Book 6: Chapter Ep

Book 6: Chapter Ep

Two weeks had passed since the Naval War of Patura.

Felite was in the fortress that had once held him as a prisonernot in a jail cell, but in the command room. The same one his brother used to use.

He had a mountain of work set out for him: mend public relations to encourage others besides the Kelil to accept him as the new Ladu, rekindle trade with foreign nations, compensate victims of rampant pillaging, suppress the resistance that continued even after Leguls defeat, and other unavoidable matters that made his head hurt.

A knock came at the door.

Sorry to bother you.

It was Wein. Felite smiled at the friend hed met through a strange twist of fate.

Ah, Wein. How can I help you?

Its nothing much. Just wanted to let you know were pretty much packed up and ready to head home, Wein replied. I gotta get back to my own country. Its been a long trip, but now weve done what we needed to do.

I see I cannot thank you enough. I vow I will fulfill our promise one day.

Thanks. I appreciate it Can you come with me for a second? Theres something I want to show you.

What could that be? Felite tilted his head and obediently followed Wein out of the room.

Your ancestor Malaze made this fortress, right?

Yes. A large-scale military port became necessary when he stirred up trouble with other nations. You might say that, in a way, it is a symbol of unity. But what of it?

Youll know soon enough.

They headed out of the fortress and finally arrived at a yard for holding goods. Ninym was there.

Weve been waiting for you, Your Highness.

Is it over there?

Yes. I confirmed it earlier.

Wein motioned to an old, unused well. It wasnt for drinking water. Felite remembered it was excavated for seawater to be used during yard fires. The water, however, hadnt pooled in the borehole, and it had been abandoned since.

Whatever it was that Wein wanted to show him, it seemed to be in there.

Lets go.

W-wait. What in the world is in there?

Wein returned a question for a question. Felite, whats on top of a backbone?

Huh?

Wein climbed down the well with a ladder Ninym had prepared. Felite looked at her, and she gesturedAfter youurging him to descend.

Okay, here goes nothing!

He couldnt say he didnt trust the motley pair. Felite entered the well.

There were torches fixed to the walls, so the inside wasnt pitch-black. Ninym must have prepared these, too.

This only added to Felites confusion. Oddly enough, Wein had disappeared from sight.

Um, Wein?

Over here. A hand popped out from the wall.

Well, not exactly the wall. Though nearly invisible, there was a narrow path for people to walk through at the bottom of the well.

Wh-whats this?

Arriving at the base, Felite let go of the ladder in surprise. Splsh. He landed in a puddle of seawater on the ground.

Youll understand once you solve the riddle I just gave you. Wein took a torch from the wall and started down the passage.

Felites mind raced as he followed after him.

That riddle.

Whats on top of a backbone?nove(l)bi(n.)com

On top of a backbone I guess that would bea head?

Felite was rubbing his skull when a flash of inspiration came upon him.

Itit cant be

The trick is to think of the top as something that points north. Wein smiled. When the new body nears its completion, the rainbow slumbering in the artificial eye will emerge.

Words left behind by Felites ancestor, Malaze. It was said that this riddle would lead to the location of Paturas greatest treasure.

The new body refers to the celestial body of the moon. And completion refers to its waxing and waning. It indicates the flow of the tide.

It would be a full moon tonight, which meant the tide was low. Now that Felite thought about it, the walls and floor of the passage were wet. It was as if theyd been filled with water not long before.

The artificial eye. The eye is in the head. And the head is on top of the spine. In other words, the Patura Archipelago is lying on top of the Giants Backbone, which cuts the main continent into East and West. Thats the head: Patura.

Felites heart raced a mile a minute. They were drawing near the end of the pathway.

Could it really be? Was it really here?

And the artificial eye points to a man-made object, located exactly where the eyes are located on the head. Like this fortress, for example.

Malaze had commanded the military port to be built. If there was another reason for its creation If the fortress above was meant to mask what was buried below

Were here.

Their destination filled Felites vision.

A room packed from floor to ceiling with gemstone deposits that winked in the torchlight.

Willeron Palace in the Kingdom of Natra.

Wein sighed as he sat in his familiar office chair. The journey had started out with a meeting to conclude a trade deal; instead, he got twist after twist after twist. Hed gained some things in the process, but he still wasnt used to traveling by sea and needed a serious break.

Ill take care of most of these documents before I take some time off.

Wein looked down at his own knees.

And what might you be doing, Falanya?

His little sister was perched on top of them.

Dont mind me. Im just sitting here.

Uh, well, its hard not to mind.

Dont worry about it.

Okay.

Falanya seemed to be miffed that she hadnt been included in the long journey. As her big brother, Wein needed to be on his best behavior.

So, Wein, how was your trip?

Huh? Yeah, it was pretty interesting.

Hmph.

Shoot. That hmph meant she was in a bad mood. Wein immediately realized his mistake.

W-well, why dont the two of us take a trip next time? Wein blurted out to appease her, but Falanya eyed him suspiciously.

Our kingdoms representative will go with little old me on a trip? Just the two of us?

Ha-ha-ha. Have some faith in your big brother, Falanya.

Darn. She didnt believe a word of it.

A younger Falanya might have fallen for his sweet words. He guessed this spoke of her maturity. Speaking of which, he could tell shed gotten heavier.

Wein, did you just think something incredibly rude?

N-nope! Im always your perfect big brother!

Hmph.

Her ability to read these subtle signs seemed to have heightened. Wein shuddered with the realization. His little sister had become someone not to be taken lightly.

Well, its fine. Im just happy youre back safe.

Falanya

By the way, wheres Tolcheila? I feel like I havent seen her since you returned.

Oh, she went to report to King Gruyere. It seems shell be there for a while.

In other words, I can have you all to myself. Falanyas mood instantly brightened as she broke into a happy smile. Tell me everything that happened on the islands.

E-everything?

Yes. Knowing Tolcheila, I imagine Ill have to hear her bragging about every last detail. So let me get the jump on her and find out ahead of time!

His sister seemed riled up. An indescribable look bubbled up on Weins face.

If it would make her happy, he figured it was an easy enough task.

Go ahead, Wein.

Theres a lot to cover. For exampleI was in jail.

Huh?

I raised my own ransom to two hundred thousand gold coins.

What?

I smashed Paturas most valuable treasure.

What in the world have you been up to, Wein?!

Plenty. Well, then, Ill make sure I dont leave out a single detail.

As one might expect, it took a long time to cover everything. Wein finally had some time to take it easy, so he was glad he could spend it with his little sister.

A knock came at the office door.

Pardon me, Your Highness. Ninym presented Wein with a missive. Weve recently received word from our spies in the Empire.

Ive got a bad feeling about this.

Same, Falanya piped up.

If it was about the Empire, he couldnt just dismiss it. Wein opened the letter, Falanya peeking into its contents.

His jaw went slack in surprise.

Theyre having a coronation ceremony in the Empire?

* * *

A new year marked the beginning of a new friendship between the Kingdom of Natra and the Patura Archipelago following a series of complicated events.

It wouldnt be long until the continent of Varno found itself embroiled in new trouble