The WindFlyer

Chapter 28

Captain Astoria's PoV

"We're what?" The prince shouts at me as the wind begins to howl. It snaps up the sails and drags us toward the storm as it grows. "I could have sworn I heard you say we're going through that thing," he says half crazed. I turn to him, all business at this point.

"If we don't go through it, it will go through us," I explain slowly. "Have a little faith in me, I've survived many storms." I wink and turn back to the sea. In fact, storms are one of my favorite things to sail through. The lack of control, the power of the sea. It's a test of skill but also a test of survival. The wind begins to moan and I feel the first drops of rain patter against my arms. "Batten down the hatches!" I yell and watch the crew begin to scramble about. We have to do this quickly or men will go overboard and I'd rather avoid that. My first mate pops out of the below decks with armfuls of rope. He throws them to Ren and they begin tying anything movable on deck down. I hear the cannons roll back into the ship and the holes slam shut. They are likely being tied down as well. Our best chance of survival relies on us not losing supplies. A heavy ship is a safe ship.

"You can go below decks with the rest of the crew if you want," I tell Draen as the sea begins to roll with more vigor.

"And leave you up here all alone? Not a chance," he says with more confidence than he probably feels gauging by the pale color his face has turned.

"There's no shame in being afraid, and I can take care of myself," I reply, feeling the wind start to pick up now.

"I may be afraid, but I'm not leaving. I want to be here," Draen says quietly, his voice nearly being lost in the howling. I nod once, I won't dishonor him by asking again -- though I would like to.

Andreas takes the stairs two at a time up to me and gives both the prince and I a rope. I nod my thanks to him while keeping my steeled face up. "Tie yourself down, prince, go overboard and you're a goner," I order, beginning to wrap the rope around my waist. I tie myself to the post the wheel is mounted on. I knot it tight and hope for the best while tying my hands to the wheel pegs. Draen looks around for something to tie onto. I motion my head to say he may tie to my post. The railings are too dangerous, the masts hold most of the crew the remains above deck. I have a set of people for storms, all specifically handpicked. Ones crazy enough to untie themselves and run errands if they must. We've weathered several storms together. I've lost a few but for the most part, everything goes smoothly. Today should be no different.

Draen latched himself on the side of my post, facing me slightly. He has a grim set to his face and I give him a wild smile. A choked and breathless laugh barks out of his lungs. "You're really..." he swallows, "you're really not afraid of this, are you?" I bear my teeth in response.

"Never." As if the storm were just waiting to hear that, the sky unleashes her fury on us. The waves begin to grow. Bigger and bigger. Walls of water forming. The sky pounds us with water, the rain assaulting my eyes, creating deafening sounds as it batters the wood of the ship. I'm drenched immediately, soaked through to my very core. My hair is plastered down against my head as the icy rain continues. I spit water from my mouth as it comes, trying to keep my senses as clear as I can.

I feel the WindFlyer begin to sink on the port side. I grunt as the rope digs into my skin and my feet slide on the slick wood. I struggle to regain my footing as I turn my wheel to the starboard side, banking us to keep upright. A flat ship is an afloat one. I watch as a large cavity seems to open up below us and we start descending into it. Great, just great. The walls of water rise around us and I can only hope that she has enough momentum to get us out of this hole. The walls start to cascade over us and my eyes widen. They also drop underneath us, barely bringing us high enough to avoid capsizing. The sea water washes over and pushes us downward before running out and back into the sea. My heart rate spikes as a bolt of lightning strikes the water next to us. Every hair stands on end at the slight electric current I feel. Then comes the thunder. An eardrum splitting, bone cracking, earth shattering clash of thunder. My knees give out, so the only think holding me up is the ropes. I have to get back on my feet. My hands are pulling the wheel, we are turning. I have to get back up. I can feel us turning. Leaning. Not good. Very bad. Very, very bad. I get one foot under me, pushing myself onto one knee as a second thunder crash sounds. I recoil as my head screams in pain. No, no. Focus. One foot. Mind over matter. I get both feet under me and shudder to a standing position. The masts groan at the position, drenched sails trying to pull them lower and lower as we now lean closer to the water.

I throw all my weight into turning us, rightening the ship. I grunt in pain, my arms quivering slightly. Just a little more. Just hold out a little longer. I promised Amma I would get back to her. I intend to keep it. I intend to keep the promise I made to this crew and ship, too. No storm will get in my way. Not now, not ever. The rain beats against me and the ship goes back to neutral. I lean against the wheel for a moment, panting, before I grit my teeth and open my eyes. "Come on! You can do better than that!" I scream at the sky. More lightning flashes between the clouds. Waves shudder and crash against the hull of the ship. Beating at us over and over again. When we start to dip forward again, I throw us to the starboard bow. Getting the nose of the ship out of the dive. If we dive, we die.

I hear the prince laugh in exhilaration. "You're actually crazy, you know that?" Draen yells over the torrent of rain. If I had the energy, I would laugh. But I don't have that energy, nor the time to break my focus. I keep my eyes ahead, scanning for the next dip, the next crash, the next wave. I don't know how long I stand there, watching the the rain. How many hours at the wheel with an iron grip. How many times a wave has crashed over us and nearly swept my feet out again. I don't know how many times I watch lightning crash just beside us. I do know that I can't feel my hands anymore, they've gone numb. My feet are soaked through my boots. Every time I blink, I have to fight to open my eyes again, only to have them assaulted with water when I do. I shiver slightly when a gust of wind hits my back.

Slowly, as if they sky doesn't want to give up just yet, the rain slows down. It takes its sweet time doing it, too, until it becomes a light drizzle and finally dissipates. I sigh when the clouds part and the waves calm. My wrists, which have been chaffed and nearly rubbed raw, practically slide out of the loops I had put them in. I have to pry my fingers from the wheel pegs, they smart in pain as I force them to flex. My numb fingers poke and prod at the knot around my waist to no avail. The lack of feeling gives me a lack of control over the limbs. My eyelids droop and I groan as my knees finally give out. Suddenly, I feel the rope drop and strong hands picking me up and placing me on my feet as a dry blanket is draped around my shoulders. Once the hands let go, I drop to the deck. I open one of my eyes to see the prince's face.

"Well, you got us through," he says, peering down at me.

I smile a little, my exhaustion weakening the hold I have on my mask, "was there ever any doubt?" He chuckles a little. I am so tired, I think I could fall asleep right here and be happy.

"Cap'n," I hear Andreas start. I groan as I sit up and look at him. I feel Draen out a hand on my elbow when I stand and I quickly bat it away. The crew needs to see a strong captain, leaning on someone -- no matter how tempting -- would not help that image. I need to see how much damage the storm did to our corse when I see it.

On the line where sky and sea become one, there is the faint outline of buildings. A skyline. A city. I know that skyline, I know those buildings. I grew up in them. I grew up looking out at where I am now. The temples of beautiful architecture and renowned across the eight kingdoms of the archipelago. It always has been a beautiful view. If only the outer beauty was reflected within, instead of the entire ugly poison that permeates it.

"Is that..." Draen trails off his question as I continue my stare. I feel my lips tug downward as I look at the major port city. I can almost see the palace, they always did have it on the coast. I don't think I really need to confirm Draen's suspicion but I will, maybe not just for him, maybe for myself as well.

"Roltem."