A stiff breeze blew in from the sea as the sun began to sink below the horizon. Up on her decks, the crew of the Vesper were hard at work, putting their backs into the winch under Firch’s watchful eye as they attempted to use the anchor to haul their ship off the beach as the tide came in. Meanwhile, lines grew taut as rowers on a pair of fishing boats helped.
“Don’t you think we should have offloaded our cargo before attempting this, Captain?” Elran, the ship’s doctor gasped through gritted teeth.
“We may have done them a favour, but we’d be fools to trust them that far,” Inder growled. “Quit your bellyaching and keep pushing.”
The Vesper began to shift ever so slightly and as she was dragged into deeper water, the sea was able to do most of the heavy lifting. There was a disoriented sensation when she floated freely on the water, and Elran and Raimala collapsed in an exhausted heap.
“Waiitt forrr meee!” came a voice from the jungle. It was faint, drowned out by the sounds of the wind and surf, but everyone on board heard it clearly and paused.
“Keep pushing or the tide is just going to carry us back up the beach, you idiots!” Inder cried.
Firch threw a rope ladder over the side as the crew scrambled back to their positions on the winch. Duglin saw the Vesper slowly haul herself out to sea and attempted to increase his pace only to stumble in the sand and fall flat on his face. He hurriedly picked himself up and ran into the surf until it was waist deep. However, as the Vesper was pulled beyond the surf, she began to pick up speed.
“Wait!” the boy cried again as he waded through the now hip deep water.
Then, a large wave caught him off guard as it came crashing down over his head, sending him tumbling head over heels. Seawater stung his eyes and nostrils as he struggled to find his footing. In the rising surf. Once he found his footing, he stood and saw that he now had little hope of catching up with his ship.
“Wait for me!” he spluttered as he desperately waded into deeper water.
Soon, the sea floor fell away abruptly, and Duglin felt himself plunge into the sea. Unable to swim, he thrashed around frantically until he felt a strong hand grab him by the scruff of the neck and haul him to the surface.
To his surprise, a boat had pulled up alongside without him realizing it, and he was soon hauled on board. Four pairs of eyes looked down at him in amusement as he lay gasping on the deck.
“We were yelling at you to stay where you were so we could come get you,” one of them laughed. “We’re here to take you to your ship.”
“Thank you,” Duglin said sheepishly as someone threw a blanket over his head.
“You’d best dry yourself off,” a kind voice warned. “It’s going to get cold.”
Soon, the boat pulled up alongside the Vesper, and Duglin gratefully scrambled aboard and was surprised to find the Captain waiting for him at the top of the rope.
“I thought I gave you half an hour to get back,” he said, boring his eyes into the boy.
“Sorry Captain, I got a little turned around,” he said sheepishly.
“If it happens again, I’ll dock your pay,” he warned. “Now get to work, we’re setting sail.”
“Aye Captain!” the boy cried before fleeing gratefully.
“Fair winds, lads!” Dernish cried from one of the boats. “And remember your promise! Once you’re done with your skullduggery, you are to come straight back to help me finish every drop of booze on this pox cursed island!”
“You’d best secure the best booze for fifty leagues by the time we return!” Inder shouted back from the gunwale as the Vesper began to pull away.
“If you don’t come back, I’ll hunt you down to the ends of the world, do you hear me!”
“It was good to see you again,” Firch called. “We’ll be back soon.”
Now that they were complete again, the crew’s mood was buoyant as they made their ship ready for sail. The Captain and his first mate waved goodbye one more time before making their way to the quarterdeck.
“Orders, Skip?” Raimala asked.
Firch studied the sea for a moment before turning to Tash. “Helm, make our heading oh-seven five.”
Tash froze and gave Inder a confused look.
“You heard the Captain,” Inder said.
As the helmswoman turned the Vesper abeam to the wind, Raimala frowned. “But Captain, that will take us back towards shore.”
“There’s a rip current over there that will get us out to open sea much quicker, pilot,” The Captain tried to sound stern but couldn’t keep the corners of his lips from curling into a smile.
Raimala consulted her log before protesting. “There’s no mention of such things in the charts they gave us, Captain.”
“Sometimes you just have to have a feel for these things,” Firch said.
Sure enough, the Vesper shuddered as it entered the current. Firch studied the sea for a moment before making his next order. “Helm, bring us around, take us out to sea.”
“Taking the helm,” Inder remarked as the Vesper accelerated out to sea despite sailing against the wind. “Someone’s in a good mood.”
“For the first time in months, our stores are full, our ship patched up, and we have a concrete destination where we can sell our cargo,” Firch said. “No harm in celebrating a small victory.”The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Next you’ll be regaling the crew of stories from the Voyage,” Inder teased.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Firch said before turning to Raimala. “Pilot, you have the con.”
“Say Skip, I’ve always meant to ask,” Raimala began.
Firch looked at her and gestured for her to continue.
“You seem to be a capable enough pilot,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “Why did you recruit me?"
Firch shrugged. “I’ve always found log keeping to be a pain in the arse. Besides, I needed a doctor, and your brother wouldn’t join the crew unless you did.”
“Gee, this will do wonders for my confidence, Skip,” Raimala said, giving him a hurt look.
“You have plenty of that to spare,” Firch said good naturedly.
Raimala pouted before breaking into a broad grin. “I suppose that’s true.”
The wind picked up, causing Inder to cast a wary glance at the dark clouds off their port bow. Thunder rumbled ominously as he did. “A storm’s coming, Captain. It’s going to be a bad one. Perhaps we should have sheltered in the bay for the night after all.”
Firch followed his gaze and shook his head. “We’ll run before it. Our Imperial friends have a three day head start on us, and this hot tip is worthless if they get there before we do.”
“We’re going into the Murkwater, Captain,” Inder pointed out. “Anything could happen in there.”
“That’s right,” Firch said. “We’re sailing into unknown waters, so we need to catch up while we can.”
“Captain, permission to go below decks and check on the repairs?” Bardrick asked with Duglin by his side. “I want to see how the new planks are holding up before we get into rough weather.”
Firch nodded. “Granted. When you come back, bring the spare canvas with you. Marsel needs to work on it.”
“Aye, Captain.”
Duglin followed Bardrick below decks and when they were alone, the large man spoke. “So, I heard you had quite the adventure.”
Unsure of how much he had heard, Duglin tried to play it cool. “I’m sure the others exaggerated.”
“You killed a witch,” Bardrick remarked as he opened the hatch leading to the bilges and grabbed a lantern that was hanging nearby. “I’d say that counts as an adventure.”
The boy sensed the hurt in the carpenter’s voice and attempted to comfort him. “Only because the witch hunter insisted I go along. I’d much rather have stayed behind to help you repair the hull.”
Bardrick lowered himself into the bilge and cursed. “The leak’s worse than I’d feared.”
“I thought you repaired it,” Duglin said as he entered the bilge where small pools of water were beginning to form.
“We’ll need another layer of pitch…” Bardrick observed as he held the lantern close to the new planks. “Go and fetch…”
Duglin held on tight as the Vesper crested a large wave. After it reached the top, there was a brief, sickening moment of weightlessness as it came riding down the trough. The ship lurched violently as she began climbing again.
“This will have to wait,” Bardrick growled as he snuffed the lantern. Fire was a hazard in heavy seas, especially around pitch. “Come on, we’ll be needed up top.”
“What about the canvas?” Duglin asked as they climbed out of the bilge.
“That will have to wait as well,” Bardrick replied as the ship’s bell began to ring.
When they emerged on deck, they found it being assaulted by sheets of range. The wind howled as the Vesper rode the heavy swells. The trysail had been deployed and snapped violently as the shifting winds assaulted it from every direction, propelling the Vesper forward at an alarming speed. Bardrick hurried to the quarterdeck to deliver his report.
“She’s leaking, Captain,” he warned. “We’ll have to man the pumps if we’re going to carry on in these seas, and even then…”
“Do it,” Firch ordered.
“It’s not too late to turn back!” Inder cried.
“We’re running before the storm, Mister Inder!” Firch replied.
“If you hadn’t noticed, it’s overtaking us, Captain!” the first mate pointed out.
“Only slightly,” Firch said as he observed the seas and the winds. “Deploy the headsail!”
“We’ll take on too much water!” Bardrick protested as Duglin helped him assemble the pump and Marsel froze at the lines and looked to Inder for confirmation.
“You have your orders,” the first mate said. He then turned to his Captain and lowered his voice. “You’re beginning to sound a little like Ricfer, there…”
Firch glared at the stocky man who stared back without fear. “You told me to warn you if you ever got that look in your eye…”
“I know what I’m doing, Mister Inder,” Firch assured him before turning his attention back to the sea ahead of them.
“Boy, up the mast with you,” Inder cried as Duglin helped Bardrick lower the trysail and hoisted the headsail in its place. Help Marsel unfurl the mainsail.”
“But why?” Duglin blurted, ducking his head as the heavens dumped sheets of rain down on them.
“Don’t ask questions, just do as you’re told,” Bardrick roared before kicking him swiftly across the arse. Though the Captain was unconventional in many ways, his word was still law on his ship. “Don’t forget your safety line.”
Duglin hurriedly secured the line around his waist and watched Marsel shoot up the mast without bothering with hers. Slowly, he climbed the mast that was swaying like a pendulum in the rough seas. He looked up to see Marsel already working on the ropes that secured the mainsail to the yard.
“Why are we doing this?” he shouted over the wind as he struggled with a stubborn knot. His stomach heaved and he clung on for dear life as the ship rolled violently in the swells. “Won’t the winds tear it right off?”
“It’s a precaution!” Marsel yelled back.
“No, what are you doing!” she cried as Duglin reached for a knife to cut the knot free.
“We don’t have time!” Duglin protested as she reached over and swatted the knife away.
“Here,” she snapped before undoing the knot with a few deft tugs. “Never let me catch you cutting one of my lines again unless expressly ordered to do so.”
Before Duglin could reply, a large wave washed over the top of the ship, from behind, sweeping him off the yard. For a sickening moment, the boy began to fall. Then, he felt a sharp pain in his midsection as his safety line went taut. When he opened his eyes, he was disoriented. The deck of the ship was above him and the black sky was below. Then, he heard a scream.
Duglin looked up and saw Marsel clinging to the yard for dear life. The spar was slick with rain, and it was easy to see that her grip would fail. He shifted his weight, swinging himself to and fro as he hung from the yard. As her grip slipped, Marsel screamed. Duglin gritted his teeth and reached out with his hand, catching her by the wrist. There was a sudden jerk, and it felt like he was going to be torn in half at the waist.
Down below, the crew worked frantically as Raimala and the Captain barked instructions. All of them kept a worried eye on the pair swinging from the yard but were helpless to intervene. It was taking all of their combined efforts just to keep the ship afloat in the sudden storm.
“Don’t let go,” Marsel gasped as she looked down. They were low enough that she could survive a hard landing on the deck with little more than bruises, but she was likely to be thrown overboard if she let go at the wrong time.
“I’ll try,” Duglin’s voice was equally strained.
As he tried to pull her up, the mainsail was raised, and caught the wind, causing the Vesper to lurch forward violently. It felt like his arm was going to be torn out of his socket, but Duglin dug his nails into Marsel’s wrist and clung on stubbornly as they swung through the air. At the last moment, the boy saw that their momentum was about to smash them into the mast. He hadn’t time to shout a warning and braced himself.
Marsel took the brunt of the impact as they crashed into the mast with a sickening crack. The young woman went limp and Duglin gasped as she began to slip from his grip. In the corner of his eye, Duglin saw Tash leave the con.
“Helm, remain at your post!” Firch barked, and the helmswoman reluctantly obeyed. “Mister Bardrick, give them a hand when you are able!”
“You have to help me here,” the boy pleaded through gritted teeth as he watched Bardrick hurriedly tie off a line before positioning himself under them.
The bear of a man planted his legs and held out his arms. “When I tell you to, let go of her!”
Before he could give the signal, another wave rocked the ship, causing Marsel to slip out of Duglin’s grasp. The boy could only watch in horror as her momentum carried her over the side of the vessel.