“Might I just say, Milo, that recent events might just have you remembered as the very first person in all of recorded history to have spent amiable time atop ocean's terror,” Senan said.

“Really? Nobody's done it before? The serpents are so nice though.” Milo stretched his legs out from his seat on the bench and shook them out. He was still a bit numb from kneeling on Naia’s head for so long. Luckily, his boat friends all helped him get down safely. If it weren’t for them, he probably would have stumbled face first onto the deck when Naia lowered him back down.

Senan rested a fist on his chin. “Well, spoken as nothing more than a technicality, Gu might have been the first to survive such an encounter. However, it must be emphasized – clearly stated and reinforced with utmost certainty – that the situation was of a much less…mutually agreed upon nature. One that was certainly not amiable.”

Milo leaned forward. “What happened?”

“Well, once upon a time,” the scholar intoned, “I was privy to witness a sight most miraculous. Most appealing to the delicate sensibilities of both learned and base. The sight of our dear Gu being grasped in the jaws of a mighty serpent and flung into the air like a puppet sans string.”

The boy gasped.

“Yes, indeed. Our precious Boatman spent a glorious few seconds within the maw of one such terror of the deep waters – seconds, I’m sure, that felt like eternities – before being chewed up and spat out like overcooked, oversalted, sea-faring gristle.” Senan shivered. “In the end, for a brief but well-celebrated and personally documented moment in time, dearest spit-covered Gu landed atop the head of his honoured taste tester, thus distinguishing him, technically, as the first to ride atop a serpent.” The scholar’s eyes filled with mirth. “Of course, after barely a second had passed, said taste tester immediately catapulted him far into the ocean with a single flick of its scaly head.”

Milo looked over to Gu. “Is this really true?”

“En. Got eaten. Not very tasty. Got spat out.”

“Wow…” The boy was impressed.

Senan nodded in fond remembrance. “The splash was immaculate and made me weep near tears of joy.”

“Or tears of incontinence. Near sh–bricked yourself.”

“In any case,” Senan coughed, “There hasn’t been a single thing that I’ve found in our time together that has successfully managed to chew up this grisly, sundried Boatman jerky without losing some teeth. You know, one time there was a gi–”

“Enough stories. There’s things to do.”

“Huh?” Milo was abruptly thrown out of story listening mode. He blinked and reoriented himself. When the words turned to comprehension, the boy stood up in a flash. “Things to do???”

“En. Follow me.”

Gu brought the two over to the outdoor canopy behind the cabin. The top of the awning was nailed in place by a row of pins lining the backside of the cabin’s roof. Two ropes kept the bottom corners pulled taut. Beneath the cover, a workbench sat flush against the cabin’s outer wall. Several drawers and cabinets lined its front and sides, each with wooden locks twisted vertically to prevent them from opening after every passing wave. The backboard was covered with racks of kitchen tools locked just the same. A long wooden cutting board was laid on top of the flat working space at the center of the station. Gu grabbed it and leaned over the boat's railing to give it a quick rinse

“We’re going to learn how to gut fish and chum the waters,” Gu said when he returned. “Milo. Grab the bucket. Bottom right.”

The boy fiddled with the wooden lock and pulled a metal pail out of the cabinet. He looked to Gu for further direction.

“Fill it with water and come back.” Gu continued gathering everything that was needed. “Senan. Set up the pole.”

“Aye aye, cherished Boatman. This scholar obeys,” Senan saluted before dragging over a four-foot wooden pole. A side post with an iron hook jutted out near the top. He slotted the pole into a hole in the floor just outside the awning then fetched a cauldron from the left cabinet and hooked it up. Just in time, Milo returned with a full bucket.

“Allow me to give you a hand, dear boy. I fear that this particular setup was not made with tiny arms in mind. You push from the bottom and I’ll guide it from the top.”

“En.” Milo nodded and worked together with Senan to fill the cauldron up. He stood on his tiptoes and peered into the cauldron. It was filled just past halfway.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

“Come back to the cutting station,” Gu said. Water dripped onto the deck from the large fish he was carrying. He had two fingers underneath each gill with one hand and a firm grasp on the tail with the other.

Milo balked at the rows of exposed red filaments that were being forcefully wrenched open. “Doesn’t that hurt the fish?”

“Boy. It’s dead.”

“...Milo.”

Slam. Gu threw the fish up onto the cutting board and started wiping the area down with a cloth. The fish was quite large – about a foot and a half long – but otherwise nondescript. It had silvery grey scales with dark spots along the top half. That was about the most interesting thing about it. It was a very standard looking fish.

“I thought the ocean was supposed to be filled with beautiful things,” MIlo said, poking the trout. “This is just a fish.”

“It’s not just any fish…” Gu trailed off.

“Oh?” Milo was intrigued.

“It’s a fish that’s about to be dinner.”

“...” Milo was annoyed at himself for falling into Gu’s trap.

“Now watch. You’ll learn to do this next.” Gu grabbed a long, thin knife and a spoon from the tool rack. He grabbed the fish by the gills and turned it around so that its bottom was facing him. “Ready?”

Milo nodded. “En. But what’s the spoon for?”

“Scraping the gunk out.”

“...Oh.”

Gu took the tip of the knife and inserted it into the opening near the tailfin. “This is called the vent. It’s where the guts end. Cut from here to the head.” He sliced through the belly of the fish until he was a couple inches from the gills. “Make a slice on the left and right to free the guts, then take the whole thing out in one piece.” Gu made two tiny incisions at the top of the open cavity and tore out the organ sac with his other hand. He threw it into a tray and continued. “See that line at the spine?”

“En.”

“That’s the blood line. Cut along its length then scrape it out with the spoon.” Gu followed his own instructions then dumped the blood into the tray. “Last, make a cut on the chin and follow the gills until the head comes off. One head goes in the soup pot. All the rest go in the tray.” He walked over to the hanging cauldron and – plop – tossed in the fish head. “Got it?”

“No.”

“Good. Do your best.” Gu tidied the rest of the blood with a wet cloth and handed Milo the knife. “For practice, cut the fish up into big slices. About three or four fingers wide. I’ll get the next fish,” Gu said and walked away.

“...”

Senan patted Milo on the shoulder. “You’ll soon get accustomed to it, young Milo, worry not. The results are of little importance – whether it is failed, perfect, or something in between, the fish will be eaten all the same. Simply try and learn.” The scholar gestured to the endless expanse of ocean surrounding them from all sides. “On this journey there will be nigh infinite opportunities to come. One should not fear failure, but rather inaction.”

Milo felt a bit better. Energized, he nodded then took up the knife and started cutting.

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♢♢♢

Several fish and several gruesome cleaning jobs later, Milo had finally finished with the dinner preparations for the day. He sat on the bench and watched with exhaustion as Gu moulded the air above the cauldron. Sunlight morphed beneath his fingers and focused their rays into the water.

Milo was curious about what Gu was doing but he was too tired to ask. It was only his first day out on the open waters and already there were so many new things that he had experienced. The ocean sunrise, towering waves, a new friend, Gifts in action, a big fight, helping Naia, cleaning fish, and now Gu’s light show. The sun was just now about to reach its peak but it felt like a week had gone by.

Creak.

Milo felt the bench beneath him groan with the addition of a new guest. They sat in silence for a moment before Senan noticed Milo’s curious gaze.

“In many ways, the Gift possessed by The Boatman is ideal for traversing ocean’s peril,” the scholar explained. “One could easily imagine how fire on a boat wouldn’t make much sense.”

Milo nodded drowsily.

“Gu is currently bringing into being several lenses through the use of Gift – like glass or a mirror. Can you think of what they might be used for?”

“Nnn,” Milo mustered up something of a ‘no’.

“Well, even on a cold winter’s day such as this, the sun still brings some level of broad warmth.” He checked Milo’s face for signs of listening. “What Gu is doing now – an application of my own creation, might I humbly add – is using his Gift to focus these broad rays into narrow points, thus concentrating all of their heat onto the water and bringing it to a boil!”

“Oh. That’s nice,” the boy yawned.

“Indeed! Through this method, the expenditure of Gift is minimal – requiring only the slightest of tweaks in order to manifest the greatest of effects. Truly ingenious. The layering of several such lenses can boil water as fast as any fire. And yet the degradation of soul is nearly inconsequential when compared to using the Gift of fire for similar purpose.”

Milo perked up. “Hm? What about a soul?”

Senan looked over both shoulders and leaned in close. “This is not knowledge that many are privy to,” he said with a hushed tone. “Only a select few among the highest royalty and imperial scholars are aware that the Gifts we use so freely are actua—”

“Milo.” Gu finished setting the array of lenses and approached the pair.

“One moment, Senan was just telling me about–”

“Want to see something new in the ocean?”

“Yes!” Milo jumped to his feet with a fresh burst of energy.

“Stand by the railing and wait.”

Boy and scholar shared a conspiratorial look as Gu left to grab the tray full of discarded fish parts. With a wink, they silently agreed to finish their conversation later once the warden was out of sight. For now, they obediently waited at the railing.

Gu brought the gore-filled tray over to the ledge. “Ready to see lots of fish?”

Milo nodded his head like a chicken pecking at grains. “Will they be more exciting than the grey ones from before?”

“En.” Gu tipped the tray over. With a series of splashes and plops, all the blood, organs, and other anonymous fish parts fell overboard. Gu quickly scooped up some water and rinsed off most of the remaining gunk from the tray. Then he waited.

Milo saw the water around the boat turn red. Gu spread his hands out, turning a section of water completely still and transparent so that the boy could observe the cycles of the ocean at work. Fish offal slowly sank into the boundless sapphire depths. Like falling snowflakes, the bits of red gently drifted down in suspended animation towards a world unknown. At first, there was nothing. Just the slow descent of discarded remains. Then a shimmer. A glint of light coming up from below. A small blue and silver fish started nibbling on the offerings. It took a bite then darted away. Another fish showed up. And another. Moments later, the ocean bubbled to life. Splashes of water wreaked havoc in the air on either side of the barrier as fish of all description feasted and fled. Fins long and short, wavy and stiff. Bodies bulky and slender, square and oblong. Colourful scales of every description filled the space below to partake in the feeding frenzy. Then, as if they were linked as one of the same mind, the fish all vanished – scattering in all directions before they became the next meal.

Gu released his Gift and the placid surface filled with gentle ocean ripples once again.

“Nothing is ever wasted. Everything is fed back and cycled into new life. This is the way of nature.”

Milo absently accepted the explanation. He was still stunned by the sight of all the different fish swirling around each other like a chaotic storm.

“Like whimsy, there is balance in nature. But the balance is in life and death. Think of autumn mulch and spring blossoms. Of fertile soil from rotting life. Of prey who nourish hunters – of hunters who nourish plants – of plants who nourish prey. Of that which was taken from the sea. And that which was returned. A perpetual cycle. This is the way of nature.”

Gu walked away and left Milo to contemplate.

“I think I need to sleep now,” Milo mumbled.

“En. We’ll wake you for dinner.”

♢♢♢

Milo fell asleep the moment his head touched the pillow. His nap was so deeply restful that when he awoke he had no concept of the time, the location, or even who he was. Thankfully there was still daylight streaming through the cabin window. He laid in a daze for a moment then suddenly remembered that he was a Milo on a boat. He looked across and saw that Nahla was still resting on the other side. Peeking to the bunk below, he saw that Viyas was sleeping as well. Quietly, he climbed down the bed ladder and made his way back onto the deck.

The stern of the boat was quite bare. Other than the magic steering stick and the rudder, there wasn’t much else. Most of the interesting things were gathered towards the front of the boat. Milo looked over and saw that Gu and Senan were sitting on the benches by the cauldron talking to each other. He didn’t want to disturb them. He also felt like he needed some time to himself for once. With the cabin blocking him from sight, Milo leaned over the railing and idly watched the water with nothing in mind. He felt the gentle currents washing away the turbulence in his mind.

The cabin door opened with a slight creak, drawing Milo out of his reverie. Looking back, he saw Viyas emerge. Content to stay by himself, Milo’s attention went back to the water. He wasn’t sure how long had passed, but the sun was now halfway down the sky. The ocean had turned into a very pretty shade of blue. He wished that he could capture all these moments of change to tell Little Spirit about later. She would probably really enjoy the ocean.

‘What kind of words could you use to describe blue?’ Milo thought to himself. ‘Well, “blue” for starters. Azure. Sapphire. Sky. Ice. Pale. Reflective.’ He rested a cheek on his hand. ‘None of these are good enough, though. They don’t really show all the different ways that water can look all at the same time. How about–’

“Milo.”

“Hm?” The boy was started by Viyas’ sudden voice on his right.

“That is your name if I am not mistaken, and I doubt I am.”

“Oh, yes. I’m Milo. Is there something you need?” Milo replied in Common. Although he could have used the Noble Tongue…something about the mage made him wary. He didn’t feel safe to speak with Viyas like he did with the others.

“No such pressing need exists, I simply want to have a chat with you who seems so out of place. A fledgling serf. And child at that.”

“Feel free to ask anything you want, milord. I think that dinner will be ready soon,” Milo said, looking back to the kitchen area hidden from view.

Viyas followed his gaze then fixed the boy once more. He smiled. “I want to know just how much of the Boatman’s skills have passed to you. Are you aware of ocean’s secrets or do you just like its hue?”

“I know a little bit. It’s dangerous but it’s also beautiful. Gu taught me a lot of things because he said it’s important to be able to take care of yourself. Or, rather, he said that on the water you should only trust yourself.”

“It seems that he has taught you well. A worthy lesson? Time will tell.” Viyas looked back to the cabin.

Milo beamed with excitement. “Gu’s a great teacher. Sometimes he can be a little bit mean but he alwa–”

Viyas grabbed Milo by the neck– “I’m sure that both The Boatman and your serpent friend will mourn your loss” –and threw him off the boat.

‘Again?’ Milo thought. Twice wasn’t a lot of times, but it was still more times than he would have liked. He really hoped that being pushed off of boats wouldn’t become a pattern. He closed his eyes and waited for the splash. At least he had some experience with—

Boom.

Viyas channeled his Gift and detonated the falling boy. Milo was launched into the water like a cannonball. He slammed into the surface. Hard. The impact knocked his head back and then everything went dark. A giant splash shot into the sky as his unconscious body sank into the sea. Nobody knew whether the boy was still alive, but Viyas was determined to go the mile and make sure he wasn’t.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

Blast after blast of Gift-fuelled eruptions tore apart the ocean’s surface. Dead fish floated to the surface like flowers in a pond.

‘That should be enough,’ the noble thought. He dusted his hands off and leaned against the railing with a smile while two very angry, very concerned men stormed over.

“What in the unholy name of Sémeʔ are you doing?” Gu roared.

“Chumming waters as you see across the ledge before your eyes. But unlike slow and mundane methods, Gifts are quicker utilized,” Viyas replied as if it was a matter of course.

Senan shook his head. “What a waste of life this is. It would be in your best interest to net up what you can of this carnage lest the Dragon King’s wrath fall upon us all.” The scholar sighed. “I suppose the matter of food for the remainder of the voyage has been settled.”

Viyas walked past the two and opened the door of the cabin.

“Where are you going? The net is over there,” Gu pointed to the rack of tools outside.

“Alas the use of Gift has made my noble bones so drained and tired. I think I’ll join the sleeping pair within to get the rest required.” Viyas waved his hand and walked into the cabin. The clank of the shutting door was the only sound that could be heard.

Senan cast a look over to his friend.

Gu’s face was a stony visage colder than ice.

In a different world, perhaps things may have turned out differently. Alas, in this one…none were yet aware of Milo’s peril.