*MATURE FANTASY*
Bound by fate, torn by betrayal.
Their souls are intertwined.
She is his mate, and he is hers, whether or not this is something they want.
Elara has spent her life hiding from the oppressive forces of the Light, a powerful cult th...
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The fog was so dense it felt like a living, breathing entity, wrapping around the ship. Even in the early morning light, the mist clung to everything, obscuring even the closest of objects. Calix and Roran stood beside me, their figures barely visible in the swirling white haze.
"Damn it, I can't see a thing," Calix mumbled under his breath.
"Feels like we're walking blind," Roran added, the frustration clear in his voice.
We stumbled along the deck, the wooden planks slick with moisture, the air heavy with the dampness of the fog. Curses echoed around us as crew members collided with each other, the fog disorienting even the most seasoned sailors.
"The nightmare is this?" I muttered, trying to peer through the mist. The last time I was lost to a fog like this, it was a mist conjurer creating it. Her laugh still rang through my skull with the memory. My fingers twitched and I drew them into a fist, willing my thoughts to refocus on the present.
"The navigator said it came out of nowhere," Calix replied, while I squinted into the white void ahead.
"Lucky us," Roran grumbled, almost tripping over a coil of rope.
Unease settled in the pit of my stomach. "But how is he navigating through this?" I gestured vaguely to the fog, which seemed to swallow everything in its path, including my hand.
"Gifts," Calix replied.
"Gifts?" I repeated, incredulous.
"Yeah," Roran chimed in. "The captain has his ways. The wind bends to him."
I frowned, considering their words. Nox had always been somewhat puzzling, his abilities shrouded in secrecy. But from the first time I saw him, I considered he had sway over the breeze that looked to touch only him and Elara. But there was no breeze around. Everything was stiflingly still.
"What if it's not the wind?" I mused out loud, more to myself than to them.
"What do you mean?" Calix asked, probably casting a sideways glance at me, though we could hardly actually make out eachother.
"What if it's someone who can conjure mist?" I suggested, my mind drifting to Elara.
Calix and Roran went silent, seeming to consider my words. "You think Elara is..." Roran sounded shocked as his voice trailed off.
"It could be a man. Mist conjuring is not only a female gift." I interjected.
"And given that most all female mist conjurors are in the hands of the Light of the Land..." Calix's muttered.
I shrugged, the fog swirling around us like a ghostly veil. "Who knows with Nox," I replied, my thoughts still lingering on Elara. The idea of her out here on the deck, her form barely visible in the mist, sent a shiver down my spine. I couldn't shake the image of her from my mind, her presence haunting me.
"I haven't been here long, but it seems that Elara mostly works with the two of you." I voiced what I had observed.
"Aye," Roran said in agreement. "She prefers to keep a tight circle, and Nox allows it, always has. When we do things with the entire crew, those tasked with things closest to her are usually Calix and me. Kinda like a buffer from the rest. It works in her favor really, keeps her more of a mystery to the rest of the crew. Offers her more allure and power."
It sounded strategic, Nox allowing for this separation. Maybe he did it to protect her and her secrets, or he did it so that she was kept at arm's length from the rest of the crew. Perhaps he didn't want others getting too close to her. Though if that was the case, why did he seem to welcome me into this small circle, especially when I was an unknown?
"The rest of the crew is okay with her holding the captain's favor?" I asked.
Calix grunted, lifting something, though I couldn't make out what in the fog. "Yeah. They respect her and clearly respect Nox. She isn't the Quartermaster but essentially holds a similar rank. The only one she truly reports to is the captain."
As we continued to stumble along, the sounds of the crew around us grew louder, the chaos of the fog adding to the confusion. Suddenly, the ships navigator passed by, his voice carrying as he spoke with another crew member.
"Lucky the fog came when it did," he was saying, a note of relief in his voice. "There were a few vessels spotted out at sea, and approaching fast."
My feet stilled at his words, the unease growing within me. "Approaching fast?" I muttered, turning towards Calix and Roran.
The navigator's comment made it seem like the fog was conjured. And when it came to navigating through this, Nox would have sensed things through the breeze but the air was deathly still. No, it was not Nox seeing anything, it was Elara. I was certain. And if she was doing this, then chances were Nox knew what she was. And suddenly her trust in him seemed to fit, for he had likely always protected her secret. He could have handed her over to the Light of the Land for a heavy sum of money, yet shielded her instead.
And what of my father's involvement? Boro gave her boots, likely trained Elara with a blade, and I was to believe he had no idea of what she was? Realization hit me, that's how she likely managed to infiltrate the Silver Blades. People couldn't get in, but fog, that was nature and not something the order ever fought against, for there was no point. Which meant that she would have to be able to turn into the mist itself, making her an incredibly powerful conjuror.
My heart thrummed with the pieces fitting together. The implications were staggering. Everything was pure speculation, I had no proof. Unless considering the unnatural pull I had to her. Was it truly possible that she was the mist reincarnate?
Perhaps lady luck did smile upon me from time to time.
