Chapter 22: Mykarkos

Adriana awoke to the boat rocking gently from the waves. The pain in her stomach hadn’t gone away, but it had faded to a manageable dull agony. Davos hummed from nearby, but judging from the lack of ‘woosh’, he wasn’t actively propelling them forward. Without opening her eyes, she tried to speak and a dry creak came out.

“Hey, you’re alive and awake.” Davos sounded exhausted. “Don’t try to talk just now. You’ve been through a lot, and you need to rest.”

She tried to move, but her limbs weighed a thousand pounds each. Every new breath made the pain flare up, until she exhaled and it deflated with her. She kept her breathing light and quick. A second later, strong hands tilted her head up and brought a waterskin to her lips. She drank several small, greedy sips before he pulled it away.

“Easy, easy. It was a nasty venom, but you’re going to be fine. It just might take another couple days to get back to normal.”

Another? Adriana’s eyes shot open.

Davos chuckled. “Yeah, you heard correctly. It’s been three days. We’re almost to Mykarkos. I’ve been taking it slow to give you a chance to rest, but I’m going to be honest here: I am worried about another monster coming after us. That thing wasn’t normal, and I’ve got a bad feeling it won’t be the last.”

It took all of her strength, but Adriana managed to say one word. “Synto?”

He grimaced, then nodded. “I can’t think of anyone else who has it out for us. Other than that innkeeper in Dereski you beat half to death, but I don’t think he’s got that kind of reach.”

Adriana squirmed and breathed harder. Davos sighed and rolled his hand in the air. “Yeah yeah, he grabbed your ass and called you a whore, but we did have to leave town in a hurry when you were done. You were right to do so, but it was also inconvenient. Other than him, no one else has reason to remember you enough to hate you.”

She managed to get one more word in before she passed out again. “Ass.”

This time, it became actual sleep. The pain persisted in her dream, but the longer she slept the more it faded. When she woke the next morning, Adriana could move again. The first thing she did was lift her tunic and touch her stomach, where a two inch long scar had formed just above her belly button. It was like a line pointing down.

“Nasty, right? I healed you up as fast as I could,” said Davos. He looked as tired as she had felt last time, but unbothered as he lay on the boat. “We’re almost there, too. Just another couple of hours and we’ll be on land again, and we can see about getting a pick-me-up drink, and sleep in an actual bed tonight.”

Adriana drank some water and stood on unsteady legs. “What did you heal me with? If it was really that bad, there’s no way I should be able to stand right now.”

Davos waved off her question. “Just something I had tucked away in case of emergencies. A Brewer concoction.”

Adriana stared at him. “When the fuck did we get a Brewer concoction? I know you held out on Synto, but are you still holding out on me? What about using it on Alicia?”

“Well, because Alicia didn’t need it, obviously,” he said. “I had no idea how long you were going to be out, or how potent that venom would end up being. Just accept that I had it and move on please.”

There was no point in trying to pry more from him. As stubborn as she could be, Adriana knew better. She rolled her eyes and said, “Fine. One of these days you’re going to have to tell me something about the time before me. Other than just random nights with pretty girls.”

“You like those stories!” Davos protested. “You have plenty of your own to share too, you hypocrite.”

Adriana sat back down. “What can you tell me about Mykarkos?” she asked.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Davos took a long drink of wine. “It’s the gateway to the southern wastes, where we just came from. It’s the last sign of civilization before you get to the Thousand Year Storm to the west, so those brave or foolish enough to sail past the mists for treasure stock up there before heading out.

“More relevant to our needs, it’s a place to offload our Bestia and possibly pick you up some more Divinity to complement what you’ve got. And maybe pick up a cloak and gloves so you don’t constantly advertise your Godmark.” Davos motioned at the light black flames that danced along her fingertips.

“It’s funny,” said Adriana. “I can make the flames bigger, but I can’t make them too small, or go away.”

“Of course not! Godmarks are meant to be seen most of the time, and it takes a proper God to be able to hide it and go among mortals undetected. Even Demigods cannot suss them out.” Davos got up and stretched. “Anyway, you’re going to want to stick with me and play nice. We don’t know how long you’re going to be weakened.”

Adriana grunted her acknowledgement, but fell silent. She set back and let herself relax a little longer. Things were manageable now, and she fully intended on being ready for a scrap if needed. She hadn’t been to a real city since she was a child, and the prospect of being able to run around and explore with some money to her name cheered her up.

Mykarkos snuck up on them, the white domed homes on the mountain resembling clouds from a distance. The island was a wide sprawl, a long T shaped stretch of land with a wide mountain range in the center, keeping people in enclaves along the beach or up against the earth itself as it rose above the city and its satellite villages.

Davos powered the boat with his gusts and took them around to the short stretch of land where the harbor waited for them. They docked and tied up the boat and hefted the bags full of Bestia and some of the money and jewelry the villagers of Jithuda had given them. Adriana insisted on taking the heavier bag, just to prove she was healed. It only hurt a little.

Once they paid the port fee and bribed the inspector with Bestia, they were free to explore. So many people talked up cities as being disgusting, ugly things, but the multi-tiered city was built with sparkling white walls, with gardens on every rooftop. And the people…

Adriana didn’t know how she felt about being around too many people. In her experience, at least half of them wanted to hurt you and take your stuff, and she didn’t understand how people in cities weren’t constantly at war with their neighbors. Plenty of people with obvious Divinity or Bestia to them displayed their abilities freely, and as they walked by a theater troupe, she slowed to a stop.

There were five of them in the troupe, three actors, one narrator, and one stage hand. The actors were dressed as the Maw and Hessius, with the final person a simple soldier. Adriana’s heart skipped a beat as the Maw raised her hand up and struck Hessius several times. The actor fell over, and the stage technician covered him with a black funeral shroud.

“And so, did our greatest hero fall,” the narrator intoned greatly. “And with him, our hope. Without the sun, what is to keep the night at bay? Say your prayers, children, that we may be saved, and Hessius avenged.”

So word had already gotten here. Adriana’s throat tightened. She was back in the cave, crouching over him, bleeding gold and his flame dying. He died, again and again in her dreams, along with the ominous sense of responsibility tying her down.

“Hey,” said Davos. “Let’s go. We can worry about this later. How about we get some food and offload all this junk? We need to get you pumped up to defend against the next monster that hunts you.”

“Why are you so certain another one is going to hunt me?” Adriana asked. She turned back to the play, where the actors bowed and passed around a hat to collect coins. The Maw was a beautiful woman made horrible with make-up that warped her features into a permanent snarl. That’s when it hit her. “The Maw Divinity the acolyte dropped…”

Davos grimaced. “That would do it. So yes, let’s get you some more power and better healing so we can keep our heads. We’re still not at Hessiopolis, and it’s taking longer than I expected to get there. C’mon, let’s go.” He reached in his bag for a coin and dropped it in the hat before leaving.

Adriana swallowed and jogged after him. Like usual, he seemed to know his way around. It was one of the many uncanny knacks Davos had that he just shrugged off as part of being a seasoned traveler.

As crowded as Mykarkos was, there was a flow to the foot traffic Adriana found herself appreciating. People naturally flowed in streams moving this way or that, and she ended up being the one to bump into others. It only took about fifteen minutes to get to their destination, a two story building overlooking a seaside bluff. The beaches below were filled with people playing or throwing nets into the water.

“Before we go inside,” Davos said, “you need to know that you might get some offers for your Divinity. With your Godmark, there’s no mistaking what you have and this guy is a collector. Just keep your head on straight -- “

“And let you do the talking,” Adriana finished for him. “I get it.”

“Good,” he said, adjusting the bag on his shoulder. “Give it an hour, two tops, and you’ll be ready to take on Demigods!”

That is exactly what she wanted to hear. She could be patient a little longer.