Audio: 11
Chapter 11:
Dawn found Mara already on deck. Frey climbed from below to find the crew gathering around her, some fastening coats, others finishing breakfast.
Mara counted as they came.
“Torren.”
“Here.”
“Joren.”
“Unfortunately,” Mara said with a low tone. Joren looked offended. “I was going to say here.”
“I saved you time.” A few of the men laughed. Mara continued. One by one, the others answered. When the last voice came, she counted again.
Nine crew members. Frey noticed. “You counted twice.”That’s generally how you find out whether the first count was wrong.”
“Was it?”
“No.”
“Then why count again?” Mara looked at him. “You’re asking a captain why she makes sure all her sailors are still on her ship.” Frey considered that. “It sounded less stupid before you said it like that.”
“Most things do.” Joren nodded solemnly. “I’ve built a career around it.”
That earned another laugh.
Frey was beginning to understand how well Mara knew her crew. She knew who favored an injured shoulder. Who had taken the late watch. Who was pretending not to be tired. She didn’t simply know how many men were aboard. She knew who should be.
Mara faced them. “We’re still in unmapped water.”
The laughter faded. “From here forward, if you see something unusual, you tell me. If I tell you to move, you move. And if I tell you not to touch something,” Several men looked at Frey.
He frowned. “Why is everyone looking at me?” Joren shrugged. “Recent history.” Frey looked at Mara.
“I’ve touched very few dangerous things.”
“You’ve known me four days.”
“Exactly.” Joren nodded. “Concerning pace.” This time even Mara smiled. “Nobody becomes brave without consulting me first.” Joren raised his hand.
“What if I’ve already scheduled it?”
“Cancel it.”
“Understood.” Mara dismissed them. The deck came alive. Torren climbed toward the rigging. Two men moved for the sails. Another disappeared below. Joren announced to anyone listening that courage had apparently become regulated.
Within moments, the roll call was forgotten, at least by Frey. Mara crossed to the chart table.
Her chart lay pinned beneath a knife while three crewmen offered increasingly confident opinions about a path on the map none of them could see. Joren joined in. “There. He pointed toward empty water.
Mara looked at him. “You’ve pointed at the sea.”
“That’s where the route is.”
“Excellent work.” Joren frowned. Frey hid a smile.
Beyond them, the coastline had changed.
Low green islands broke the horizon across brilliant blue water. Fishing villages clung to distant shores while narrow boats slipped between them beneath patched sails.
Farther out, Frey saw larger vessels carrying unfamiliar colors in different directions. Voices drifted across the water in accents he couldn’t place.
Eryth kept becoming larger.
Frey had spent most of his life believing distance meant the walk between Tuckahoe Dunes and the labor pits. Now entire civilizations seemed to exist between pages of maps he’d never been allowed to read.
Mara traced the damaged chart. The erased route ended near an island absent from every Dominion map aboard. “Someone removed this deliberately,” Frey said.
“Someone removes a road,” Mara replied, “when they’re more afraid of where it leads than who’s traveling it.”
Frey looked toward the horizon.
A dark shape had appeared between the islands. Not land. Ruins. They reached them before midday. Stone columns rose from shallow water, remnants of an enormous coastal settlement.
No Dominion banners.
No docks.
Only drowned streets. Mara guided the ship carefully between them. Beneath the clear water, Frey could see buildings. Homes. Market squares. Roads. An entire city swallowed by the sea. Joren leaned over the rail beside him.
“Comforting.”
“You say that often.”
“I’ve had a difficult week.”
“Joren,” Mara called.
“Yes, Captain?”
“If you fall in, we’re continuing without you.” He stepped away from the rail.
“See?”
They anchored beside a surviving tower. Torren secured the line, then checked the knot twice.
Something about the movement caught at an old memory, his father’s fingers. A voice telling Frey that a knot wasn’t strong because it looked complicated. It was strong because it held when something pulled against it.
The memory vanished.
“Planning to help?” Mara called. “I was.”
“Remarkably convincing.” Frey joined them.
Inside the tower, a spiral staircase descended toward chambers sealed beneath the waterline.
At the bottom waited a door. Its original carvings had nearly disappeared beneath centuries of salt. But someone had marked the frame much later.
Seven circles.
Six remained.
The seventh had been violently scored through.
Frey stopped. Mara saw it too. Neither said anything. They no longer needed to. The chamber beyond was enormous. At its center stood a miniature city beneath crystal.
Frey approached.
Unlike the dead ruins outside, this city moved.
Water traveled through tiny channels. Grain entered warehouses. Ships crossed miniature harbors. Workers moved between districts through mechanical roads.
“What is it?” Frey whispered. “A model,” Mara said.
Joren squinted. “Of what?” Frey noticed markings along its base.
Years.
Hundreds of them.
“Time.”
He reached for a lever. Mara caught his hand.
“What?”
She raised an eyebrow. Frey remembered. “Touch things second.”
“Look at you.”
They studied the mechanism first. Eventually Mara nodded. Frey moved the lever. The city awakened. An irrigation channel appeared beside a field.
A year passed.
The harvest grew.
Another year.
Surplus grain entered storage. Workers increased. Roads expanded. Trade followed.
Part of the new wealth returned to irrigation, storage, roads, and the harbor.
Years accelerated.
The settlement became a town. Then a city. “It keeps building on what came before,” Frey said. “Because what came before keeps producing.” One canal increased the harvest. The surplus financed storage. Storage supported more workers. More workers expanded trade. And the new surplus returned to the system.
Each gain became the foundation for another.
Nothing spectacular had happened. That was what made it extraordinary. A small advantage had been allowed to continue and time had done the rest.
An inscription illuminated beneath the model.
________________________________________________________________________________________
WHAT IS PRESERVED MAY GROW.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Then another.
________________________________________________________________________________________
WHAT GROWS MAY PRODUCE WHAT ITS OWNER NEVER COULD ALONE.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Frey thought about a coin.
A coin spent ended with the purchase. A coin directed toward something productive could return with another beside it. And if those returns were directed again. “They’re using the growth to create more growth.” Mara smiled faintly.
The model changed. A second city appeared.
Same population.
Same resources.
Same starting wealth.
But its surplus was consumed. At first, the difference was almost invisible. Then the years moved. The first city’s irrigation expanded. Its storage grew. Its harbor widened. The second remained nearly unchanged. Then drought came. The first opened its reserves.
The second borrowed.
Another year passed.
The debt remained. Then interest appeared. Frey leaned closer. The debt grew without the city borrowing again. Time itself was increasing what it owed.
The first city was compounding abundance.
The second was compounding obligation.
Another drought came. The first recovered. The second borrowed again.
Years accelerated.
One city expanded. The other surrendered pieces of itself.
Grain.
Land.
Labor.
Finally, control of its harbor. “They started almost equal.”
“Sad,” Mara said.
“What happened?”
“Time.”
Frey shook his head. “No. Choices happened.” Mara gave him a smug look. “Time multiplied them.” A scrape sounded from the far side of the chamber. Everyone froze.
Again. Metal against stone.
A thin gray-haired man crouched in front of a wall, spectacles crooked across his nose, a blade pressed against an inscription on the wall. Joren drew his weapon. The stranger sighed, then slowly turned towards the crew.
“If I’d intended to murder you, I’d have chosen somewhere with fewer witnesses.”
Joren looked around. “There are no witnesses.” The man considered this. “Then I’ve made an excellent choice.” Mara drew her blade. “Who are you?”
“Currently?”
Frey looked behind him.
The man wasn’t destroying the inscription. He was copying it. His satchel held dozens of rubbings.
Maps.
Symbols.
Records.
History. “Why are you copying these?” The humor disappeared from the man’s face. “Because someone else is removing them.” Mara lowered her blade slightly.
“Who?”
The stranger glanced toward the doorway. Toward the seven circles someone had carved there long after the city was built. “People with enough money to purchase the past.”
Frey thought of Solara.
Empty archive cases, the clerk. Old charts bought for fortunes. Erased roads. “How much?”
“More than they’re worth.”
“Then why buy them?” The man studied him. “That’s the interesting question.” He packed the rubbing carefully. “Some things are purchased for what they can produce.”
His eyes moved toward the model. “Others are purchased because of what they can prevent.”
“Prevent what?” The stranger slung the satchel over his shoulder. “Someone else knowing.” Then he disappeared through a narrow passage behind the wall.
Joren stared after him. “We’re letting him leave?” “He knows the exits,” Mara said. Joren considered that.
“Excellent point.”
Something near the wall caught Frey’s eye, a scrap of rubbing paper. Charcoal covered most of it. In one corner, someone had pressed a tiny symbol.
A lotus.
Frey looked toward the passage. The stranger was gone. He folded the scrap and slipped it into his coat. Someone was buying history. Someone else was preserving it before it disappeared. And somewhere between them, knowledge itself had acquired a price.
They heard a click from the model. A third sequence had begun. Not cities this time.
People.
One figure saved a small portion of what he earned. Another saved nothing. At first, the difference was laughable.
Then the years moved. The saved amount produced a return. The return remained and produced another.
Slowly, the gap widened.
Frey understood.
The lesson wasn’t hidden in the amount. It was hidden in the repetition. The same was true of debt. The same was true of neglect. The same was true of knowledge. Harra traced one letter into dirt.
One.
Years later, her son stood inside a forgotten city reading words powerful people had paid to erase.
Frey’s throat tightened. Perhaps she had understood compounding without ever calling it that.
A final inscription appeared.
________________________________________________________________________________________
TIME DOES NOT CORRECT DIRECTION. IT MAGNIFIES IT.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Frey stared at the words.
He had always imagined time as something that changed people. Perhaps it did less than that. Perhaps it revealed what their repeated choices were already becoming.
A low vibration moved through the chamber. Mara looked upward. “Ship.” They ran. By the time they reached the tower, a vessel had appeared beyond the ruins. Black against the afternoon light.
No Dominion banner. No merchant colors. It did not approach. It simply watched. Mara raised her viewing glass. Her expression changed.
Not confusion.
Recognition. “Back to the ship.”
“Who are they?”
“Move.”
“Mara.” She grabbed his coat.
“Frey.” He had never heard fear in her voice before. “Run.” They ran. Torren reached the deck first and began hauling the anchor line. Joren climbed aboard behind him. Frey turned once. The distant vessel had not moved. “They’re just watching,” Joren said. Mara drew her knife and cut the anchor line.
“No.”
“They’re quite literally watching.”
“They’re measuring.” Joren considered that.
“Somehow worse.”
“Raise the sail!” The deck erupted into motion. Frey grabbed a line beside Torren. “Pull.” Together they hauled. The sail climbed. Mara forced the wheel toward open water. The black vessel remained among the ruins.
Still watching.
For one impossible moment, Frey thought they might escape. Then the first bolt struck. It passed through Torren. Frey heard the impact before he understood it.
Torren looked down. The rope slipped from his hands.
He collapsed.
“Torren!” Mara’s scream cut across the deck.
A second bolt shattered the rail. Wood exploded beside Frey.
“Down!”
More bolts crossed the water. Not wildly. Each struck rigging, sail, crew.
Precise.
Measured. One sailor fell beside the mast. Another disappeared over the rail. Frey crawled toward Torren. Blood spread beneath him. Torren’s fingers closed weakly around Frey’s wrist. For an instant, Frey saw the temple again. Torren standing in that impossible corridor.
His daughter waiting for him. A life beyond the ship. Then his hand loosened.
“Torren.”
Nothing. Another bolt struck the mast.
“Frey!”
He looked up. “Move!” He moved. Joren dragged a wounded sailor away from the rail while the remaining crew fought with the damaged sail. Mara drove the ship between two drowned towers.
Another volley came. Stone shattered behind them. Then silence. Frey looked back. The black vessel had never moved. A man stood at its bow. White robes moved in the wind. Frey couldn’t see his face. Behind him hung a banner. Six circles surrounded an empty seventh.
Above the banner circles was one larger mark. Too distant to make out. The man held no weapon. He shouted no orders. He watched. Mara forced their damaged ship through the narrow ruins. The vessel did not follow.
It had taken nothing. It had learned where they were. And left bodies behind to make sure they understood the price.
By sunset, the islands were gone. Three bodies lay beneath sailcloth. No one joked. No one asked where they were going next. Mara sat beside Torren. Frey approached once.
“Mara”
“Don’t.” He stopped. “I didn’t know they would.” Mara looked up. Her eyes were wet. “That’s the problem,” Frey said. ” You don’t know. “You don’t know.” She looked toward the other bodies on her deck. “And people pay for what you don’t know.”
The words landed harder than anger. Mara stood and walked away. Frey didn’t follow. He remained near the bow as darkness gathered over the sea.
He thought about the two cities—one small decision.
Then another.
Nothing dramatic. Until decades separated them, he had understood the lesson in miniature roads and grain. He understood it differently now.
Choices compounded. So did their consequences. And sometimes the person making the choice wasn’t the only one who paid. Frey looked toward the covered bodies.
Then toward Mara.
For the first time, he wondered whether finding the truth justified what it was costing everyone around him. He opened his journal.
His hand hovered over the page.
Then he wrote.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Time does not correct direction. It magnifies it.
Small choices become large outcomes when repeated long enough. Money can compound. Debt can compound. Knowledge can compound. So can mistakes.
Before I decide where I am going, I must understand what my decisions are becoming.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Frey looked back at the three bodies. For some reason, he remembered the morning. Mara standing on deck and calling names.
Nine voices answering. Torren’s had been one of them.
Now there were six.
Frey finally understood why Mara had counted twice. He looked toward her.
Then added:
________________________________________________________________________________________
And I must remember that I may not be the only one who pays for them.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Frey’s Journal: Cycle 6, Phase 1, Solar Arc 218
Understand Compounding: Time Magnifies Direction
Compounding occurs when returns generate additional returns: future value is approximately
P(1+r)t
P(1+r)t. At 7% annual growth, $10,000 becomes about $19,672 in 10 years, before taxes, fees, and inflation.
Debt compounds in the opposite direction when interest accumulates. Start early, contribute consistently, reinvest gains, and control fees. Returns are never guaranteed, but time magnifies whichever financial direction continues.
When selecting an investment vehicle, you must consider your financial goals, risk tolerance, market knowledge, and current financial situation. While stocks and bonds are popular investment choices, many other investment vehicles offer different risk profiles and return potential. Here are a few alternatives:
Entry: Cycle 6, Phase 1, Solar Arc 218
Precious Metals (Gold, Silver, Platinum)
Investing in precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum can diversify a portfolio. These metals are often seen as a hedge against inflation and economic uncertainty. They tend to retain value during economic instability and are relatively less volatile than other asset classes.
Instance: You might decide to invest in gold bars or silver coins. Gold prices typically rise during periods of high inflation as investors seek a haven to preserve wealth. You could also invest in a gold-backed exchange-traded product (ETP) if you prefer a more liquid investment in precious metals.
Dividend Stocks
Dividend stocks pay out a portion of a company’s earnings to investors, providing a steady income stream and allowing for potential stock price appreciation. These are great for long-term investors looking for passive income and capital growth.
Instance: You invest in companies like Coca-Cola or Procter & Gamble, which are known for their consistent dividend payouts.
Strategy: Balance growth stocks with dividend stocks to ensure long-term capital appreciation and regular cash flow.
Index Funds & ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds)
Index funds and ETFs track the performance of a market index (S&P 500, Dow Jones, etc) and provide diversified exposure at a low cost. These funds help reduce risk while maintaining long-term growth potential.
Instance: Instead of picking individual stocks, you invest in an S&P 500 index fund. This ensures exposure to the 500 largest companies in the U.S., spreading risk across multiple industries.
Strategy: Use ETFs for diversification and stability, and combine them with high-return assets like real estate or crypto for growth.
Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency is a relatively new and highly volatile investment vehicle that operates on decentralized platforms using blockchain technology. Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other altcoins, can offer significant growth potential, but they also carry high risk due to extreme price volatility.
Instance: A person might decide to invest in Bitcoin, hoping its value will increase as cryptocurrency adoption grows worldwide. While the potential returns can be substantial, Bitcoin’s volatility means its value could decrease quickly.
Entry: Cycle 6, Phase 1, Solar Arc 218
A man who cannot govern himself will eventually be governed by something else.
Fear.
Comfort.
Hunger.
Distraction.
Another person.
Another system.
I once believed power belonged to whoever possessed the most gold.
Now I think power belongs to whoever understands people well enough to direct what they build their lives around.
And that realization frightens me more than the sea ever did.
Bonds (Government, Corporate, and Municipal Bonds)
Bonds provide a fixed income, making them a safer investment option. Government bonds (such as U.S. Treasury bonds) are low-risk, while corporate bonds offer higher returns but carry slightly more risk.
Instance: You invest in municipal bonds issued by your state, earning tax-free interest while supporting infrastructure projects.
Strategy: Keep a percentage of your portfolio dedicated to bonds (20-40%, depending on your risk tolerance) for stability and predictable returns, especially during market downturns.
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
REITs allow individuals to invest in real estate without owning physical properties. They generate income through rental earnings and property appreciation.
Instance: You invest in a publicly traded REIT that owns commercial office buildings and apartments, and you receive dividends from rental income.
Strategy: Use REITs to gain exposure to real estate while maintaining liquidity, combining them with traditional stocks and ETFs for balanced growth.
Peer-to-Peer Lending (P2P)
Peer-to-peer lending platforms allow individuals to lend money directly to borrowers, bypassing traditional financial institutions like banks. In return, lenders earn interest on their investments. This relatively high-risk, high-reward investment option has become more prevalent recently.
Instance: You could lend $500 through a P2P lending platform like LendingClub to a borrower seeking a personal loan. Over the loan term, you receive interest payments and the principal. However, the borrower may default, so it’s crucial to diversify your loans to minimize this risk.Stores with one hidden resource, ETFs hold different essential resources.
Entry: Cycle 6, Phase 1, Solar Arc 218
Time does not correct direction. It magnifies it.
Small choices become large outcomes when repeated long enough. Money can compound. Debt can compound. Knowledge can compound. So can mistakes.
Before I decide where I am going, I must understand what my decisions are becoming……
And I must remember that I may not be the only one who pays for them.
Venture Capital or Private Equity
Venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE) are investment options typically reserved for high-net-worth individuals or institutional investors. These investments involve providing capital to early-stage companies (VC) or established private companies (PE) with the expectation of high returns. These investments often come with high risk, as many startups and private companies fail to reach profitability.
Instance: A venture capital firm might invest in a tech startup in exchange for equity. If the startup succeeds, it can sell its stake for a significant profit. However, if the company fails, the investment could be lost. Private equity firms buy entire businesses, help them grow, and sell them later for a higher price.
Entry: Cycle 6, Phase 1, Solar Arc 218
I thought large fortunes required large beginnings.
I was wrong.
Time makes small things dangerous.
A little saved repeatedly can become security. A little owed repeatedly can become a cage. A little knowledge, preserved long enough, can outlive the person who risked teaching it.
The frightening part is that time does not care what I choose.
It multiplies the direction.
Art and Collectibles
Investing in art, antiques, or collectibles is another way to diversify your portfolio. These assets often appreciate over time, especially if the items are rare or historically significant. However, the art and collectibles market can be unpredictable, and valuation can be subjective.
Instance: You might invest in contemporary art by an emerging artist, hoping the value of their work will appreciate as they gain recognition. Alternatively, investing in vintage wine or classic cars with a proven track record of increasing value can be a viable investment choice.
Crowdfunding Investments
Crowdfunding has become a popular way for individuals to invest in startups, real estate projects, or new ventures. Through crowdfunding platforms, investors can pool their money to support a project or business and receive equity or debt in return.
Instance: You might invest in a real estate crowdfunding project to develop new apartment complexes. By investing a small amount, you gain exposure to a larger real estate project, earning returns as the development progresses and eventually selling or renting properties.
Foreign Currency (Forex) Trading
Foreign currency trading, or forex trading, involves exchanging one currency for another in the hope that the currency’s value will change in a favorable direction. This highly liquid market operates 24/7 and offers substantial opportunities for experienced traders.
Instance: You could trade forex by purchasing euros when the exchange rate is favorable. If the euro’s value rises relative to the dollar, you could sell your euros for a profit. However, exchange rate fluctuations make forex trading highly speculative and risky.
Portfolio Strategy:
Pensions are no longer common; you need a balanced investment strategy for long-term financial security.
📌 40% Growth Investments: Stocks, Index Funds, ETFs
📌 20% Income Investments: Dividend Stocks, REITs, Bonds
📌 15% Alternative Investments: Gold, Commodities, Crypto
📌 15% Tangible Assets: Real Estate, Farmland, Collectibles
📌 10% Speculative: Venture Capital, P2P Lending, Forex