Heroes can fall in more ways than one.
Demigod Xaray is sent on a quest to kill after he massacred a whole town. Weakened by the strain, he falls prey to a haughty vampire and is cared for by a fellow prisoner, the nagi Vasa. Torn between his orders...
When Zaheria and Estrad come back, Keswar is missing.
Although she was supposed to help Estrad with catching the fish, Zaheria couldn't help but be distracted by the beauty around her. The urge to take one of the shimmering teal leaves off a tree to inspect its colours more closely was barely contained. If all of Nestra's sacred grounds looked like this, she wanted to be adopted by her.
She shook the ridiculous thought away. Nestra was also a goddess of destruction, one who was as unpredictable as the currents of the sea. Her emotions ebbed and flowed erratically, swinging from kind to crazed with vengeance and bloodlust. No, her current father really wasn't all that bad compared to the Sea Goddess, even if the Underworld was cold and dark.
"Almost there." Estrad's voice was a quiet murmur as he stared at the silver fish approaching him. "Come here. Please. It'll hurt, but I'll make it as short as I can."
The words startled Zaheria. They were going to kill a sacred animal, and for what? Because a daughter of Death barged into their home and demanded its life? Shame filled her as she watched the stunning fish come closer to the half-elf. Its elegant tail fanned behind it, flowing in the current of the pond.
Estrad tensed as the fish brushed against his hands. For a moment, everything was quiet. Then he made a grab for the animal. In a flash of teal and silver, the fish splashed away, escaping his grasp with practised ease. The beginnings of a curse escaped the hunter, but he fell silent mid-word and looked around, face pale.
"Nestra, Mother of the Seas, Harbinger of the Tides, forgive me for my sacrilege." He fell to one knee facing the waterfall, seemingly not caring that he was submerged in the water. "I come here in the name of love, a cause you know well yourself. My last tangible memories of my mother and fiancee have been taken from me, and I need one of your sacred fish to get it back."
Unsure how to help, Zaheria followed his example and knelt too. Her gaze rested on the falling water, watching it move in perpetual motion. "Goddess of Water, please heed my call. What the half-elf says is true, and I am aiding him. If there are to be any repercussions, let me take them, not him. He is too young and has suffered too much already."
A flash of silver distracted her from the waterfall. Several of the fish had come as close as they could without coming ashore, their intelligent eyes watching her. Although he hadn't noticed, Estrad was surrounded as well. Unease and wonder filled her at the same time. Was this a sign that the goddess was in their favour, or were the fish about to transform into silver dragons and eat them?
Unperturbed, Estrad continued, "In the name of love, please grant me this one fish. I do not wish to take its life, but sometimes there are things that you must do. I will be forever grateful and your humble servant, great Nestra."
