Chapter 22: Fated or Faded?

Tula had gone to sleep much earlier than the other members of the Wraith. Nights like these - ones under a full moon - she tended to be weary of sleep. Her ecomantic powers sometimes yielded to vivid dreams - visions that felt so real that they lingered even after she woke. It was easier when they were just dreams. She didn't mind experiencing other realms in which she could appreciate the sights and sounds of places in Mer she'd never been to. However, that wasn't the case with her nightmares. She'd remembered certain visions from Andorrus when the Dark Water had plagued the island. The current vision she was in made her feel that she was right in the belly of the Darkdweller's domain.

"Noy jitat, not another one like this," she said as she observed her surroundings. "I wonder what it will show me this time around." She soon found her answer as she saw the shadows of figures moving quickly through the winding caves. They carried torches to light the way. She didn't know whether they were foe or friend, but knew she needed to follow them.

She quickly realized they weren't friendly at all as she saw them for what they were - the Darkdweller's cloaked minions. They didn't know she was there, but gathered in a group at what seemed a dead end.

"We must hurry!" One of them hissed. "The Darkdweller summons us because the Prince of Octopon is caught. It will only be a matter of time before the Dark Heart rises and our leader's reign is supreme!"

As they cheered, Tula felt a cold rush of panic crawl through her skin. Ren! I have to see if he's okay. She saw an opening as the group of minions opened a secret passageway by means of a Dark Water contraption. She had to race to enter the passage before it closed behind them.

She approached to a crowd in a very large, circular room. Several of the Darkdweller's minions stood in a grotesque array - likely corrupted by the power of the Dark Water. Many of them wore cloaks that hid their sneering lips and half rotting skin to bone.

In the center of the crowd was someone Tula did not expect, his full form towering and commanding attention. Her eyes widened as the familiar figure silenced the crowd - and wore Ren's compass around his own neck.

"Greetings, servants to the Darkdweller," said Bloth in a booming voice. "I've called for you all to gather here to see that I have all the treasures of Rule in my possession. And thus I, Bloth, am not only the true ruler of Octopon, but all of Mer."

The crowd cheered as Tula felt her stomach turn. But how? How could he have gathered all 13 treasures of Rule?! This can't be real.

"Silence! I know you are all eager to celebrate the power that is the Darkdweller, and the reason why I am your new leader. But we have one more task at hand, one that is vital for being able to rid of the Treasures of Rule once and for all. What fitting way is there than to have a fitting sacrifice? Bring him in."

Several of the Darkdweller's minions parted then, giving way to several of them carrying a prisoner who was bound to a stone slab. It looked much heavier than what four ordinary men should be able to carry, but the Darkdweller's influence had the servants boasting more strength in darkness than any mere mortal could do on their own.

Bound to the stone slab was Ren, his wrists and legs bound tight as he struggled, but to no avail.

No, no, no! Tula started to move forward, but found her legs frozen in place. I-I can't move. I have to help him, I have to!

"Do my ears deceive me?" Bloth said, cupping a hand against his ear as if he couldn't hear in the direction he leaned toward. "I don't believe I hear any protests from the prisoner. Have you given up, Son of Primus? I've killed the members of your crew, destroyed your ship, corrupted your father's once trusted advisor against you, stolen your treasures, and have taken your kingdom from you. You have lost everything. You have failed in your quest. But I offer you once last thread to cling to, boy. Join me and the Darkdweller. I can give you back Octopon if you so choose it, and you would be welcome upon the Maelstrom as an esteemed soldier."

Tula didn't realize how badly Ren was hurt until she heard him speak. If the room hadn't fallen silent, she wondered if she would've heard the hoarse, low tone he spoke with. "You may have taken everything from me, Bloth, but you haven't taken my dignity. Nor my morals. The treasures of Rule do not belong to you nor the Darkdweller. They belong to the people of Octopon, to all of Mer. That's how it's always been, that's how it always should be. I would never betray my people, or anyone in Mer, for the likes of you. I would rather...face death."

One of Bloth's brows raised, his grin twisting his features. "Oh, you'll know the taste of death soon enough. My courtesy only extends so far, and I presumed that would be your answer." Bloth turned to his followers. "We shall now prepare to acquire the 13th treasure of Rule."

"But you already said that you had all the treasures of Rule," one of the Darkdweller's minions bellowed. "If the boy knows where it is, you'll have to torture him to get information."

"Wrong," Bloth said, his one good eye glaring so much that it made the minion recoil. "You see, the 13th treasure is in our possession, and I know the way to it. Do you all wish to bear witness to it?"

Cheers erupted from the crowd around Tula. Tula had no idea what to expect, but she could do little with her immobility. She knew she was clearly in a vision considering Bloth had said that he'd killed all of the Wraith's crew. For Ren to be left completely alone...what a cruel twist of fate. What happened to me? To Ioz? Niddler? How could this all go so wrong?

"Bring forth the Dark Water, Avagon."

Tula gasped as she recognized the older woman and her disfigured form. She only partially resembled the human she once been, stepping through the crowd for all to see as she approached Ren.

"Avagon...don't do this," Ren said as he struggled against the ties that bound him.

"I warned you, son of Primus, that your trusting heart would lead to your end. And now begins the era - the Birth of the Dark Heart."

Tula hadn't noticed that Avagon was holding a rope attached to something above where Ren lay. When she pulled it, Dark Water descended onto Ren's body, covering his torso - sinking its way through his clothes, his skin. Ren's screams were only barely audible through the roar of the crowd.

Tula couldn't watch. She turned away, her hands covering her face, tears streaming down her cheeks. It was only when Ren's screams had stopped and the room had fallen to stunned silence that she dared to look.

Bloth had approached Ren's lifeless body, had reached his hand among the bony remains of Ren's chest, holding up - of all things - a treasure of Rule.

Tula stood stone cold, her breath held as Bloth's laugh echoed through the room. "With this, the Treasures of Rule are all mine! May the Darkdweller's power rise with the Dark Heart! All of Mer is mine to control!"

But the brilliance of the last Treasure of Rule, the rancorous laugher from Bloth, and the appearance of the Darkdweller did not command Tula's attention. Not as much as Ren's lifeless, half flesh, half bone corpse lying on the stony slab where'd he'd been alive moments before.

Tula woke with such a jolt that she nearly knocked one of the map scrolls off her bedside table. She struggled to breathe, her body shaking from the rush of the nightmare. She pulled her hair back away from her face and shoulders, used her hands to rub her eyes.

Her cheeks were damp with tears. She furiously wiped at them with one of her sleeves. "Noy jitat! That was too cruel. Where did that come from?"

She gave herself a moment to adjust to her surroundings. It was quiet, which unsettled her more. She did the best she could to shake off the remnants of the nightmare before stepping out onto the deck for some fresh sea air.

Ioz stood at the wheel, gliding the ship over the moonlit ocean. He looked over his shoulder briefly in Tula's direction, but didn't break from his focus on steering. "Oh? The sleeping princess finally wakes from her beauty nap."

"Give it a rest, Ioz," Tula said, her voice half-hearted. She hugged the sides of her arms, looking over the railing. "At least it doesn't seem like we've hit Dark Water yet."

"With my expertise in steering, we won't hit any patches of Dark Water for a while. We should be close to the space Ren noted the 12th treasure would be in two moons time. We'll have to be vigilant. Many sailors don't venture this far south for good reason."

"Not just for the Dark Water, but also the weather. I can already feel the temperature dropping quickly compared from where we came."

Ioz raised an eyebrow. "Does her highness need a cloak to keep her warm?" His voice mocked.

Tula rolled her eyes. "You're impossible."

Ioz looked over his shoulder then, at first to grin at her, but his expression halted when he saw how pale and shaken she looked. "Chungo lungo, woman, you look like you had dreams of the Darkdweller himself."

Tula shook her head. "I may have, but I don't know what it means. I don't know if it was just a nightmare...or a vision. It felt so real."

Ioz's brow furrowed. He started to say something more when he was interrupted by a sharp, frantic screech from Niddler, coming from below deck.

"Help! Help! Something's wrong with Ren!"

"Noy jitat. Ioz, drop anchor, I'm going downstairs," Tula said, before she bolted for the sleeping quarters where Ren and Niddler were.

"Already one step ahead of you, woman," Ioz said, but he had to hurry to find a place to pull the ship to a nearby shallow cove to dock.

"Niddler? Ren?" Tula called as she descended the stairs into the underbelly of the ship. She first saw Niddler, who looked up with her, his eyes glossy.

"Tula, I don't know what to do. I woke up and found him like this."

Tula saw Ren lying on the floor on his side. His clothes and hair were damp with sweat. From the look of it, he'd fallen off his bed. Ren's expression twisted in pain, his breathing ragged. One of his hands clutched at his chest, the other clutched something within so tightly that Tula had a hard time being able to determine what he was holding.

Ren struggled to speak, his words only making partial sense. But it was enough to cause her more alarm in the moment as she recognized the vague yet familiar thread of conversation.

"...everything...taken..."

Is Ren having the same nightmare I did earlier? Tula angled his body to where he lay on his back, cupping his face in her hands. "Ren, can you hear me? Return to this world from the visions you see." Tula's arms started to radiate with blue electric waves cascading down to her hands. Her ecomantic powers were easy to summon after many moons of practice. But it didn't appear to have any effect on Ren.

"I can't use my powers to sense what sort of plague ails him. It's too strong."

Ioz came down the stairs at that moment, his expression turning to concern upon seeing Ren. "What's happened to him?"

Tula shook her head. "I don't know, but I think it might have to do with the Dark Water."

Niddler screeched softly. "If only Ren hadn't be subjected to this sickness, this curse, none of this would have..."

"What curse are you speaking of, monkeybird?" Ioz interrupted, and Niddler realized only then that he'd said too much. The monkeybird quickly covered his mouth with his hands.

Ioz had very little patience, marching over to Niddler in such a swift motion that Niddler drew back reflexively. "I know you heard my words. Tell me what you meant. What do you know?"

Niddler shook his head. "I'm sorry. I've been sworn to secrecy."

"By whom? Your silence could turn the balance of Ren's life!" Ioz snapped.

"I know! That's why I can't say anything!" Niddler said. "I'm trying to protect Ren!"

"Stop it you two!" Tula said, breaking the tension between them. Both Ioz and Niddler were surprised at the fierce tone Tula took. "While you two are bickering, Ren's condition is getting worse. Neither one of you are helping right now." She turned to Niddler. "I don't know by what oath you're swearing fealty to, Niddler, but if you can tell us something that might help Ren, now would be the time to do it."

Niddler appeared as if he struggled to come up with a solution. "The only thing I know is that Ren's been affected by the Dark Water for a while now. Clearing the Dark Water from the town we just left didn't help."

Ioz's brow raised. "Is it the same sickness? The Dark Water plague?"

Tula thought a moment. "Even if it were that, I don't think it would have affected Ren since he's been protected by the treasures of Rule. Unless..." She looked at Ren's clutched hand with renewed interest. She gently pried open his fingers and gasped at what she saw within Ren's hand.

"Tula?" Niddler asked, concern bubbling in his voice.

"Noy jitat, the 11th treasure of Rule! It's..." She hesitated. "The treasure's shrunk nearly half the size of what it was when Ren showed it to me back in the village. Why?"

Recognition flickered in Niddler's expression, something that didn't go unnoticed by Ioz. Ioz quickly picked up Niddler and pinned him against the side of the room's wall. Niddler screeched in protest. "Monkeybird, you know something about this and yet you still remain silent." Ioz drew his sword from his side and held it against the monkeybird's throat. "By the blood of the twin moons, if I have to cut the answer from your tongue..."

"Ioz...stop."

Ioz, Tula and Niddler all turned their attention to Ren, whose breathing had returned somewhat to normal, though his voice was weak.

"Ren, are you all right?" Tula said. "Can you sit up?"

"A little hard to focus, but better than I was." He tried to sit up on his own, but Tula had to help him steady himself in the effort. "Ioz, let Niddler go."

Ioz only then seemed to realize he was still pinning the monkeybird against the wall. He relented, which led Niddler to scramble over to Ren's other side, opposite of Tula.

"I'm only releasing him on your behalf. But that monkeybird knows something about your sickness and refuses to say anything," Ioz said through gritted teeth.

"I know. He told me he wouldn't."

Tula turned sharply to Ren. "You knew about this?"

"This has happened before, which is what I swore Niddler to secrecy over. Can't say much more than that," Ren said, his eyes closed. "Same thing happened in Parat when I retrieved the 9th treasure of Rule."

Ioz folded his arms across his chest. Now that it seemed the worst of Ren's spell had passed, he was calmer, but slightly on edge. "Is this a side effect of the Dark Water, or the power of the treasures themselves?"

"Niddler and I believe its both, but we've resolved to keep finding the treasures of Rule until we know more. Not only that, in each of these spells, I keep having different visions, messages. Some of them being in the form of my father."

Tula met Ren's gaze. "I wouldn't doubt you've seen the Darkdweller as well."

Ren's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

Tula hesitated, wondering how much she should speak on it. She didn't want to worry him, let alone Niddler or Ioz. Telling them of Ren's death and Bloth's wielding of the treasures of Rule wouldn't do anything to lessen the tension in the room. The restlessness of her friends and crew hung thicker than the weight of the ecomantic powers coursing through her arms. She told a partial truth, and a partial lie. "I don't remember all of it, but I saw a vision of the Darkdweller when I touched you Ren. I didn't think it was a good sign."

Ren sighed heavily. She sensed his reluctance to admit the truth, but he confirmed it. "Yes, I've had nightmares of the Darkdweller as well during these spells."

Ioz shook his head. "Such visions would strike fear in the heart of any man for days. Seems like we need to pick up our pace finding the last two treasures of Rule. If the Darkdweller is onto us, it would serve us well to be quick."

Tula nodded. "Quick but cautious. We also have Bloth and the rest of the Maelstrom to worry about. But Ren, you also have to take care of yourself through this too. If there's something we can do to help, you need to tell us. No secrets."

"Tula..." For a moment, Tula felt a pinch of fear, because Ren's voice reminded her of the heavy weight of his voice in the vision she'd had.

"Please, Ren. Promise me. Promise us."

Ren looked from Tula, to Ioz, to Niddler, his expression somewhat pained. But he nodded slowly. "I promise."

Ioz nodded in return, satisfied with Ren's word. "Don't worry about staying up to steer the ship tonight. I'll take your shift. And Monkeybird, you claim to want to help Ren, so you'd best watch after him."

Niddler screeched. "I've been doing that already, despite what you think."

"Niddler, stand down," Ren admonished. Niddler reluctantly fell silent.

After Ioz left to return to the deck, Tula turned to Ren. "Ren, are you sure you're all right?"

"I am now. Thank you Tula. I didn't mean to worry any of you."

She smiled a little. "I think worrying about you is in our blood and bones at this point. We've come so far in the quest, but it means little if you're not well. I meant it though, Ren. Let us know if there's anything we can do, and if you find out anything about what's ailing you."

"I wish I could tell you more," Ren said.

Tula left the room, shutting the door behind her. She was surprised when Ioz waited for her on deck. "I take it that you thought Ren and Niddler both were still hiding something in that conversation?"

Tula sighed. "I don't think that, Ioz - I know. If the vision Ren saw during his spell is any indication, I don't blame him."

Ioz studied her carefully. "What do you mean?"

Tula sighed. "I think Ren and I had the exact same nightmare. And it's not good, Ioz. It's really not good." And she told him everything she'd witnessed.

"I think Tula knows, Niddler. I don't know how much, but enough. I don't know whether to be relieved or worried about it."

Niddler screeched, his eyes wide with concern. "What? But how would she know? I didn't say much, I promise. I asked for help because I saw you were hurt and didn't know what else to do."

Ren shook his head. "It's not your fault, my friend. You did the right thing. Has more to do with the vision I saw during the fusion of the 11th treasure. I'm not sure how, but she definitely saw the same thing as me. At least on one part of it." He told Niddler of the vision he'd had of Bloth, the Darkdweller, and Avagon's betrayal. "I saw everything; I saw my own death."

"Ren." Niddler put his hands on Ren's shoulders. The apology was there, unspoken, but before Niddler could say it, Ren shook his head.

"Don't apologize. It's only a vision." He met Niddler's gaze with a determined look. "If anything, I take it as a warning of what could be. I don't think this is the Darkdweller's doing, or an effect from the Dark Water. Because if the Darkdweller knew that my heart was the 13th treasure, I think we would've had an encounter far sooner than this. Same with Bloth. I think these visions have to do with the curse. And if that's the case, then we need to see what we can do to cure it. Probably before we search for the 12th treasure, if possible."

Niddler nodded in agreement. "If we're talking about Ndjat's curse, isn't it depending on how much you don't say and what they don't know? Does Tula know that the 13th treasure is inside you?"

Ren thought a moment. "She would have said something. No, if I were to guess, it's more that she knows that I have a connection with the treasures. Definitely feels that way more now than when I started the quest, but some part of me always knew this. I thought they knew, but I might've been wrong."

Niddler took a seat beside Ren on his bed, speaking as Ren turned to look out the window. Ioz had started steering the ship again. The waters were calm. "Still, you made them a promise you can't keep, Ren. That's no good."

"About the 'no secrets'?" Ren asked. "Tula never clarified. I'm telling you everything already. As much as I want to tell them more, everything I said - that we both said - were truth. There's still so much we don't know, so how can either of us speak to the certainty of it?"

Niddler screeched with concern. "It's a pretty big secret that you could die in all this."

To Niddler's surprise, Ren smiled a little, but it was one without humor. " 'Could' doesn't make it truth, Niddler. Remember that."

Ren was up much earlier than any of the crew was expecting. Tula had taken the morning shift to steer the ship, so she was surprised when Ren came above deck, dressed and more energetic than she'd seen him the evening before.

"Morning Tula. Trust that the sails have been smooth so far?"

She grinned. "Smoother than for a certain crew member we won't mention by name. I have a feeling if we did, he'd wake from his beauty sleep."

"He was up all evening?" Ren asked.

"Yes, and he's currently snoring in his quarters. I think we need to let him be. At least until closer to the evening."

Ren winced. "No, let him sleep for as long as he wants. I can take over when you're done. It's the least I can do."

"No, I didn't mean it like that, I...noy jitat!" Tula had meant to say more, but the sight ahead of them summoned her panic and curses.

Ren followed her line of sight, but he didn't have to look far to see the two spaces of danger they were in. The Maelstrom had caught up with them and was approaching a fair distance to the east. However, the more immediate concern was that they were about to hit a patch of Dark Water that stretched for a much longer stretch than they'd ever encountered.

"I'll adjust the sails," Ren said, thinking ahead of her. "We need to bear west. As far away and as fast as we can from the Maelstrom."

"But that leads in the opposite direction of the compass, doesn't it?" Tula shouted to him as he made his way across the deck.

After Ren made the adjustments to the sails, he spun the compass, allowing the beam to orient them. "It is, but there's nothing saying we can't find another route. As it stands, we wouldn't be able to sail directly. Not through all that Dark Water. And I doubt Bloth would be foolish enough to sail through that."

"Never underestimate a monster like Bloth, his piglet and crew included. He'd chase us to the ends of Mer, or sail directly for the treasures if he had eyes on them." Tula said, rolling her eyes. "Very well. Ioz won't be too happy about this."

Ren smiled a little. "I've a feeling Ioz would be happier knowing about any opportunity to avoid Bloth if we have the chance. "

Tula began to respond to him, but her words cut short as her expression yielded to horror. "Ren. Look."

Ren realized as he looked to the distance that the Maelstrom was headed directly towards the stretch of Dark Water, with no course correction. Noy jitat, what are they doing? he thought. But at the moment where the ship would have been dragged into the clutches of the Dark Water, the Maelstrom disappeared into thin air.

There was nothing left. Like it hadn't been on the water to begin with.

"What just happened?" Tula said, her voice nearly breathless. "It just faded away."

"Did we miss something there?" Ren asked.

"You saw the same as I did - there was nothing but Dark Water in that direction. And the Maelstrom...a ship doesn't just disappear into thin air like that, not sailing directly into Dark Water."

"Makes me wonder," Ren said, his brow narrowed. "Do a course correction, Tula. We saw an illusion somewhere, and we need to figure out why. If it means us following the Maelstrom into kunda knows where, so be it. Not that it would be my choice."