Aris Tuttle in the Realm of Logic

Chapter 5: Nonsense

Essen was nestled in the heart of the highlands, at the base of a craggy peak that reflected the dwindling light of the escaping sun. The entrance was guarded by a formidable gate with a bell of cognite suspended from an archway above it. Gathering up a handful of pebbles from the trail, Jest tossed one, two, three stones at the bell, which rang out in quick succession. Almost at once the immense gate swung inward with a mighty groan.

Aris followed Jest and Wit into the rugged village of timeless stone and packed dirt. He marveled at a rivulet – one of the many narrow tributaries that spilled from the heights and collected in the lowlands to form the Logic River – that wound right through the middle of the vibrant town square, adorned with a dazzling variety of flowers. At the center of the square was the statue of Mystery, outfitted for the occasion with a crown and sash and holding a wooden sign bidding a warm welcome to Prince Dedus.

"This is him?" asked the gatekeeper as he closed and secured the gate behind Aris. He was a significant man with a voice that echoed in Aris's chest and shoulders as wide as the span of Aris's arms. "Don't look like much, eh?"

"That's what I was thinking," Wit agreed.

"I may be young," Aris defended, "but I was the one chosen for this responsibility."

"I'm sorry about them," Jest said. "We didn't really know who to expect."

Aris accepted the apology with a nod and looked around. Though the square was beautifully decorated and wonderfully fragrant, he became deeply uncomfortable when he realized that the village was almost entirely abandoned. "Where is everyone?"

"They're in the Common," Jest said. "It's our village hall. I'll show you."

That is why Essen is deserted, Aris realized. There is a town meeting in progress. Not knowing that Prince Dedus had been abducted, the residents were probably discussing preparations for his visit still scheduled that evening.

"I'll stay here with Losty," Wit said. "I...I can't see Trick like that again."

Aris narrowed his eyes at the curious comment and tightened his cloak around his shoulders. Jest led him to the "Common" amid a cluster of cottages, skillfully constructed with stone quarried from the surrounding hills.

"I'll wait for you out here," Jest said.

"Sage Fidelis is also inside?" asked Aris.

Jest nodded. "He's with the others."

"And I'm allowed to simply walk in unannounced?"

"Of course," she said.

Aris shook out as much dust as he could from his cloak before entering the Common. Expecting to find the town gathered in a formal council, he was unprepared for what he saw. Within the foyer numerous residents circled aimlessly around the room, muttering to themselves. More still were stationed on cots, moaning unintelligible words while others sat on the ground, hugging their knees and laughing to themselves.

An older woman caught sight of Aris and called out, "Can you hear the music in the garden?"

"Fingers of green, plucked from strings," said another.

Almost as quickly as he had entered, Aris stepped backward until he was outside again and shut the door, his heart hammering against his ribcage.

"What is it?" Jest asked. "Is it worse than you feared?"

"I...I think there's been a mistake," Aris stammered. "I don't know who you were expecting, but I'm not equipped to deal with a situation like this!"

Jest shook her head. "I don't understand. The letter we sent you explained our troubles in detail. You said you had it with you."

"I have a letter," Aris corrected her, "written for Sage Fidelis by Portreeve Scope of Norsea explaining a dire situation that requires the Sage's help."

"You aren't here to help us?" Jest asked, her words swollen with confusion.
"But the strange ship we saw; we thought it had delivered you to the mainland and that you were the Guildless answering our plea."

"You thought I was of the Guildless?" Aris scolded. "By the Light of Logic, why didn't you send for a physician of the Medicalia Guild? Your residents appear to be in the throes of a high fever, uttering complete nonsense."

Jest dropped her eyes and a single tear splashed to the dirt. "But they have no fever. Our apothecary could find nothing physically wrong before he also succumbed to whatever madness has infected our town. That's why we requested assistance from the Guildless. We've heard there are those that have made a study of the mind and we knew of nowhere else to turn."

Though Aris did not agree with Jest's decision to seek out the Guildless, he understood why she had. "I may know what happened here," he said, and Jest's eyes brightened with hope. "It's possible this 'madness' was inflicted upon your village intentionally."

"That is what our gardener, Mendas, suggested. That Essen may be under attack. But who would do such a thing, and why?"

"A faction of the Guildless that has risen up to undermine Logic's integrity."

"It can't be! The Guildless are peaceable! We never would have sent for them otherwise."

"They are peaceable no longer. They call themselves Chaoticians, as they revealed this very morning in Norsea. It was their strange ship that you saw leaving the archipelago."

"What you're saying can't be true," Jest insisted. "You claim that this is the work of these Chaoticians, but aside from you, we have received no visitors for many months. How could they have struck our entire town senseless?"

Aris tapped his lips, pondering the implication. "Besides you and Wit waiting today for a response to your letter, have any of your residents left the village?"

"We also left in the middle of the night to find someone to take our letter to Ryme," Jest answered. "But with the cognite mines shut down, Mendas is the only other person who has any reason to leave, as he tends to the royal gardens of Logic Hall."

"Is he in the Commons with the others?"

Jest shook her head. "He didn't fall ill."

"Don't you find it suspicious that he avoided getting sick?"

"No. Losty, Wit and I didn't succumb to the madness either."

"That is curious," Aris said, "but you three clearly aren't responsible or you would not have sent for help. How did Mendas feel about your idea to seek out the Guildless?"

"He didn't agree at all! He was so angry about it he has refused to leave his home. He said he would accept help only from Prince Dedus."

Aris nodded, convinced of his conclusion. "It seems to me that Mendas, somewhere outside of Essen's walls, was swayed to serve the Chaoticians, and has struck your village mad to serve their goal of sowing seeds of discord in the Realm."

Jest fell silent, letting the truth of Aris's words sink in. "Perhaps it's for the best that no one from the Guildless came," she finally said. "I dared hope the town could be helped before Prince Dedus arrived, but if you're right about Mendas and these Chaoticians, then the prince needs to know what happened here."

Aris winced. "Unfortunately, Prince Dedus isn't coming to Essen at all, because he was waylaid by the Chaoticians in Norsea, a fact Mendas likely knew."

Jest's shoulders sagged, defeated. "Aris, what're we going to do?"

Her heavy expectations rested squarely on Aris's shoulders. "I may not be the Guildless you were hoping for," he said, "but with the right information, I believe I can help. While Mendas is still sequestered in his home, let's examine the residents together and see if we can discover what happened to them."