The exchange
Part one:
The Sea
Chapter 1: The Exchange
FEAR - Corin, like all around him, stood frozen in place staring at the large island in the bay. It had been less than half a day since Corin had last laid eyes on that stretch of sea; a smooth, mirrorlike surface was all that could be seen. But now, where only a mere night before the moonlight shimmered upon a calm surface, an enormous expanse of land loomed close to the bay. Its appearance signified one thing–catastrophe.
“Leviathan,” Corin whispered.
The others turned their heads and fixed on him an icy glare that was equal parts horrified and damning. Corin confirmed what they all knew, what none of them wanted to believe was true, what they saw with their own eyes.
Waves broke around the large landmass. The distinctive pattern that the landmass carved in the sea hinted that it was slowly and steadily moving. Corin knew where it was going. Towards them.
Corin’s entire being screamed. It urged him to flee, to run, to abandon everything. To run as far as he could, for days even, just to get away. But his body would not listen.
A gust picked up. From above, where not a single cloud could be seen, a loud cracking sound, thunder, rang out.
“Jokasta, on this day in which we are spared from our mortal coil, please show us your grace.” An older man had shed all his outer garments and lay on the ground facing the sky. His eyes were closed. He had accepted his fate.
Others around him followed his example. They all shed their clothes and lay flat on the ground. Corin saw the young and the old, and even the infirm, those for whom even the slightest movement would be a monumental challenge, assume the same sky-facing pose.
“Jokasta, please judge us worthy of receiving your grace,” the chants continued.
Corin felt the first raindrop on his face. He looked above. He saw the storm clouds form opposite from where the landmass approached. Two titans went to war with each other. The site of the conflict would be their village.
Corin moved his hand to his head. He was not an adherent of the faith, but he knew the customs. The headpiece was always the first to be removed as a sign of respect. The cracks of thunder came at a more regular pace now.
“Corin!” someone shouted in front of him.
He looked ahead of him, confused at the familiar man in front of him. The stranger, who bore a striking resemblance to Corin, with the same dark complexion, and whose manner of being Corin sought to emulate his whole life.
“You must go now, Corin! Warn the others!” the man, his brother, Cyril, screamed in Corin’s face.
Cyril seemed to be the only one not to accept his fate.
“The others?” Corin asked slowly, his hand still wrapped around his headpiece.
“The hunting party, Corin! They were to arrive today!” Cyril shouted in Corin’s face. He knew that time was not on their side.
Corin still struggled to understand.
“Think, Corin, think! Remember! Come to your senses!” Cyril continued, shouting in his face.
“If we don’t act now, the whole village will be lost! You must warn them! Tell them to flee, to hide, to not come here!” Cyril dug his thumb into Corin’s shoulder. An intense pain shot through him, which finally pulled him out of his stupor.
Corin understood now. He was to run to the mountains, find the hunting party, and make them leave. His lot was the coward’s lot.
“But Cyril, our duty to protect the village, why we stayed behind-” Cyril once again dug in his thumb. Corin winced. It was Cyril’s way of letting him know this was not the time for an argument.
“Yes, Corin, our duty is to the village! That is why you must warn the others! I will stay behind. I will stay and help those who cannot leave. Salvage anything that is left behind for when you return.” Cyril tried his best to fool Corin with his sly smile, but it wavered.
Even Cyril, with his silver tongue, who could stare down the mightiest on the island and not flinch, could not keep his composure in this moment.
There won’t be anything left after this!
“You will see me again.” Cyril smiled weakly at Corin.
A loud explosion shook the surrounding air. A giant shard of ice shot from the landmass into the sky. There was no sun anymore; the sky was completely darkened. It started pouring rain, mercilessly.
“Hurry, Corin, go!” Cyril turned Corin around and pushed him.
As if acting of its own volition, Corin’s body began a mad dash to the mountains.
You will not see him again!
Corin ran ceaselessly, slipping on the wet ground constantly, but never stopping.
Stop! Go back to him! Save him! Save your brother!
The din of the thunder was so loud that Corin could barely hear anything else. His heart pounded, gasping for breath, doing everything he could to put as much distance between himself and the village.
Listen to me! Listen! Stop running! Cyril! Save him!
A flash of light. An intense heat in front of Corin. He was thrown backwards. He lay flat on the ground as he faced the sky now. The clouds parted. A large golden figure emerged from them. Its eyes were completely white, its fangs were the size of a person, its wings could summon storms with their sheer power.
The creature roared, and lightning erupted. Corin thought it might come for him, but he was mistaken. He was of no significance to a Titan. The creature continued on its path to the landmass.
Corin got up and continued running.
He must be dead now...
***
Corin awoke. His eyes quickly adjusted to his surroundings. In his hand he held the handle of his blade. He grasped it so tight that his hand started feeling numb.
That day. It’s been over ten years and I still can’t stop thinking about it.
Corin’s heart did not stop racing as he awoke. The dream of that day started becoming more frequent in the previous weeks. Corin dreaded reliving that day.
As Corin felt himself starting to get worked up, he felt a hand placed on his shoulder. The gentle touch instantly soothed the rising tide that was stirring within him. He closed his eyes as he embraced the hand.
“Is it that day again?” Livia’s soft voice spoke. She didn’t have to ask; she knew him better than anyone.
Corin could see the concern in his wife’s deep brown eyes. He had known those eyes for almost the entirety of his life, and he knew they would always be there to reassure him. Standing so close left him in awe of how beautiful she was. Her dark short hair, her glowing smile, her kind eyes. It reminded Corin that there were still things worth living for on that island, on Trinixo.
“Yes.”
“Sometimes I dream of that day as well. It’s been over a decade, but I clearly remember you running to us and helping us find shelter. I don’t know what we would have done without you,” Livia said, trying to reassure Corin.
Corin smiled weakly at her.
Livia leaned in and kissed Corin’s forehead. She pulled her head back and looked him in the eyes.
“Remember, we will always weather the storm together,” Livia said to Corin.
“So shall we get going?” she added.
Corin felt his spirits rising and stood up.
“Let’s,” Corin replied as he rubbed his pendant. It always brought him good luck.
There was not much for them to prepare before they set off from their camp. Aside from the ashes from last night’s fire, there was not much around to indicate their presence. The majority of their provisions for their ten-day journey were neatly stowed in their bags. They had a quick meal and set off on the last of their journey.
Although the sea was visible from their campsite, they were still far from it. They would always avoid sleeping near the sea if possible.
While the day was hot and the sun beat down on Corin and Livia, they were able to find respite in the tropical landscape. Palm tree fronds would provide shade, and the occasional coconuts provided them with some needed fluids. A slight breeze would wander in and out during the day, tempering the hot climate. Whenever possible, Corin would keep his eyes on the sea. Even the slightest hint of Leviathan activity and Corin would not even hesitate to abandon the trip.
Corin and Livia arrived at the beach. There was not a single hint of Leviathan activity visible in the sea. He looked up. The clear skies hinted at no Dragon activity either. Now he looked across the sea to Aubea Island. The small uninhabited island lay directly south of their home island of Trinixo. Like the myriad islands that surround Trinixo, Aubea would normally not attract much attention. But that all changed several days prior when a gargantuan piece of a Dragon temple fell from the sky onto it.
The structure was impressive to observe, even from this distance. Pieces of floating Dragon temples fell all the time from the sky. They normally ranged in size from small boulders to objects the size of a small hill. But the structure that Corin saw across the sea dwarfed anything he had previously seen. The structure he was looking at seemed like a mountain.
Part of the structure lay on the water, burgeoning out from the island it landed on. When Corin and the rest of the villagers saw the structure falling from the sky, some remarked that the moon was crashing down to the earth. The ensuing crash shook the ground and could be heard even in his village. Now all that stood between them and the gargantuan structure was the calm, placid sea, and whatever might lurk underneath it.
“You have them, right?” Livia asked.
“Of course I do! You told me to bring it, and I did,” Corin replied as he removed his bag.
“It was just a question,” Livia asked as she waited for Corin.
Corin knelt down in front of the sea and put his bag down. In it he rummaged, looking for two items. He found the first quickly, Livia’s contraption. Her contraption was unique. It was a glass case that housed two bells within it, each one etched with a symbol. One with a triangle and one with a square. There were a variety of interlocking gears within and a small crank on the outside of the device to operate it.
He held it up high just so that Livia could see that he had not forgotten it.
“I see it.” She replied.
He rummaged for the second item. It was smaller, so it was harder to find. Corin looked all over the bag and could not find it. He emptied the bag out and tried to search through every nook.
“Oh? Are you looking for this?” Livia asked, looking perplexed at a small object in her hand.
Corin turned his head and quickly identified the item. It was indeed the flute he had been looking for. The one he forgot to pack. He hung his head in defeat.
“Well, that’s odd. I thought you said you brought it?” Livia smirked as she winked at Corin.
“Thank you.” Corin weakly replied as she handed him the flute.
Corin grabbed the two objects and waded into the water. Once the water was chest-high, he took a deep breath and dove in. Within the water, he took the whistle and blew as hard as he could. He saw some bubbles emerge from the object but was not able to hear anything.
I must look like a fool.
Rising up from the water, Corin was surprised to find two figures in front of him.
“Agh!” Corin yelled as he fell backwards from the shock.
The two figures and Livia were laughing at seeing the distress they caused Corin.
Corin stood up and stared at the two figures in front of him. They were thin, muscular humanoid figures that half protruded from the water. The two of them smiled as they looked at Corin.
“You almost killed me!” Corin complained loudly.
“Our apologies; we did not mean to startle you. We saw you enter the sea and were surprised that you wanted an audience with us. Long has it been since any land dwellers requested an audience with our people.”
The two figures in front of Corin had shimmering scales running along their bodies. There was a female and a male siren. It was the woman who had first spoken to Corin.
“Ah, where are our manners? I am Nishandra; this is my mate, Gavlin,” Nishandra, the female siren, continued in a friendly tone.
“You may call me Corin. That over there is my wife, er, mate, Livia,” he replied as he spat out some of the water that he had inhaled from falling.
Livia waved as she waded through the water towards the three of them.
“Do you require passage?” Nishandra asked.
All of them knew the answer. The only reason a land-dwelling furtive would contact a siren would be to request passage across the seas. No matter how short or long the trip was, the sirens were the only furtives capable of providing voyage across the sea. Other furtives efforts at mastering the seas always ended in failure, with any significant seafaring ability being crushed by the leviathans as soon as it began to emerge.
“That is correct,” Livia replied.
“If I may ask. Do you wish to visit that hideous thing over there?” Gavlin motioned behind him. The way his words escaped his lips indicated that he did not appreciate the new structure on Aubea.
“Yes, we would like to request passage to go to the Dragon Temple,” Corin replied.
Gavlin sneered.
“But I must ask,” Corin continued, “has there been any activity that you have seen toward it? Any other beings approaching it. Or, well, Titans.” Corin spoke that last word quietly. The two sirens winced at the mention of it.
“No, no such thing. We have seen many Dragon Temple fragments fall into the sea before. Sometimes they are interested, but most of the time they are not. But we have never seen anything of this size, and for some reason that we do not know, none of them have dared try to approach it,” Nishandra spoke.
Corin knew who they and them were.
“I see. Crossing the sea is not something we would want to do, but this is a unique opportunity. My wife constructs items that have greatly improved life for our villagers from items scavenged from the Dragon ruins. Such as this.” Corin now showed them the glass device that he brought with him.
With a quick motion, Gavlin snatched the item from Corin’s hand. He deftly moved the device in his hand, studying it closely. He held it up to Nishandra, who also grabbed it and studied it.
“What is it?” she asked as she pored over the device.
“An alarm bell for titans. Or, better said, a Leviathan alarm,” Livia replied.
Gavlin shot Livia an amused look.
“I don’t understand. This device is supposed to warn us if one of them is coming? Is that right?” Gavlin asked.
“That is correct. It operates on a very simple concept. You turn the wheel, which will activate this bell,” Livia said while pointing to the bell with the triangle inscribed on it.
“That bell will continue to ring, but you won’t be able to hear it. What it does is that it rings in such a way that it is able to travel very far into the ocean,” Livia added.
“Well what about this bell?” Nishandra asked, pointing to the bell with the x inscribed on it.
“That is how the device alerts you. If an object that is large enough is moving towards you, the bell with the square will react to the reflection of the sound from the triangle bell. If that happens, the other bell will ring, and you will hear it,” Livia added.
Both Nishandra and Gavlin looked at Livia with disbelief painted all over their faces. Corin was not surprised. He knew how insane what Livia had just said sounded.
“You realize you are making quite a claim,” Gavlin retorted with a slight smile.
“I know it seems hard to believe, and I know I am asking you to put a great deal of trust in what we are saying is true. But it works. We designed a test and tried it, and it worked!” Corin added, trying to reassure both of the sirens.
Both Nishandra and Gavlin looked at them with disbelief once again.
“This you swear?” Nishandra asked. Her hand reached underneath the water.
Corin had expected this question. Nobody knew if it was magic, a learned trait, or just propaganda taken for fact. But it is impossible to lie to a siren. If caught in a lie, they would not hesitate to decapitate the offender.
“I swear this to be true,” Corin replied.
Gavlin and Nishandra both looked at each other in amazement. They knew that Corin spoke the truth.
“But how? How is it possible?” Gavlin asked, still observing the device.
“Every single component in the device is crafted from objects obtained from Dragon temples,” Livia added.
Nishandra and Gavlin both gasped in amazement.
“The properties of those materials are unlike anything else we find on this island. That glass is nigh impossible for any of us to shatter. To even cut it, we had to use metal obtained from the dragon temples. And to work the metal, we are only able to do so at a forge that fell from a dragon temple. It is the only thing we know that gets hot enough to work the metal.”
“And you did all this?” Gavlin asked.
“I had some help,” Livia replied while looking at Corin. He sheepishly smiled back at all.
“Amazing!” Nishandra replied as she studied the device.
“Oh, and one more thing. I think I do not know for certain that if you hear the alarm go off, then you have at most ten minutes before you encounter whatever triggered it,” Livia added.
“Even a minute of warning could save many lives,” Nishandra added.
“And you would give this to us? We could not take this and leave you defenseless. They pose a threat to you as much as they do us,” Gavlin added.
“Yours is not the only one in existence,” Corin replied, assuring them.
“Well, the agreed-upon rule is to pay in kind,” Gavlin replied.
“Passage for you two to the island then?” Nishandra asked gleefully.
“Us and some provisions. And passage back would be nice,” Corin replied.
