“Anh-Ali-yeh,” Ghoshanna called into the darkness, her voice tremulous in the waiting silence of the swamp. She was the oldest seer of Khalahad, in her eighth decade, wiry and still strong. Strong enough to make the long journey south, far from her beloved mountains and forests. Old enough to sense immediately what the ancients of Nevven-Cairn feared. Why they had abandoned these shores.

Anh-Ali-yeh. The name meant “laughter” in the old tongue. This filled Ghoshanna with sorrow. For what should have been a sanctuary for the shining creatures of the half-waters was a den of poison now, of wanton hunger. Foul forms, mockeries of their kinds, coiled and snarled and snapped as she passed, her twin stones of flame held out before her. They were her only defense, bright with Nuur’s living fire, ringing with a song beyond hearing. They were her offering.

She knew the lair by the smell of fresh blood. In the wavering light of her stones, she glimpsed bits of bone and teeth, strands of hair like webs glinting at the edges of the pool. Her hands shook, and she clutched the stones so tightly they slipped with sweat. Something stirred in the dark waters, and she bit her lips, summoning her courage. Then she waded in, closing her eyes, tears spilling down her cheeks. 

Was it water at all, this mire that swirled around her legs, tasting her flesh? That grew into thick coils and drew her deeper, encircling her waist, crawling up her chest, reaching for her neck, hungry and cold?

It took all her strength to summon a name so full of joy in so foul a place, but her voice rang, strong and clear, as the water claimed her: “anh-Ali-yeh!” The name conjured a tumble of visions: countless half-water creatures, legs dangling, wet eyes reflecting the sky; emerald pools crowned with lilies and dragonflies; shining waters thundering over the falls, spraying mist high into the night.

Uncatchable, uncontainable, mighty anh-Ali-yeh!

Ghoshanna’s hands reached the waters last. She released the stones, and a crack sounded, like Nuur’s very hammer splitting the anvil of the earth.

The waters burned with holy fire.