Hero's Journey

Chapter 79

Kagon awakes to someone furiously shaking him. The hero angrily cracks open a blue eye, head pounding from the heavy drinking he had done the night before. His own eyes meet a pair of amber ones.

"What is it?" Kagon grumbles, voice gruff and scratchy from sleep.

"The Shadowlands have been spotted on the horizon. We should get to land by the early afternoon." Kip informs grimly.

Immediately, Kagon is out of bed and pulling on his clothing. "How many hours then, lad?"

"About four hours." Kip answers, grabbing Kagon's boots from where they had been thrown haphazardly the night before.

Kagon snatches the boots from the light-brown haired lad and swiftly tugs on his boots. "Who else is awake?"

"Well, Tavius has been awake all night at the wheel, as you know. Otherwise, just Delia and Maude are still asleep. I thought that you could wake up Sleeping Beauty."

Kagon's brow crumples. "Delia?"

Kip blushes at the mention of Delia's name, but shakes his head. "No, I meant Maude."

Kagon looks at him dubiously. "Why in the Fates would you call him that?"

"I was trying to be sarcastic." Kip replies awkwardly.

"Well, don't. We already have enough of that kind of behavior with Delia on board." Kagon grunts as he struggles to button up his shirt.

"Delia isn't really that sarcastic, she mostly just shows you up with her wit..." Kip trails off.

"Same difference." The hero rolls his eyes as he realizes that he buttoned up his shirt wrong towards the middle and has to start over from there. After he's finished, Kagon looks back up at Kip. "What are you looking at? Let's go!"

At that, Kagon grabs his sheath and hurries out of the room whilst securing it to his waist. Kip follows more slowly after him.

Both men separate in the hallway; Kip going to alert Delia and Kagon Maude.

I don't understand why Kip was so sarcastic about waking up Maude. Kagon thinks as he bursts through the one-eyed man's door.

Maude sleeps on his bed, chest moving up and down as he snores louder than any beast Kagon has known to. The hero approaches the bed and roughly shakes the sleeping man. Maude only shifts on to his stomach and snores louder.

I do not have the patience for this. Kagon inwardly groans. Especially not when all the action to be had is on deck.

"MAUDE!" Kagon yells at the top of his lungs, shoving Maude's shoulder with all of his might.

Finally, Maude opens his eye. However, the pure hatred held within that single pupil is enough for Kagon's neck hair to raise. The hero even takes a step back, lightly touching the hilt of his sword.

"What?" Maude growls like a woken beast.

"The Shadowlands are in sight. We should be arriving in the early afternoon."

"If we're not there, then why are you waking me now?" Maude snarls, lip curling like a mad dog. He does not wait for Kagon to answer. "Wake me up when we get there. If you try any sooner, then I'll snap I'll tear off your face with my teeth." Maude glares at him for one last moment of intensity, before turning away from the hero and immediately going back to sleep.

Kagon waits for Maude's monstrous snores to fill the cabin once more before slipping back out into the hall. I understand why Kip was sarcastic now. Maude is the complete opposite of Sleeping Beauty. Kagon thinks as he climbs the stairs up to the main deck.

A wall of thick, humid air hits Kagon as soon as he walks out onto the deck. Every breath feels as if he is sucking water into his lungs.

"Ah, there you are." Tavius says from the deck above.

Kagon looks up, struck by the strained tone of the usually-cheerful pirate captain. Tavius' eyes are cloudy and droopy with exhaustion. Perspiration bubbles along his face and his shirt hangs off of him from either sweat or moisture from the air. Instead of his usual slanted smile, Tavius' lips are pressed into a hard line.

Suddenly, lightning crackles in a great zap across the sky, followed by a booming clap of thunder.

"Why is the weather so terrible?" Kagon calls to the pirate. "The skies were clear yesterday."

"This is part of the reason people do not often come to the Shadowlands. Only very skilled sailors can navigate their way through these stormy seas. Just look at the sea, the waves are some of the choppiest I have ever seen."

At the mention of the Lividia being dangerous, Kagon pales. In spite of being on a ship for so long, he still hates and fears the ocean. This is why people should not be at sea, it is unnatural.

"Will you be able to get through it?" Kagon asks, hating the way his voice quivers ever so slightly.

"Aye, I believe so. Keep in mind that I am a very skilled sailor." Tavius flashes him a lopsided grin, which helps to ease his nerves a little. "Why don't you go to the prow where Kip and Delia are? It is easiest to see the Shadowlands from there. As long as you are sure not to venture too close to the edge, you should be fine."

No, I'm fine standing here Kagon wants to say. Instead he finds himself nodding and going to the prow as not to appear scared.

Kagon slowly forces himself to where Kip and Delia stand near the prow. When he gets there, he can't help but notice that both Kip and Delia's cheeks are redder than normal. Kagon raises a brow and is about to say something when the ship suddenly dips down as it rides down a particularly large wave.

Kagon immediately grabs onto the railing and squeezes his eyes shut until the ship finally levels off once more. His heart ba-bumps within him like a giant drum. He takes a few deep breaths, but feels as if he is drowning with all the moisture in the air.

Kagon feels pressure on his shoulder and opens his eyes to meet Delia's. Their grey color almost perfectly matches the gloomy sky if not for their brightness. "Are you alright?"

Kagon takes another breath and opens his mouth to say yes, but finds himself shaking his head. He hasn't been this terrified since the storm where they wrecked The Sea Sorceress. Somehow he feels even more fearful now then before even though the storm before was much worse.

Delia squeezes his shoulder, grounding the hero from his paralyzing thoughts. "Hey, don't look at the sea, concentrate on my face and voice."

Kagon obeys, taking in the details of Delia's face in order to distract himself. Her eyes look on to him with compassion, soft lips pursed into a look of determination and arched brows knitted in concern. A bead of moisture drips off of the end of her pert nose and onto the deck almost slowly. Her rosy cheeks are a pop of color in the seriousness and fear of the situation.

Even without blushing, her cheeks and face are naturally pink. Kagon muses. Somehow, such a trivial thought as that calms him.

"It will be fine. Tavius has this handled, of that I am certain." Delia says, voice low and soothing. "We'll get through this with a smile, remember?"

Kagon nods, detaching himself from the railing he had held so tightly to.

The hero fights away embarrassment as he clears his throat. "Alright, now where in the Fates are the Shadowlands. I thought that Tavius told me that you could see them easier from here." Kagon jokes, cracking a grin as he tries to make light of the heavy situation.

"There." Kip points.

Kagon follows the lad's outstretched hand to where he is gesturing. The hero can hardly understand how he had missed it.

A looming, craggy land of darkness lies ahead, and with it their Fates are intertwined.