The Mermaid That's Sweetest

[Part2] ⤀ 14] The Sentinel First

[Part2] ⤀ 14] The Sentinel First

"A medic! A doctor! A healer! Anybody with an ear!" Blade hisses through his teeth, spit flying with his rage which is fuelled by his airy throat, so that it travels to all the Coral Mermaid and Merka in the Village centre, "My mate is dying!" Blade holds me to his chest, and has covered my face with his hand, to pretend to shield me from the morning sun, all the while, he caresses my lips with his thumb – slyly. He leaves his saltiness there for me to taste, while I don't, I do feel my tongue tense to stay still.

"Who are you?" a deep masculine drawl intercepts us, while Blade chuckles under his breath.

"I require an audience with an authority, of course," Blade could let go of the sarcasm but of course he does not.

"I am an authority of this Clan Village, Anka is my name, tell me what has happened and tell me who you are and who she is... you are brave or stupid coming here when Erebos are not so welcome right now –"

"I beg for your mercy, dear," Blade insults the warrior Anka by endearing him so pitifully, and then he distracts from the insult by slowly lowering to his knees, cradling me even closer and leaning down to take his hand from my face, kissing my forehead, my cheek and my lips, lightly, "Sweetest Lily," Blade's green eyes blink slow, gazing into my small glare, amused as he prompts me, "...show everyone you can use that tongue, sing for me..."

"Lily," Anka almost forgets to breathe as he pauses, "Lily the Bloodslut?"

I turn my head from Blade's to look up at Anka, a tall robust Mermaid with stark yellow hair, "Take me to my mother, before I die, I have a message to share," I whisper it.

"Kai, Bayou! Come here!" Anka calls out, while a small crowd of Corals start to form, and I can hear the muttered insults and the flying spit landing in the cobble stones, far too close for my liking.

I take in all their faces to remember each party to abuse. Older Mermaids, some younger Merka... and one keen eye takes in... Halina.

She stares at me from the back of the crowd, with wide eyes, looking guilty, but also showing clear confusion.

I stare at her a little too long, wishing to smile sadistically for what I had planned for the Darvs once I completed my journey to becoming an authority myself.

"We're at your disposal," two younger Merka appear with Anka.

"Escort them both, watch them closely, though they claim injury – I do not know for certain who this strange Erebos is, out in the broad daylight; we're going to the Crown immediately. Don't let this animal out of our sight."

"Yes, Anka," the two twins, Kai and Bayou, stand either side of us as we walk to the Crown.

Strangely, a place I had never been before.

I guess everything in my life was changing now; and I wanted that to be for the better.

I was finding my core identity, and establishing it today.

****

The Crown is a semi ancient cave, above ground, made of sand stone, surrounded by loose sand – and set in an open area by an inland beach.

No castle.

The Crown was a temple. The cave itself was short and had an open end, the throne was a bench of driftwood in the middle of the cave entrance, where Fantasia sits covered in transparent pearls – Aegir kneels at her feet, a chain around his neck.

It wasn't the safest place to kill a Queen. The Corals were training an army here, men and women, all fighting in the connecting shallows of a clear blue estuary. This place was once owned by the Firth Clan, who protected the Crown – this sacred cave.