An undersea shelf rose abruptly from the sea floor, causing tall waves and a swift current, which accelerated the Vesper at an alarming rate. Both her pilot and her helmswoman were bathed in sweat as the latter wrestled with the wheel on the former’s orders as they threaded their way through the treacherous path while the others could only hold on and place their trust in the pair to guide them safely to the other side.
“Four points to port!” Raimala called out as they sailed past a jagged rock that was shaped like a crocodile. “Drop the trysail!”
“For what it’s worth I think she’s doing a fine job,” Inder offered as he approached the quarterdeck.
“That’s not what I’m concerned about,” Firch replied as his eyes searched the surrounding seas. “Marsel, do you see any other wrecks out there?”
“No, Captain, nothing but rocks and swells!”
His first mate’s eyes widened in understanding. “You don’t think it was the Relentless that did that to the wreck out there, do you?”
“It was still smouldering,” Firch said. “As far as I can tell, the Imperials have been in Avarice for weeks.”
“And there’s no sign of any other wrecks here, which means that ship made it to the other side,” Inder said, finishing the thought. “Only one reason to come through here.”
“Two, actually,” the Captain pointed out. “But I can’t think of anything they’d need on Jerning.”
Inder’s eyebrows shot up. “The Murkwater Archipelago? What could the Empire want in there?”
Firch shrugged. “With luck, we’ll never find out.”
“Helm, bring us three points to port,” Raimala barked.
Tash grunted as she put her back into the wheel, but the ship turned slowly. The Captain was the first to react and rushed over to help.
“Sorry, Captain, it’s the current…” She gasped.
“Just push,” the Captain said, his voice strained.
“Full left rudder, full left rudder!” Raimala cried.
Inder lent his aid to the pair and soon, the rudder was turned as far over as it could go. The crew held their breath as the ship turned excruciatingly slowly to avoid an exposed reef up ahead.
“We’re not going to make it,” Bardrick breathed.
“Raise the mainsail!” Raimala cried. “The headsail too!”
Bardrick turned around in disbelief. “Have you gone mad?”
“The pilot has the con!” Firch roared.
“Come on, turn!” Marsel urged from the crow’s nest.
The bear of a man uttered a curse as he and Duglin ran towards the lines and began hauling the mainsail up while Elran did the same with the headsail. The Vesper was sailing against the wind and shuddered as she decelerated when the wind filled the raised sails. The vessel heaved to as she entered a sharp turn.
The ship’s timbers groaned against the strain, and her sails creaked as the wind filled them. The crew held their breaths as the reef disappeared from sight. The only one who could see them now was Fulter, who was perched on the prow. The swordsman, however, gave nothing away as he watched the sea ahead of them impassively.
“We’ve done all we can,” Firch panted.
“Captain, I’m sorry…” Tash began.
“Stow your apologies, I’ll hear them later,” Firch said sharply.
“We’re passing clear,” Fultern called from the prow, and Duglin exhaled.
His relief was short lived. Moments later, a ripping sound filled the air as a large gash appeared in the mainsail. Before anyone could consider the implications, the ship shuddered her side scraped against a submerged reef. The sickening sound of splintering wood soon followed. Without having to be told, Bardrick sprinted below decks.
“Duglin, see if you can help!” the Captain ordered.
“Aye, Cap’n!” he replied as he scampered after the huge man.
“Don’t swallow your words, lad!” Inder barked as he took their place.
“Aye, Captain!” Duglin repeated before charging down the stairs.
At the bottom, he found Bardrick, peering into the darkened hold. Duglin could hear the sound of inrushing water but couldn’t tell where it was coming from in the gloom.
“Should I light a lantern?” he offered.
“Quiet,” Bardrick hissed. He listened for a moment more and cursed. “It’s coming from the bilges.”The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
The large man bounded past the stacked crates and opened a small hatch. Once he did, the sound of flowing water grew louder.
“Get my tools,” he growled before lowering himself into the Vesper’s bilge. “And the spare timber in my workshop, the largest pieces you can find!”
Duglin ran towards the rear of the ship where Bardrick’s small workshop was and nearly fell over when the ship heeled over again. He gritted his teeth and held on as the Vesper leaned into another hard turn.
“Tell them to stop doing that, and to slow down!” came Bardrick’s muffled voice. “It’s making the breach worse!”
“There would be more than a large hole in the hull if they didn’t make the turn,” the boy thought to himself but didn’t have the courage to say.
Once the ship was level again, Duglin grabbed the tools and a pair of planks before hurrying back over to the hatch.
“I’ve brought the things,” he panted.
“Good, bring them down here.”
Duglin paused. It was pitch dark in the bilge, and he could tell that it was filling rapidly with water. The hatch was the only way in or out…
“Shouldn’t I tell them to man the pumps?” he stammered.
“They can’t spare the bodies, and we don’t have the time,” Bardrick snapped. “Get down here!”
The boy summoned his courage and carefully lowered himself into the yawning chasm before grabbing the tools and the wood. The Vesper’s bilge was only three feet high, obliging him to crouch walk his way over to the sound of Bardrick’s voice. As he waddled through the bilge, he was alarmed to find that the water was already a third of the way to the top and rising quickly.
“The gash is huge, feel it,” Bardrick ordered as he grabbed one of Duglin’s hands.
The boy winced as he ran his fingers over the splintered wood, having to fight the flow of inrushing water to do so.
“Grab the largest plank we have and hold it in place over the gash,” Bardrick ordered.
“The gash is huge,” Dulgin protested. “We haven’t any big enough to cover it completely.”
“Find the biggest one and cover it as best you can,” the large man ordered patiently.
The boy grunted as he fought against the flow of water to position the plank over the gash. The ship heeled over again, causing him to lose his footing and fall headfirst into the fast rising water. Taken off guard, he was thoroughly disoriented, not knowing up from down and thrashed helplessly as he attempted to find air.
Just as panic was about to set in, a strong hand grabbed the back of his shirt and hauled him to the surface.
“This is no time for games!” Bardrick said. “Didn’t you tell them to slow down?’
The water was now so high that Duglin had to tilt his head back to breathe. In a panic, he screamed. “We should pump some of this water out before doing this.”
“We don’t have the time!” Bardrick shouted. “Do your job, or we’re sunk!”
Faced with Bardrick’s wrath, Duglin reluctantly submerged his head. The seawater stung his eyes as he forced them open. He attempted to position the plank again, but the water was still flowing in too forcefully. Eventually, Bardrick helped him position it with one hand and held it shut by wedging another plank between it and one of the ship’s ribs. Once the patch was in place, Bardrick began hammering nails in.
Unable to hold his breath any longer, Duglin kicked to the surface to take in a deep gulp of air and was alarmed to find that the water was almost to the ceiling. He submerged himself again to find Bardrick concentrating on his work. He tapped the bear of a man urgently on the shoulder to signal that they should leave, but Bardrick wouldn’t turn away from his work.
Duglin tried to look for the hatch but to his horror, found that he had completely lost his bearings. Panic began to set in. They were going to drown. He attempted to stand but found that the water had reached the ceiling. Then, his thoughts became clear. They were both dead men. The least they could do was attempt to save the ship so that their shipmates could be saved.
Reinvigorated with a sense of purpose, Duglin quickly found another hammer and some nails in Bardrick’s toolbox and set to work hammering the plank into place. He found it difficult to swing the hammer with any force underwater but soon, their task was done. Satisfied that he had done all he could, Duglin felt oddly serene as he floated in the water, having resigned himself to his fate.
He saw Bardrick give him a confused look and shrugged. The bear of a man scowled before grabbing Duglin by the scruff of the neck and hauling him away. The more experienced crewman quickly found the hatch leading up and practically threw Duglin up into the hold and appeared a moment later, scarcely out of breath.
“Now isn’t the time to lie around, boy,” he growled as Duglin lay gasping on the floor. “Our work isn’t done. We need to man the pump.”
With great effort, Duglin rolled over and followed Bardrick up on deck where the situation was a lot calmer than before. However, as he looked over the side, Duglin was alarmed at just how low they were riding in the water.
“Over here,” Bardrick called as he inserted the long pole that served as an arm into the bilge pump.
“How bad is it?” Firch asked from the quarterdeck.
“We have a breach below the waterline. We’re lucky the keel wasn’t damaged, but we lost a few planks in the hull. We did what we could but we’re still taking on water,” Bardrick replied. “We’ll know more when we’ve pumped some of the water out.”
While the Vesper continued to navigate the Maw, Bardrick and Duglin manned the pump. It was backbreaking duty, and after a few minutes, the boy felt like his arms were about to fall off. It wasn’t until Fultern tapped him on the shoulder that he realized that the seas had calmed, and the ship had slowed down.
“Want me to take over for a spell?” the swordsman offered.
Duglin couldn’t even muster the strength to reply. Instead, the boy let go of the arm, and collapsed to the ground and summoned a final burst of strength to roll out of the way.
“That’s dignified,” Marsel laughed as she climbed down from the mainmast.
“The boy’s done well,” Bardrick said as he continued to pump. “He deserves a little slack.”
“Ooh, look who the newcomer’s won over,” Tash laughed from the helm.
“Don’t mock, I think it’s sweet,” Raimala offered. “Bardrick is finally warming up to someone on this ship.”
“If we’re all quite done,” Firch began, killing the buoyant mood in an instant. “Pilot, how far to Jerning?”
Raimala frowned as she consulted her charts. “That depends, Captain. We’re going to have to replace the mainsail, and that’s in worse condition than the one we ripped.”
“Not that we can go at full speed anyway,” Bardrick added. “We need to assess the hole first.”
The Captain balled his right hand in a tight fist but kept his face calm. “Marsel, get the spare sail out. Tash and the good doctor can help with the rigging. Bardrick, continue pumping for another ten minutes then take Duglin below to assess the situation.”
Bardrick cast an incredulous eye on the boy who was still splayed out on the deck. “Him, Captain?”
Firch nodded. “It’s about time the boy learned a trade. I think carpentry is as good as any.”
“I’m not much of a teacher,” Bardrick warned.
“You’ll figure something out,” Inder chuckled as he took Bardrick’s place on the pump. “Besides, you’re always complaining about how much you have to do around the ship.”
“Teaching the young is an important responsibility in our society,” Elran said as he climbed the mast to help dismantle the mainsail. “Think of it as leaving your legacy.”
Marsel made a face. “Now there’s a revolting thought.”
Bardrick scowled as he massaged his sore arms and kicked Duglin in the ribs. “Get up, boy, your apprenticeship as a ship’s carpenter starts now.”