The moment I saw Taiyoung Choi’s painting of what’s actually an alien for some sci-fi fiction books, I thought of the scryer from the Lightning Sword in Fate’s Fables. Here’s a short excerpt from the fable:
Lortaun climbed to the oracle set high in the mountain of Alderath
to consult the scryer, a magical sea beast whose premonitions
and wise counsel had granted the royal family much good fortune.
The king’s ancestors had captured the creature and forced it to
dwell within the Well of Eyes. For centuries, promises of freedom
were exchanged for its invaluable foresight. As time passed, it was
never a concern how the imprisoned scryer felt about being torn
from the wild, free sea and housed within the confines of the well. A
consideration that would have proved prudent for those further down
the branches of the family tree.
