"Queen Muireann, leader of the Merrows...mother."
Meara knelt before her queen, bowing with the deepest of respect. The Queen gazed at her daughter, her red cohuleen druith was twice as long than the average cowl, and it flowed like crimson water, across the polished golden floor.
Her body was decorated in crystal gems, a silvery crown rested upon her forehead. In its silver polish were encrusted ivory fossilized pearls from the realm of Finfolkaheem. Her beautiful face was painted in blue ink, runes that signified her position as Queen of the Merrows.
"High Priestess, Meara...my daughter."
The Queen then replied back, kneeling on the floor within a room glistening with starlight as her aura and her daughter's aura danced around like fireflies.
"You have been very busy today, my daughter." The Queen added "Avoiding your own clan and surrendering your own cowl to another Merrow, so that they could sneak in after nightfall. Let me guess, and tell me if I am wrong. You did all of this for the one who fell from the stars, is that correct?"
"It is correct, my Queen." Meara nodded, bowing her head "I believe that the star-child is the descendant of O'Sullivan More."
"I am told that the star-child has already bonded to Aisling." The Queen added "And that it has already hatched. It now seems that Aisling is alive inside the star-child's body. Seeing your cowl cloaking the child confirms this, my daughter."
Meara looked down as if this was a startling revelation! She previously had not realized that Kiandra had bonded with her own Egg. She was aware that Kiandra was dealing with some stress, but now it made complete sense.
"I am concerned, my Queen." Meara frowned, wishing Kiandra hadn't taken her Egg "The star-child hasn't agreed to becoming a Breeder. His methods of reproduction greatly differ from our own. And furthermore, with the time that I have spent with him, I have to say that he is emotionally unstable and unfit for this duty. He carries far too much regret and anger inside his heart. He blames himself for something that happened in the Realm of Adam. Though he is unwilling to say what it is."
"It is my humble opinion that it was a sheer accident that Aisling's Egg had fallen into his hands." Meara commented, heartbroken "Please allow the star-child to return the Egg back to the Sea. In my sincerest opinion, he isn't ready to be nursing children. He only wishes to return back home, my Queen. He has no desire to join our people."
"Daughter!" Muireann finally spoke after listening to the situation "The law decreets that whosoever bonds with the Egg, shall solely care for it as their own child. This is our people's custom. The same custom that you swore to enforce, as the Princess of the Merrows."
"I understand, I and abide by the ancient law." Meara acknowledged, but protested "But our law also clearly decreets that only a Fae will abide to our customs and traditions. Not a mortal man of Adam."
"If I may speak, my Queen." said a beautiful and young Merrow female, dressed in a shimmering blue cloak, kneeling just to the left of Meara.
She wore a shimmering silver tiara in her light brown hair that was decorated with many white iridescent pearls from the warmer tropical waters of the Atlantic. Her face was painted with the runes that signified that she was the appointed Merrow Seer. She served as the eyes and ears for her Queen.
Queen Muireann nodded, allowing her seer, Niamh, to speak freely.
"High Priestess, Meara..." Niamh addressed the princess "...I do hope that you remain well aware of the current circumstances facing the future of your species."
"I am." Meara answered.
"You mustn't allow your feelings to get in the way of your duties, High Priestess!" she tells her sternly "Without fertile Breeders to hatch your children, there is no hope for your species survival. Your population has become stagnant, like water that has ceased to flow. If we are unable to turn the tide in this decade, then your species will soon cease to exist."
"The star-child..." the seer then addressed Kiandra, looking into her silver mirror that foretold the future "...he has arrived, because he was meant to come here; like his ancestor: O'Sullivan More. And though his methods of reproduction greatly differ for our own...our Deity has assured us that he shall survive, by bonding the Pearl of Lir to him. I foresee no harm in allowing the star-child to try hatching Aisling."
Meara knelt there on the polished golden floor, in defeat. She had hoped that her mother's vile hatred for humans would be enough to propel the boy back to his own realm. But it was now crystal clear that her mother no longer saw Kiandra as a simple human boy.
She saw him as a Breeder. Someone who might be able to turn the tide and save their species from extinction.
***
Kiandra sat near the opened hatch, staring at the Merrow as she was trapped in her fish-form, salivating as if she had gone mad. Kiandra did not know much about Merrows, or why Caelan would transform back into a mermaid in his presence. They seemed rather secretive about changing in front of others.
The mermaid began singing once again, but this time, the language seemed to translate inside Kiandra's head as the mermaid was singing an oddly familiar sea shanty:
As the mermaid sang her deadly melody, Kiandra slowly inched for the hatch. He knew that the fall would not kill him, but he would be lucky to escape with a broken bone or two if he landed unwisely.
Much did not make sense as to how he knew what the mermaid was saying. His ears picked up the gibberish of trilling, squeaking, hissing, and guttural symbols. And yet, he heard English clearly.
His leg panged deeply once more as he gripped the sliced skin where the mermaid's anal fin had sliced deep into his soft unprotected flesh. Her light blue fin was still dripping with his blood as she slowly crawled over towards him.
'She has absolutely lost her freak'n mind!' Kiandra panicked.
He heard of the legends of sirens and mermaids losing their sensibility when it came to mating. The animalistic side of their brain takes over and they entwine their tails together and hold onto one another in a constrictive dance.
'If I do not get out of here soon, there is no saying what she might do to me!' he worried as he figured that if he was spared from being raped, it would not spare his body from being sliced apart by her anal fins.
'Why did she even hurt me!?' as his mind felt hazy...like a toxin had entered his blood and was making his willpower to resist her seduction harder to overcome.
His brown eyes were trained on the mermaid's bloodied anal fins as he noticed that the last ray seemed somewhat hollow, as if something had been ripped out. And when he examined his leg once again, he saw a little blue barb inside the wound that had a tiny clear sac attached to it.
'She stung me!' as he pulled out the barb and threw it off to the side.
It wasn't uncommon for fish to use breeding mechanism to assure their species survival. For example, the llanos mosquitofish has a series of four barbed hooks that surround their male genitalia. They use them to latch themselves onto females during breeding to increase their chances of success.
In fact, many creatures use this technique to increase their breeding success, like some insects, snakes, and lizards that have terrifying looking appendages that would certainly make being a female of that species, a living nightmare!
So, why not mermaids too?
What terrified Kiandra the most was that the mermaid was obviously taking the role of the aggressor male, which meant that she must see him as being a female Merrow. This sank in deeper as even Meara had already called him a possible Breeder.
[Star-child!] called the Merrow to Kiandra, still speaking in her gibberish language that no longer translated into English. [Please be my lover. Make a baby with me! I will love you forever.]
"St—ay away from me!" Kiandra cried out as he purposely pushed himself through the hatch and fell down to the earth with a hard thud. A heavy thud above, in the building had told him that he had just barely escaped the Merrows lustful attack.
He would have concentrated on making his escape from Caelan, but something above had captured his full attention.
The nights here in Tír fo Thuinn were starless.
The night sky rippled and shimmered like being deep underwater. Even the air surrounding him seemed somewhat thicker as the reality of the Otherworld seemed to conflict with all laws of natural science.
Yet, it wasn't the appearance of being underwater that startled him the most. It was the purplish-blue twister-like anomalies that descended from high above, piercing the barrier of water and entering the realm of Tír fo Thuinn.
These twisting, undulating, grinding purple phantom tentacles seemed to scour the landscape without really causing any destruction. It was as if a giant squid was attacking a fish tank, and he was the fish inside that tank!
He lay there in the grass, helpless and in awe of the sheer terror of it all. Even H.P. Lovecraft could not envision this night-terror!
One of the tentacles seemed to detect his movement as it suddenly stopped and then swiftly pierced down in his general direction. He cradled himself into a balled and coward. Luckily, the tentacle missed him by a few feet and pierced the wooden wall of his cellhouse instead, going after Caelan.
Caelan had changed back into a human, running for her dear life, and abandoning him there in the grass as the tentacles swiped down at her. Reality struck Kiandra very hard...these things have come to kill them!
Another tentacle then wrapped around another cellhouse to the right, collapsing its support pillars as the whole house came crashing down. It was a terrible sight to behold as the phantom tentacle stole the Fae fire that warmed the house, devouring it whole!
'It eats magic!' Kiandra realized, looking at the lights surrounding his body as it too looked like magic 'That means I am also on the menu!'
With the phantom tentacles moving on for just a moment, Kiandra saw someone partially buried under the timbers as she looked knocked out from the collapse.
"Oh no!" he gasped.
He crawled through the grass, careful not to make too many swift movements as he called out to her.
"Hey, are you alright!?" he asked as the Merrow did not respond. From her hands, a bluish-white Egg had rolled away and came to rest in the grass.
The movement of the Egg was enough to attract one of the tentacles, as it curled back and began to seek whatever had disturbed the air. Kiandra watched as the tentacle was on course to devour the Egg whole.
He could not allow another Egg to be destroyed right before his eyes. He already lost one of the eggs that he so foolishly took from Caelan. And with the Merrow Breeder knocked out, or possibly dead, Kiandra felt that it was now his duty to do something about it.
He squirmed quickly over to the defenseless Egg and grabbed it, pulling it closer to his chest. He decided that he would do something with his meaningless life and protect a new life, with his own.
Yet, as the tentacle came down to snuff out his life and the Egg, his will to live took over as he dodged the tentacle and decided that the safest place for the Egg and himself was in the ruins of another Breeder's cell.
He crawled through the grass with the Egg, crawling towards the other Breeder as she did not look in the best of shape. Behind him, the tentacles snaked across the earth, searching for its prey. Luckily, Kiandra was a quick learner and hid himself and the Egg in the ruins of the shelter.
"What are they!?" he cried out, looking up at the swarm of tentacles that were attacking the little village. Never in his life did he ever imagine that there was something this horrific living in the universe.
[Ugh...] groaned the other Breeder, hearing Kiandra's voice.
"Shh..." he hushed her softly "...try to stay still! They seem attracted to movement, but not sound." The Breeder opened her blue eyes and glanced over at Kiandra.
[Ugh...who are you?] she asked in her strange language.
"Save your energy! Try not to speak!" he replied, cradling the Breeder's Egg between him and her as his eyes took in the horror of the night.
'So, this is why it is dangerous to be out at night! What are those things!?'
***
Back at the palace, Meara, Queen Muireann, and Seer Niamh were still debating on what to actually do with Kiandra that would please all parties involved. The talks seemed to be going nowhere as Caelan came rushing into the inner chamber, gasping for her breath.
"Forgive me, your highness!" she quickly knelt down on the floor, her red cowl seeming to float behind her. Her ankle was bloodied with Kiandra's blood.
"It's the Balor!" Caelan cried out "It is attacking the Breeders, my Queen!"
"Kiandra!" Meara gasped as she did not wait for permission as she ran out of the palace and into the night. She worked on conjuring her Fae magic, forming a ball of Fae fire to attack the demon.
When she finally came into the Breeders small village where she had left Kiandra, she looked upon a devastating sight!
***
[Ugh...] the Merrow in the ruins groaned in agony.
Kiandra gripped her arm as he was trying to pull her free from the ruins. He had first decided on staying in the ruins to hide from the Balor, but now the tentacles were purposely zeroing in on the buildings, looking for their trapped prey inside. He knew that staying here was no longer a viable option for either of them.
"I...I can't move you!" he cried, cursing his weakness. "I am sorry, but I am too weak!"
[Please...] The Merrow already knew that she was dying from her wounds. She grabbed Kiandra's hand, placing it on the Egg as she then placed her own hand over his [I Ashling, ask Manannan Mac Lir to pass on the care and responsibility of this Egg to this Breeder. Please little Saoirse, accept this Breeder as your new mother in my place.]
Ashling watched as Kiandra's own unique Merrow Lights began to envelope the Egg, causing it to glow. Kiandra glanced down at the Merrow as he did not understand what was going on here. But nevertheless, he allowed the young Merrow to do as she pleased.
Ashling then lifted the Egg once more to her pale pink lips as she kissed it and then glanced over at Kiandra as she placed it into his arms to carry it, in her place.
[Go!] she begged of the young man [Take the Egg, and run!]
"No!" he cried, not wanting the Egg, afraid that if he takes it, the Merrow will give up on living "I am not leaving you here to die! You have a duty to hatch this thing!"
"Kiandra Muirgen!" yelled Meara as she and a group of warrior Merrows came into the village. She glanced towards the battered cell that Kiandra once occupied. She was frozen in terror, seeing the wall caved in and the Fae fire stolen from within.
Kiandra heard his name being called out in the darkness as he looked to the other side of the village as he then saw Meara and a group of brave Merrow warriors battling the Balor demon.
"Meara!" Kiandra cried out, so happy to see her.
Meara heard his weak voice, seeing that he was knelt beside a trapped Breeder, protecting that Breeder's Egg and trying to rescue her. Her eyes caught the glimpse of the Balor focusing on Kiandra, the Egg, and the Breeder.
"Kiandra! Run!" Meara cried out, charging over towards her, but it was already too late.
"Eh?" he asked as his eyes then caught a glimpse of the tentacle of Balor crashing down towards him.
He grabbed the Egg and turned just in time as the ground trembled as the toothy tentacle slithered only centimeters away from his spine.
He cried out in horror, feeling the evil intent radiating from the tentacle of Balor as he cradled the Egg, his instincts once more kicking in.
Meara and the other Merrows ran over to Kiandra as he held onto the Egg tightly, while trying to avoid the deadly tentacle. He would have run, but the injury to his ankle had left him in pain whenever he places weight upon it.
The other Merrows let Meara save Kiandra as they used their blazing Fae fire to repel the tentacle back into the sky.
Meara jumped at the squirming tentacle, drawing out an enchanted blade that was blessed with divine light. She drove the blade into Balor's thick hide and the energy of that blade caused the tentacles to illuminate like the morning sun, causing it to dissolve into glittery golden dust.
With Balor repelled, the Merrows took stock of the destruction of their Breeders and their little village.
"Kiandra!" Meara checked up on him "Are you alright?"
"I am..." as he honestly didn't know "...I...I will survive. Is—is she alright?" he asked, holding the other Breeder's Egg as the other Merrows pulled her body from out from under the rubble.
"She will recover." Meara told him. "Come, we need to retreat from here before Balor returns."
"Balor?" Kiandra asked.
"Those things that attacked you...that was Balor." Meara said, helping him up to his feet.
Kiandra put his weight upon his ankle as he cried out in agony, falling backwards as the Merrow swiftly caught him as he continued to hold tightly onto the Egg that belonged to the other Breeder.
"Are you alright!?" she asked him as she could see that he was in tremendous pain.
"It...is just my leg." he told her. "I can barely put any pressure on it. It will be slow going..." Kiandra lifted him into her arms as she glanced over at the other Merrows and victims.
[Retreat back to the palace!] Meara ordered everyone as only the palace was safe from Balor's wrath.
Meara occasionally looked down at Kiandra as the young man held onto the Egg, protecting it. The markings on the Egg said that the child inside was named Saoirse.
Yet, when she looked at Kiandra's fingers and arms holding the Egg close to his chest, the Egg shimmered and glowed. She was stunned as what she was seeing wasn't ever heard of! Of a Breeder taking on two Eggs in a single Hatching! And yet, it seemed that it was happening nevertheless to Kiandra.
However, she was mystified as from Kiandra's own bruised skin, blue shimmering Merrow Lights were released and actively healing his own body.
'How is this happening?' Meara wondered 'He is only a human boy! Could it be that mother was correct in her judgement!? That our Deity had actually summoned him here to Tír fo Thuinn to become a Breeder?!'
"I am sorry, Kiandra." Meara softly said, running to the palace while carrying him.
"No, please do not apologize." Kiandra softly replied, tired "Meara...I...I did something terrible!"
"Hush!" she kindly quieted him as she needed to say this. "Our Queen will not allow you to go back home until all of this is settled. I...I promised that I would get you back home soon, but I cannot honor my promise to you at this time. For that, please forgive me, Kiandra!"