Interlude CDXXX: Song of the Sea
Song of the Sea
Twenty-Ninth Day of the Eighth Month 293 AC
When she had first heard there would be a fighting arena built in Sorcerer's Deep she had been a little uneasy about it. It brought to mind images of the fighting pit in Braavos, though she had rested more easily once it became clear that the only ones who would be doing any fighting would be people of various sorts, all of them in it for the gold or the cheers. She had even taken a hand in healing the wounded and making the battles more interesting with conjured spirits, but it had only been this past month during the festival that she had appreciated just how much these fights could mean to the people watching, all of them, not just the ones who placed bets or knew the fighters.
Going out to the Circle was about bringing to light all those strange rumors and uncanny happenstance, all the talk of magic and mystery and seeing it unveiled before their eyes, so it was less frightful and more a thing of wonder. And these days that sort of thing had spilled out past the walls of the Circle and into the city proper.
Parents held their little ones up and slightly older children cheered and pointed as the waters of the harbor parted to reveal a smooth green shell, then a big scaled head with golden eyes bright as lost coins on the sea-bottom. Breath-Taker had called this a Dragon Turtle, and it was certainly worth the name as far as Vee was concerned, and not just for its size.
It talked dragon, too, its voice surprisingly soft to be coming from such enormous jaws that looked strong enough to snap as ship's mast in half: "It seems fair to my eyes, this new city of the Winged King. Perhaps they have learned their lesson..."
"What lesson would that be?" Vee asked, speaking the strange hissing words carefully, for she had never much of a chance to use them outside of practice.
"Never to underestimate things smaller than one's self," the great turtle replied as it dragged itself ashore. "The sea teaches that lesson well, for even the greatest beings would surely perish without the smallest. It is a circle you see, young one, going round and round."
Vee nodded, she had known that already, but it was good to see someone else agree. As she laid her hand on the turtle's shell to carry it to the Circle she realized most of the people in the crowd, most of the men at least, weren't looking at the wise old creature. Following their gazes she saw dancing across the sands a woman made spun of water and sea foam.
Really now... that was more impressive than a dragon-turtle? Vee was briefly tempted to stick out her tongue, but instead she just shook her head briefly in annoyance before working the spell.
***
Aeron Naremos did not have high hopes for making it as far in the team fights as his brother had in the mage duels, not after seeing the Red Priestess and the dragon, and those hopes became even lower as a turtle the size of a hillock appeared on the other side of the arena. At least it hadn't done that on its own, thank Meraxes for small graces. On the other hand, who knew what the sea spirit that had planted itself atop it like a queen on her very own throne could do?
"What are you looking so scared of, eh?" Dirriz asked, a puff of many-colored smoke emerging from her mouth. "Don't you know you have a dragon, too?"
Aeron looked her over from frilled head to swiping tail, doing his best to imitate the expression of late Lord Naremos took whenever one or another of his sons did something that fell short of expectations. "I would say you need some more time growing," he said dryly. If a being that looked as much butterfly as dragon could even grow any larger, he thought but did not add.
"Boo!" the little thing hissed. "See if I'll help you fly to get out of the way of the big slow turtle."
"Fly?" Aeron asked, startled. "That is a spell of the third circle, you don't have those."
"I do now," Dirriz answered slyly. "Lots of people are impressed with dragons since Big Red swish-swashed the tin men, lots of power, lots of magic. I know more, see farther, am stronger."
"That was a very impressive working, Dirriz," the green woman, Silure said gently. "You should take care that it does not make you proud and spiteful, though, lest you lose your wings for it and be made to crawl and delve in the earth."
From the way the dragon-kin reacted her words actually had some chance to coming to be, or at least Dirriz thought they might. Aeron did not much care as long as she was not stingy with her new-found magic in the fight.
As though the thought had called them into being the horns began to blow... once, twice, thrice, and battle began. The first to heed its call was the Prince of Dorne swift as his namesake, though not with spear in hand but a bag of some alchemical concoction, tangling the great turtle's feet in it. Then the green-shrouded fey worked her own enchantments, calling up vines and tendrils from the sands to bind it even tighter, though the pair of sea-people managed to slip away, the warrior already charging as the sea-spirit stretchered out her hand and from that hand like a veil of enchanted foam fell upon the prince's talisman it clung, it sparked... it called to him. She sang then a song of enchantment like the crashing waves and the sweet trickle of rivers all at once.
Aeron was still warded and so to his ears it was only music, but he could see the fool Dornishman had been entranced, barely seeming to notice the spear in his side. Seeing no other choice, Aeron charged after, calling on his anger and the half-controlled magic that surged ever in his veins to try and curse the damn water witch. He watched with satisfaction as she flinched away, though not near enough to fall from her perch and stop the damn song.
He watched as Dirriz dived from on high trailing colored mist and magic to try and blind the warrior, but the Triton would not be bound by such enchantments. Then the priest spoke, his spell a stone shattering-shriek that almost knocked the little dragon from the sky... and the turtle opened its jaws to unleash a torrent of steam over the love-sick spear-man who just kept walking through it right into the maw of the beast.
"Go help him!" Silure called to Aeron as she grew her garden of grasping vines to hold the Triton warrior firm.
So Aeron went, so that it not be said the sons of Volantis shy away from pain or peril. The ever-burning rapier grew jagged in his hand as he charged the priest and ripped through his silver scales, once, then twice.
Around them the song of the foam-shrouded nymph shifted. It grew bold and triumphant, proclaiming in its wordless manner that even the mountains must bow their heads to the sea for they too will be worn down in time. So much for my curse, Aeron thought, frustrated as he watched the Dornishman walk right into the maw of the beast and get his spear arm snapped like a twig with one mighty bite.
The little dragon tried to trip up the priest again but he held his ground unmoved and called out to him to flee, the power of his god behind the words, but Aeron was swift to end the call before it had begun, his sword finding flesh once more.
Almost lazily the turtle batted aside the Dornish prince, though mercifully it still could not slip the vines.
If only the fool hadn't been enchanted, Aeron thought as he battled the priest, his anger making the blows go wide.
The priest had figured out that the fight would have to be of sword and spear not spell and he fraught with skill and fierceness spear sinking into Aemon's side once... then again, like fire though his flesh.
Silure was calling out something from behind him between the words of another binding spell: "Ware...."
That was as much as Aedon heard before a serrated blade held by an unseen hand sank into his back. At least he hadn't been enchanted, at least the song ha stopped.
He could just barely see the priest look skyward as he spoke and with a work shattered one of Dirriz's wings, though he was quick to rush to her with healing. Seeing this, that her foes were more concerned in sparing the fallen pain than in fighting her, Silure sighed: "I yield."
OOC: The reason Dirriz is stronger is because she rolled very well on some spellcraft and diplomacy checks to ride the wave of dragon-awe Amrelath generated.
Last edited:
]