Chapter 617 - The Second Harvest Moon Ⅱ

Soon in the distance singing can be heard. Curious and cautious, Rowan slowly made her way through the town towards the source of the noise, before arriving at the town square. She came to an abrupt halt upon seeing most of the village merpeople floating in front of a crude statue of a gigantic mermaid hewn from an enormous boulder. The choir of merpeople is singing in front of the statue as they reverently place offering before the gigantic mermaid statue that has a beautiful pale albino snake with a glistering sapphire-colored gem on its forehead, and matching eyes resting on the neck of the statue. Until at long last, the exquisitely beautiful serpent descended from the statue's neck to partake from the offered feast.

Rowan has the wild urge to laugh but bites her lips to stop herself. This was a sacred ritual to them even if she did think that Nadira was the only one receiving all the benefits. After Nadira takes a bite of the food, she curls up as if to stand and begins to sing back in parseltongue, "Thrice I have been served, thrice I have been given, thrice I have sought, and thrice I have been fed. That which has been gifted must be repaid, and with my blessing's though shall be repaid!"

The gemstone on Nadira's forehead began to glow as a gentle light began to fall upon all the merpeople as if gifting them with magic, before vanishing. The merpeople eyes are full of delight and worship as the fierce gray-skinned Merchieftainess blinks her yellow eyes at her people. Her long wild, dark green hair is tied up by a shark fang pin, and around her neck was a necklace of shark fangs. While her silver fishtail twitches as Merchieftainess Murcurs says, "My people we are blessed on this holy night! Let the feast commence!"

With delight, the Merpeople begin to feast and dance, while others hurried home to fetch family members and food and drinks to bring to the feast. Merchieftainess Murcurs is speaking to the elders of the village, when the guardian snake, Nadira departs off from the statue. The merpeople warily quiet down as one of the village warriors, a Seven-foot tall merman with a long green beard, a choker of shark fangs raises his spear in defense to do battle.

Nadira happily circles Rowan and curls around her to Rowan's somewhat disturbance., "At last, you have come protector! Why did you take so long?" Nadira asked.

"I am a Prefect," Rowan admitted. "I have been wrought with many responsibilities tending to the first-year younglings of my house and Hogwarts."

"Ah," Nadira nodded her head knowingly. "The House Elves have spoken of such a thing. It is good, guardian. Protecting the youngling's is a solemn feat to undertake."

"Most certainly," Rowan replied in agreement before Nadira loosened her hold on Rowan as Merchieftainess Murcurs approached them followed by several guards holding spears. "Greetings Child of the Founders," Merchieftainess Murcurs formally said in Mermish.

Rowan winced, before replying in an accented voice, "Greetings Chieftainess of the Lake."

Merchieftainess Murcurs nods her head in pleasure at the correct Mermish courtesy, but still straightforwardly asked, "Child of the Founders, why have you come uninvited and unannounced?" The mervillagers intently listen to their conversation as they wait in silence with their hair moving slightly from the water currents.

"My solemn apologies, Chieftainess of the Lake, but I had made a vow to Nadira that I would visit her," Rowan carefully answered. "And I have tarried long enough until now."

"Yes, the protector is my guest," Nadira firmly interrupted allowing no room for further argument.

Merchieftainess Murcurs tilts her head in acceptance, before turning to her people. "We welcome the Child of the Founders," Merchieftainess Murcurs announced. "Let us return to our celebration!" The villager's cheer and return to celebrating as they begin to use giant shells as drums, and various other strange instruments to make music under the lake.

Merchieftainess Murcurs gestures for Rowan to follow her as Nadira happily begins to swim beside them. Rowan truly tries not to shudder at seeing the full length of Nadira, but it was hard too when all she could think was about the movie with the giant snake in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, "Anaconda." And after having met Mothersnake and the Basilisk, there was part of her that was violently disturbed by the idea of such giant magical snakes that never fully allowed her to be at ease. It was probably a psychological shadow left behind by the Basilisk, but still, she tended to avoid thinking about the subject for her own physical and mental wellbeing unless when forced to.

Merchieftainess Murcurs greets her people as she passes by, before leading Rowan to a large stone home with countless rune carvings on the wall. Rowan nods her head in appreciation at the roughly carved runes, and despite their rough craftsmanship, she could still feel the power emanating from the runes. Whatever, the runes were for, they were certainly in usage as more than a few runes were faded and broken and had been repeatedly carved anew.

Glancing around Rowan takes in the Mermish home, all the furniture was made from stone. There was fire-forged pottery that was handmade and bore the exquisite, and rare signs of being hand-carved in the style of the Centaurs. There was no doubt and only further proof that there existed an active and healthy trade between the merpeople and the centaurs.

But Rowan could not help but wonder just what it was that the centaurs traded for with the merpeople. Fish seemed highly unlikely. Perhaps, rare stones that were forged under the lake seemed far more likely. Through of her chances of finding out were low as a business trade was considered private and rather privileged information.

However, the most impressive work of art was the ceiling of the stone home. There hanging from the ceiling where hundreds of beautiful stone crystals that twinkled and glowed in the dark. The glowing star-like crystal gems move and flicker with the gentle current of the water creating a breathtaking night sky that simply took Rowan's breath away.