Human, he recognised. Humans here … with Shalake.
His heart sank. He knew what usually came next.
‘Mahalar,’ Shalake said. ‘We found this one outside the reef. We await your wisdom.’
Of course, Mahalar thought with a sigh. ‘Wisdom’ is not often needed to sentence terrified humans to death. All the same …
He came before the human, smelled his frightened breath, the salt on his skin, heard the quaver in his voice.
‘Your name?’ he asked.
‘S-Sebast,’ the human replied. ‘Of the Riptide, under the captaincy of one Argaol—’
‘Sebast,’ Mahalar repeated. ‘What is it you’ve come seeking?’
‘Our m-men,’ the human stammered. ‘Three men, two women, one … thing. They disembarked weeks ago. We were supposed to pick them up weeks ago. But our crew … dead … slaughtered. And now, me …’
He let that thought hang, unfinished, in the air, clearly hoping for a denial, a shake of Mahalar’s scaly, wrinkled head, anything that might suggest he would walk away from this.
Mahalar simply pulled a pipe from his robe and lit it, taking a few deep, long puffs.
‘Where were you to meet them?’ Mahalar asked.
‘T-Teji, sir. It’s supposed to be a trading post not far from—’
‘We know what Teji is, human,’ Shalake hissed. ‘But apparently you do not. These waters are forbidden to humans.’
‘We didn’t know!’ Sebast squealed. ‘We didn’t know, I swear! Let me go and I’ll take my men away from here and never return.’
Mahalar looked to Shalake. ‘His men?’
‘Dead,’ Shalake answered.
‘W-what?’ Sebast stammered.
‘It is our way, unfortunately,’ Mahalar said. ‘We stand atop sacred ground, Sebast. Our charge sleeps deeply, and we take care that no one disturbs her.’
‘Your charge?’