Water

Wave Seventeen

Eli drifted down from the platform and settled on one of the spires. He twisted his giant tail around it. His presence was no longer needed; besides, he knew Darya preferred to be alone up there. He looked at her now, and loathed the attention she commanded from them. Darya’s thought, high and even, rang into their minds.
(Dale. You were with Eli. Can you confirm his account?)
Dale kept his pale eyes lowered, totally under Darya’s spell.
(Yes.)
Eli saw Darya curl her lip, revealing a row of sharp teeth. He wondered why she needed to show such dominance – Dale was clearly submitting.
(So you admit to finding a Source?)
(Yes.) Dale answered without hesitating and Eli realised the trap his friend was falling into.
Darya followed with another question, confirming Eli’s suspicions.
(And you admit, then, to destroying it?)
Dale looked up. Under the force of Darya’s glare, he had no choice but to answer truthfully.
(Yes. We didn’t know that’s what we were doing. But, yes. We had to save Leira. We saw what it did to Cam. Neither of us had knowledge of that particular Source.)

          The other Guardians began to murmur discontentedly. Eli knew what Darya was doing. When he’d told the Council his account, his focus had been on Leira. That she’d been in danger, and they’d saved her. Darya was shifting that focus to the Source they’d destroyed. He snarled inwardly – it wasn’t his fault the Seer withheld the whereabouts of the Sources! Surely the fault lay with her. He knew of one Source location, and that was it. He supposed Dale knew of one too – perhaps even the same one as him. If they’d been told there was a Source in that cavern, they wouldn’t have ventured there in a million years.

            A flash of white caught his eye and he noticed Anahita slink into the cave. She gazed at him as though sensing his hostility, then swam up to join Darya on the platform. Darya shifted almost imperceptibly away from the Seer, as though disgusted by the ageless White Tail. Or was there something more in the glimmer of her eyes? Fear, perhaps? Eli could tell from the intensity of Darya’s frown that she was silently interrogating Anahita and, one by one, the other Mer fell quiet to watch the exchange.

          Moments passed and the Guardians waited. Although he couldn’t hear them, Eli saw passion light Darya’s eyes. He suspected she was trying to subdue Anahita. It was Anahita’s right to be present in Council meetings, but since Darya began ruling, she’d made it clear the Seer was not welcome. The two eventually broke eye contact. Eli noted with a sense of satisfaction that Anahita remained on the platform, much to Darya’s disapproval.

          (It seems we have a decision to make.) Darya’s thought cut through the water, projecting into the minds of the Guardians. (This much, we know. Leira, a Trainee, found a Source today. How she did this, we can’t say. Whether it was a known Source, or an undiscovered one, we don’t know.) At this, Darya looked across at Anahita, but Anahita stared ahead impassively. Eli passed a hand over his mouth to cover his leer. So, Anahita was keeping the secrets of the Sources very close to her chest. He wondered how she had the strength to deny that knowledge to Darya.

        Darya continued. (That Source was destroyed. Again, we don’t know fully how it happened, but the consequences for our Herd could be severe. Leira’s being held in confinement until we reach a decision. The Healers tell me she’s regaining strength quickly and is beginning to resist the urchin venom. She appears to be unharmed from her encounter, apart from a tinge of white which now runs through her tail -)
(She’s been petrified!) The thought drowned out Darya’s and the Guardians turned to look at an elderly Mer. His tail was an almost transparent white. Realising he’d projected his thought aloud, the Mer’s cheeks flooded with colour. He looked as though he wanted to add more. Darya continued to gaze at him for a moment, and then returned to her speech.

            (Yes. We can only assume it's a result of shock.) Eli noticed Anahita make a gesture to interrupt, but Darya waved her back.
(Anahita has her own thoughts on this, but those shall remain her own.) Darya turned to glare meaningfully at Anahita. Eli wished he could hear what they were discussing. 
(So, Leira found a Source. We all know this hasn’t happened for many, many, tides. She’d make a useful Scout then, wouldn’t she?)

          The other Guardians gasped. A few of them began to unwind and wind their tails around the spires in agitation as they realised what Darya was suggesting. Did she really want to banish Leira from her own clan and send her to the Flame-Tails? Scouts swam further from the Nest than any of the other Mer, seeking hazards and preventing them. Eli didn’t know how to react. This could be his daughter’s chance to break free from the Guardians and live happily, connected to the safety of the Herd. He turned his attention back to Darya, realising she wasn’t done.

(Then again, Leira found a Source, alone, and lived to tell the tale of it. That means she’s strong. And we need strength like hers to protect the Sources. She’d make a useful Guardian. I leave it to you to discuss it as you will. We vote in one tide-turn.) With that, Darya swept from the cavern leaving the rest of the Guardians to turn and stare at Eli.