An Ocean of Lies (AFOS II)

Chapter 13 : Jo

Jo stood by their cabin's door, debating whether to wake Alaric up or not. The last time she'd made the decision to keep him in the dark about her plans, she had died. He wouldn't like to go through that twice, but that was just a guess. Maybe he'd developed a taste for it? She had to wake him up, let him know they were minutes away from risking it all— again. But what if... no. Or maybe. Jo bit her thumb. It could work. She'd seen where Roisin kept her maps, her measuring gizmo. She could pack food and other essentials in her backpacks. He could refuse, of course, but maybe she didn't have to tell him the whole truth. There wasn't time to elaborate anyway.

She rushed back upstairs, to the deck. Roisin was busy picking up ropes and rallying her crew, Ana was far of eyeshot. The fog was still thick enough to conceal her as she opened the door to Roisin's cabin, her heart pounding, her ears ringing. Was she going to do it? Creators: yes. It was them or the pirates. And like she told Roisin: she hadn't come all that way to die. She wouldn't subject herself to the whim of others, not again. She didn't really have to risk her life to save them. She reached for the map, took the gizmo. She had to work quickly. She took a bottle of an iridescent spirit, it looked expensive. If they sank, it would go to waste anyway. She took a deep breath, her head was spinning, her limbs were starting to fail her: she needed to steady herself. The ship started to move, hard, like it had done when they first hoped in. It seemed the more she tried to tame her nerves, the more the ship lost it.

She ran for the door, opened it without bothering to close it all the way, rushed down the stairs concealing the map under her shirt. She was doing it. Just like that night, when she took her grandma and let the inn burn. She had lived with her decision, key-word in there: lived. She was alive. And grandma too. She had to save Alaric, no matter the cost. The pirates weren't really loyal to them, they were loyal to the pouch of coins grandmother had paid them. They would've thrown her into the sea, if it meant saving their own skins. She couldn't feel remorse, she wouldn't allow herself to. She opened the door to their cabin, took their magically enhanced backpacks, put the map and the rest of her bounty inside one of them. Food. She woke Alaric up.

"Get ready, we're evacuating," she whispered, then kissed him. "And don't leave the room, it's chaos out there," she said.

She ran to the dining room, the corridors were indeed chaotic. Mages and the rest of the crew ran upstairs to the deck, tying knots to their waists. Jo looked away, someone bumped into her. Jo told her she needed to eat something quick, to fuel her power, she'd be right up. They didn't question her, or the backpack strapped to her back. Jo entered the dining room, the ship moved violently, tossing pieces of bread, cold meats and drinks to the floor. Jo picked up cheeses, cookies, bread, fruit. Nothing too perishable. She stuffed her mouth with ham, some water, blood pudding. She made a small sandwich for Alaric, with whatever she could find, then ran back to their room. Alaric was dressed, looking a little green from all the jolting. No sandwich for him, then. She put it in the backpack, she'd worry about the mess later. She picked the book she'd been reading and tossed it into Alaric's backpack. Priorities. She held his hand, guided him outside.

She could hear the sound of rain, or was it the fog? The wind picked up, making it hard to walk, but Alaric was strong for both of them. If she were a lifeboat, where would she be? She looked around, assessing her surroundings. Everyone was too busy getting ready for the ritual to save the ship, none noticed them walking towards the back of the ship, to the side, sneaking under what looked like a large tent. A lifeboat, sturdy, engraved with runes, purple, red and blue. For what? She had no idea. But runes meant safety, if they worked. If they didn't, they had paddles, Alaric's superhuman strength, her keen sense of navigation and, well, a sturdy boat. Jo wasn't counting on luck, she couldn't really say she was lacking in that department but maybe it was misplaced somewhere she couldn't reach it. Alaric squinted at her, suspiciously, as she untied the boat's ropes.