Read Chapters

1.PrologueRead it Now
2.Extra hand. Read it Now
3.Cue to leave.Read it Now
4.Sarok Sea.See below
5.Helplessness.Read it Now
6.Land ahoy. Read it Now
7.Cannot leave. Read it Now
8.Valo. Read it Now
9.Belong to Sarok.Read it Now
10.Hounds.Read it Now
11.Arkeel. Read it Now
12.Gryphon's Tale. Read it Now
13.Rescue. Read it Now
14.Horizon. Read it Now
15.Death. Read it Now
16.Home.Read it Now

Sarok Sea.
 
Seren’s entire body ached. Never before had her muscles been pushed so much, never before had Seren understood how to co-operate with the ship on the waters and the crew around her. The pain was worse than that which Grit had brought upon her, but there was a difference in the pain. Seren felt like she had truly achieved something. There was no need to cower and tend to bruises and cuts. Seren could grin, and take satisfaction from all of her hard work.
Riqua, the navigator, was at the helm using his compass to guide them. The sky was bleak, dull and dark. Thick grey clouds hun over them, hiding all evidence that a bright blue sky even existed. The Tenacia was rocking dangerously over the waters - nobody could walk across the ship without staggering as if drunk.
“Man the sails! Keep ‘em taut, we’ll not let this storm throw us off course!” Riqua yelled, even though he was in no place to yell orders. The crew responded anyway, Seren was a part of that. She and the others grabbed a rop each, pulling them to keep the mainsail the way they needed it to be. Riqua could feel that the wind was pushing them South, when they needed to be going Northwest.
Soon the rain began. Relentlessly pouring down on them, refreshing at first before it was a chilling burden. The crew stumbled across the flooded deck as the rain sloshed about. Many of them went below deck seeking nourishment to keep them strong. Eventually it was just Riqua, the necessary riggers, Seren and a couple of deckhands out on deck.
Seren was shaking down to her bones. She was cold, wet and working hard. Now that there was so few of them, the work increased tenfold, so by sunset Seren might have fainted. But she did not. She willed herself to keep working, even though the violent wind nudged the ropes and pushed the sail the wrong way, even though the rain made her completely bedraggled, and even though the water on deck pulled her to its boards more than thrice.
“Impressive little whelp, you are.” Sebastian appeared at her side.
Seren yelped, caught unawares. The ropes slipped from her grip, being pulled out of control. Seren fell sideways, colliding hard with the deck, drowning though she was not in the water. Sebastian helped her up, laughing as she struggled to grab the rope. He jumped up, pulled hard on it, then handed it to her.
“Thanks.” Seren muttered, flicking the stray strands of hair that fell, dripping, around her small pale face. Working during a storm was most uncomfortable. Seren much preferred sitting to listen to it with a roof over her head and a window to gaze through.
“Hey, no problem. You’re doing well, it’s infuriating Flarcht. Cap’n Shall would let ye stay, should you decide to talk to him…”
Seren blinked the raindrops from her eyelashes, and smiled. “I will,” She said loudly so as to be heard over the rain and thunder.
The two of them worked together for a while, Sebastian helping Seren when she slipped up - literally - to support her. They ran back and forth across the deck as Riqua struggled at the helm. The rudder was becoming increasable more difficult to control.
Without warning, as Riqua grabbed the spokes, the wheel turned violently. Riqua stumbled forwards reaching out to stop himself from falling, but at the cost of his compass. It flew into the air, then down, off the edge of the ship. Lost to the ocean. Riqua cursed, staring at the dark night sky, scrambling furtively to his feet as the ship lost control. They had small chance of staying on course until the storm had passed. The navigator desperately regained his former position, but it was no use. They were sailing through the darkness with absolutely no idea where they were going. Riqua had got them lost.
Seren looked up at the navigator. “He looks troubled,” Shouted she.
“Probably just as uncomfortable as we are!” Sebastian laughed, squeezing the water out of his shirt. A pointless thing to do.
The wind picked up, blowing the sails with such force that Seren, Sebastian and the few others could not do anything about it.
“We can’t do this!” Seren screamed, picking herself up off of the floor. She was so tired.
Sebastian, the optimist, actually agreed with her. “Looks like we’re trusting the big blue now, huh? Well, and Riqua.”
The navigator himself was choking on his own idiocy. In all his years of servitude aboard Tenacia he had never failed her. They had sailed through so many storms before. Just none quite so violent as the one they face in the Sarok Sea. The Sarok Sea was rough.
Review this Story >>>