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Source: collected/043-the-stillness-episode-1.mp3
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00:00:00.000 Speaker 1 [gentle music]
00:00:09.880 Speaker 1 The Stillness, Chapter One: For Light and Life.
00:00:18.840 Speaker 1 Captain Amelia Sunder stood on the prow of the Mighty Current, looking at impending
00:00:24.520 Speaker 1 doom. The ship was at rest. Seawater lapped playfully against the hull
00:00:30.600 Speaker 1 far below. She squinted her eyes, trying to find the exact place where the
00:00:36.380 Speaker 1 choppy blue ocean withered and died. She looked for the line where the world ended
00:00:42.420 Speaker 1 and the Stillness began. "Ahem." "Something on your
00:00:48.140 Speaker 1 mind, First Mate?" She gave up her search and turned around to face the man.
00:00:54.340 Speaker 1 Orestes was competent, polite, and stood almost a foot shorter than her. Now that
00:01:00.380 Speaker 1 they were away from port, his uniform was untucked, wrinkled, and somehow already
00:01:05.300 Speaker 1 dingy. Perhaps he had simply put away the clean one. "Yes, sir. Our guest
00:01:11.340 Speaker 1 wishes to express his displeasure at your delay." Then, with that chore
00:01:17.300 Speaker 1 done, he spun on his heels and started to walk off. Sunder smiled at his back.
00:01:22.840 Speaker 1 "Hold, Orestes." The shorter man turned to regard
00:01:28.740 Speaker 1 her. Captain Sunder's smile fell from her face. She nodded back over her shoulder
00:01:34.740 Speaker 1 toward their destination. "I know what Ortevos thinks, but what about you?
00:01:41.380 Speaker 1 Is this stupid? More stupid than usual, I mean."
00:01:46.820 Speaker 1 Orestes scratched at his beard that wasn't there yet. "I think the Order's coin
00:01:52.640 Speaker 1 felt heavy in my pockets a few days ago." He followed the direction of the captain's
00:01:58.140 Speaker 1 nod and swallowed. "But not quite so heavy today."
00:02:05.320 Speaker 1 She searched the man's face. She had no idea what she was looking for. Anything,
00:02:10.780 Speaker 1 really. Some reason to delay the inevitable. "Shall I bring
00:02:16.340 Speaker 1 Ortevos on deck, sir?" Captain Sunder cringed. The less time she spent with that
00:02:22.320 Speaker 1 man, the better. The voyage ahead would be dreary enough without him up top. She was
00:02:27.860 Speaker 1 liable to sink the ship herself if he started preaching. "No, Orestes, I'd hate to
00:02:33.720 Speaker 1 have to clean up after he left." Orestes grinned. "I'll make final
00:02:39.680 Speaker 1 preparations then. At your word, Captain." He nodded, then
00:02:45.660 Speaker 1 walked off. It was as close as he could come to telling her to get on with it.
00:02:52.360 Speaker 1 She sighed and turned back to the sight before her. No one could compel ships into
00:02:57.720 Speaker 1 the Stillness. She could refuse. It was her ship, her crew. They still
00:03:03.740 Speaker 1 worked on coin in Azaleas. Of course, if every captain refused to enter the
00:03:08.700 Speaker 1 Stillness, then what was left of humanity would quickly perish. Then they would
00:03:14.400 Speaker 1 compel her at sword point. Her heart beat a little faster, but she could refuse
00:03:19.760 Speaker 1 today. She could still refuse today. Sunder pulled her sword
00:03:25.600 Speaker 1 partway out of the scabbard and checked the white crystal in its hilt. She tapped
00:03:30.100 Speaker 1 it. Little gray clouds swirled around inside. Not enough to worry her. Not yet.
00:03:36.100 Speaker 1 "Fine."
00:03:40.400 Speaker 1 She could read the scout's reports again. She could wrestle words with Ortevos, or
00:03:46.160 Speaker 1 she could simply get the hell on with it. Captain Sunder spun to face the crew
00:03:52.140 Speaker 1 idling on deck, talking nervously amongst themselves. "Raise the anchor and kiss
00:03:57.960 Speaker 1 your beacon. We're crossing over." A few of the sailors moved to kiss the old woman
00:04:03.900 Speaker 1 in white robes. She batted them away playfully, and they pretended to be hurt by her
00:04:09.120 Speaker 1 rejections. She raised her sword into the air. "For Light and Life." "For
00:04:15.100 Speaker 1 Light and Life." She watched as her crew got to work. Then Captain Sunder turned
00:04:21.079 Speaker 1 around, placing one foot on the railing. As the Mighty Current lurched forward, she
00:04:27.000 Speaker 1 found it, the place where the frothy ocean fell still and placid, the line
00:04:33.000 Speaker 1 between the dying light of the world and everything else the Stillness had already
00:04:38.100 Speaker 1 consumed.
00:04:40.980 Speaker 1 The first few days of the voyage were easy sailing. The sailing was always easy. The
00:04:46.620 Speaker 1 days, if you could call them that, were not. The sun was a shriveled dot in the sky.
00:04:52.900 Speaker 1 Even at midday, its feeble light only barely reached a world she didn't want to see.
00:04:58.660 Speaker 1 The Stillness didn't only dim the light. It seemed to take all the life from the
00:05:03.280 Speaker 1 world. It made the water smooth as glass. Sounds seemed to carry forever
00:05:09.060 Speaker 1 across the pristine surface. There were no sounds out here except the ones you
00:05:14.540 Speaker 1 brought with you, and it dulled even the spirits of the most joyful people. The most
00:05:20.520 Speaker 1 dangerous thing out here was your own mind. That was what the
00:05:26.440 Speaker 1 Beacons were for, masters of Light and Life itself, one and the same out
00:05:32.240 Speaker 1 here. Even within their protection, the journeys were hard on the spirit. Just three
00:05:37.280 Speaker 1 days in, and there was already an edge to every human interaction. Captain Sunder's
00:05:42.260 Speaker 1 beleaguered crew was pressed down, but like a spring, she thought, they would come
00:05:47.140 Speaker 1 right back. They always did.
00:05:49.480 Speaker 1 [gentle music]
00:05:57.180 Speaker 1 It was night, night so dark it was like looking into tar. Nothing existed
00:06:02.940 Speaker 1 beyond the light their Beacon cast. The sun would rise soon, though, and with
00:06:08.852 Speaker 1 any luck, they would be close to their destination. Sleep was impossible now. She'd
00:06:14.232 Speaker 1 tossed around in her bed for a few hours, but real sleep wouldn't come until they
00:06:18.592 Speaker 1 were back within the Queen's light, back home. With nothing to do now but
00:06:24.412 Speaker 1 wait, Captain Sunder made her way back up to the top deck. The deck was empty save
00:06:30.092 Speaker 1 for their beacon. The old woman sat in her cushioned chair, head bowed, eyes
00:06:36.152 Speaker 1 closed. Her hands were folded over the staff that lay across her lap. She looked to
00:06:41.572 Speaker 1 be asleep. Amelia? [laughs] Can never seem to sneak up on you,
00:06:47.432 Speaker 1 Yama. And you never will. Silence fell between them. Sunder spoke again,
00:06:53.892 Speaker 1 mostly just to fill it. So feel anything out there tonight?
00:07:01.012 Speaker 1 Yama shook her head softly. No, nothing tonight. She
00:07:06.572 Speaker 1 didn't add, I would have told you so. Yama knew that she was there to talk
00:07:12.692 Speaker 1 and that there was nothing to talk about. It was an old habit every sailor
00:07:16.792 Speaker 1 understood. If someone wanted to talk, you let them talk. That little shared
00:07:22.212 Speaker 1 humanity was all you could cling to out here. So how's, uh, Ermia's
00:07:27.792 Speaker 1 training going? Ah.
00:07:32.472 Speaker 1 The backup beacon, Ermia, was a sore topic. She would be fast
00:07:38.512 Speaker 1 asleep in her bunk somewhere below decks. Which bunk was anyone's guess.
00:07:44.452 Speaker 1 She's stronger than I ever was. Strong and stupid. That's how they come
00:07:50.512 Speaker 1 out of the orders these days, Amelia. Sunder knew the old woman was being humble.
00:07:56.292 Speaker 1 There was a lot more to being a good beacon than being strong. It was about control
00:08:01.412 Speaker 1 and efficiency. That's why Ermia was sound asleep after three hours of work, but
00:08:06.752 Speaker 1 Yama could hold the veil for days if she had to. If she made the veil too large, it
00:08:11.872 Speaker 1 would spread far beyond the ship, wasting both their crystal and her endurance. Too
00:08:17.992 Speaker 1 small and parts of the ship would dip into the stillness. The trick then was to hold
00:08:22.812 Speaker 1 the light veil at just the right size to cover the ship and no more, all without
00:08:28.252 Speaker 1 interfering with the light engines and while keeping an eye out for disturbances in
00:08:33.072 Speaker 1 the gloom beyond the veil. Put simply, it wasn't just an important job, it was
00:08:39.012 Speaker 1 survival itself. If the crew had to choose between their beacon and their captain,
00:08:45.092 Speaker 1 they would throw Sunder over the rail without a moment's deliberation. Think she'll
00:08:49.412 Speaker 1 make it? Hmm. She won't quit. Sunder caught the old woman's meaning.
00:08:56.692 Speaker 1 Saying she wouldn't quit wasn't the same as saying she was actually qualified. No
00:09:01.632 Speaker 1 one wanted to gamble everything on some upstart beacon. There was a reason she was
00:09:06.352 Speaker 1 the backup. Age had brought many gifts to Yama, but it wasn't all good. She
00:09:12.392 Speaker 1 was old. There was a reason beyond common sense to bring another light mage with
00:09:17.552 Speaker 1 them, even one in training. Oh, I think in time... Hush, Amelia.
00:09:23.852 Speaker 1 We're being chased. Captain Sunder looked from the old woman's alarmed
00:09:29.792 Speaker 1 face out to the edge of the veil, but there was only darkness beyond the ship.
00:09:35.692 Speaker 1 She closed her eyes to listen, but could only hear the sounds of the light engines
00:09:41.272 Speaker 1 pushing the boat. She looked back to the old woman who still had her eyes closed.
00:09:46.992 Speaker 1 Hide or fight? Don't know. That's your call,
00:09:52.752 Speaker 1 Captain, but you get one look. One, you hear me? Get
00:09:58.452 Speaker 1 ready. Sunder nodded sharply and watched the black behind her ship. The beacon
00:10:04.132 Speaker 1 lifted the steel staff from her lap and set it vertical on the deck. The white
00:10:08.432 Speaker 1 crystal at its tip raised into the air. The crystal flared white and the
00:10:14.132 Speaker 1 visibility swelled from near paces to cannon range in a heartbeat, then a moment
00:10:19.232 Speaker 1 later fell back to just the ship again. In the moment of visibility, she'd seen a
00:10:24.972 Speaker 1 slash of sapphire water churned white with foam from their passing ship, and a
00:10:30.792 Speaker 1 long dark shape had recoiled from the light, returning from the shadows from which
00:10:36.852 Speaker 1 it was born, a small part of something much larger. A
00:10:42.572 Speaker 1 denizen. Big, but not too big. Probably. We keep going for
00:10:48.632 Speaker 1 now, but, uh, keep an eye on it for me, Yama. Yama
00:10:54.712 Speaker 1 nodded. She was breathing quickly. Clearly that last pulse had taken a lot out of
00:10:59.872 Speaker 1 her. Not long ago, she could have done a dozen of those without breaking sweat. Not
00:11:05.532 Speaker 1 long ago, but by whose measure? By the Queen's light, she'd been sailing
00:11:11.532 Speaker 1 for nearly twenty-five years. Yama wasn't the only one getting old.
00:11:17.672 Speaker 1 Want me to call for Ermia? Give you a break, maybe? Yama shot the captain an angry
00:11:23.752 Speaker 1 look. She's enough trouble on a full night's sleep. Let her rest.
00:11:29.512 Speaker 1 Sunder watched the old woman's shaking arms. Was that fear,
00:11:35.132 Speaker 1 exhaustion, or mere age? She hesitated until Yama opened her eyes to give
00:11:41.052 Speaker 1 her a proper glare. The captain nodded but made no comment for now. She wouldn't
00:11:46.832 Speaker 1 gamble everything on an old woman's pride. Technically speaking, the beacons were
00:11:52.832 Speaker 1 not part of her crew. She couldn't order them around. They were gifted from the
00:11:58.332 Speaker 1 Order of Light to serve on ships that did work for all humankind. Now, whether
00:12:04.292 Speaker 1 that free labor was a gift or a way for the Order to control the otherwise free
00:12:09.812 Speaker 1 ships was purely a matter of perspective. Go sleep. I'll fry it if
00:12:15.844 Speaker 1 it gets close. Sunder rested a hand on the other woman's arm, then walked back to
00:12:21.524 Speaker 1 her room. Despite the older woman's bravado, it was bad that they had been noticed
00:12:26.864 Speaker 1 so soon. It was worse that their beacon was already fraying. She could turn
00:12:32.724 Speaker 1 away this one, but that light would only attract more, like predators to the scent
00:12:38.124 Speaker 1 of blood. An unpromising start to an unpromising venture.
00:12:43.824 Speaker 1 Hopefully, Erastus would have some good news for her soon.
00:12:48.944 Speaker 1 Erastus looked longingly at the captain's fine liquor collection. Bad news, sir.
00:12:54.904 Speaker 1 [sighs] She waved for him to continue. She tried
00:13:00.844 Speaker 1 to kick her boots onto the cabin's desk, but there wasn't room beneath the clutter
00:13:04.604 Speaker 1 of papers and instruments. So she pushed some of the less fragile looking junk off
00:13:09.784 Speaker 1 the desk with one foot, and then rested her feet. Some of the, uh, additional
00:13:15.684 Speaker 1 crew is showing early signs of downturn. Winster caught one of them looking
00:13:21.784 Speaker 1 over the rail last night. She pulled the poor bastard back before he could do it.
00:13:28.144 Speaker 1 Sunder pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. By additional crew, her first
00:13:34.064 Speaker 1 mate meant the hired muscle that Ortevos had brought with him for the landing
00:13:38.364 Speaker 1 portion of their expedition. Despite his appearance, Erastus was a very devout man.
00:13:44.364 Speaker 1 Fortunately, he was not fond of Ortevos or the rough looking men and women he'd
00:13:49.144 Speaker 1 brought with him on board. The Order's footmen were somewhere between thugs and
00:13:54.724 Speaker 1 zealots, haggard people pulled from the street on the promise of food and shelter.
00:14:00.184 Speaker 1 Those poor souls had simply not realized they would eventually trade their minds for
00:14:05.244 Speaker 1 stuffing in return. [sighs] Double their wine ration. [clears throat]
00:14:11.064 Speaker 1 The, uh, ze footmen don't drink, sir. Well, there's your problem.
00:14:17.024 Speaker 1 Who would go into the Stillness sober, Erastus? It is an interpretation
00:14:23.004 Speaker 1 of the books I never understood, sir. Sunder nodded enthusiastically at that,
00:14:29.584 Speaker 1 eyeing the liquor collection herself. Maybe now was the time to pop the
00:14:34.564 Speaker 1 1033 red. No, not yet. It was 200 years old.
00:14:40.644 Speaker 1 It deserves something special. Hmm, the 1083 cedar whiskey then.
00:14:46.924 Speaker 1 No, no, no, no, no, not yet. Then double their food rations.
00:14:52.264 Speaker 1 [clears throat] Ze footmen are on fast, sir.
00:15:00.404 Speaker 1 Then double their prayers, damn it. Why did we even let them on board? She had let
00:15:06.464 Speaker 1 them on board because 12 people she didn't know were eager to march off the ship
00:15:12.224 Speaker 1 into the deadly unknown instead of the people she'd known and loved for years.
00:15:18.064 Speaker 1 Any trouble they caused was worth that price. If the fools wanted to die for
00:15:22.944 Speaker 1 Ortevos, then let them. Hmm. We should have disarmed them,
00:15:28.404 Speaker 1 Erastus. It would be unwise to try now, Captain.
00:15:33.764 Speaker 1 Indeed. What were they doing in their rooms then all this time?
00:15:39.844 Speaker 1 Talking to Ortevos? No wonder they were going mad. And what did they think of her
00:15:45.644 Speaker 1 crew, who were probably taking turns drinking, gambling, and bedding each other?
00:15:51.624 Speaker 1 No, they weren't sailors. They didn't understand what the downturn did to people.
00:15:58.004 Speaker 1 A beacon's veil wasn't the queen's light. The Stillness bled through like sickness
00:16:03.504 Speaker 1 into a wound. It would seep into a person's soul and erode it. Being sick
00:16:09.504 Speaker 1 with downturn killed more sailors than anything else. It was a half step from going
00:16:15.004 Speaker 1 still, from becoming a wretch. All hands, all hands
00:16:20.964 Speaker 1 on deck. Sunder barely had time to register the alarm before she and everything else
00:16:26.684 Speaker 1 in the room was lifted a foot into the air and slammed back down. A deep thud
00:16:32.064 Speaker 1 reverberated through the ship's old steel skeleton. Everything not tied down was now
00:16:37.884 Speaker 1 rolling around on the floor, including Erastus and Sunder. Everything except the
00:16:43.284 Speaker 1 furniture and alcohol, really. Captain Sunder scrambled to her feet, buckled on her
00:16:48.344 Speaker 1 bright sword, and strode to the top deck, trying to keep the fear from her face.
00:16:57.484 Speaker 1 Madame Beacon, please step away from the rail. One of the Order footmen was trying
00:17:02.424 Speaker 1 to keep Yama away from the side of the ship, uncertain how to respectfully hold the
00:17:07.224 Speaker 1 holy woman back. The old woman, for her part, was completely ignoring the man's
00:17:12.264 Speaker 1 pleas, trying to get back to the railing. Try again, you shadowy bastard.
00:17:18.264 Speaker 1 Come see what an old woman's faith is made of. Spit flew from her lips as she
00:17:23.664 Speaker 1 wrestled against the younger man trying to restrain her. Madam, please. Captain
00:17:29.104 Speaker 1 Sunder walked past the crew who'd already assembled. They weren't exactly battle
00:17:33.884 Speaker 1 ready, but they were armed and mostly clothed. She heard Ortevos calling from his
00:17:39.084 Speaker 1 rooms below, demanding to know what was happening. She ignored him. When the beacon
00:17:44.784 Speaker 1 noticed her on the top deck, she stopped struggling against the footman and walked
00:17:48.884 Speaker 1 over. Captain, my apologies. That monster caught me
00:17:55.124 Speaker 1 unprepared. The Order footman followed her over, apparently unconvinced that she
00:18:00.904 Speaker 1 wouldn't make another run at the railing. She was asleep, uh, sir.
00:18:07.224 Speaker 1 Sunder noted the belated honorific. He, too, was technically not compelled to follow
00:18:12.984 Speaker 1 her orders. There were a lot of people on her ship like that. If they made it
00:18:18.716 Speaker 1 back, she resolved not to do that again, no matter how tempting the offer of free
00:18:24.496 Speaker 1 soldiers. The beacon looked like she might incinerate the poor footman before
00:18:29.736 Speaker 1 turning her attention back to the shadow denizen in the water. Footman, go fetch her
00:18:35.736 Speaker 1 a hot meal. The footman hesitated at the captain's orders. She didn't know whether
00:18:41.236 Speaker 1 it was because he wasn't sure if he should take her orders, or if he was afraid to
00:18:46.096 Speaker 1 leave the beacon unguarded, lest she throw herself into the sea like his order
00:18:50.436 Speaker 1 brother had almost done last night. This man must not know that beacons were the
00:18:55.576 Speaker 1 least affected by downturn. Our beacon knows her business. Go on.
00:19:01.896 Speaker 1 Sunder wasn't afraid to call the woman out, but she wouldn't do it in front of a
00:19:06.796 Speaker 1 whelp like this. It often appeared that she was asleep to people who were not used
00:19:11.376 Speaker 1 to traveling with her. The footman didn't leave, however. I could find Beacon
00:19:15.956 Speaker 1 Ormaya. She's asleep. The footman looked at her perplexed.
00:19:22.175 Speaker 1 Who could sleep through that? Ahem. Everyone turned to look at
00:19:27.796 Speaker 1 Errestus, and he blushed. I believe she was, uh, heavily involved
00:19:33.816 Speaker 1 in last night's, uh, ritual to ward off the downturn. The captain
00:19:39.616 Speaker 1 turned to the footman with half-lidded eyes. Her temper flared. She's plastered
00:19:45.676 Speaker 1 drunk. Don't worry, there's probably a sailor in her bed to guard her if things get
00:19:50.196 Speaker 1 dicey. Maybe two.
00:19:53.796 Speaker 1 She took a little too much pleasure in the footman's reaction. The man's worldview
00:19:59.096 Speaker 1 had just been splintered into a thousand pieces, and now those pieces were falling
00:20:04.316 Speaker 1 out his ears. He made the sign of light and stumbled downstairs, presumably to find
00:20:10.156 Speaker 1 food for the beacon. She had no idea what condition Ormaya was in after last night.
00:20:15.896 Speaker 1 It was none of her business. She could do whatever she wanted to to ward off the
00:20:21.116 Speaker 1 downturn. It certainly wasn't this lightsick footman's business either.
00:20:26.696 Speaker 1 Errestus gave her a sour look, practically a slap coming from him. He had it coming.
00:20:33.476 Speaker 1 Aye.
00:20:36.196 Speaker 1 You don't agree?
00:20:38.776 Speaker 1 Aye.
00:20:41.456 Speaker 1 Fine. With respect, Captain, we are asking that man to die
00:20:47.296 Speaker 1 tomorrow. I didn't ask him to die, Ortevos did. Errestus swallowed. He
00:20:53.116 Speaker 1 wasn't comfortable with conflict like this. He'd put a sword through a wretch
00:20:57.496 Speaker 1 without blinking, but this kind of trouble just went against his nature. Aye, sir.
00:21:03.996 Speaker 1 Another rebuke for those who knew the man. Sunder compressed the bridge of her nose
00:21:09.836 Speaker 1 again.
00:21:11.716 Speaker 1 I promise not to torment the Order people more than they already torment themselves.
00:21:18.336 Speaker 1 Now, go wake Ormaya. The kid was right about that much. We're going to need her.
00:21:24.316 Speaker 1 The first mate nodded, seeming to appreciate her words, then hustled downstairs.
00:21:29.396 Speaker 1 Yama began to protest once he was gone. Sunder spun on her with stern words, but not
00:21:34.896 Speaker 1 so loud that the rest of the crew could hear their close conversation. I can't
00:21:40.296 Speaker 1 relieve you of duty, but I trust you to keep us safe. I trust you
00:21:46.236 Speaker 1 to use the humility the Queen gave you, to know when you're merely
00:21:51.476 Speaker 1 tired and when you're through. Yama recoiled from the harsh words, but she
00:21:57.396 Speaker 1 needed to hear them. Sunder let them sink in for a moment before dulling the blow
00:22:02.856 Speaker 1 just a little.
00:22:05.596 Speaker 1 We will not survive without your strength. Please, Yama, don't waste it showing
00:22:11.476 Speaker 1 us who we already know you to be. Tears ran down the beacon's face. It
00:22:17.496 Speaker 1 stunned Sunder into silence. She hadn't meant to make her cry. She didn't realize
00:22:23.316 Speaker 1 she could. I see the way they look at me, the people from the Order. They
00:22:29.216 Speaker 1 look at me like I'm the Queen herself walking around half-naked. I'm
00:22:35.056 Speaker 1 just a person, Amelia.
00:22:39.056 Speaker 1 I'm not like them. When I'm all used up, they'll send me back there.
00:22:45.436 Speaker 1 She waved at the deck roughly where their Order members were bunked, as if they were
00:22:50.056 Speaker 1 the ones who would send her back. I won't do it. I'll turn wretch before I go back
00:22:55.516 Speaker 1 to the Order. And there it was. She saw the old woman's fear clearly
00:23:01.496 Speaker 1 now. Sunder had seen Yama stare down monsters of pure darkness. She'd seen her
00:23:07.376 Speaker 1 fight off wretches like she was a soldier and drink crew half her age under the
00:23:12.216 Speaker 1 table. Even age itself had only seemed to make her tougher, if not exactly
00:23:18.136 Speaker 1 stronger. Yama collapsed into her padded chair, the burdens of the soul
00:23:23.716 Speaker 1 piling on top of the burdens of the body. Captain Sunder placed a hand tenderly on
00:23:29.396 Speaker 1 her arm. You will always have a home here, whether you're our beacon or not.
00:23:35.816 Speaker 1 Let the Order of Light demand you back. They won't lose a ship over it. Hope
00:23:41.056 Speaker 1 flickered in the beacon's eyes. What will I do if I'm not beacon? The captain
00:23:47.136 Speaker 1 smiled. Someone will have to iron Errestus' shirts. It's a job for
00:23:53.076 Speaker 1 three, I'm sure. I don't think you can manage it. He has more than one.
00:23:59.636 Speaker 1 I just assumed he wore it constantly. Someone came up the stairs from below decks,
00:24:05.196 Speaker 1 right behind Sunder. Errestus, you have two shirts, right? One... It
00:24:11.096 Speaker 1 wasn't Errestus. The man turned away from Sunder and walked toward the rail. Then
00:24:17.116 Speaker 1 he leaned forward and tipped over. Disappearing over the edge before she'd even
00:24:22.908 Speaker 1 realized what happened. Belatedly, she reached out a hand towards the spot where the
00:24:27.788 Speaker 1 man had stood. Javies, a mechanic from her crew, ran to the edge and looked down
00:24:33.048 Speaker 1 into the sea, then back at his captain, his face pale. By the Queen,
00:24:39.168 Speaker 1 he didn't, he didn't even speak. Javies looked back down at the ocean and back
00:24:44.668 Speaker 1 again. She knew instinctively that it had been one of Ortevos' men. Which one,
00:24:50.988 Speaker 1 she wasn't sure. He didn't, he didn't say a damn word. Just walked right off. The
00:24:56.348 Speaker 1 crew still on deck started making the signs of light. Sunder didn't relish what
00:25:01.848 Speaker 1 would come next. Someone had to tell Ortevos the Stillness had taken its
00:25:07.948 Speaker 1 first victim.
00:25:08.888 Speaker 1 [gentle music]
00:25:23.288 Speaker 1 Ortevos' cabin was spartan. There were so few belongings besides his holy books that
00:25:28.608 Speaker 1 she had to believe it was intentional. Each thing he brought besides those visible
00:25:33.568 Speaker 1 tokens of faith would water down the image he'd crafted of himself. Naturally, that
00:25:39.048 Speaker 1 asceticism only went so far. The 12 footmen he'd brought along all shared a single
00:25:44.088 Speaker 1 cabin, only slightly larger than the one he kept to himself. Currently, he was
00:25:49.428 Speaker 1 pacing back and forth, purposefully ignoring the chair right in front of the seated
00:25:53.848 Speaker 1 captain. He was a tall man in billowing yellow and white robes, tall and
00:25:59.668 Speaker 1 angular, with the build of a person who had only ever observed hard labor from a
00:26:04.368 Speaker 1 distance. Watchful eyes hovered in the doorway to the adjoining cabin. Sunder
00:26:10.048 Speaker 1 ignored the watching footmen and tried to focus on the conversation at hand. And you
00:26:15.568 Speaker 1 didn't turn back for him? Keep your voice down. There was no
00:26:21.408 Speaker 1 reason to make a show of this. Was he pushed? Who was there? Apparently, he'd
00:26:26.908 Speaker 1 already given up on his original question. My mechanic, Javies, was closest, but we
00:26:32.788 Speaker 1 all saw it happen, Ortevos. He just walked off. It happens. He
00:26:38.828 Speaker 1 won't be the first. What's that supposed to mean? It means the Stillness can kill
00:26:44.848 Speaker 1 by eating a person's soul as surely as any monster it harbors. I
00:26:50.968 Speaker 1 know the Scripture. She believed he knew every word of the Scripture, but she
00:26:56.828 Speaker 1 doubted he really understood the warnings written there as anything more than
00:27:01.048 Speaker 1 phrases to be memorized and regurgitated to his peers. He was sick.
00:27:07.308 Speaker 1 The signs were there. Keep an eye on your people, or there will be more. Keep
00:27:13.288 Speaker 1 an eye on your people. Sunder told herself not to take the bait.
00:27:19.408 Speaker 1 Don't do it. The faithful have nothing to fear in the Queen's light.
00:27:25.768 Speaker 1 This wasn't the Queen's light. Did he hear anything they'd discussed when making
00:27:31.608 Speaker 1 plans? How could anyone be so naive? Sunder tried to
00:27:37.268 Speaker 1 collect herself. By first light, we will be at the foundry you're looking
00:27:43.248 Speaker 1 for. Just try to stay calm and remember why we're here. The
00:27:49.088 Speaker 1 veins on the man's neck bulged visibly. He was sweating far more than seemed
00:27:54.368 Speaker 1 reasonable. If he were anyone else, she'd have the medic run him through the eight
00:27:58.588 Speaker 1 questions. But she knew Ortevos would refuse to be diagnosed. Don't worry,
00:28:04.048 Speaker 1 Captain. We know who our enemies are.
00:28:09.568 Speaker 1 Sunder glanced at the door where his footmen looked into the room. Suddenly, she
00:28:14.968 Speaker 1 felt very trapped by their hard stares. She was glad she'd left Erastus
00:28:20.788 Speaker 1 just outside the cabin door, just in case. Stupid.
00:28:26.708 Speaker 1 She'd been so stupid to let these fanatics on her ship. You're confined to
00:28:32.308 Speaker 1 quarters until we make first sighting. Then you and your footmen can go
00:28:37.968 Speaker 1 searching for what you came for. She thought he'd be outraged at the order. Instead,
00:28:44.168 Speaker 1 Ortevos said nothing, raising his chin and looking down his angular nose at her. A
00:28:50.208 Speaker 1 thousand calculations played in the mind behind those dark eyes. Sunder didn't wait
00:28:56.188 Speaker 1 to find out what they might be. She stood and left the room. See you
00:29:02.048 Speaker 1 at first light. [door slamming] And though she didn't say it out loud, part of her
00:29:08.088 Speaker 1 hoped he wouldn't come back
00:29:10.228 Speaker 1 tomorrow.
00:30:01.908 Speaker 1 [gentle music]