Tides of Ruse and Ruin

Dance

Delphina | 4th day of autumn, year 739 of mortals

It was a brisk morning. I stretch out my arms and rub the gills on the sides of my neck. I brush my hair and inspect it. It looks more blue than normal.

After I get dressed into our usual white and blue scale armor, I exit my tent. Today we had the whole day to do our chores. I was thankful because I didn't want to deal with meetings and training today. I just wanted to find food for us. I needed a break. A break to not think about anything for a while.

They questioned me last night about my haul. I should have thought about it and not had so much. Now, they were suspicious of me.

I knocked on Maya's tent and had to wake her up. She was such a heavy sleeper. I laugh as I have to shake her awake. She giggles and pushes me away. "Do I have to get up?"

"Yes. But maybe we can head back to the water today." She nodded and I left her, so she could get ready. She matched me in white and blue. The scales covered our forearms and legs. Our feet were exposed, so we could run when things got too bad.

"I don't think I can today."

"Why not?"

She nervously runs her fingers through her hair, "Well, I think we need to work overtime on the fields. The crops aren't producing like normal." I nod slowly.

Just something else to add to the list.

"That's okay. I'll catch up with you later." She brings me into a tight hug, which she never does. I hug her back but think that she knows that I hate hugs.

We go our separate ways and I head back to the water with a new basket and bow. I place the basket in the bushes and sit with my toes in the water after walking through the dead quiet forest. I look past the horizon and remember happy memories of swimming out to the small island. The last time I remembered it was so lush and green. I even remember a weird animal being there.

I gasp. That's what I should do.

I stand to my feet and walk until my ankles are in the water. I didn't want to run into a shark again, so maybe I needed a knife to protect me even if I thought I did well on my own. The shark may come back with friends.

"Hello again."

Jumping, while turning around landed me in the water. With my back soaked, I look up into the eyes of a towering man. The same man I saw yesterday. I slap water into my eyes in hopes that he will be a dream again, but he continues to stand there.

He takes a step closer and holds out his hand, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

I take his hand and a shot of lightning pulses through my body. He must have felt it too, because he almost dropped me. I stand up and my back is completely dry. "Interesting." He says as he smiles at me.

He was huge. A figure of strength and grace. His brown hair flowed out of his ears and his scent smelled like the forest that I loved so much. His skin looked like he had been perfectly kissed by the sun. But his eyes... his eyes were like bark on the trees and deer hide. He had an aura that I couldn't even fathom.

I just realized that I had been staring, "I'm sorry, who are you? Do you need anything?"

In a swift motion, he holds his fist to his heart and bows slightly, "No, I'm the one that is sorry." He gives me a sincere smile and reaches out his hand to me. "My name is Vander." My eyes grow wide with fear and my knees hit the sand and rocks. My face is buried in the water and my hair sloshes beside my head.

This was a god standing in front of me. I couldn't believe it. All the training, I thought had been for nothing, but there he was in the flesh. The gods didn't forget about us after all.