User blog:Leea/The Tale of Voronwe, Chapter 35

Previous Chapters
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd, 33rd, 34th

4th Era 110, 16th of Sun's Height, Summerset Isle
Balasian sat on one of the boxes, head in his hands. Curwe sat next to him on another box, head hanging in disbelief and sadness. Orthendar stood above them, as silent as death.

"Well, I suppose I can look at this the only good way: she was the only one caught in ten years." ventured Balasian quietly.

Curwe picked up her head. "There were others in the past?" she asked, dreading the answer. She didn't think she could stomach the thought of another poor person being...

"I was the last person, but I escaped."

Her face brightened a little. "Oh. Well, that's something."

"It is," stated Orthendar, breaking his silence. He had remained quiet while the couple had dealt with the news. "If he had not the will and ability to escape, it would have been a disaster for the rest of us. Like a boat without sails or a rudder; adrift aimlessly."

Balasian leaned his elbows on his knees, folding together his hands and leaning his chin on his knuckles. "You give me too much credit. I haven't been on Pyandonea for a decade."

"You are the only alternative to Orgnum's oppressive regime. There is no middle ground." the ghost replied with conviction. "Our numbers continue to grow, much to Orgnum's concern. He hears about our numbers, but there is nothing he can do about it, unless he killed every last Maormer."

Balasian shook his head. "He would never do that, as much as he wants the "dissidents" disposed of. There would be no one other than the sea serpents and nature spirits to control."

Orthendar nodded. "Indeed. Which makes your postition even stronger."

Curwe frowned. "How do you recruit? Surely you can't just post placards or posters, and openly talking about it will get you..."

The ghost smiled a little. "True. Openess is discouraged, for the obvious reason you stated. With our vast network of spies and informants, we hear about potential members before the King does."

"But how do you...how are you sure that someone isn't just posing as a recruit, just so they can infiltrate and spy for him?" she asked, leaning back onto the pile. Something in a bag behind her crinkled.

Orthendar smiled. It was a proud, yet sly smile. Something about it made Curwe shudder. "A special potion that is also enchanted. Similar potions have been called 'truth serums.'"

"So someone drinks it and..."

"We ask them questions, and under the influence of the potion, they tell the truth. If they are sincere, they are welcomed with open arms, and if not...well..." Orthendar stared at her pointedly, an evil smile on his pale lips.

Her eyes widened. "Oh." she replied, before managing to ask, "How many spies do you encounter?"

Orthendar's smile grew warmer, something she was very glad to see. That other, dangerous, side of him was frightening. "Not many, in truth. Nearly all recruits to our cause are genuine."

She hated to ask, but had to know. "What do you do with the...uh...people who were spies?"

The ghost became coy, yet there was an intensity in his eyes, an unusual combination. "From what I hear, they either vanish into the Eastern forests, where the spirits reside, or they 'happened' to wander to the Western shores, where the untamed sea serpents make their homes." He smiled wickedly, freezing Curwe's soul. "They have quite the voracious appetite, from what I understand."

As she shuddered, his eyes grew even more intense, glowing like the stars at night. "They learn that we are no meek flowers that would wilt in the heat; we are strong, like the waves of a storm."

"But the shore breaks waves," Curwe pointed out. "I'm not saying that I support Orgnum - how could I - but waves do break on the beach."

"Temporarily," conceeded Balasian. "But powerful waves continuously pounding can shape shorelines into something completely different than it originally was. We are like the waves: we will eventually change Pyandonea. The fate of Orgnum and his followers is as inorexable as time itself."