As Gladriel was head of Earon, their dwelling was the most lavish in this quadrant. Constructed out of the trees that grew on the Sacred Isle, the timber slats were layered over each other, and the pontoon had small decks off each level.
The clans were granted a certain quota of the lagoona trees. The leaders then divided this between the individual families. So it was no surprise that Gladriel’s house was three stories of floating opulence. Talina’s room was at the top, in keeping with her low family status. Only those of high standing scored a room near the water. Behind their home were low rows of tethered pontoons, spreading as far as the eye could see. The emerald flags of Earon swayed lazily in the cooling breezes. The majority of their community lived here, with just a few lone Spurns scattered throughout the quadrant.
Raror was already at the edge. Talina watched as his lithe muscles rippled, and he shot himself up out of the water and onto the higher decking, a feat her weaker body had no chance of achieving. He lowered the ladder for her to climb. With a sigh, Talina grabbed the bottom rung and pulled herself up. As she climbed, the fine webbings between her fingers disappeared, and each digit emerged. She was the only Spurn whose webbing completely disappeared when out of the water. Her long emerald hair trailed behind her, but unlike the pure color of the other Earons, Talina’s was flecked with black throughout.
According to Gladriel, this was courtesy of her unknown father, who was not of Spurn. They’d had a brief affair before he disappeared, never to be seen again. Spurns rarely stayed in long-term relationships; they tended to have mating seasons, and then moved on.
Raror reached down, and hooked Talina under the arms, dragging her onto the middle decking – his level.
“Gladriel has requested us downstairs, Talli.” Raror spoke aloud, his lispy voice courtesy of the Spurns’ tongue structure and vocal cords, something she also lacked.
Talina groaned and hung her head. “I just need one day without her constant disapproval.”
Raror pulled her into a tight hug; she shivered slightly against his skin. It was always so much colder than her own, but she appreciated his gesture. Spurns were not normally a demonstrative people.
“Come, we might as well find out what she wants. Get it over with.” He clasped her hand and led her downstairs.
Talina kept her head lowered, not making eye contact with any of the Earons scattered throughout her mother’s vast quarters.
“Nice to see you, Raror my son.” Gladriel, shifted in her bright pink coralline chair, a living entity made by microscopic sea creatures that continued to grow even outside the ocean.
Gladriel lifted her emerald hair over one shoulder; it was free-flowing down to her knees, as any good ruler’s would be. Then Gladriel turned her cold yellow eyes toward Talina.
“And you. Take a seat, and do not speak unless I require you to.”
Eyes downcast, Talina scurried along before falling down to sit cross-legged on the floor. She had chosen a back corner, where no one could come at her from any side but the front. Raror took his appointed seat next to Gladriel in a smaller coralline chair. The rest of the floor space was taken up by the heads of the minor family units within Earon.
“Thank you all for gathering so quickly. My son has returned from the city with grave news of thefts of cucreamer and wood from the Sacred Isle.”
A gasp rippled throughout the room. They all understood the gravity of the situation. Cucreamer and wood, vital to their existence, only grew on the Sacred Isle, and Spurns could not survive without that small stretch of land.
“However, in the time since the meeting at Silver City, there has been a capture on the Isle.”
Gladriel’s slightly pointed teeth gleamed as she smiled around the room. She looked proud, as if she had made the arrest herself.
“Foreigners, from a distant planet, apparently. And the chosen of the clans are to convene for the trial.”
Whispers and murmurs echoed throughout. The last foreigner to visit from another planet was Talina’s father.
Talina sighed; she knew what this announcement meant for her. Raror would be gone, and life was almost unbearable without the protection of her brother. Nothing that she couldn’t handle, of course, but the constant taunts and loneliness would wear her down after a while. Plus Gladriel loved to leave her with all the worst jobs. In particular she hated de-barnacling the base of their pontoon.
As if Raror had heard her thoughts, he raised his head to glance in her direction. A small smile played on his lips.
What was he up to?
He straightened his shoulders and met Gladriel’s gaze. “Mother, I cannot attend this trial with you.” He spoke without hesitation.
The rest of the gathered members looked up at him in confusion. More and more lately he had been taking on the responsibilities of the clan.
Talina waited for her mother to explode, but Gladriel simply smiled out into the expanse of the room.