An Ocean of Lies (AFOS II)

Chapter 15: Jo

In hindsight, maybe jumping off the ship hadn't been the best idea. The fog seemed to go on forever, and the island wasn't getting any closer. Alaric rowed incessantly until the morning, without breaking a sweat, cracking jokes about being eaten by a sea monster once in a while. It wasn't so funny when, occasionally, an actual monster showed up on the map; but he didn't need to know that. He just needed to focus on rowing, getting them to the safe place Roisin had marked. She just needed to steer him away from danger, steel herself and blame the shaking on the boat while pointing him away from the monsters. They were many. Some of them three times larger than the boat, according to the map's shadows. Deep breaths. Deep foggy breaths, coughing.

Hours of fog, endless fog, over them and under them, although thinner than the night before. It was hard to know which way was up, everything was grey and bright. She felt dizzy, her eyes hurt.

Suddenly, it was dark. The fog so thick she could barely see Alaric across her: that was great. Who needed to see in the middle of a dangerous ocean that could swallow them whole without warning? At least the runes were still working and the magical pathways on the map were still visible in the dark. But on the ship, things could've gone worse for them, for everyone, maybe. But there was no point on dwelling on it: it had been a good decision. The best she could've made, or at least she'd choose to believe that even if, eventually, their boat happened to end up sunk into the depths of the Fog Ocean or swallowed by a giant monster. Alaric kept on rowing. She lit a firedust lamp, but of course all it did was make the fog brighter and them more visible from afar. Off, with it, then.

"You know, this is the longest we've been alone together since we met, I mean really alone," Alaric broke the silence. The fog didn't make any sounds as it was pushed by the paddles. "It's kind of nice, isn't it?" he sighed, she could almost see him smiling through the fog and the darkness. Silly, sweet man. "It's a nice night, if not for all the fog, the sea monsters, the impending doom," he chuckled.

Jo leaned forward, looking for one of his legs to pat, one of his hands. She managed to touch one of his knees, balanced herself and used the momentum to kiss him briefly on the lips. His hair was wet, his clothes sticking to him. She probably looked the same way by then, the fog was at its thickest, she could feel it creeping into her nose, making it hard to breathe. Her clothes were still somewhat dry, though. Those leather pants had been an excellent choice: at least one certifiable good decision.

"You're right, it's nice, isn't it? Do you think the monsters would give us a break? Maybe let us eat something, hold hands a little, aren't you at least a little tired? I'm tired just by looking at you, well, I can't see you anymore, but you know, before," she stretched, yawning. Her muscles ached from sitting all day, crouching over the map.

"Not one bit, but I have those special Onturian Knight powers I told you about once, I think," she could feel the boat picking up speed.

"What? What powers? Can you fly? If you can fly and you haven't told me, I swear, Alaric," she jested, but she remembered: Onturian Knights didn't need to sleep that much, they could go on for days without it if needed.

"I'm afraid of heights, what can I say," he quipped. "And rowing is invigorating, great exercise: you should try it sometime," of course, he was joking. Was he?

"I'd love to, but I don't trust you with the map," she smoothed it over her lap. No monsters on sight. They were far, probably eating other people stranded on boats in the ocean. "Someone needs to make sure we actually get to the island alive, you know?"

"That's the healthiest decision," he coughed. The fog was probably getting into his lungs as well. They needed to get to the island soon.

The tiny dot on the map, representing them, didn't seem to move at all. The thing was probably broken. They should've gotten there by then. Her eyes felt heavier by the second, she was hungry, getting cold. She could feel her body shutting down, she couldn't let go. She wouldn't.