Pearl looked like she had been about to say something else when Kisara spoke, and then looked at her like the other woman was something unpleasant that had become attached to her shoe.<br/><br/>"You seem remarkably ill-informed. Some foreign mercenary, I suppose? Well, the temple has already proved so inadequate....if she is found beautiful, she will be called to be the Sea Lord's bride for a year, perhaps even warranting the privilege of being mother to another divine child. Even if she is not, her sacrifice will be graciously accepted to reinforce the compact between him and the people of land, protecting all of us from the blight of the dead.<br/><br/>"As for the rabble who presumed to abduct her, it is not for such as you to worry about. My brother and sister even now talk with the Lords of Land and have no doubt, this affront will be duly punished, with all the severity that their blasphemy does warrant."<br/><br/>As Pearl finished her speech, the boat lowered slightly, and Kersinta let in a sharp gasp of fear, clenching her fists and teeth, but not moving from her place at the  helm of the boat. The water was shaping around them, forming a hollow that was growing deeper and wider. It was as if a bubble of air was passing down into the water, displacing the sea as it went. In a surreal touch a fish popped out of the side of the bubble as it formed, and flopped on the boat, confused about where the water had gone. It seemed that this was how they would be travelling to meet Maur-Azur.