The Island of Echoes: A Novel Page 14

  “Yes, but think of the possible reward!” Daniel gushed. “We could be home in two days’ time. Can you really see yourselves living out the remainder of your lives here?”

  "Yes!" Rémy affirmed. "It is paradise."

  Daniel glowered at him but said nothing.

  “I can too,” Ella agreed. “Captain Travert is right. Who knows where we may find ourselves if we go through with this? Is it worth the risk? I remember the last storm very well, and it’s not an experience I’d like to repeat.”

  “If you stay here, you will have to work,” Daniel chided.

  “I am not afraid of work,” she shot back. “In fact, as my grandmother is my witness, I have always been scolded for doing too much. Being offered a life of productivity and contribution is far better than sitting at home day after day with needlepoint in my lap.” I could not help but smile at her passion.

  “There is plenty productivity to be had on Earth,” Travert pointed out.

  “I admit, the decision is difficult,” I confessed. “I was just beginning to make a life for myself back home. My first book was even set to be published just a few months from now. Staying here would be a loss of all that I had worked for."

  “We can all make a life for ourselves here,” Ella responded.

  “Well I certainly cannot,” Daniel stated. “My entire way of life has no use here.”

  “Surely life has value beyond the cloth, Father,” Travert said.

  “Even so, I would be a pariah.”

  “But that’s not true,” said Rémy. “This world is far more tolerant than you realize. In fact, Phillip and I learned it is illegal to promote hate or discrimination against others. They hold no prejudices against religion. It may surprise you to learn that nearly a fifth of citizens within the Royal Republics attend regular religious ceremonies.”

  “One-fifth?” the priest mocked amazement. “And how many of those are Christian?” No one had a response. “Exactly,” Daniel said. “I, too, asked about their beliefs, so I know that our religions never developed here.”

  “That doesn’t stop anyone from practicing them,” Ella remarked.

  “No,” Daniel agreed, “but it would stop me from preaching. How am I to convey the threat of hell and damnation without it being seen as discrimination against non-believers?”

  “I think you are asking for a bit much,” Lady Pearson observed. “We are indeed fortunate to have located a place such as this.”

  “I agree,” Rémy said. “You are all free to do as you wish, but I must inform you that I will be staying.”

  Daniel chuckled. “We could have guessed as much about you, Mr. Durant,” his voiced oozed with self-satisfaction.

  I could see the look of confusion on Rémy’s face and quickly interjected. “What about you, Captain? Lady Pearson?”

  “I suggest you leave and take your nephew with you, Captain,” Daniel went on, “before the King turns him from sodomite into something even worse.” The priest’s vulgarity shook us all.

  “How dare you!” Travert growled.

  “Tell him, Mr. Laurence,” Daniel leaned back into the couch with smugness. Rémy looked up at me for clarity, but I could only stare daggers at the priest, my hands inadvertently forming fists.

  Lady Pearson pounded her cane onto the floor, the shock of which made us all jump. “That is it! I have had enough of your tongue,” she scolded the priest. “You have been the most unforgiving part of this entire journey. Your negativity is like a cloud of flies before a storm. You buzz and you bite, but I shan’t stand it a moment longer.” We all sat in stunned silence.

  “I'm only pointing out that a land of loose morals is always attractive to the sinful,” Daniel proclaimed self-righteously.

  “Don’t you speak of morality,” Lady Pearson continued with incontestable authority. “You, who have been flaunting as the virtuous judge, are no more than a hypocrite.”

  Daniel opened his mouth to speak but the old woman wouldn’t allow it.

  “I discovered your little secret, Father,” she persisted, “when our luggage was brought to the apartment. It's amazing what one slip of paper can reveal."

  "You went through my things?" Daniel shook with anger.

  "Heavens no! I am no snoop. It protruded from what I thought to be one of my cases. Imagine my surprise when I saw it was part of a court summons. And the inside of the trunk? Stacked high with stolen currency! So do not speak to us of ethics.”

  Daniel’s face, typically pale and bony, turned as bright as a ripe tomato. I could not help but feel joy at the revelation, for I shared many of Lady Pearson’s sentiments. We all scrutinized the priest, whose discomfort had become apparent in his posture.

  I expected to hear a defense, but he instead turned to Sarmia and began to speak in Latin. “Your King is a lover of men,” he accused. She and Eireas were completely taken aback by his harshness.

  “I am not sure why the romantic interests of his majesty are any of your concern,” she shot back.

  “It does not bother you that his pursuits are of the same gender?” Daniel sputtered.

  Eireas and Sarmia looked at each other with befuddlement. “We are not barbarians, Father,” she informed him. “Why would it?”

  “This is a mad house!” Daniel shouted and leapt to his feet. “You would be in prison right now if we were home!” he roared at Rémy. He then glared at me. “Tell our hosts that I will be leaving. As to your fate, I will pray for you all.” He sighed and stormed out of the room.

  “Does your mother know about this?” I barely heard Travert whisper to Rémy in French. “Is this why you left home?” His words were serious without being stern, and for that I was grateful.

  The young boatman did not respond. His face betrayed anger and disgrace.

  “Captain,” I leaned over to him and murmured, “wouldn't you agree that this is hardly the time to speak of Daniel’s claims?”

  Travert met my gaze for several moments before finally nodding. “Daniel’s mind is made up,” he pointed out to the group, “and we must decide as well.”

  “If only we were being asked to choose between staying here and going home,” said Lady Pearson. “Alas, our only options are staying here or risk being transported elsewhere. It will be a most difficult decision.”

  “Are you saying you might attempt to go back even if I were to stay?” Ella’s voice took on a note of sadness.

  “I need to give it some thought. But you are young. If I were to go, I have much less to lose.”

  “Heavens, Lady Pearson,” Travert scowled, “you speak as if life has no value beyond a certain age.”

  “I can hardly walk without my cane, Captain, much less earn a living from nothing.”

  “But just the other day you were told that the medicine here can help your limp,” Ella insisted, her voice rising. “And you just mentioned how lucky we are to be here. I realize we all need to take the time to decide properly, but what would happen if I decided to stay? Are you really suggesting that you go off into a terrible storm after which I shan’t expect to ever hear from you again? I would die not knowing what happened to you, granny! Please don’t ask me to bear such a burden.”

  Lady Pearson’s lip trembled. She placed her hands atop Ella’s. “I won’t, my dear. You are right,” she admitted, her voice choking with emotion. “We must make this decision together.”

  Travert watched the display with misty eyes and I couldn’t help but rejoice in the news. I had grown quite fond of Lady Pearson. Never is a person as enthralling as when their faults are revealed to be one’s own ignorance in observation.

  “We should all think on it,” I said, and the others nodded in agreement.

  Sarmia escorted the others back to our apartment but I elected to stay behind with Rémy. King Eireas gave the young man a look of compassion, but departed to give us some privacy.

  “Tell me,” the boatman said, “how did he know?”

  “Rémy, I am so very sorry,” I answer
ed softly. “We chanced upon you and the King on the ship yesterday.”

  He nodded, his eyes still pointed at the floor. “So you knew the entire time yesterday?” he asked. “Yet you still shared a room with me? Conversed with me as equals?”

  I walked over and kneeled before him, putting my hands on his shoulders. “We are equals, my friend,” I whispered. “Nothing shall ever change that.”

  Rémy looked away, a single tear running down his cheek. I pulled him up and hugged him. His arms wrapped around me, and I felt him shudder as we embraced. He sighed a sigh that seemed to release a profound weight, and I couldn’t help but smile with gratitude that our paths had crossed on this journey.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  W e returned to our apartment not long after. Daniel was nowhere to be seen, but the others were seated around the table, breakfast before them. I filled a small bowl with cheese, bread, and berries and took a seat. Travert awkwardly glanced over at his nephew, but did not confront him.

  The others talked quietly, but my thoughts continued to return to the dream I had the night before. The weathered maze of cold bricks remained fresh in my mind. There are those who say that dreams speak for the soul. I only wished my soul was less ambiguous.

  Compared to the Lisispal, our cities were rigid and dirty, and the classes become increasingly divided by the day. A knowledgeable man would want to shape that into something healthier. Break down the old walls and clean it up, so to speak. It was a very tempting prospect. But another side of me saw the dream as a warning. That returning would make me feel trapped in that rigid world, forever longing to escape. Both prospects needed to be weighed heavily, for we had quite a decision to make. And there would be no opportunity to change our minds later.

  Rémy and Daniel alone came to a swift decision about their fate; the rest of us were not so strong in our convictions. I spent many hours in a cloud of doubt, a cloud which neither passed nor broke into a storm. It settled over me, overshadowing my every thought in perpetual uncertainty. How cruel fortune can be. It thrust us into this foreign land long enough to perceive its silver lining only to then tease its undoing. I realized the frivolity of contemplating with oneself when my mind cycled through the same endless misgivings. So I sought the warm company of Ella.

  She sat alone in the lounge with a cup of tea in her hand, the waves of her hair embellished with a modest lace coronet. If there was such a thing as fate, it must have conspired to bring us together. She seemed to complement me in a way no woman ever had. She looked up as I entered and broke into a smile. When all the details of daily life are swept away, one realizes that joy is not so elusive an emotion. It can be felt from within as much as from without. It exists in the rustle of the trees, the smell of the grass, and it radiates from the smile of a person whom you care about.

  I took a seat beside her and she must have sensed my internal unease.

  “What's the matter?” she asked, placing her cup onto the elegant side table.

  “I can’t think,” I told her. “The very importance of the decision before me precludes me from giving it the attention it deserves.”

  “I know the feeling,” she sighed. “It has been all I could think of, yet I have gotten nowhere. I suspect part of the reason is that my decision must also be weighed against that of others.”

  “Has your grandmother said any more on the matter?” I asked.

  “No. In fact, I cannot find her,” said Ella. “She is no doubt pondering these very same notions in solitude. But my grandmother is not the only person I meant.” She gave me a coy smile.

  I raised my eyebrows.

  “This is crazy, I know,” she admitted quickly.

  “No,” I interrupted softly. “If you had asked me before this journey, I would have said otherwise. But as we have come to know, the world is full of mysteries far beyond our comprehension. We mustn’t question the good within it, but embrace it while it lasts.”

  She began laughing and I gave her a quizzical stare.

  “It’s just that,” she explained, “every word which escapes your lips perfectly reflects my own feelings. I have never before met a man who inspires me to speak out and act as freely as you do, and now I find that you share many of my own sentiments.”

  “Then it is settled. Whatever we choose to do, we shall do it together.” I grasped both her hands and we exchanged a kiss.

  Although our entire group was not leaving the Lisispal, we decided to make the return journey to the ship together. It seemed only fitting, and it allowed for some flexibility with our decisions. While Captain Travert appeared much inclined to depart, Lady Pearson, Ella, and I made little progress with our choice. We longed to stay and experience the wonders of the world before us, but we also wished to share its ideals with the people whom we left behind. For the first time in my life, I envied those with well-founded beliefs and resented my own ever-analytical nature.

  We met with Sarmia in the great entry hall of the Tower of Marble shortly after the mid-day meal. Eireas and Etia Yawa would be joining us for the journey back to the shores onto which we stumbled the previous week. We waited before the hefty bronze doors of the throne room and I studied the marble statues lining the great dividing wall, perhaps for the last time. It surprised me to spot a now-familiar face. Standing among the other figures of importance was an elegant woman in modest Grecian dress and an intricate headdress carved to resemble a vulture. Each effigy had a neatly chiseled inscription in Anuprian at its base. My curiosity drew me to the figure's engraving and Sarmia translated the text for me.

  “The sword can conquer, but it cannot unite.”

  Cleopatra Magna

  I looked up into the statue’s eyes, outlined in the Egyptian fashion, which seemed to radiate wisdom through the ages. She looked down upon me, and I wished I could partake in her counsel.

  My concentration was broken by the opening of the throne room doors. The rest of our party stepped out and greeted us. Eireas led our group to one of the great curved stairways at the end of the chamber and proceeded downward. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of withdrawal with each step as the magnificent entry hall disappeared above me. I looked back at the statues, took in the details of the red porphyry columns, and stole a final glance at the beautiful dome above, all the while internally voicing my goodbyes.

  I remembered wondering how deeply the tower receded below ground on my first day within its walls; I finally received my answer. The space at the bottom of the stairs resembled a small train station. There were tracks on either side of the platform extending into diminutive round tunnels. The dark shafts were scarcely taller than a man, and I could not imagine the miniscule trains which ran through their depths. The station was not very tall, but the arched ceiling gave it a sense of increased proportion. Both sides were lit by wall sconces. I studied the recessed tracks in detail as we waited on the platform. Despite their obvious function, their shape and assembly resembled nothing of our own engineering.

  “Your luggage has already been transported to Paphos,” Eireas informed us.

  “Paphos?” I asked.

  “The city closest to your ship,” he explained. “You heard its trumpets on your first night here.”

  Paphos had a long history connected to myths and legends of old. The ancients believed that the goddess Aphrodite first stepped foot on its shores shortly after rising from the sea foam of Cyprus. It is no wonder that we spotted a temple at its outskirts.

  “Is this how they were moved?” I indicated the tracks.

  “Yes,” said Sarmia. “They were taken by staytee. We will do likewise.”

  “What is that?” I asked.

  “Ah, it is coming,” the advisor motioned to an approaching light at one of the tunnels.

  It turned out the tracks did not convey trains as we knew them. A staytee was a small mobile compartment with an oval shape. Its curved outer walls were metal and windowless, ornamented only with Anuprian writing and numerals. It glided silently along
the tracks and stopped at the mid-point of the platform. A segment of its upper half lifted with a hiss, exposing a room within.

  Stairs were built into the transport, and we descended, wide-eyed, into a comfortable little lounge. The floor was wooden and a curved couch stood along each of the oval’s rounded tips. A table was positioned at the center and a little cupboard stood against the wall opposite the doorway. It is remarkable that so little a vehicle could seat the nine of us so comfortably.

  “There is no driver,” Travert pointed out curiously, and I passed the message.

  “Correct,” the King confirmed. “Staytees travel independently.”

  We settled ourselves onto the couches. I sat at the forward end with Ella, Lady Pearson, and Daniel. Sarmia entered a command into a miniature wall screen and the staytee door quietly lowered into place. Almost immediately, the vehicle began moving, but we had only the sensations of momentum to judge our speed and direction; the little vehicle offered no exterior views.

  “Would anyone like some kontresense?” Eireas asked, and we politely accepted the offer.

  He sat closest to the cabinet and we watched with curiosity as he removed nine petite handle-less cups from its drawers. He placed the cups under a charming miniature faucet within the cupboard. It dispensed the liquid automatically. We each took our cup and offered him our thanks. It surprised me that a King would take on the duty of service. But then, I was still unaccustomed to Capribian social structure.

  My cup did indeed contain coffee, a dark espresso complete with perfect crema. How the faucet brewed it, with pre-set portions for our cups no less, was a mystery.

  “I admit,” Daniel began awkwardly, his first words since his outburst that morning, “I shall miss discovering the little marvels of this place.” His tone was different, unsure of itself. The morning’s revelation had shattered his confidence.

  “The choice to depart is yours alone, Father,” said Lady Pearson pragmatically.