The Jewel of Orlegon

Chapter 7: Old and new horizons

Everything happened so incredibly fast, and Alteria didn't immediately understand what was happening. As she lashed the water with her hand, she felt a much larger mass move than it should have been naturally possible to move. She then saw a large wave rise before her and crash forcefully against Nirchain, followed by the young man's body being thrown brutally onto the beach, much to the astonishment of his younger brother. However, it didn't take long for Lwod to regain his senses, and the angry look he directed at Alteria made her falter for a moment. Her attacker quickly strode towards her, splashing water as he moved, preparing his weapon for a final blow that Alteria knew she wouldn't have the strength to dodge.

Suddenly, the water seemed to come alive around the two opponents, as if driven by its own will, and it intervened between them just as Lwod was about to strike, protecting Alteria, who remained stunned by the spectacle. She then saw an aquatic tentacle form behind the blacksmith's son and strike him forcefully, drawing an arc that hit the young man's head and knocked him out cold.

Alteria remained there, breathless, her heart pounding wildly, unable to move as her body trembled uncontrollably. Eventually, she heard footsteps in the water approaching her, and looking up at her savior, she met Nanthamo's concerned gaze.

"Alteria," he said, catching his breath, "are you okay?"

"I..." Alteria tried to reply, but her words got stuck in her throat.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she didn't even attempt to hold them back, hoping that they would somehow carry away the fear that paralyzed her. She was terrified—terrified that she had been attacked by people she had grown up with and by what had just transpired. Her tearful, reddened eyes shifted towards the two unconscious brothers.

"Are they... Are they alright?" she asked, finally feeling her throat loosen.

"They'll have a bad headache for a few days, but don't worry, they'll recover," the Enartian assured her as he placed an arm around her shoulder to support her. "Come on, let's find some shade."

Leaning on Nanthamo, Alteria managed to struggle to her feet, her body aching with every movement she made. They reached an old fallen tree in the shade of the trees, where Nanthamo helped her sit down. He then returned to the beach and dragged the two unconscious brothers to safety. When he came back, he found Alteria attempting to stem the bleeding from her split lip using a piece of her wet tunic, wincing with each touch.

"Wait," he said, taking the cloth from her hands, "let me take care of that."

He uncorked the flask hanging from his side and, with a gentle motion of his hand, directed water to soak the cloth, much to Alteria's amazed gaze. Once he was sure all the salt had been removed from the fabric, he returned the water to the flask and closed it, then turned to Alteria.

"That's quite a gash you have there," he remarked as he cleaned the wound on her lip. "It shouldn't leave a scar, but it'll take a few days to heal. We can probably ask Ieza to do something for you."

"Nanthamo."

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Nanthamo paused for a moment, a slightly embarrassed smile on his lips, and continued cleaning her wounds before responding.

"It's nothing," he replied. "I couldn't just let them attack one of our own like that. And even if you weren't one of us, I wouldn't have let them assault someone defenseless like that."

A thought then crossed Alteria's mind, and she slowly began to regain some clarity.

"How did you happen to be here at the right moment?" she asked with a worried tone.