Gone Fishin' Part 4 (Patreon)

The sky turned a shade of prussian blue the further they went from the shore. Soon, the sands of the Night Market disappeared and all around them was nothing but gentle rolling waves and a paper moon hung in the sky. The boat rocked across the swells, miraculously taking the journey with ease, a small spell from Hazel making sure that the spray kept from the inside of the boat. Milo and Malcolm stayed near the front of the boat, making adjustments as the water pushed them off course. Gabriel paced and Hazel and Belladonna sat in the back with Belladonna gazing out at the water while Hazel hummed gently to herself.

It had been agreed upon that if Milo passed out after the closing of the tear, Malcolm would navigate them back. Gabriel was the second in command after that, having had the most experience on boats and navigating the sea due to Reese. It was a plan. It was a shaky plan but it was a good one given how last minute they had to cobbled everything together.

“Serpants off to the right,” Milo said, voice staying low. There were sea serpents rampant in the ocean but they mostly kept down deeper in the waters, coming up only if they were looking for food. Generally, they left fishing boats and explorers alone but once a year, the ocean vacated and the denizens of the Night Market remained on land. During serpent mating season, it was not unheard of for the serpents to capsize large boats, consuming anything that tipped into the water as if it were their own personal chum. Of course, just as they had to investigate the tear, the first mating pod had been sighted.

“Just steer clear of them,” Malcolm said, voice still low.

“No shit,” Milo hissed. “Did you think I was going to just ride right into them?”

A hand came to the small of Milo’s back. Malcolm didn’t answer him, just put a steady hand there while his tension bled away.

“If you stay within the darkest parts of the water, we should be able to avoid them,” Gabriel said.

“Reese give you that information?” Milo asked.

Gabriel nodded. “I went out here with him once during a rescue mission. A few people were stranded, dropped into the ocean from Reese’s world, he thought. We came out here to retrieve them but by the time we got here, they were gone.”

Hazel gasped behind them. “Gone as in… Maybe they live in the Deep?”

“They were body parts,” Gabriel confirmed tonelessly. “And an orange raft that had been torn to strips.”

There was a moment of silence. How many lost souls sunk beneath the ocean. Were they reborn under the NIght Markets rules or did they move on to the afterlife they had grown up believing in. There was still so much yet to be known about the world they existed within. When did the rules of the Night Market envelop a new soul and what would happen if anyone were to leave. It was nice to think that the people fleeing here to escape the hell of their own world were given a second chance in death. It was a story that most tried to tell themselves when confronted with their own mortality..

“Why don’t they come in the dark parts?” Milo asked, trying to ease the conversation away from the reminder of what could go wrong. 

“The serpents of the Night Market are mostly blind,” Gabriel said. “They guide themselves during this season with the patches of light on the water. Area’s the moon has hit more. Or area’s surrounding lighthouses or wayward boats. When the moonjelly rise to the surface they create a blue light that beckons the creatures for miles.”

Milo flicked off his searchlight, casting them all in the dark.

Belladonna was still in the back, looking out into the sea. “They shouldn’t be mating this early,” she said. “Everything in the Night Market has been moving up in the timeline. I relish change but when it comes to this, I’m not so sure.”

“What else has moved up?” Malcolm asked.

“Winter has come early. The serpent's mating is nearly two weeks earlier than last year. The lantern festival used to be every year on the same day. Now it's every ten months.” She looked calmly out at sea, her mind cast out to the inconsistencies of it all. “Everything is changing,” she said. “I can’t imagine it is good.”

“Change isn’t all bad,” Hazel tried. “I mean, change is what brought us all together? When else would the five of us be sitting on a boat together?”

No one was able to answer however as something hit the side of the boat. Gabriel grabbed onto the side, steadying himself from capsizing. “Turn off the engine, Next,” he said calmly. Milo, for the first time, listened without question.

They were cast in the silence of the sea, the boat rocking gently as the waves lapped against the side. Somewhere, they heard a distant splash. One. Two. Nothing close enough to them, however.

“Maybe it’s moved on,” Milo murmured.

They stood there, waiting with an anticipatory breath. They were in the middle of the ocean, cast in the dark, drifting. Hearts thudded inside chests while no one dared to move. The ocean seemed placid, however, gently lulling them into a false sense of security.

“Should we…?” But Malcolm never got to finish his words. Another bang hit the boat, sending the vessel spinning across the water.