Abyssal Reverie

Chapter 24: Fall For Me

"Building you a Kingdom, Dripping from the open mouth, I'll show you what you look like from the inside. And I'll see when the wrath comes around."

"I need to convene with Sleep." I couldn't read the tone of Vessel's voice, the crashing waves around us drowning out most of his words as they left his lips. The sky cracked with thunder, causing the ship to rumble beneath my feet. I could smell the sweetness of the rain in the air, the humidity prickling my skin as I tried to focus on anything else. I wanted to be anywhere else but here. "She will know what to do."

"What..." My voice catches in my throat. I could feel as each gulp clung to the dryness ravaging my windpipe, my palms sweating slightly under the intensity of Vessel's gaze. "What about Simon? What are we going to do with Simon?" The last word eeked out of my mouth, almost as if it was a Sin to speak it, that the very Hels would open up and swallow us whole if I were even a fraction louder. "He is the only thing connecting us to her. We finally have the upper hand. Is that not worth something?" A part of me worried we should be speaking only in our minds, the fear of Simon walking in and hearing us riddling my body with anxiety.

"Time is of the essence. I will start my meditation now." He grabbed my hand, kissing it softly, the black paint around his lips smudging on my hand. "I hope not to be long, but when I am in this state, It is hard to wake me. Will you be okay here with them?" II and III had made their way up to us, the blood that coated their skin shining under the candlelight. IV was huddled at the table in the center of the room, pouring over page after page to find anything the tome could give us to help.

"Of-" I could feel the dryness again, the pain a sharp stabbing ache, "Of course I am. But what do we do..." I was cut off by his voice in my head.

Keep him busy; do not let him know that we know... He is the only hope of beating her at her own game. If Insomnus thinks she has Simon under her control, then we let her.

And what about the boys? Do we tell the boys?

We tell no one until we are sure of what to do next. Sleep will know. This is her long game, we are just pawns. Her next move has been carefully curated for generations. No way to stop her now.

"Surely my passive-aggressive jokes about you speaking to each other like we are nothing more than secondary characters in your long-forgotten fantasy novel have made some imprint on your mind." III crossed his arms, a sickly squelching following as his skin made contact with the remnants of Giffy still clinging to his clothing. I could feel my body ache at the sound, rolling my shoulders to try and push it from my memory. "Or it has done nothing, which is why you keep at it." I felt as he playfully punched my shoulder.

"The storm has grown worse; in order for us to make our next move, I must meet with Sleep." I caught myself chuckling at Vessel as he again avoided III's scolding. "Until I am back, the four of you do not leave this room."

"And what of the storm? What do we do when it reaches its peak?" II chimed in from across the room. His body was stiff with concern. "Do we leave the rest of the men to fend for themselves?"

"We help only if there is no other option, but I need Selah here. With me." I imagine his eyes met with mine, the dark holes of the mask leaving an uneasy feeling inside me. "When Simon approaches, send him to manage the crew. We have curated a team with the best of the best; they can weather this. Regardless of the magnitude."

"What will we do in here? What are we looking for? What are you not telling us?" IV was still at the map table, but his eyes were fixed on Vessel, unmoving even as the sea tossed the ship violently back and forth.