Emery didn't have time to think about Ari's response or lack of one for that matter as the fog that had been lingering a safe distance away suddenly started rolling across the black water. The waters that were choppy and turbulent had smoothed out into a smooth glossy black surface. Emery was just barely able to see the water smooth out before the fog rolled over it concealing the glass-like surface from her sight. Emery watched in horror as the fog began to climb over the edges of the boat.
It slowly slithered its way towards her clutching at her ankles eagerly engulfing her legs as it lazily consumed her being. Ascending up her legs the fog aggressively wrapped around her torso tightly. Emery gasped for air, feeling like her ribs were about to crack. Gasping for air she felt like she was choking on ice crystals. She was fighting for each breath she took as the crushing sensation on her lungs made it hard to breathe. With every breath, she took it felt like she was inhaling shattered glass.
Just as emery felt her vision blur and like she was going to pass out the fog receded revealing an old wooden gondola. Emery looked around at her newfound surroundings. She was sitting next to The blond who was looking around nervously. The blond was sitting uncomfortably on the bench seat of the boat. She kept switching her position on the boat like she was looking for something in the dark.
Emery shuttered a sudden sense of melancholy descended on her. As she gazed upon the cloaked figure with no face that was steering the boat. His cloak billowed in the fog mixing together so that you couldn't tell where the fog began and the cloak ended. Wisps of his ethereal cloak fluttered and dived into the veil of shadows that curtained the reaper-like being's face. His boney fingers gripped the tall crooked sculling pole that was made of black rotted wood from being soaked in water to long. The end of the pole never left the rolling fog that clung to everything in its path pulling it down into its depths.
Emery forced her eyes away from the cloaked figure refocusing on her surroundings. She assumed they were in some kind of underground cavern from the sharp misshapen spikes of rock and layered shadows that clung to the ceiling and climbed down the walls. There was a dainty green fire that burned at the back of the boat in a small anchored cauldron. It offered little to no heat. The flames of the fire were unable to break through the bone-chilling cold that lingered in the air. The fire provided just enough light to see the water as the boat slid across its black glossy surface.
Gradually the boat pulled onto a small beach or what looked like a small beach. Emery was trying to discern if the beach was getting bigger or if the wall of darkness covering it was getting smaller. She could swear that the darkness was moving. It reminded Emery of a curtain that parted ever so slowly. She wasn't even sure it was moving at all. Emery gasped in surprise as the last few ripples of darkness inched their ways into the edges of the cave revealing a rather tall man with pale skin bright green eyes and long black hair leaning up against a boulder.
The boulder came up to just above his waist he actually looked quite comfortable leaning up against it. "Now what brings someone like you to a place like this?'' he asked in a very thick welsh accent. Raising an eyebrow inquisitively. Emery shivered at the sound of his voice. It was smooth, almost sickeningly sweet to the ears. The blond next to Emery simply stared at the man for a moment slightly slack-jawed too mesmerized to move. She shook her head almost as if to shake herself out of a dream. Regaining her composure the blond asked," Well aren't you just a bright little ray of sunshine?"
The man fixed his eyes on Emery and said, ``It's good to finally meet you. In-person. I can't wait to see how soon I'll be seeing you again." Is there somewhere safe for us to talk, Arwan," the blonde asked? Arwan chuckled a dry kinda laugh, Fixing his eyes back on the blond"We are in the underworld lass only the shadows can hear you down here unless I allow otherwise," he answered with a sly smile on his face. Before emery could disembark the boat the water turned turbulent tossing the boat to and fro.
A giant wave suddenly came bearing down on the boat. Drenching emery with freezing cold water. It felt like the ocean was purposely trying to capsize the boat as wave after wave relentlessly smashed into the boat sides. Emery sputtered and gasped as she spits up water trying not to drown.
The assault of the unforgiving water brought Emery back to her senses. Looking around she realized she was in the boat with Ari again. Ari clenched onto the bow of the boat obviously shaken. Ari was sputtering up water as well. She was shouting at the god of the ocean in protest cursing him for being a narcissistic bipolar psychotic asshole with a bad temper.
Emery laughed at Ari receiving a mouth full of seawater for her trouble. Emery tried to spit out the taste of saltwater while debating what was worse holding onto the bench seat for dear life or the spray from the ocean that repeatedly splashed her in the face. Emery couldn't help but wonder how long they had been traveling. It felt like forever but it was still dark out so it couldn't have been too long. Could it. Emery tried to look out at the ocean but what little bit of ocean view Emery could see was up close and personal as it was splashing her in the face. Emery shivered violently as two long dark shadows towered over them suddenly. However cold she was, Emery was so glad when she received a brief respite from the seawater.
Distracting Emery from the trip down the rabbit hole she just experienced, the shadows were so close to the sides of the boat causing it to almost capsize more than once. Emery was afraid they were going to crash. Emery reached out curiously feeling propelled to touch one of the shadows. Emery yelped in pain the moment her hand brushed it's rough. She felt like she had run her hand over sandpaper very rapidly. Emery snatched her hand back and cradled it against herself. Emery realized that touching a shadowy foreign object in the dark probably wasn't the best idea. Luckily for her, nothing could be heard over the screaming howls of the wind passing by them sparing her from Ari's inevitable lecture.
The boat was moving so fast Emery realized she could have had her hand ripped off. Though the sharp stabbing pain that radiated through her palm and up her wrist was letting her know all too well that it was very much still attached. Emery tried her best to examine her hand in the dark. She was able to make sure she still had all her fingers. When she realized her hand was covered a warm liquid of some sort that she was pretty sure was blood. The fact that the shadows were so close to the boat didn't seem to have slowed the boat down at all. In fact, it seemed like the boat was speeding up. The boat had rushed right past the looming shadowy figures and was rushing straight for another massive shadow.
Ari glanced at Emery trying to figure out how to explain why she was so aggressive getting Emery onto the boat. All her thoughts of sweet words and empty promises she was gonna make flew out of her mind when she saw emery cradling her right hand against herself. Ari yelled hysterically at her, "you daft idiot what the hell were you thinking? you could lose a lot more than your damn hand. Do you know how fast we are moving right now? Emery didn't acknowledge Ari she was too busy trying not to scream out in excruciating pain caused by the saltwater splashing into the open wounds splayed across her palm. She buried her face to muffle the sounds of her painful cries.
Emery removed her face from her coat just in time to watch the boat smashed into the third massive shadow. Emery tried to make out what it was they were heading towards. It took Emery a moment to figure out that the shadow object they were rushing towards was actually a giant waterfall pouring out into the ocean. Emery's mouth was still hanging open in awe as the water parted letting them pass through without getting wet.