The truth was, a patriarch with many children could not place a sliver of his will in each of them. The Merfolk King, Jaklas, had placed a spectral ward(phantom) upon his second son, Gulas, but Vorluk and Heket had been afforded no such protection.
King Jaklas's tone had been one of cautious diplomacy. Aboard his flagship, Orion considered the invitation, then stepped into the air, landing softly atop the great whale's head.
"I am Orion, King(Lord) of the Stoneheart Horde."
At the declaration of his name and title, the spectral image of Jaklas seemed to flicker with understanding. He did not speak, but instead opened his mouth and expelled a swirling globe of seawater. Within the vortex, the phantom of a mermaid pearl shimmered into existence. It was an image Orion knew intimately; it was the echo of the one he now carried.
Seeing it, Jaklas appeared to confirm his suspicions. He inhaled, drawing the misty globe and its spectral pearl back into himself.
