Feyris Seirin - The First Mesmeraid

4. Beherzaad (2194 Words)

New terms (and reminders of old terms):

Mesmerati - the equivalent of humans on land. They are the race that live underwater.

Mesmers - the male mesmerati.

Meresmera - the female mesmerati.

Protectorate Major - the most important and skilled magician in charge of the final step in the making of the Nightstone - that of combining the purest strands of Nightlight into a seamless Nightstone.

Kona - eyes

Misthr - reveal

Kona Misthr (ko-naa mis-thruh) - a magic spell that grants eyesight in pitch-black darkness. Non-living objects are seen in red outlines and living beings in blue.

Hominym - echoing voices

Syka - mind

Hominym Syka (ho-mee-nim saa-eeka) - a magical spell that allows one to speak into the ear and mind simultaneously. Used to confuse prey, useful for hunting.

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Feyris sat on the ground, hidden behind a large barrel outside the Seashell shop. She was wearing a hood, trying her best to remain inconspicuous (in-con-spi-coo-us). From her spot, she could carefully observe the city gates, beyond which lay the Open Seas. She saw a flurry of activity at the gates. There were five others gates, but she knew that it would be the same everywhere.

It had been an hour since she had seen Ifthram leading her parents away. By now, the hunt for her and the Nightstone would be truly on. She slipped her hand into her pocket and felt the stone. She could not touch it for too long because every time her fingers brushed against it, she heard a soft humming in her mind that grew louder with every passing second. She had tested it while walking, and past the three minute mark, her vision started blurring and she started to lose control of her body. It had taken ten minutes for the feeling to wear off.

Feyris remembered what her mother had taught her on an excursion where they dove deep into a volcanic opening - that she must always secure her own safety before figuring out how to proceed.

Feyris was comfortable in the waters around Silphenstine - she had her own hidey-holes where she could lay low. Getting out of Silphenstine was the problem. As she was mulling over how she should proceed, she heard some commotion some way down the street. A big booming voice was admonishing four others loudly for all to hear. Feyris saw that the shouting mesmer was short and quite old.

"Damn you scum! This is what I think of the Protectorate!" The old mesmer roared and spat at feet of the four others. "You had one job. How could you let two bloody raiders get the better of you? They're scavengers, you're warriors! Pathetic!"

Feyris realised that the four young mesmers surrounding the shouting voice were looking angry. They towered over the old mesmer who was leaning on a knotty old staff, shaking his fist at them. She felt a spike of annoyance at the old mesmer for speaking ill of the raiders - theirs was an incredibly dangerous and necessary job.

"You're an embarrassment, you are! And I won't stand for it! No, I'm leaving - you'll have to kill me if you want to stop me! Search an old grunt like me if you like - maybe you'll get lucky and I've hidden the Nightstone in my ear!"

There were gasps all around. The Protectorate looked panicked. Clearly, the word had not spread yet.

"That's right! I know," the old mesmer continued. He turned around and addressed the crowd at large. "These dumb goons could not deliver the Chosen One, and now they've lost the Nightstone! We're doomed to eternal darkness! Silphenstine will fall!"