Chapter 20: Away

The entire village saw them off the next morning. This time, their positions were reversed and Adriana dealt with the hangover. Celebrating herself and enjoying the attention of others had been thirsty, demanding business. Davos had taken care of everything, and they were sent off in style. They had fresh food and wine to last them a week, and some of the young ladies had even washed Adriana’s clothes and supplied them both with another outfit for their travels.

The best part of leaving was knowing that she had seen the best of Juthida and left before she got bored. Even so, she watched the island disappear into the distance as Davos Gusted their boat across the sea.

“We could always turn around, if that’s what you prefer.” Davos didn’t look away from his work. They continue cutting across the water like a knife through butter.

“Why would I prefer that?” Adriana said, turning away. From their position, dozens of islands lay stretched out in all directions. Jithuda was a nowhere place. Half a day at this rate and they’d be well positioned to go anywhere.

“You could be their personal God,” said Davos, mirth in his voice. “Stick around, solve their problems, gain their daily worship. That’s a way to become a real God, you know. Have enough people worship you, and your Divinity will grow on its own.”

Adriana snorted. “I’d die of boredom in a week. That’s about as long as I imagine it’d take for me to clear out every possible beast and abomination on the island. If that. No, I’m glad to be moving again.” She thought again of Alicia and her fighting spirit, with no one there to guide her. With a frown, she pushed the thought down.

“Good!” Davos looked at her with a warm smile. “Then it’s off to Hessiopolis.” His Gusts made his short beard flicker violently, and the sight made Adriana chuckle.

“Wake me up when something interesting happens,” she said. With all their new supplies, there were only a few spots with room enough to lay down. It was her good luck that put her in front of the sale. The blowback from Davos’ gusts provided her with a pleasant breeze as she got comfortable and ready to sleep.

She was able to get the rest she needed, but all naps had to end eventually, and then it was back to waiting while they sailed. Davos eventually took a break and they let the natural wind take them further northeast. He flopped down next to her and stared up at the clouds.

“It should only be another three or four days until our next destination, and after that is Hessiopolis,” he said.

“Where are we stopping first, and why?” Adriana asked. “Shouldn’t we get to Hessopolis as fast as possible?”

Davos chuckled. “At first you weren’t entirely sure about it, and now you’re eager? Amazing what a little worship does for your mood.”

“Eat shit,” she returned, mostly annoyed that he had a point.

“Delicious and nutty. We’re going to stop by Mykarkos and offload our Bestia and some of the things the good people of Juthida gave us. From there, we can see about picking up some more Divinity for you. You’ve got some potent Greater Divinity, but you’re going to need some versatility if you want to thrive.”

Adriana shivered. That was a lot more to her liking. “Think we have enough for something good? I don’t want any small, useless pieces. I want something that will help me fight. Especially with Synto and Mykos out there. They’re not going to give up.”

“Agreed! So we need to get you up to the third or fourth level of ascension as soon as possible. We might be able to afford a couple of pieces to get you there and get you the faster healing and steel skin. But it all depends on what they’ve got for sale, and what we can pay for it. I might be able to call in a favor or two if old friends haven’t moved or changed.”

All of it made sense to her. It was as good a plan as any, and anything that ended with her getting more power, hopefully from the Warmaster, was worth it. All that remained was killing a few days being unable to move or do anything, stuck in the middle of the ocean. At least Hessiopolis was on a good stretch of land, and they could leave the sea behind for a while. Until they had to venture forth to defeat the Maw’s forces.

Nothing happened for the rest of the day. Davos occasionally sped up their journey with an hour or two of Gusts, and Adriana went over their loot and fantasized about how much it would bring them. As night approached, clouds gathered overhead and light rain fell. They slept fitfully under a heavy canvas that almost kept them dry.

By the time the next day rolled around, she already wanted to be on land and be active again. Hours and hours at sea with nothing to do had her stir crazy.

“We could always pick up a lyre or a flute when we get to Mykarkos,” Davos suggested. “It could do you some good, learning to channel your aggression and energy through music.”

“You really want to put up with me learning?” Adriana shot back. “How long will you tolerate hearing the noise I make until I get better?”

Stolen novel; please report.

Davos got the sly, tight lipped smile he had when he was trying to avoid cracking up at an inopportune time. “As opposed to what? Tolerating you grumbling and pacing and making all sorts of frustrated noises because you’re bored?”

“Shut up,” she returned, but the point was made.

Another two hours and they spotted land. It wasn’t much, just a little stretch of yellow sand and brush in the middle of endless blue. Davos pulled on the rudder and Gusted them towards it.

“What’re we stopping here for?” Adriana asked.

“Just a bit of rest and a chance for you to stretch your legs,” he said. “Before you drive me insane. And, I think, a time for you to let loose and see how much fire you’ve got before you run out.”

She wasn’t about to argue over an excuse to let loose and stretch. It only took them another ten minutes to land on the beach. The island wasn’t big enough for a village or even more than three or four houses. That was if high tide didn’t completely submerge it. It was enough for now, and Adriana hopped over the side early. She waded to land and ran as fast as she could on the uneven sand.

Davos took care of the boat, and prepared a late lunch for them while she ran laps around the sandbar. Part of her hated how simple her needs were, and the way Davos shook his head at her like she was still a child who needed playtime. It inspired her to move faster and push her body. The thin strip of land was good for a sprint, a quick turn, and then another sprint. Each time she got to the boat, Adriana leapt ten feet in the air and hit the ground running.

“Looking good!” he called out after the third or fourth time she did it. “If you’re feeling better, give me your longest lasting flame!”

Adriana stopped, huffing for breath. Her heart raced pleasantly, and she did feel better. “You got it,” she said, cupping her hands together. She extended them and used her Flamespitter on the ocean itself, away from the boat.

“Good, good,” said Davos as the flames continued to dance in a ten foot cone. He watched with his arms crossed over his chest, foot tapping in the sand as it went on.

With the sun out, it felt like she could keep it up for a while. She felt herself emptying, but it was the slow trickle of continuous effort paired with the feeling of being refilled. It had to be one of her divine gifts. It felt right when the sun shone on her, more than just the way it empowered her. She couldn’t feel the warmth without thinking about Hessius, and the way he smiled at her before he faded away.

The flames got stronger, as did the drain, but Adriana kept it up until there was nothing left. It was a few minutes of continuous burning before they went out and she doubled over, breathing hard.

Davos didn’t say anything at first. He leaned against the side of the boat, watching her the way he often did when he had something on his mind but wasn’t sure how to bring it up.

“What?” Adriana demanded finally.

“You’re strong, and I think your gifts are suited to you,” said Davos. “But there is a lot to learn about what you can do. Something a lot of people don’t know, or don’t think about, is how further Divinity might not grant you new powers, but they might strengthen or change the ones you have already.”

Adriana nodded thoughtfully, letting herself sink onto the sand while her energy trickled back in. “I found I can cook my Smoldersap and make it hotter, if I wait before releasing. And my Flamespitter makes it spread and heat up even more. And my Flashfire…” She grinned at memories of the way the hydra exploded.

“You could’ve killed Alicia,” he said quietly. “We got lucky. You have three powerful abilities, and I think you need time to explore them before we get into our next fight.”

“I’m doing okay,” Adriana hugged her knees to her chest. “I’ve won the past few fights, haven’t I?”

“We got lucky in the last fight, and then it was a draw at best against Synto. At best.” Davos sighed and continued, “I’m not saying you did anything wrong, or are doing it badly. I just think that maybe we will spend today and tomorrow practicing. It’ll add a day or two to our trip, but it’ll leave us better prepared.”

With a sigh of her own, Adriana gave in. “You’re not wrong,” she said. “Next time we see Synto, I’m going to kill him and get that Divinity he stole from me. And Mykos too. I’m going to kill them and at that point I’ll definitely be a Demigod.”

“Then let’s get to it!” Davos clapped his hands together with a big grin. “More fire!”

Over the next two hours, she ran through all three of her moves individually, and then together. Adriana found she could throw out five Flashfires before she had nothing left, and that it took several minutes of being in the sun before she could consider herself well rested enough to be ‘full’ again. The Smoldersap gathered around her hand and went up to her elbow, but it remained stable and didn’t come apart until she threw it. She found she could also deliver it through touch. When she put her hand on the sand, the Smoldersap spread out the longer she focused and kept touching it, but she had to choose between heat or size when she altered it.

And most importantly, she verified that when Flashfire touched Smoldersap, it exploded with varying intensities, based on the size of the smoldersap and the potency of the flashfire. It was draining, exhausting, and by the time the sky turned red and purple she was ready to drop where she stood.

“It’s impressive,” said Davos. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen gifts like these. I’ve been around a lot and seen plenty with Sun Divinity, but this…Synto’s not going to know what hit him the next time we see him.”

Adriana smacked a blackened hand against the ground, splashing more sap around. She opened her mouth to boast about how easy she’d have it, when she spotted something off in the distance. It started out as a dot above the water, but it got closer by the second.

“Davos?” she said, pointing.

He followed her finger, brow furrowing in confusion. It came into focus for her first, and she was on her feet in a second.

“Monster,” she said. “Coming right for us. What perfect timing.” Adriana bared her teeth in a feral grin.