Chapter 13: Respite

The best and worst part of being on a boat was the same: there was nothing to do. As soon as Adriana woke up, it was the best news in a while. She could just lay there and watch the clouds pass by, enjoying the way the waves rocked her. Now that they were out to sea, Davos didn’t even have to work as hard, and could lay down right next to her.

“How’s your head?” Adriana asked as he lowered himself with an old person groan, despite only being thirty-five.

“Feels like I was clubbed over the head by an evil bastard and then had to drag my best friend away from death,” he said. “And then like I’ve been putting as much distance between us and Synto as possible. I’m fucking knackered.”

Adriana flushed with embarrassment. Out of everyone in the world, Davos was just about the only one she cared for. “I’m sorry for calling you a coward,” she mumbled.

“What was that?” Davos said in a raised voice. “I didn’t quite catch it. That sounded suspiciously like you admitting you were wrong.”

“Eat shit,” said Adriana as she laughed, but it didn’t last long. Now that she had time to catch her breath and rest, she could be more honest with herself.

The fight with Synto hadn’t been going her way, even if she didn’t want to admit it at the time. It was clear he’d been toying with her, probably playing with his new Divinity, the same as her. Only difference is, he knew what he was doing. And with Mykos being able to find her anywhere, there was no way Synto wasn’t coming for them.

“So, Hessiopolis?” Davos asked, as if he read her mind.

“I don’t have any other bright ideas.” Adriana rolled over on her side to look at Davos as she spoke to him. “I don’t really care about any of the Gods.”

“Sure,” said Davos, lips twitching.

“I don’t! But…Going to his temple, it was the only thing Hessius asked of me. He begged me to go there and give them warning, and then he gave me power and asked me to fight the Maw.”

Davos laughed. “After what we saw, I’m not sure you could fight her. If Hessius couldn’t, I’m not sure anyone could. But it’s not like there’s any other choice, is there? That monster’s trying to wipe us all out. Of course we’re going to fight her.”

A gull screamed overhead and landed nearby. Adriana kicked the side of the boat to get it away. “The best way to do that is just killing monsters and getting stronger, right? Not like I’m going to just walk up to the Maw tomorrow and demand a duel.”

“Right. It stands to reason that if the Maw has been rampaging for about fourteen years now, then you aren’t expected to solve the problem in just a few days.” Davos cupped his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. “Could be this is a years-long project. If you have the patience or focus for it.”

Adriana sat up and got into their provisions. She pulled out a badly needed wineskin after the past few days, and took a drink. It was warm and low quality, but she had never had any better. After a long pull, she sighed. “Not like I have a choice, right? Do we have enough provisions to get there?”

Davos continued to get comfortable, shifting this way and that until he found the right spot. “Probably, but I intend on stopping and getting our bearings. And to make sure you don’t go too stir crazy without chances to get on land.”

“I won’t get stir crazy!” Adriana insisted.

“Uh huh. I’m resting. Wake me if there are any sea monsters or storms heading our way.” And then, just a few seconds later, he let out a snore and that was it.

Which left Adriana alone with her thoughts and making sure nothing went wrong while Davos napped. There were no games to play, people to talk to, or anything to do but stare off into the horizon and lose herself.

The hours crawled by. After about two, Davos woke up and got something to eat before going back to sleep. Adriana sharpened and polished her new blade, all while wishing she hadn’t lost her old one in the mountain’s collapse. The new one was fine, she guessed, but it was ugly, and the weight was a little off. Nothing to be done.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

So little happened that Adriana found herself falling asleep as the sun sank off the portside of the boat. As far as Adriana could see, there was nothing. Derkas island was the southernmost point of the archipelago, the furthest one could go before the thick mists devoured your boat and you’d never been seen again.

Eventually, when Davos got up for real, it was time for Adriana to sleep as well. She got some food, layed down, and dreamed.

She was back on the mountain, and the Gods fought to the death once more. Hessius swung his blazing sword at the Maw, but the titan split into two armless, legless masses of darkness. Both became giant, shadowy spiders and swarmed the sun God.

Adriana screamed and reached for him, but it was too late. The spiders came at him from either side and tore into him. The God died again, this time without giving her his power. The spiders merged back into the enormous, pale woman. Only this time, she noticed Adriana. With Hessius fallen, her glowing red eyes were the only light for miles.

“You…” the Titan spoke, mirth bubbling up past the malice. “You’re so…small.” A tendril of darkness reached for Adriana, so big it blotted out the stars. Adriana screamed as it reached her, and screamed and screamed…

…and woke up screaming and thrashing. Davos was beside her in an instant, checking her over.

“Easy, easy,” he whispered soothingly. She took a swing at him in her panic, but he caught her by the wrist and a few seconds later she stilled. “That was a bad one, huh? You haven’t had a nightmare in a while.”

“It wasn’t anything,” Adriana insisted. “I…pulled a leg muscle in my sleep, and it hurt.”

“Uh-huh,” said Davos. “Well, be sure to stretch, maybe have some more wine. I’m doing my best to get us somewhere fast, so maybe we can take a couple of days to get our heads on straight.”

While she wanted to argue, it was pointless. There was nowhere to go, nothing to do, so she might as well eat, drink, and try to calm down. But first, she went and relieved herself in a bucket while Davos kindly focused on Gusting wind into the sails, one hand on the rudder to help guide them as he used the stars above to lead them on.

It took entirely too long for Adriana to realize that with night having fallen, the flames in her hair and on her arms were no longer there. They’d quickly become normal, but she still spent twenty years without them, and now she already missed them. At the same time, it was probably better to not have mystical fire on her while on a flammable boat.

Which meant that while at sea, she couldn’t play with or practice any of her new powers. The only thing she could safely do was glow, which did light up the boat enough for her and Davos to be able to play some card games when he took a break from propelling them. Eventually, she went back to sleep for the rest of the night.

The next day was more of the same, but the fatigue and bruises faded fast. The few aches and pains remaining from their time on Dahkres fell into the background as the island itself fell behind and out of view.

Almost twenty-four hours later, there were hints of other islands on the horizon. Adriana didn’t know which one was which, and she was terrible with maps, but Davos wasn’t worried.

“I know a place nearby,” he said. “I haven’t been there in about ten years, but if anyone remembers me, we should get a decent welcome, a nice home cooked meal, and maybe a chance to barter for some supplies for Hessiopolis.”

Adriana eyed him. “Is this one of those actual good welcomes, or are they going to throw javelins at us as soon as we get close?”

“C’mon, do you really think anyone wants me dead?” Davos flashed a charming, handsome grin. It was all Adriana could do to not throw something at him.

He seemed to know the way, because they made a beeline for a medium sized island in the northwest. It wasn’t as high or rocky as Dahkres had been. Instead, it was fairly close to sea level, and sprawled out for miles and miles, with the start of a forest just barely on the edges of vision.

They didn’t get there that night, and Davos swore that was for the best. Adriana didn’t agree as she spent more time sleeping in the boat. By the time dawn rolled around, she was ready to jump off the boat and swim the rest of the way if it meant burning off some excess energy.

“Relax,” said Davos. “And make sure you eat everything you can. They do this thing with eggs there that is just incredible. I’m sure they’ll feed us, and after the last two weeks, I need something good in my belly.”

The island didn’t have a real harbor, but they did have some docks, and several empty spaces. Davos took them around a loop to line up just right, and cut off his Gust to let them float along to the spot. Adriana hopped off the boat and began tying it, as he taught her years before.

They weren’t alone. When she finished tying the boat to the dock, a young girl of about ten stared at her, in all her flaming glory. Adriana waved, and the little girl took off like a bolt of lightning down the docks and down the path to the rest of the village.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” said Adriana.”

“You worry too much. Relax.” Davos clapped a hand on her shoulder. “Welcome to Juthida, where the people are simple but kind, generous with what little they have, and always happy to see new faces.”

A few seconds later, a couple dozen adults came over the hill and down to greet them. Adriana stiffened, but Davos broke away and stepped forward. He spread his arms like he was going to hug them all.

“It’s him!” someone called out. “Davos is back!”

“Davos! Davos!” A chant started up.

Adriana stared at him with confusion. What the hell had happened here?