastern brigade of the Octaris, and they played merely to pass the time.
The Starys were native to Mohep in the south of Avalen. Lemer had brought Rollin with him not because of any particular skill that he possessed but for his company. Being Chief of the Octaris was often solitary work as Lemer spent years at a time moving between the four headquarters of the brigades, liaising with his deputies, ensuring the safety of the realm and monitoring the Dream Sea.
Rollin was a distant cousin, for the Starys were not a populous dream. Lemer had taken him on as his second in command for fear of the madness of silence that would have assailed him otherwise. Octarians were not prone to speaking, being bereft of mouths this was easy to understand. After the first Fenn had put up the wall he announced that a new breed of guardians would be created in the workshops of Fenn to man the wall and keep the nightmares at bay.
So the Octarians were born, fit and suitable for their purpose. They were the only beings in all of Avalen created from the crystals which were mined at Whistlewood. They were blue with blank faces, features were deemed unnecessary; they did not need them for the task they were performing, even from an aesthetic point of view, for the Octarians would never come into contact with the rest of Avalen's occupants. They looked to be cut directly from crystal, with crystal arms, crystal legs and a glassy body which looked as if it might crack if not handled delicately, but they moved with dexterity and agility and they were stronger than steel in their composition.
The Octarians of the Octaris did not eat or drink nor did they sleep. They patrolled every day from the moment they were woken, and they would continue to do so until either they or the wall were destroyed. There was no rank, no politics and no need for barracks or shelter of any kind. They did not need weapons for their limbs, so willed, could form any weapon of their choosing. They were the perfect guardians. They were also incredibly dull to be around.
Due to their inability to vocalise the Octarians spoke in nods and shakes. Usually a nod was all that was required. "Is all well on the wall?" Yes nods the Octarian. They were self-sufficient to the point that many debated whether or not they even needed an overseer. In the end it was decided all those years ago that someone must take responsibility for them. The task fell to Lemer and resulted in him being elevated to the Silent Council, though he sat on it rarely due to spending so long at the wall.
So he'd brought in Rollin. Mohep was a jungle, filled with predators and his cousin had been only too glad to assume the position of number two in command of the Octaris. The wall was about fifty feet across at the top and the headquarters along with a small sky-port for Lemer's personal sky-ship. The cluster of small square grey buildings was utilitarian. There were the living quarters where Lemer, Rollin and the crew of the sky-ship slept, an inkling station for communication with Fenn, a kitchen and a common area.
It was in the common area that Lemer sat, waiting as his cousin slowly blocked himself in on the wei chi board. Lemer was just about to lay the small black stone which would seal his frowning cousin's fate when the board started to shake, the stones were knocked out of place and his victory was postponed.
“By Fenn!” Rollin exclaimed, standing up as the tremors continued. “An earthquake?” the smaller Starys said staring at Lemer.
“There are no earthquakes here on the wall or anywhere else in Avalen”, said Lemer, but no sooner had the words left his mouth that he doubted them. The Magister Elementis had lost control of the weather patterns, other problems could now be occurring as a result of the dreamer's presence, problems that might shake the ground beneath their feet. Lemer walked to the sliding door which led out onto the wall proper, though he doubted if there would be anything to see from this height he thought it might not be a bad idea to check that the world wasn't actually falling apart.
Outside the trembling was steady but there was a sound with it. Not a natural sound, not the sound of rocks and earth churning and shaking but a vocal sound, the sound of many voices shouting as one. Before the Elementis had lost control of Avalen's weather the views from atop the Dreamstone Wall had been the most spectacular and scintillating views available anywhere in land. On a good day, which most of them were before the weather failing, it was possible to see the faraway towers of Fenn to the south. Now, however, there was just cloud. The top of the wall was above the cloud and from where they stood it totally covered the land.
Only one thing could be seen from such a height when Avalen was covered in clouds which was the very top of the mighty peak of Torabane, the home of the giants. The snow-capped peak was comparatively near to where Lemer now stood. It was known that the very tip was hollowed out with an opening that went right down into the bowls of the mountain where the giants dwelt. As the tremors and roars continued, Lemer focused his eyes and more importantly his ears on the top of the mountain for it seemed that the sound was coming from there.
The longer he concentrated the more certain he became that the sound was coming from Torabane.
“The mountain?” quizzed Rollin who stood beside him. Lemer nodded. They watched for a while until a thick plume of red smoke started to funnel out of the top of the mountain. “That's not good”, said Rollin. Lemer couldn't help but agree.
“Stay here, keep a close eye on the mountain”, said Lemer.
“Where are you going?” asked Rollin.
“The inkling, Fenngaard must hear of this”, said Lemer, walking back indoors and making his way to the inkling station. He sat down at the table where a piece of aged yellow paper was connected to many silver threads which went into a hole at the back of the desk. From that hole the wires went down through the building and into the Dreamstone Wall itself. Thousands of feet down went the threads until it reached Avalen where it joined the vast web which lay beneath the ground and linked the thousands of inkling stations across the kingdom.
From around his feline neck, Lemer took a chain to which was attached a key in the shape of a raven's wing. He inserted it into the slot at the top of the station then took the quill from the ink pot and started to write.
Too few stars and too few moons
Too many reflections on dark lagoons
Lemer scrawled the first lines of the code set and then waited. The station holding the other half of the raven key was in the Palace of Princes in Fenn and was manned around the clock. The Starys did not have to wait long for a reply.
A light divided shines as bright
We need but one torch to shine at night
With the first part of the cipher confirmed Lemer entered the next.
I had a dream I could not recall
Of its meaning I was denied
The second part came back straight away:
Such a meaning might mean none at all,
For many a dream has lied
Lemer was confident that he was speaking to the watch station in Fenn. Each time he visited the city he would go to the station and meet with the team of mousekarls who operated it. They would change the cipher and everyone would learn the exact wording of it. Lemer sent his message, Strange activity at Torabane. Red smoke seen coming from the mountain top, a trembling of the wall and the sound of many giants moving and bellowing. Please inform the King and advise.
With that Lemer sat back to wait. It would take time for messengers to run to the King who would then brief a senior agent on his orders. That agent would then communicate with Lemer and give him his directives. Torabane was only a short journey from their current location, it was likely that the King would order him to take his sky-ship and survey the mountain, to try and ascertain what
the source of the activity was.
After what seemed like a very long time indeed words finally started to appear on the piece of paper in front of him. They were few in number, shocking in their gravity: The giants have rebelled against the rule of the King. You are to use all the forces at your disposal to assault them should they leave Torabane and drive them under the mountain.
Lemer read the words several times to make sure his slanted yellow eyes did not mislead him. The words were there, accurate and true. He leaned back in his chair. Finally he leaned forward, gathered some more ink to his quill and wrote again, Please clarify previous message.
The reply came quickly, No clarification is required. You have your orders Chief of the Octaris, carry them out in full. Vulthian Kel-Parr.
The King hadn't sent just a messenger, the Lord Captain himself was at the opposite inkling station. Even without the sign-off the dismissive response alone would have been enough to indicate that it was him. Lemer got up from his chair and went back through to the common room. The tremors had stopped but upon opening the door he could still hear an unusual amount of roaring coming from the mountain. The giants were always roaring about something or other, but this level of anger was unprecedented. Rollin was still outside staring at the smoke billowing from the peak.
“Rollin, I need you”, said Lemer to his cousin. Rollin Starys followed Lemer silently through the compound to the inkling station where Lemer pointed to the series of messages on the paper. “What do you make of that?”
His cousin read it. All the Starys shared the same physical attributes, the fawn legs, emaciated skeletal bodies and feline heads. Rollins fur and eyes were blue where Lemer's were yellow, and these blue eyes went wide as they read the messages. “I don't understand”, he said when he was done.
“Neither do I”, concurred Lemer.
“For a start the Octarians can't leave the wall, so I am uncertain what force they think that we could bring to bear?” said Rollins confused.
“Indeed. Either they don't know, or they don't care. We have both seen and heard the activity coming from the mountain, but rebelling against Corul? Rokumung has been in Avalen for a very long time, he would not be so rash, particularly following the Binding.”
Rollins nodded. Both Starys stood stroking their chins for a minute or two.
“Have you any other keys?” asked Rollins eventually. Lemer shook his head, he knew what his cousin had been thinking because the same thought had passed his own mind. If they could contact another inkling station in Fenn they might be able to get more information on the alleged rebellion. But Lemer communicated via the inkling stations only rarely, and never thought that he would have a need to speak with anyone outside of the first Pillar.
“Ravens?” said Rollin.
“Ravens”, said Lemer nodding. The headquarters contained a small rookery. Sadly, due to the use of the inkling network the rookery was poorly maintained. The ravens had long made a number of holes through which they came and went so there was every chance that it would stand empty. The two Starys made their way to the rookery and were pleased to see a raven within.
As they approached, however, the lonely bird began to hop towards a large hole in the side of the rookery. Soft words and slight movements were required in order to get close enough; they were fortunate and managed to grab the bird before it flew the coop.
“Where shall we send it?” asked Rollin, as Lemer scribbled a message on a piece of paper.
“To Fenn, but not the palace complex.” Lemer tapped the piece of charcoal against his chin as he thought. “Send it to Witchhaven Dell, I trust Evessa Tremaine enough to rely on her discretion and on any confirmation she gives us.”
Rollin nodded and picked up a crystal from the box next to the rookery door. It was small and red and on it were the three circles of the witches' symbol. The ravens of Avalen were excellent homing birds but given the size of Fenn and the enormity of the palace complexes of the first pillar the crystal system had been developed to allow a little more accuracy when sending the winged messengers. Witchhaven Dell contained a larger homing crystal towards which the bird would be drawn as it neared the first pillar.
The message which Lemer had scribbled was simple. The palace informs us of a rebellion from Torabane, please confirm. He felt it would be enough and someone of Evessa's perception would know that he was looking for as much information as possible regarding the current situation. With the crystal and message attached, Lemer had faith that the raven would remember its purpose and not simply fly off into the horizon never to be seen again. Both Starys walked from the rookery and Lemer released the bird, which flew straight and true down through the clouds towards Fenn.
“What now?” asked Rollin.
“Alert the crew”, replied Lemer, “I don't plan on launching any kind of attack on the giants but I would like to circle the mountain a couple of times to see what's causing all the commotion.” He started to walk down to the sky-port and was surprised to see Rollin rooted to the spot. “Cousin?” he queried.
“I don't think it would be wise for us to be in the air right now”, he said quietly. Rollin was not looking at Avalen. His eyes had turned behind them, towards the endless mass of colour and fire that was the Dream Sea. Lemer walked across the perfectly flat wall-top so that he stood looking out at the sea. The Dream Sea was never calm, it was a perpetual maelstrom which rotated through varying degrees of fury but Lemer had never seen it as he did now.
Mushroom clouds of orange flame exploded across the sea. Columns of fire were rising up from the depths, towering over the wall and forming gigantic clouds of ash and lightning which grew larger and more unstable with each passing moment.
“Fetch the crew”, shouted Lemer over the wind, which suddenly whipped over the wall carrying the storm with it, “get to the bunker.” As he turned to walk into the complex himself Lemer saw an Octarian. The creature moved with the same casual gait they all did. Flecks of fiery rain were starting to fall over the wall, striking the blue crystal of the Octarian's body, hissing and fizzling out as they did so.
“Is all well with the sea beyond the wall?” Lemer asked formally. The Octarian shook his head slowly. “Is there anything the Octaris can do?” Again came the shaking of the head. Lemer left the crystal being where he stood and ran towards the bunker built into the wall. He reached it just as the storm proper came over and tore the headquarters from the wall with casual ease.