Chapter 115: The Codfather Part II

ARIEL

I stand on the rocking deck of the Royal Pack Navy ship, feeling a shiver run down my spine.

A dark mist is rolling in, starting to block out the light of the full moon in the night sky.

~We’re getting close.~

~I can feel it.~

Natalia is still below deck—she disappeared there about twenty minutes into the trip after puking her guts out from the rocky waves.

But I haven’t moved the whole trip, staring out into the distance from this spot.

I can ~feel~ Fate hovering at the edge of my mind.

The closer we get, the stronger her presence becomes.

~Is this journey a mistake?~

~Does she already know what’s going to happen?~

~Is she just pulling the strings on this trap?~

I’m torn away from my troubled thoughts by a silhouette in the distance.

I squint, peering through the fog.

It looks like a small boat.

A warm smile spreads across my face as we get a bit closer. It’s the ~Codfather~ once again.

It’s Grimsby, the old fisherman who saved us last time.

“AHOY!” he calls out, waving his arms excitedly. His wooden pipe hangs out of his mouth, and his Royal Pack Navy admiral hat sits proudly above his sunburnt face.

Our ferryman into Fate’s Web has arrived.

***

Once we’ve boarded, Alex, Natalia, and I sit near the front of the boat.

But we’re not the only passengers. We’re sharing our seats with a bunch of a gigantic, strange-looking fish.

Grimsby’s recent catch.

Natalia pinches her nose and scoots away from the gaping fish head next to her. She tries not to get blood on her—~I mean my~—boots.

“Don’t worry, pretty lady, they won’t bite ya,” Grimsby says to Natalia, flashing the most charming one-toothed smile he has.

“Thanks for taking us on board,” Alex says, shaking his hand.

“So yer really serious about going back into Fate’s Web, are ya?” Grimsby asks him, puffing his pipe.

“Yes, we need to get back to the shore,” I say. “Can you get us close?”

“Ah, for you, Missus Queen, I’d take ye’ to the gates of Hell and back.”

I glance at Alex, who tries to hide his smile.

“But ya know what they say: ain’t no foolin’ Fate twice.”

“We’ll see about that,” Alex says, surveying the waters ahead.

The mist is getting heavier and darker, but it doesn’t seem to bother the fisherman one bit.

“Make yerselves comfy. We’ve still got a bit of a crawl to go.”

Natalia huffs, looking miserable.

“Enough time for a round two below deck?” Alex whispers in my ear. “Finish what we started last time?”

I laugh, punching him lightly. “Instead of breaking a bed, we’d sink the ship this time.”

He grins and puts his arm around me as we stare into the distance, searching for any sign of the island appearing on the horizon.

***

Our surf boots splash on the wet sand of the shoreline, and we trudge up the small beach toward the dark, ominous-looking trees.

We take off our wet suits and waterproof boots that protected us from the coral.

~This time, at least, we came prepared.~

I peer back at Grimsby who’s just dropped us off. He gives us a salute.

“Best of luck, ya loons!” he calls out, lighting his pipe. “You’ll need it!”

I can hear his cackle echo out into the air as his boat turns and disappears back into the fog, leaving us alone at the edge of Fate’s Web.

The trees are dark, and the moonlight barely penetrates the clouds above. The night is completely still, and insects scream out into the wind.

“Let’s go,” Alex says, hoisting his bag of weapons over his shoulder and making his way into the forest. Natalia gives me an unsure glance before we both follow him.

As we march through the dank forest, we try to make our footsteps as quiet as possible. I keep my ears open and my nose attuned to any sign of danger.

But there are a million strange scents here, and none of them smell exactly welcoming.

The fog is so thick, it feels like I’m walking through a cloud.

Thicker than last time.

Which makes keeping track of which direction we’re going absolutely impossible.

All my tracking training with the warriors basically goes out the window here.

Before long, we’re completely lost.

~C’mon, Fate.~

~Stop playing games.~

~Just take us to your cave.~

Soon, I hear something.

A voice.

But I can’t tell if it’s inside my head or floating somewhere in the fog.

~“Are you finally ready to accept your fate?”~ Fate’s ominous voice taunts.

I glance at Alex and Natalia. It doesn’t seem like they’ve heard a thing.

~“Bring it on,”~ I tell her.

As soon as I think those words, the fog parts like it’s getting cut by a knife.

In the distance, a giant cave appears through the tree line.

Fate’s lair.

The entrance looks like a giant gaping mouth, ready to swallow us whole into the darkness inside.

Silvery spiderwebs line the entryway, forming a barrier.

As we approach, a gust of wind howls toward us and bursts out of the cave, blowing my hair back and sending a chill running down my whole body.

With it comes the haunting voice of Fate.

“Welcome back to my web, my little flies. This encounter has been fated for a long time.”

Alex and Natalia freeze as they hear Fate’s chilling voice.

I feel an anger rise up within me.

She’s taunting me.

This isn’t fated.

I’ve chosen to fight her every step of the way, and I’m choosing to end this now.

I’m not going to play her little game anymore.

This is ~my~ life.

I peer at the webs in front of us, blocking our path.

“Alex, torch this shit.”

“Gladly.”

He takes a step forward, hoisting his flamethrower up and sending a tunnel of fire inside, incinerating every one of Fate’s webs in sight.

Goddess, it feels good to watch them burn.

ALEX

I take the lead, guiding us deeper and deeper into the cave, and burning everything in our path.

I wish I had this thing in my hands the first time around.

The air is getting damp, and hundreds of trickling water droplets echo out like broken metronomes.

Even though we’re more prepared this time, we still walk carefully, watching each of our steps.

You never know when Fate has a trap laid for you around the corner.

Suddenly, out of the dark, a figure comes walking toward me.

Olivia.

She’s standing in a thin nightgown, as if she just crawled out of bed.

“Alex,” she says seductively, “I’ve been looking ~everywhere~ for you. Won’t you stay here with me?”

But no matter how real she seems, I’m not being fooled by Fate twice.

“Sorry, Liv. I can’t do that.”

I blast her with a burst from my flamethrower, and she dissolves into mist.

“What the fuck was that?” Natalia yells.

“Don’t worry about it, Nat,” I say, trying to reassure her. “They’re just harmless apparitions. Kind of like ghosts. Look.”

I point into the distance, where Lola stands glaring at me. Her head hangs limply to the side from having her neck snapped.

“Why did you do this to me, Alex? I was ~innocent~. It was Ariel that lied about everything.”

~Okay, now Fate’s not even trying.~

I would never fall for that.

With one blast from my flamethrower, I send Lola back to whatever grave she crawled out of.

“Oh great. So no one thought to fucking mention that the ghosts of our exes wander around this creepy cave?” Natalia shrieks.

I glance back. She’s shining her flashlight on Xavier.

He stands in a tunnel to our left, panting heavily and staring at her with rage-filled eyes. He’s filthy, his hair and beard are completely unkempt, and his yellowing teeth are bared.

He looks like death.

“Don’t worry, Natalia. Want me to blast him?” I say, hoisting up my flamethrower.

“No. He may be a ghost, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to take full advantage of this opportunity to slap the motherfucker.”

She timidly takes a step closer, waving her hand in front of his face to test him. He smiles, keeping his eyes locked on her.

She winds up her hand. “Fuck you, Xavier.”

But just as Natalia’s about to bitch-slap him out of existence, his hand shoots out and grabs hers.

Natalia is completely shocked.

“What the—?”

Suddenly, his other hand reaches out and grabs her by the neck.

~No…~

Horror rushes over me as Natalia tries to scream out, but she’s struggling to breathe.

This can’t be happening.

Xavier turns to look at us, grinning wickedly.

He’s not a ghost this time.

It’s really ~him~.