The party raged on for hours. Veran and I used this opportunity to stuff our faces with all sorts of seafood, which was really the only benefit of being here. When I told him that we were going to stay for a while to witness this ceremony, he groaned, and asked me why we needed to witness someone being turned into a fish.
"Because," I began. "Did you know they could do that? I sure as hell didn't. What else do you think those scaly bastards are hiding up their sleeves?"
Eventually, Lord Gurkon stood at the head table, and banged two metal steins together, drawing everyone's attention to him.
"It is almost midnight, my friends! It is time for us to undergo the ceremony! To the shore!" Sakesh held out a clawed hand for his bride, which she took. Together, they made their way out of the meadhall, with Lord Gurkon at their heels and tail. The rest of us followed along. Veran took a mug of the mead with him. I shot him a look of disapproval.
"What? This is disgusting. I don't want to remember it." And then he knocked back half of the mug. I couldn't blame him, really.
We continued on down to the shore, and gathered around a pool at the shore. It was created by rough black rocks, and was almost a perfect circle. It was eerie, the way the moonlight glimmered off it. At the pool's side, stood a female naga with green scales, her expression stern and her hair made up of writhing snakes with eyes like blood. Her arms and torso was adorned with many pieces of gold jewelry and gemmed pieces.
"Bring the girl forward," she said, motioning with a webbed hand towards Sakesh and Gurkon's daughter. The girl stepped forward confidently. She was excessively brave. Or very stupid.
"Into the pool," the female naga commanded. The snakes in her hair hissed louder, as if urging the girl along. She stepped into the pool, creating a splash as she fell in. After a moment, she surfaced, wading to keep herself above water.
The siren slithered right to the edge, held up her webbed hands, and began chanting in a series of hisses, weaving her arms in an intricate fashion. From behind her, two more naga came forward. One with a dead man in tow, and the other with a brightly colored fish, also dead, in hand. The two corpses were dumped into the water with the girl, which startled her.
I looked up when a roll of thunder reverberated through the air. Dark clouds had gathered in the sky, blocking out everything except the moon, which shone through a perfect hole made by the clouds. The naga's chanting grew louder and louder. Another roll of thunder, louder this time, could be heard. I spotted arcs of emerald lightning bouncing between the clouds.
"By the gods..." I heard Veran murmur beside me.
Just as I looked over to Veran, planning to say something in reply, my thoughts were interrupted by a burst of green light and and a deafening crash that came from the pool. Shouts of fear erupted among the crowd.
When the spots cleared from my vision and my ears stopped ringing, I returned my attention to the pool. The female naga stood over it, a smug grin on her face. In the pool itself, the corpse of the fish and the man had vanished. Gurkon's daughter was swimming around in the pool, laughing. She splashed around with a shimmering gold and blue tail.
"Father, look!" She shifted, letting her whole body float on the surface.
Gurkon knelt at the edge of the pool. "Beautiful, my dear. You are truly a marvel."
Personally, I was of the opinion that she was disgusting. They all were, for thinking a girl with a fish tail to beautiful. She was a monstrosity. I nudged Veran.
"Let's go."
"Gladly."
As we were making our way back to the stables, I spotted naga lurking in the shadows, with tridents in hand. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I got the feeling that this was going to go bad soon.
I reached back, grabbing Veran's arm to urge my drunk companion to walk faster.
Once we were back to the stables, I hurriedly began to saddle my steed. "You're riding with me," I told him, my voice stern. Usually I knew he was good about riding drunk, but I wasn't going to risk him riding through what was to come while intoxicated.
"What, why? What about Nessy?" He asked, reaching over to pet the horse he bought back at Phey. The horse whinnied.
"Those naga were here for much more than a wedding," I explained, fastening the last buckles. Just as I was pulling myself up onto the steed, the faint sound of screams came from the shore.
"By the gods," I grumbled, before pulling myself onto the back of my steed. I held out an arm for Veran, helping him onto the back. "Hold on. Tight," I instructed, hoping my stern tone got through to his intoxicated brain. With one hand I snapped the reigns. With the other, I drew my scimitar. Just in case.
Once we were back out in the courtyard, I urged my steed into a gallop. We stormed through the southern gate of Moorehelm, riding along the shore opposite of where the pool was. Once it came into sight, it was chaos. Naga were fighting drunken men, and people screamed. The men were losing, surrounded on all sides by naga.
The world was temporarily lit up by emerald light, a loud crash sounding off somewhere behind us. My horse screeched, and continued to gallop onward. I glanced back, to see an emerald fire blooming at the highest tower of Moorehelm.
I looked back ahead to see the familiar crimson scaly hide of the naga who kept talking to me since we'd arrived at Moorehelm. He flashed me a sinister grin, holding his trident aloft.
I didn't have to convince my steed to skirt him. He slithered across the sand swiping his trident through the air in a desperate attempt to catch us. I swore I could've felt the wind off his swing.
The world around us lit up green again, and another crash of lightning came from Moorehelm. A second lightning strike occurred only seconds after that one. I sheathed my scimitar, now that we were past the majority of the conflict.
I looked over my left shoulder. Another green flash illuminated the world, highlighting a massive shape in the water. A wave?
"Holy shite, do you see that Marius?"
"Yes, I see it!" I turned my gaze forward. We were already going at breakneck speed. This was going to be bad. We were definitely going to die, washed away by bloody naga.
I looked back again. That wave was -much- closer. I watched in awe as it first crashed over Moorehelm, shattering the keep with the weight of a thousand dragons. Then, like a domino effect, it washed over the Isthmus, water consuming everything in its path. I looked forward. I could hear the water coming for us. This was it. I could hear Veran screaming behind me.
I closed my eyes, praying for a miracle. Father, referring to Eion, don't let us die like this.
We skidded to a halt, the sound of rushing water going over us, but there was no back-breaking force of the water crashing into us. I opened my eyes, looking around in awe. We were entrapped in a sky blue dome, dark waters rushing over us.
"Are we in heaven, Marius?" Veran asked, his words slurred.
"No, I don't think so," I replied, unable to tear my eyes away from the dome. Arcs of cobalt lightning flickered across the surface, illuminating vague shapes in the water. I breathed a sigh of relief. "I think we're going to be okay."
ns 15.158.61.8da2
