The approaching sounds from the village remained distant but persistent. Voices carrying on the morning breeze, the creak of boat hulls against wooden docks. Shimmer had grown increasingly agitated since warning them about the delegations, her luminous form darting between the depths and surface of the pool with obvious distress.
"She's not just worried about politics," Osa observed, watching the water nixie's movements. The bracelet she'd given him pulsed with warmth whenever her emotions intensified. "There's something else. Something personal."
Professor Nyala settled beside the pool, her recovery from the Veil corruption having restored both her strength and scholarly curiosity. "Ask her about her experiences with domain representatives. The water spirits must have encountered them before."
