Book 2 Chapter 21

The water priests had already moved back towards the town on Nerida’s instructions, taking along the guards as they looked for survivors and or straggling enemies. On the empty beach, Maria stood alongside a Garm carrying Tirr as they looked down at Nerida’s bowed form once again.

“What do you mean it was your fault?” Tirr asked, before suddenly growling, his eyes growing sharp as he looked at the woman kneeling before him as he remembered what he had heard at the warehouse. “Were you the one that decided it wasn’t worth risking your Shard Users to defend this Town?”

“No…” Nerida sighed, “But it was my fault that that decision was made…”

“What!?” Tirr questioned, fist clenched. “You…” He started to yell, until a hand pressed softly down on his shoulder. He looked up to see Maria smiling down at him gently.

“Why don’t we hear her out first… I don’t think she’s the type of person to throw people's lives away for a reason like that…”

Tirr frowned, taking a breath before turning back towards the priestess, who sat patiently awaiting her punishment. “Talk then…” He said quietly, “What happened?”

“Yes…” Nerida sat up, lifting her face from the sand as she spoke sorrowfully. “When we received the first reports on the attack on the town. In my haste, my father and I set about immediately organizing a defense effort.”

“If you were preparing to come so early, why did it take so long to get here?” Maria asked.

“I’ve told you before, but there are other powers within the Water Conclave bedsides my Father and I. Old Priests whose families have been part of the Temple since its inception. In comparison, my faction is smaller and newer, but growing steadily thanks to the growing distrust of the populace with those same older families. It also helps that among the faction’s leaders, I’m the only Shard User, having been the first before we found out just how… Dangerous… The Shard could be. Being the only leader among those that could use the Water Spirits powers, I offered to organize our forces to push the beasts back.”

Nerida let out a gentle sigh, sounding remorseful, “This was my mistake…”

Tirr seemed to blink, his eyes widening as realization dawned at him, “Those Bastards…” He growled, drawing a whine from the weakened Garm in his arms.

Maria looked at him questioningly, “I don’t get it. How was that a mistake?”

“Politics…” Nerida said sadly. “By offering to lead the forces I ended up turning it into a political issue instead of what it should have been a matter of the safety of our people. My popularity among the people is already the highest among the Temple, Being the leader of the forces that repelled a beast invasion might get me enough support to take full control, or at least that’s how I’m guessing they saw it…”

She laughed, “The factions rarely get along well enough to agree on anything, but I guess they thought the threat was enough to pool themselves together and deny my request. I’ve never seen so many of them speak for so long without hurling insults at each other in my life…”

“So they stopped you and let people die because they were scared it’d make you too popular?” Maria said, her face scrunched in disgust.

“They phrased it as being worried about the safety of Lutel’s best assets.” Nerida sighed again, “I argued with them for hours, trying to get them to agree to some kind of force being sent out, even without me. But in the end, they refused, forbidding me from endangering myself or any of those able to use the Shard. They said that the city guard would have to handle it…”

She looked over the deserted beach and ruined buildings, “I don’t think even they expected an attack on this scale…” When the reports of how far the damage had spread and how bad the attack was reached us, I left anyway, disregarding their orders to stay. Thankfully, some of the other priests felt the same as I did and came after me to help.”

“That’s…” Maria started.

“That was why it took me so long to arrive, I was even more horrified when I learned you were here as well…” Nerida lowered her head once more, “I should have been more thoughtful. If I had handled the situation better, then none of this would have happened… Please, I’ll accept whatever punishment you choose for my failure.”

Tirr felt his anger fading as he looked at her, he grunted, “If you feel like you messed up then just do better next time. But it’s obvious those shitty old men are at fault… This is what you were talking about right? Why you were waiting for me…”

“Yes…” Nerida said raising herself once more. “This is just one way the disease within the Water Temple has shown itself.”

“You said they forbid you from coming out?” Maria asked, “Are you going to be okay?”

“Thanks to how bad the damage was I think their worst fears will likely be coming true. My popularity among the people will be sure to skyrocket after this, though the Temple as a whole will take a further hit. They shouldn’t be able to punish me too harshly with the eyes of the people on them.”

Nerida stood up brushing the sand off her dark blue robes, “Though the real problem is how well known you three will become after this…”

“We were going to avoid it, but when we saw how late the Temple was we couldn’t sit back and watch more people die…” Tirr defended.

“Of course, I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.” Nerida said smiling, I cannot thank you enough for protecting my people. But I must admit this will draw more attention to you then I had originally planned.”

“So, are they going to come after us now?” Maria asked concerned

“Not immediately, but I would bet on them having you in their sights. Though I don’t think they can harm you physically, there are still a lot of people who believe what they say. The influence of older families spreads further than anyone can imagine. Unlike me, it wouldn’t be too hard for them to turn the public against you.”

“Thankfully I was already working to prevent that in the first place… I’ll just have to move up my timetable a bit. For now, the best thing would be to stay out of sight while I try to get things arranged.

“Out of sight how?”

“I did have an idea for that,” Nerida said, looking out into the ocean. That Sea Beast is well known around these parts, It rules a small island not too far off the coast. I tried searching through the cave systems there a few months after I found the Shard but couldn’t get past the Beasts.”

“Searching the caves for what?” Tirr asked again, curious.

“For more information about you…” Nerida answered smiling, “The memories I had were still somewhat distorted then, but I remember being drawn there.”

“You think there are clues there about Tirr’s past…” Maria finished her thought and Nerida nodded.

“Yes… That Beast has lived there for generations and has never caused trouble as long as people avoided its territory. Something must have driven it from its home for it to attack here so desperately…And I think whatever is in those caves is behind it.…”