Thaddeus Heart sat on the edge of a deep hole in the middle of a field near the city of Lorne upon Otway. His back against an old tree he bit into his apple, watching the ocean in the distance as the huge swell producing large white capped waves. He loved moments like these, but then again he had a job to do. With an exaggerated stretch and a yawn he got up and placed the remains of his apple in his tin lunch box and clambered down the rustic wooden ladder, which he had borrowed from the farmer who owned the field. He reached the bottom and picked up his shovel and was about to dig out some more earth but a loud noise stopped him short.
"Strange," he thought "sounds almost like..." Suddenly a dark shape with something spinning passed overhead, blotting out the sun"...Helicopter" he breathed as he dropped his shovel and began climbing up the ladder only to see two pair of black combat boots, barely inches from his face. He looked up at the very grim faces above him, immediately he recognized the group who these two were from, the Black Crown Battalion. Their Black tunics austere in the golden sunlight stood out a mile away. He clambered out of the hole. He stood blinking in the brightness until his eyes adjusted from the dark of the hole. The taller of the two, who was also a male, extended his spidery hand. "Mr Heart?" he said clearly and concise, the grey-blue eyes watching his reaction carefully. Thaddeus swallowed, a visit from the Black Crown usually meant trouble, it was very, very rare they contacted anyone outside their group. "Yeah" he said, shaking the hand, unsure of what the two would say next. The female spoke up next her voice was sharp and determined "We have been ordered to pick you up and take you to our next objective"He looked at her strangely, then to the giant Helicopter to the side "What about my fieldwork?" He gestured around him. "Other Archeologists are en route to continue with this" The Female replied with a strong urgency that Thaddeus picked up immediately. Thaddeus sighed, he had no chance of arguing his position and grabbed his lunch box and turned to the Narculs "Ok, I suppose we must not dally"
90 minutes later
Thaddeus sat strapped to his seat in the transport helicopter, looking at the Narculs across from him, who stared back. He could barely contain himself, so many thoughts flew through his mind. But the main one was "What could they possible want with an Archaeologist?"
His thoughts were jarred as the helicopter touched down. The Narculs unstrapped him, Thaddeus embarrassment was evident with his sheepish look and a red tinge to his pale cheeks. The rear ramp extended and he walked out and nearly fell over. In front of him was Coolart Manor1, formal house of the Grand Duke. He was standing on the small front lawn, the trickle of Merrick Creek could be heard behind him, but he had no chance to look at it, as the Narculs firmly escorted him to the front door. The Female raised the knocker only once and firmly brought it down, an ominous thud echoed about. Within thirty tense seconds, the door opened to reveal a very pale face indeed.The face, while the same height as his, was an image of strained youth and concern, belonging to one of the most powerful people in the worlds, physically and authority wise. The Door opened fully to reveal Grand Duke Thomium in his full military dress( something which he wore a lot these days, already concern by the public that he might be following his Great-great-grand father's Militaristic ways) "Come in, please Mr Thaddeus" he said in his very soft yet firm voice.
"T-t-thank you, your highness" he stammered in confusion, as he wandered into the vast entrance hall, Thomium gestured to the Narculs who closed the door, leaving Thaddeus and the Grand duke in the building. "Mr Thaddeus, we must hurry, time is of the essence" Thomium asked in that soft yet commanding voice. He gestured to a wooden panel on the wall, which swung open, revealing a dimly lit staircase descending into the ground."What do you want with me" Thaddeus asked in almost a pleading tone as Thomium began his descent, Thaddeus heard no reply so he reluctantly began descending down the stairs
A little moment later
Thaddeus finished the last stair, glad for an end then looked up into the dark abyss beyond him. Suddenly green lights flicked on in alcoves that lined the walls, illuminating the contents. Thaddeus looked into the nearest, a set of very aged rings with a little piece of paper with the words "First Black Crown Member rings".Thaddeus's mind reeled, so much artifacts must be down here.
I have something to show you of far greater importance" Thomium said as he pried a small brick from the wall, revealing a small space behind "We found this after searching for electronic bugs last year" Thomium softly spoke as he discarded the brick with little care for the resounding crack from its contact with the hard floor. His hand flashed inside the hole and extracted a scrap of very old paper. "Here, be careful" he said placing the fragile looking scrap in Thaddeus's hand.
....y order of I, Thallium Narculis-Dewhurst declare that as my last wish is for the Devil's Chalice to be kept on Rodondo Island,far from an...
The rest had been torn off or had become indistinguishable. Thaddeus looked up, "Rodondo Island, isn't that near Furneauxia?"Thomium was already at the stairs "Sort of there". He motioned with his right hand for Thaddeus to follow. Thaddeus already was spooked by this strange room under the Homestead, he nearly ran to the stairs.At the top, Thomium already stood, seeming to have grabbed a bag while waiting. "Come on, we have a time uphold" tossing the bag onto his shoulder. Thaddeus's mind spun, "why a deadline?" he pondered.
Thomium strode out of a side door unto the cool shady veranda, flies buzzing around lazily. Thaddeus was about to ask about the deadline when a finger of fire shot into the sky. Thaddeus nearly jumped out of his skin, Thomium's face contorted into a annoyed sneer "Ceral, Ferhas I know its you get out here right now" He shouted. Sure enough two sullen looking children came out of the bushes near the creek near the now smoking hole in the otherwise green lawn. The taller one was totting a rifle and the shorter one was trying to suppress a chuckle. "Look what you have done to my lawn! Where are you meant to be?"
"We went for a walk and found an old gas cylinder and yeah you get the idea" The taller one casually said, looking at the rifle. Before anyone could react Thomium grabbed it from his hands. "Nice rifle Ferhas, I suppose you wouldn't mind if I burrowed it?" He intoned glancing at the hole in the grass. Ferhas saw that this was his only option to getting out of strife for the hole he had caused."Yeah you can have it"He sighed and walked of, shorter one in tow. Thomium glared at their backs, "An Earl and a Baron, what will we do with them?" He asked to the open air as he turned to a low long building to the side, "In here Thaddeus" As Thaddeus entered, as he thought was "Oh, great, another dark room" However harsh lights overhead flickered on revealing the long, sleek,shiny body of an Imperator, the Grand Duke's personal cars. Thomium walked around the long bonnet, and pressed a little button on the underside of the car. A quite anticlimax cough emitted some smoke then shrieking and roaring as the huge engine fired up shaking dust from the ceiling. Thomium opened the driver door as Thaddeus clambered onto the large bench seat across from him. The doors slowly creaked open, revealing a setting sun and a smooth gravel path. The giant tyres lightly crunched the gravel as it gently rolled out of the shed. "Please be careful, Please be care-" Thaddeus thought never finished that thought when he was thrown back into his seat as the gargantuan bulk of the Imperator accelerated violently and the world blurred past. The quick drive to Merricks beach was like being strapped to a rocket. The Brakes brought the Imperator to a slow crawl as is entered the gravel streets of the royal town. Immediately Pines and eucalypts came into view and with it playing children occasionally passed by. The Imperator slewed into the drive of a small green beach cottage.
The Grand Duke opened the door and patiently walked up to the stairs at the front of the tiny veranda. Thaddeus stayed seated in the car, dislodging small twigs from his hair. Thomium returned to the car with another large canvas bag with the one from the back seat. "Get out, we are walking from here" Thomium coldly said staring into the distance. Thaddeus numbly nodded, still lost for words and distracted by the amount of foliage in his hair. Thomium lead him through an empty block lined with old pines and onto wide rough goat track that ran parallel 50m from the cliffs. There they walked down flights of old wooden stairs and onto the beach, the very beach Thallium Narculis-Dewhurst had planted his feet firmly and declared a new nation. While Thaddeus marveled at the very clean and untouched condition of the beach Thomium stood the water's edge with a proud and sly grin on his face as he watched the waves
It took only three minutes for the droning to reach Thaddeus’s ears, a large boat came around the Southern Bluff. Cruising onto the beach, wedging its bow into the white sand, it resembled a fat steel sardine. As soon as it was stopped, they clambered aboard to a nicely finished open lounge on the back of the launch. The boat shuddered and reversed off the beach and sped away to a dark hulled freighter. It took less than five minutes to reach the side of the old fashioned ship. An engineer had opened a door on the vessel’s side, kicking out a rope ladder which Thomium started climbing up hastily. Thaddeus shrugged he had no real choice but to follow his leader, a man many years his junior but potentially the one of the most powerful men in the world.
“Woah” he muttered as his head was level with the bottom of the open door. It was like a penthouse hotel room inside, mahogany paneling, armchairs, a few desks and even a rather modest kitchenette. Thomium had already sat down in the armchair at the end of the cabin. Thaddeus noticed the man never relaxed, he was sitting in the chair as if it was made of marble not fine leather. “I suppose everything that happens will be sworn to secrecy?” He pondered as he sat down in an opposite chair. “Indeed, sadly, you won’t get to write a field journal about this but you will get rewarded for this endeavor.” He closed his eyes before opening them, this time a scrutinizing gaze that Thaddeus felt sweep over him. “In that bag I brought there is a file listing everything your life details, from what foods your aunt likes on a cold night to your location this day seven days ago. I could spend the trip reading it and know irrelevant facts about you or I could ask you a few questions, which would you prefer?” Thaddeus was a bit shocked, he responded the answer he thought most appropriate. “Whatever your Grace desires, my lord” he bowed his head. Thomium smiled almost as a father would to a child who had done something adorable. “Here we are equals, I am Thomium and you are whoever you wish, Mr Heart or Thaddeus etc.” “I suppose if we are going to be informal Thaddeus will suit perfectly. What questions did you have in mind?” He ventured, Thaddeus wasn’t sure what exactly was going on still. “So, I understand you’re married?” Thomium casually asked, not surprisingly it came out with a strong formal answer. “Yes, my partner and I are happily married, 4 years next month” Smiling, Thaddeus then realized, “Shit!, I mean , dammit, sorry your Grace, she’s going to be wondering where I’ll be tonight” Thomium chuckled, a deep sound rather beyond him, “Women, they are infernal things sometimes, but don’t fret, we’ve had someone inform her of your new project. And yes we are having someone keep an eye on her while you’re away.”
All was quiet in the cabin for small space of time were all could be heard was the sound of water against the hull and the distant throb of unseen machinery. “The rest of your family?” Thomium inquired. “Um, my mother and father live in Corio, mother is retired, and father still works as a crane operator. Three sisters, all younger. Two of them are teachers in Corio as well and the youngest is a manager of the cinema in Barwon.” He laughed “I guess I don’t have to ask about your family, I’d be in trouble if I didn’t know.” He pondered for brief moment “What was it like growing up, as the Heir to the Duchy? If I may be so bold?”Thomium laughed, “Not a whole great deal different from those two miscreants with the gas cylinder, I was basically born into the military and have been training in my spare time ever since.”
“Wow, I never knew it started that early, I did six years in the army reserve out of school, but I couldn’t balance my job and the commitment times.” Shrugging Thaddeus continued “To be honest I never truly liked the reserves, maybe it’s a lot different to the full time service branches but I never really clicked with the mentality” It was Thomium’s turn to shrug, “Not all do, nothing wrong with that, besides your service to the world as a historian and archeologist is certainly notable. I particularly enjoyed your work on the Corio Great Southern War submarine dock, something that had entirely slipped from everyone’s minds until you brought the light back on it”
Thaddeus smiled, praise from the highest man! “Thank-you, however it wasn’t just me who participated” “True but you were the one who started the ball rolling if I remember correctly, I don’t forget those who have initiative. For example, there’s a man in the North, he built a small business for himself from nothing but a truck and a phone, now he’s worth millions and is a vital part of the nation, he certainly won’t be forgotten and neither will you.” Those words hung over the silence for a bit before Thaddeus summoned up an ounce of courage. “So what is the Devil’s Chalice exactly?” he blurted.
4am April 2, 1826, Coolart Manor
Waking in a cold sweat this time of the year was common, the cold, damp night air left even the occupants of the driest and warmest rooms breathing fog. Thallium felt horrible under the blanket, trapped under the sticky unpleasant feeling of the cold humidity on the cloth. He knew if he took the sheets off, he’d wake Thalisa who would raise hell about it, she hadn’t had a night’s sleep recently, taking care of Thargium and Kriega, their children. Thallium lay still his face watching the moonlight play through the pine trees and land on the floor of their room. He was grateful they were not still on the ships, they had been a nightmare for sleep, let alone anything else. This new land was far safer than their homeland, the flat island had been swallowed by the sea, Thallium had most likely dream of that nightmare again, watching it disappear as the ships headed where ever the wind took them. It had taken nearly a year to reach land and that had been some small island to the south, hardly much bigger than the one they had left. After spotting two islands but being unable to land due to storms, they had reached here. Now they had a small manor as a capital for the new little state and there were talks of moving all the focus to a new site to the north. “Hmmph” he grunted at the thought, the north was known and mapped well but it’d take a few months to even make a proper road there as what was there was hardly wide enough for a man, let alone any carts.
Thalisa stirred but didn’t wake as Thallium froze for a second, afraid he’d woken her with his small noise. It must have been 4am, the waves on the shore sounded different, most likely high tide judging by the heavier thumps upon the sand. The fire had definitely gone out in the upstairs fireplace, only a faint glow on the wall near the open door told him that he still had a job to do. Carefully, as slowly as possible, he swung his legs out of the bed and placed his feet on the cool floor. Cautiously shuffling along, carefully not to stub his already cold toes on any chests or boxes on the floor. Reaching the richly appointed lounge, he saw the fire was just a pile of ashes with a crown of red little embers. Reaching into the large wicker basket, he pulled out some bark and a pine cone in a handful. Carefully placing them into the hot grate, they smoldered before yellow flames flared up enveloping the pine cone. He reached back into the basket grabbing a small section of log, laying it angled against the pine cone, then adding a few little bits of kindling to the fire. Paling the fireproof screen in front of the fire, he quietly peeked into the room where his two children slept, the moon light coupled with the stronger glow from the fire dimly lit the room. He saw nothing wrong and heard nothing wrong, just two sets of breathing and two little figures.
Returning from the little excursion, Thallium was about to lift the blanket. “Did you check on them?” Thalisa asked groggily. Thallium nearly jumped out of his skin. “All is fine” he said as he got under the blanket. He couldn’t see her but he could feel her roll over to face him. ”You’re thinking about the Chalice aren’t you?” He nodded, thinking about the huge wooden crate in the stables, sitting there among the horses and the hay. He knew he’d have to deal with it sooner or later. He had to eschew it from everyone’s memories so that it could survive.
3pm April 2, 1826Off the mouth of Meyrick's Creek, Narculis Bay
“Heave!Heave!Heave!” the quartermaster shouted as the crew heaved on the thick hemp with all their might, pulling the greasy cable further up the deck. Now that it reached the hatch, the crew feed it down to the windlass, having disconnected the anchor chains. Huffing, they made their way below decks. After a few moments of waiting, the rope was slowly drawn down the hatch in slow tugs. As the slack was pulled down into the hull, the yard above them creaked like a tree in a gale. “You sure the yard is strong enough?” Thallium asked the quartermaster, as the crate begun to gradually lift. “I hope so, if not, we’re going to need a proper crane, your grace”. It had been a pain to even get it to the ship, they’d brought in teams of horses and oxen to pull it on logs, no cart would bear its burden. It had been easily getting it there as they’d used a cork pontoon to float it up the creek and then hauled it up with horses and oxen. Now it was without the cork pontoon, it’d rotted away in the first winter and no substitute could be found. So they’d had to slowly roll it onto a cutter waiting in the creek. As soon as it rolled onto a cradle aboard, the cutter was barely above water. The swell, once they’d left the safety of the creek, was threatening to come over the gunwhales. After bailing water from the cutter and coaxing any wind possible out of the sail, the cutter pulled up alongside the Hellicar. Now as it hung over the deck, crews shifted the yards to position it over the hatch, slowly lowering it into the hold. “Looks like our luck and the yard held” the quartermaster wryly commented as the crew stowed it away. “When do we sail?” He asked as the Grand Duke as he checked his Chronometer “We leave at the beginning of low tide, about 11pm” He said with a tone that didn't warrant further questions.