The Mermaid's Egg

7 -- The Seer

Kiandra gazed up at the crystalline palace decorated in flat panels of pure crystal. The building seemed to shine like a beacon in the darkness. It was because of this that Balor never attacked the palace, as the demon does not like divine light.

The walls glimmered with golden light, and the flooring was polished until it shimmered gold in reflection. Crystalline pillars flickered with blue flames, spreading their blue glow to mix with the golden aura of the building. Unlike the confinements of the Breeder's cell, the palace lived up to the glory of Tír fo Thuinn.

Meara carried Kiandra inside as many of the Merrows who hadn't yet seen the star-child yet, gazed upon him in wonder. Many whispered privately of how the two of them already looked like a wedded couple. Or how Kiandra seemed to sparkle with beautiful Merrow Lights, wondering how Meara was producing so many auras.

They looked at the young man holding a solitary bluish-white Merrow Egg as it seemed that the rumors were all true...a mortal human has somehow done the impossible and become a Breeder.

There was finally hope once more that maybe just one day, Merrow children would be brough back to Murias. That their species was given a second chance at life.

A thatch bedding was set aside as the largest room in the palace was to be used as an infirmary. Many badly injured Merrows were laid upon their own thatch bedding as they were all treated by the healers.

Meara eased Kiandra down onto the thatch. She smiled to see that even though the Egg hadn't fully awakened unto him, Kiandra nevertheless cared for it as his own, cradling it and keeping it safe while Ashling was tended for her own wounds.

"Rest here." Meara tells him "I have to check up on the others."

"Okay." he replies. "And what of the Egg? I can't leave it alone!"

"Please care for it." she gently says, touching the egg and then Kiandra, smiling proudly.

"I understand." he remarked, cradling the Egg in his arms as his motherly instincts were kicking in once again...it was the same strange feeling he got from the other Egg.

Caelan came lurking over as she seemed overly thrilled to see him alive. Her desire to lie with him was still clouding her judgement. Kiandra looked at the salivating mermaid as he was just finally getting over the effects of her toxin. He screeches loudly, terrified.

"Eeee!" making a high pitch 'Merrow-like' trilling sound. And before Meara could actually leave him, he latched onto her with one hand and held the Egg with the other.

"Please, take me with you! Please do not leave me here alone!"

"Hmm?" Meara never saw Kiandra acting like this before...it was overly childish and uncharacteristically feminine for him to behave in such a frightened manner. She wondered what had scared him so badly to behave like this.

She glanced in the direction that Kiandra was staring, seeing Caelan as she just grinned, bowing her head and backing away very slowly from the High Priestess.

"I see..." Meara remarked softly, though still curious.

She could see in Caelan's eyes that the young Merrow had taken a deep liking for the human boy. She wasn't certain what had caused Kiandra to be so scared of Caelan. But from the trembling boy's body in her arms, it must have been very bad!

"What happened between the two of you?" Meara then asked him.

"I..." as this was embarrassing to admit.

"It is okay, you can tell me, Kiandra." Meara softly spoke to him.

"I think she had mistaken me for a mermaid." he told her "She injected me with some type of barbed sac that made it hard to think for a few seconds."