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She went out on the water again, alone. Her sacrifices didn’t rise anything from the depths of the ocean the past few times, so she had given up. All she wanted now was just a sign of the legendary Halberd of Silence herself. The boat rocked over to the very same spot she tried every time. Cold rain dripping down her face, she threw her hood off and let herself get utterly drenched.
“Please…” she murmured, to the bumpy waves. “Please…” she whispered, as the salty water pricked her lips. “Just a sign…” she muttered, peering for any stirring below the surface. And stirring there was. Fiona pressed her face as close as she could get it to the water without falling out of her boat. A creature… bigger than her… bursting to the surface… A beautiful grey-skinned woman splashed out of the depths.
She had sopping wet hair, and all sorts of marine plants entangled in it. She also had a blindfold on, for reasons unknown. Her fingers morphed into strange claws at the end, and she definitely had way too many teeth for her mouth. Very strange, but not the Halberd. She was also extraordinarily pretty, with the kind of beauty found in the grace and cunning of top predators. Unfortunately, Fiona honestly had no idea who the mystery woman was.
Swimming over to the rock protruding out of the ocean, she lifted herself onto it in a sprawling lounge position. Fiona frowned curiously, wanting to vocalize her question. “Are you a human?” The woman frowned right back and twisted around to reveal her lower half, showing off a snake tail instead of legs.
“Clearly not. And who might you be yourself?” “I’m Fiona Gilman… I’ve been trying to summon the Halberd of Silence for months now, it hasn’t been working,” she said, suddenly embarrassed. She moved her wet hair out of her face only for it to fall back in.
Snake-woman smiled. “She left the area a long time ago. However, even though your sacrifices had me confused at first, I caught on eventually and I do appreciate them. Is there anything you want from me?” She tapped her finger on the side of her face in fake contemplation. Through the blindfold she had on, glowing purple eyes- when did they start glowing? stared at her. Fiona’s own eyes tried to leave the snake-woman’s face, but it felt impossible to stop staring. “Dear, tell me. What do you want?”
Fiona blushed, the rain doing little to calm her red cheeks. “I-I’ll think about it…” The creature swam over to the boat, and sat on the edge. Suddenly embarrassed by the close proximity, Fiona nearly gasped as Snake-woman put her hands on her cheeks. “Don’t worry. I’ll be right here for whenever you’re able to decide. Oh, and by the way, my name is Yidhra.” She disappeared into the depths as quickly as she arrived, hardly even making a noise this time.
Fiona sat where she was, reeling in shock. Did that really just happen? Or was she a mirage? Either way, she had better start thinking of what she wanted for the next time she decided on a late-night boat ride. She paddled back to shore, her mind full of snakelike mermaids and underwater worlds. Oh Fiona, money and power pale in comparison to what you truly desire in your heart.