Chapter 1071: 1070: Beast Tides

"What exactly has The Dominion been doing?"

The dining room was silent for a moment, then Zarven spoke.

"Their first attack came without warning," Zarven said. "They struck several sections of The Wall together. By the time we understood what was happening, parts of it were already cracking."

Simon looked toward the golden barrier.

"They nearly destroyed it?"

"Yes. Without the four protectors, there would be no Vhal-Sar left to show you."

Zarven’s voice remained steady, but Maelis lowered her eyes.

"The protectors forced them back before they could break through. We restored the damaged formations, and they repelled the next few attacks as well."

"But?"

"Now, most of our trouble comes from the beast tides."

"Beast tides?"

"Sea beasts. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, approaching the island together."

Simon frowned.

"The Dominion gathers them?"

"One of their members controls three powerful sea beasts. Those creatures gather the weaker ones and drive them against The Wall."

Zarven gestured toward the dark water beyond the windows.

"They have an entire sea to draw from. We kill one group, and another arrives."

"The weaker beasts shouldn’t be able to break that barrier."

"Individually? No. But holding them back still consumes energy. When they attack for hours, and another tide follows before the formations have recovered, the strain builds."

Simon began to understand.

Withstanding a powerful blow wasn’t the same as enduring an endless assault.

Eventually, even their wealth wouldn’t help if they couldn’t replenish the barrier’s energy fast enough.

"That’s why you go out to kill them."

"We thin their numbers before they reach us," Seraya said. "Waiting behind The Wall would only give them time to gather."

"And the Brineback Mauler? Was it one of the three creatures commanding them?"

"No," Zarven replied. "It was among the strongest beasts in the lesser tides, but it wasn’t one of the three."

Simon glanced at his spatial ring.

"The three under that Dominion member’s control are Daemonic Sea Beasts."

His gaze returned to Zarven and the surprise in his eyes could not be hidden.

"Daemonic?"

"Yes. Not ordinary demonic beasts."

Three of them?

"What are they? How strong?" Simon asked with interest.

"The first is an Ironhook Kraken. An enormous, eight-armed creature. One arm alone is long enough to wrap around several ships."

Zarven drew a finger around the rim of his glass.

"Its suckers are lined with curved hooks. Once they catch a hull, pulling away tears the ship apart. We’ve seen it drag whole vessels under without bringing its body to the surface."

Simon’s eyes glimmered with interest.

He had never heard of such a creature before, and he was interested in it.

"How does it look like when it surfaces?"

"A purple-black head wider than this hall. You can see the water rising over it before you realize what you’re looking at."

Simon tried to picture it.

"And the second?"

"A Redfin Serpent. Grey scales, a red fin running along its spine. Its body is so long that you can see several coils above the water and still have no idea where its tail ends."

Tavian put his cup down.

"The first time it approached, our lookouts mistook its back for a reef."

"Until it moved," Zarven added.

"How does it attack?"

"It can swallow a ship, but it usually cuts them apart first. It sends blades of water ahead of it. Some travel beneath the surface, where you don’t see them until they strike."

Simon’s interest deepened.

"And the last?"

"A Mourning Siren."

He waited.

"It’s much smaller. From a distance, the upper half resembles a woman with long white hair. Below the waist, it has a dark blue tail."

"That doesn’t sound as troublesome as the other two."

"Then you haven’t heard it sing."

Zarven’s expression hardened.

"The beasts follow its voice. It can turn an entire tide toward a different part of The Wall without coming near the island."

"And anyone who goes after it?"

"The singing interferes with their minds. One of our captains kept insisting he could hear his dead wife calling him."

Simon’s expression changed.

"He survived," Zarven said. "But he nearly pulled his own crew into the water trying to reach her."

For a moment, Simon looked at the dark lake outside.

"How strong are they compared to Demon Kings?"

"The protectors consider the kraken and serpent dangerous even to Superior Demon Kings. The siren is harder to judge. It rarely stays to fight once someone reaches it."

Simon had never encountered Daemonic Sea Beasts before.

He wanted to see them.

Preferably with a better understanding of what they could do than he had now.

"Have the protectors tried killing them?"

"Yes. But pursuing one too far leaves another part of the island exposed. The Dominion’s members are still out there too."

Zarven rubbed his thumb against his ring.

"We’ve lost soldiers, ships, weapons. We spend resources repairing what survives, then send our people back out before they’ve properly rested."

"And there’s no fixed time for the attacks?"

"None. We might have a quiet day. We might repel a tide and find another gathering an hour later."

That explained the guards.

The hands resting on weapons. The sharp looks at anything moving overhead.

Simon remembered a city on Earth where he had endured much the same thing.

He had slept with his weapon beside him, sometimes without even removing his boots. More than once, an alarm had sounded before he finished washing the blood from the previous battle.

Eventually, he had begun hearing it in his sleep.

The waiting had been nearly as exhausting as the fighting.

Across the table, Zarven looked toward the doors.

"They’re afraid of being the one who notices too late."

Simon understood that too.

"How many Dominion members have attacked? What are their heart ranks? Are they all Daemons?"

He leaned forward.

"And the one controlling those creatures… has anyone fought them directly?"

"For that, you should speak with your companions from the Abyss," Zarven said. "They’ve faced them. I can give you reports, but they can tell you what those enemies are actually capable of."

"Where are they?"

"Stationed at different points around Vhal-Sar. They cover the places that are most likely to be attacked."

"When can I meet them?"

"I’ll send word that you’ve arrived and arrange a meeting. Someone must remain on watch, so it may not be with all four at once."

"I’d appreciate that."

A soft clap interrupted them.

Maelis had set down her fan.

"That is enough talk of hidden Orders, battles, deaths, sea monsters, and treasures for one meal."

She gestured toward Simon’s plate.

"Your food must be cold. You’ve barely eaten anything."

Simon looked down at the fish Neris had served him.

"I seem to have forgotten about it."

"Our cooks would be heartbroken."

"I’ll try to make it up to them."

"By eating, I hope. Not by asking whether the fish had a dangerous relative."

A laugh escaped Simon before he could stop it.

Even Zarven smiled.

Maelis adjusted the dish nearest her.

"While we wait to hear from the protectors, Seraya can show you the city. You’ve only seen it from above."

Seraya turned toward her mother, then glanced at Simon.

He shrugged lightly.

"That would be fine."

A small cough came from his other side.

"I could show him around too," Neris said.

Maelis looked at her.

"Blackmoon only needs one guide. Your sister should be enough."

"But Seraya only cares about fighting and training."

Seraya slowly turned her head.

"Excuse me?"

"When was the last time you visited the western gardens?"

"When was the last time you visited the training grounds?"

Neris continued as though she hadn’t heard.

"I know Vhal-Sar much better. There are places he won’t have seen from the sky. I could show him things that would leave him speechless."

Simon watched her sit a little straighter.

Across the table, Tavian lifted his cup.

"Should we be impressed that you spend more time wandering the city than doing anything useful?"

Neris froze.

Simon chuckled.

Her eyes immediately darted toward him.

"Tavian!"

"What? You were making a very convincing argument."

Her brother laughed into his cup. Maelis covered her smile with her hand, though it did little to hide the sound.

"I do plenty of useful things," Neris muttered.

"I’m sure the shopkeepers agree," Seraya said.

Simon lowered his gaze to his plate, unsuccessfully hiding another slight smile on his face.

Neris looked betrayed.

"Fine," Maelis said, taking pity on her. "You can both show him around. Stay within The Wall, and don’t cause any trouble."

Her attention settled firmly on her younger daughter.

Neris blinked innocently.

"I’ve never caused trouble."

Maelis scoffed.

"Of course not. I must have imagined all those apologies I’ve had to make."

Neris opened her mouth, but her mother picked up her cutlery.

"Now, all of you, eat."