Dusk of the Realm

30

In all the times he had visited the lake, never once had he been expected by someone. Greeted nervously by a nymph or two before they darted off, sure - but never before expected.

However, upon reaching his favorite spot on the shore, that was the only explanation for the water nymph standing with her hands clasped politely in front of her, and her eyes raised expectantly towards where he arrived from. She had been waiting for him.

"Hello, Lord Tarin," she said, and he immediately remembered how much he had always loved the voices of water nymphs. They were as tranquil as the surface of the lake, and created a soothing sensation in his bones like to the calming feeling of a warm bath.

The girl was not smiling, but she did not seem specifically unhappy - just serious, which put him on alert automatically. He knew the expression of someone who had important news when he saw one.

"Who are you?" he asked, not moving any closer. As inconspicuously as he could, he bent down the fingers of his right hand and slid one of the darts he stored on his wrist out of its sheath. He did not think this girl meant him any trouble, but it never hurt to be prepared.

"My name is Nahla," she responded, blinking her lovely blue eyes. Water nymphs had a reputation for being pale and beautiful, with their cerulean eyes and lashes thick with droplets of water. Whenever they emerged from the waters, it was in light dresses that somehow remained dry, though Tarin had never seen a water nymph without wet hair hanging from their shoulders. Of course, water nymphs tended to stay to themselves more than tree nymphs did, so he had not seen all that many in general. Which was why this visit was even more bizarre.

"I am a messenger," she continued, and did not seem bothered that Tarin had not looked away from her eyes. He had never seen ones to compare to the depths of blue contained in the princess' before, but Nahla's were definitely very similar. Now he realized that the pigment of Serena's beautiful eyes had probably been inherited from Muiress herself.

"You have a message for me?" he questioned. He was used to getting messages - but from water nymphs? That was new. And he still did not know how she knew where and when to find him.

Nahla smiled now, though her eyes remained troubled. She took a step closer to him, and he did not move, though part of him was urging him to. He tried to reassure himself that he had faced much more dangerous opponents than a single water nymph in the past, and that if she did turn out to be an enemy, he would be able to handle the situation.

"Lord Tarin, I was sent to you by the queen."

Tarin blinked and angled his hand so that Nahla would not notice him rolling the dart between his fingers; he needed to keep at least some part of his body moving at all times, it seemed, or else it became harder to focus.

"I was just in the castle. If the queen had wanted me--"

"Not Queen Triana," Nahla interjected, shaking her head lightly.

Tarin narrowed his eyes, and felt more entitled now in reaching for a dagger. Nahla's eyes widened, and she took a leaping step closer to the water as he artfully twirled the knife around.

"You serve another queen?" he asked softly, using that icy tone that alerted anybody with a brain of the danger they were in. He did not know what this girl's plan was, but if the water nymphs were turning against the rest of the Fae--

"Yes," she responded frantically, "and no, Lord Tarin. Please allow me to explain."

Tarin ignored her, of course, and continued stalking closer. "Have many of your kind have allied with the Infernals?" he questioned, even as she danced backwards into the shallow water up to her knees.