Ascent of the Aliomenti (37 page)

Will led an expedition to the town with the bodies of their dead in sealed wooden coffins. The villagers looked fearful as the caravan approached, seeming to expect a retaliatory attack. But the Aliomenti came unarmed. Will explained that they’d learned how to make fire change colors using different types of wood, and that they enjoyed watching the fire burn in different colors. The survivors of the attack, for their part, looked remorseful, finally recognizing in the unarmed men and women before them a peaceful group that meant them no harm. They expressed their profound regret for launching the attack, their remorse clear and genuine even to one not Energy-enabled.

None seemed to remember the sight of their fallen comrades being hurled hundreds of feet through the air to their deaths.

Will and the others helped them unload the coffins and identify the deceased. They had nothing but ash left of the man executed and cremated by William, and explained that one of their number had lost control and burned one of the bodies after so many had fled. It was a somber return to the outpost for the travelers, full of downcast faces and incapable of finding anything positive to focus upon.

William vanished several days later, and only when he returned with his sword caked with dried blood did they learn where he’d been. They found the remains of dozens in the remote town, all those who’d been part of the mission. William’s only regret was that he’d not exterminated all in the village as a preventative measure.

“They’re all animals,” he hissed. His voice, once so full of joy, had been replaced by one laden with an icy chill. “They don’t deserve to live. They fear us, and they attack us. We must never,
ever
, let them learn about us. We must punish those who risk our exposure and our lives to those vermin. They should
all
be exterminated.”

Arthur, still visiting, nodded. “We’ve seen nothing good come from revealing ourselves, our abilities, or our technology to others, and enough heartache to last an eternity.” He looked around, and saw the heads of the Aliomenti nodding. “I would like each of you here, right now, to swear an oath to each other. You will never tell others of our existence, intentionally or otherwise, and that you accept whatever
severe
penalties are deemed appropriate should you be in violation of this oath.” His face darkened. “The penalty will be more severe than a day in a mock prison, I assure you.”

The others nodded, their attention riveted on Arthur. Will wasn’t looking at Arthur, though. He wasn’t looking at those nodding their assent at Arthur’s words, nor was he nodding in assent. He was looking at the once-handsome young man named William, whose hair had started to fall out in clumps in a physical manifestation of his all-consuming anger. But it wasn’t even the hair loss that startled him and filled him with an icy chill.

It was the red streaks that had formed in his eyes.

XXVIII

Fracture

1700 A.D.

One hundred years later.

It was not the first time their voices rose in anger.

Their anger transferred into the form of Energy raging like a whirlwind, swirling over the entire Aliomenti outpost. James and Elise, together since the days of the founding of Atlantis centuries earlier, resided in the Aliomenti outpost of Waterloo on the northern coast of Spain. Their relationship had soured over the centuries, a quiet decline at first, but in recent years their conflict had become quite public.

The outposts had begun to focus on areas of specialization over the past century. The coastal communities had specialized in maritime matters, building high-speed vessels used by pioneering travelers interested in journeying to the New World, where they’d seek their fortune among lands rumored to be flowing with rivers of gold and silver. Many demanded transportation across the Atlantic for a wide variety of reasons, and the Aliomenti were there as master shipbuilders in a world that demanded ships.

It was as if they’d known it was coming.

James and Elise had started as metalworkers, but had long since moved on to larger projects, including shipbuilding. They had come to believe in materially different approaches to the design and construction of ships. It was another in a long line of disagreements of the combative couple that lived in Waterloo at the dawn of the eighteenth century.

Will had spoken to them privately when their moods threatened the peace and stability of the outpost. Both were seven centuries old and had grown and wielded Energy nearly their entire lives. At that level of development, the emotion of a simmering feud pushed out in massive swaths of Energy that influenced the moods of anyone in the vicinity. Will had asked them to consider spending some time apart as a means to allow their divisions to heal.

He hadn’t wanted to make the suggestion, for the suggested separate reminded him too much of his own isolation. In the first few centuries, she’d sent gifts and communications to him, at least letting him know that she survived and thrived. In the past century or so, though, she’d been silent. At some level, he knew she still lived, which made the silence even more painful, and led to severe self-doubt. Had he failed her? Had she given up, since he’d not decoded the mystery of the ambrosia fruit? Had she decided she could do better in the future than a young, naive Will Stark? He took a deep breath, bringing himself back to the present.

James and Elise didn’t appreciate the reminder that their relationship was a shambles, and they certainly didn’t appreciate Will’s unsolicited suggestion. Nothing was worse about recognizing a failure in your life than to have it so painfully communicated to you by another. James and Elise were both proud, and would tell anyone who would listen, and others who didn’t want to hear, that there was nothing wrong with their relationship. They were simply engaging in “spirited discussions.” Their claims fooled no one.

James was preparing to launch a new ship he’d built, dubbed the
Monitor
, and there were rumors he planned to be on that ship when it sailed. He’d been assuring everyone, including Will, that it had nothing to do with the shouting matches he and Elise held regularly. The departure date coincided with the return of a ship that had left several months earlier. The returning ship, the
Merrimack
, had been built by Elise and her team. Will considered the names of the ships an ominous sign. Though no one could see how this event could turn into a competition, few who had watched the simmering feud develop over the past centuries had any doubt that
something
would happen.

And whatever form the conflict took, it would not be pretty.

The early autumn morning of the
Monitor’s
departure broke, the temperatures crisp and the sky overcast. The cloud cover was suggestive of storms, and the sounds of distant thunder proved that suspicion correct. The crew, primarily humans hired for the journey, hauled cargo aboard the
Monitor
and loaded it below-decks. Provisions for the trip would follow soon thereafter, for they expected to be at sea for at least a month.

James stood aboard the ship, barking instructions to the crew as they prepared for the final inspections. Once those checks were completed, they’d raise the anchor, unfurl the sails, and set off into the nearby Atlantic. The seas were choppy and the winds were brisk as the storm moved in, and the wooden craft shifted in the rolling tides.

“There she is!”

They were just able to make out the faint outline of a ship along the distant horizon, but their schedules told them that it was the
Merrimack
, returning at long last from its journey abroad, laden with the fruits of their trading efforts. The craft made good time, and the dock crew began preparing for the ship’s arrival near where the
Monitor
rested, awaiting departure.

Will stood on the dock, watching, searching, looking for any sign of trouble. He was the most senior and most powerful Aliomenti present at the docks this day, and thus the one most able to sense trouble. His experience told him that at least one party of the feuding couple would try to show the other up, try to make them look foolish. He simply didn’t know what form that foolishness would take, and he was on full alert.

He watched the horizon as the
Merrimack
grew larger and larger, and scanned the docks to see who was waiting there. A few Aliomenti from the outpost were present, primarily those with friends who’d sailed on the
Merrimack
, or those expecting a specific bit of cargo.

James walked down the gangplank and headed toward Will. “Have you seen her?”

“Who?”

“Elise.” James frowned. “I don’t
feel
her at all. It’s not like her to not be present at her ship’s return. She’s abnormally fond of the abominations she builds.”

It was the type of barb the two had directed at or about each other for the past century. Nothing was just stated; each set of words was twisted into an emotional plea, a request to agree with their commentary, to somehow validate the anger and frustration at one formerly loved.

But Will wouldn’t be part of the gamesmanship and posturing. “You’re right, James, that she’d normally be here. I don’t sense her nearby either. But I have to disagree with your description of Elise’s ships as abominations. You both build excellent ships. I do wish the two of you could meld the best points of both plans into an even better ship, because I believe that collaboration would result in a ship better than any ever built before.”

James shook his head. “She uses far too much metal, is much too obsessed with it. Her boats are heavy, and lack speed and maneuverability as a result. I have no interest in adding any such
features
to my ships.”

Will shrugged. “There’s a lot to be said for both designs, James. Think about it.”

James’ face said that he’d already done all the thinking on the topic he cared to do.

As the ship drew nearer, and as the final loading steps completed aboard the
Monitor
, the combative man walked aboard his newest craft and spoke to the captain. The
Merrimack
continued its rapid approach toward the dock.

When the
Merrimack
moved to within a few hundred yards of the shore, Will began to detect Elise’s Energy, and it grew stronger as the ship drew nearer. There was only one conclusion he could make. Elise had teleported aboard the ship as it approached the shore, and he could only fathom the trouble she meant to cause from that vantage point.

One of the Aliomenti on the dock wandered over to Will. “Isn’t that ship going rather fast for being so near to the dock?”

Will nodded. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

“She’s crazy, that one,” the man said, shaking his head. “Elise, that is. Probably hired an incompetent captain. She’ll probably lose the boat because of it.” He walked off.

As the man departed, his words hung in the air. Elise, lose a boat? No, she wouldn’t do that. Not intentionally. Not unless...

Suddenly, Will knew
exactly
what Elise was doing, and why she was on that ship. She had no intention of docking the
Merrimack
.

She meant to ram the
Monitor,
sinking James’ ship. And if the
Merrimack
went down as well, so be it.

Will, mindful of the humans aboard the ship, raced to the gangplank. “Get off the ship!” he screamed, racing aboard. “That boat’s going to ram you!”

James, who had been perusing a map with the captain, looked up. “What are you doing here, Will? What are you talking about?”

“Look!” Will shouted, pointing.

Both men looked. The path of the
Merrimack
was quite clear, and the speed suggested there was nothing accidental about the route the boat was taking. James uttered several choice words about Elise, and the captain raced around the boat, repeating Will’s warning.

Human sailors began climbing to the upper deck, spotted the gleaming metal of the ship headed directly toward them, and exited the
Monitor
in frantic fashion, looking to reach the shore before the impending collision occurred. Will could see Elise standing at the wheel, centering the craft on its now-obvious target. The look on her face made it clear that this wasn’t merely a fanciful idea for revenge against crimes real or imagined. She meant to destroy James by destroying his ship and anyone who stayed aboard.

Will looked more closely at Elise’s boat, and realized that the crew was no longer aboard. Either Elise had been piloting the ship longer than they;d thought, or she’d managed to move all of the sailors off the boat before taking control. Then again, he couldn’t recall seeing her the past few days. Perhaps she’d traveled to the ship’s final stop, prevented the crew from boarding, and had sailed the craft solo to this point.

There were no humans present on the Monitor any longer, so Will took the chance and teleported to the
Merrimack
.

Her gaze was fiery and unrelenting in its focus upon her target. Her face was terrible, one that told of her anger and hurt at whatever wrongs James had committed, real or imagined he did not know. She’d go down with both ships, a move that would ensure that her boat would have completed its maiden voyage, while James’ had never managed to leave port. Elise would, in her mind, therefore win the debate over who had the best boat by eliminating her competition.