The Thorn in My Shed

Chapter 88: The Unforgiving Sea

Black clouds filled the sky has rain came down in sheets. The oceans churned with the violence of a blender forcing their ships to rock dangerously.

Crew members screamed instructions and communications to each other as they fought against mother nature to keep their ships seaworthy.

The deck was slick with rain and sea water. Those on the top deck slid about as if they were ice skating while others held onto ropes and the sides of the ship for dear life.

Lightning cracked in the sky with a flash of light with a loud roar of thunder not too far along after it.

Eilownia lay in bed, her eyes shut tight and eyebrows furrowed as her fingers dug into Marix’s sides, her face buried in his chest.

He held her as tight as he could, his chin resting on the top of her head as he rubbed her back.

"Shhh....." He soothed as she trembled in his arms, "It’s going to be okay Whin. These people have so much experience with the sea. If anyone can get through this safely, it’s them."

"And if they can’t then we’re doomed...." She sniveled.

Marix furrowed her eyebrows. She had never been such a negative person, but lately it had seemed that her negativity had only continued to grow.

First, she’d complained about the time it was taking to get to Norain, then she’d spoken about how awful the fish had tasted, and now this.

"Since when were you such a doomsday enthusiast?" He asked, chuckling as he tried to joke away the tension.

Just then another clap of thunder and lightning echoed through the sky, lighting up their cabin.

"EEEK!" Eilownia shrieked as she buried her face further into Marix’s chest somehow.

"I’ve got you, I’ve got you," He soothed as he continued to rub her back, "Just go to sleep and when you wake up it’ll all be over."

"How can I sleep like this? It’s so loud, it’s cold, the ship is moving so much!"

Marix nodded against her crown, "I know. Just try."

Meanwhile, on one of the Izka ships, chaos was erupting.

"GRAB ONTO THAT ROPE I SAID!" One of the pirates shouted at another as a rope whipped around in the air, the wind playing with it as if it were some sort of child’s toy.

"I’M TRYING!" He screamed over the rain as his arms flailed as he tried to grab hold of it.

"TIE THE SUPPLIES DOWN! THAT NET’S NOT GONNA HO- AUGH!!!" Another pirate shouted as he headed towards a group of crates just before a giant wave crashed onto the ship and washed him away.

It wasn’t unusual for something like that to happen, being at sea was dangerous and unpredictable, but it never made it any easier.

Unfortunately, there was no time to mourn, the other pirates had to say focused. This was survival.

"HURRY! EVERYONE GRAB THAT ROPE! GET THOSE SAILS UNDER CONTROL!"

Those that weren’t busy securing the supplies under the net, slipped and slid as they rushed over to try and grab hold of the free flying rope.

It whipped around like a snake, slicing the hand of one pirate who tried to grab it at an inopportune time like a venomous bite.

The men shouted and screamed as they bumped into each other, frantic to take hold of it, but the wind was merciless, always keeping it just out of their grasp.

Another bolt of lightning flashed in the sky, this time hitting their sail.

Sparks flew as a fire erupted on the sail pole.

"ALL HANDS ON DECK! ALL HANDS ON DECK! PUT THAT FIRE OUT!"

The men scrambled, falling over as they slid, trying to grab buckets of water to throw at the growing blaze.

They filled the buckets with the excess water on the top of their ship and tossed it over and over again to no avail. The wind was fueling it fiercely as if mocking them for their attempts to grab onto the rope it had claimed as a toy.

The next morning, Marix and Eilownia emerged from their cabin. The sky was bright blue and the sun shone high as if nothing had happened.

Crew members worked to swab the deck, clearing away the excess water back into the ocean with their heads lowered.

Eilownia grabbed onto Marix’s arm as they realized the heavy atmosphere. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Captain Deka approached slowly, his head hung as he held his hat against his chest.

"I have very unfortunate news to bear. The storm has taken one of our ships to a watery grave."

Marix’s heart sank and he felt a pit form deep in his stomach.

"Which?" He tried not to show his panic, but his eyes darted to the sides trying to see which ships were still sailing alongside them.

"You can rest easy. It was one of mine." Deka replied.

Marix and Eilownia both let out a breath neither of them were aware they were holding as Eilownia squeezed his hand.

"I’m sorry for your loss." Marix responded, his voice a hushed whisper.

"We’ve suffered losses like this before, it’s nothing new, you can ask what you want to ask." Captain Deka said, putting his hat back on his head.

"What’s the damage?"

"Most of our supplies were on that ship. We suffered a catastrophic loss and a large number of men. The seas were churning so much they took all the debris with them. I couldn’t salvage anything."

Marix sucked on his lips as he headed to the side of the ship. He looked out at the other two ships as Eilownia stood closely behind him.

He could hear them shouting, and see the chaos erupting as they frantically swept water over the sides of their ships, with others cradling their heads in their hands.

"Connect the ships. We need to address this."

Captain Deka nodded and turned to his crew, clapping his hands loudly, "PREPARE TO BOARD!"

Planks were put up between the ships, allowing everyone to filter onto the Viraaz ship.

Soldiers came up from the lower deck with worried looks on their faces as they glanced around at the large decrease of people in their group.

Marix paced back and forth as Eilownia stood behind him, her hands clasped underneath her baby bump.

"Last night, we suffered a terrible loss. Our supplies have dwindled and so have our numbers, but that does not mean this is over!"

Despite his enthusiasm, the mood didn’t improve.

Noticing their low morale, Marix cleared his throat.

"Keep your heads held high! We WILL survive! Just like we HAVE survived! WE ARE THE VIRAAZ ARMY!"

The men nodded slowly and sat up a little straighter, although he could tell they weren’t fully convinced.

He then turned to the pirates, "AND YOU! YOU ARE THE IZKA PIRATES! WE ARE A TEAM THAT CANNOT AND WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!"

The pirates began to clap their hands, which caused the soldiers to do so as well.

"I want everyone to go to their ships, count the supplies and meet back here. We will ration and figure out how to last us until we reach Norain! Everyone, go, NOW!"

They all stood up and headed off to complete the task. He could tell their spirits were lifted even if not by much.

Eilownia leaned against one of the poles as she watched Marix stand in place from behind. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he stood tall like a regal statue.

The groups slowly came back with the supply counts. He then tasked Captain Kam and Captain Deka with calculating how long that would last them and if they could reach Norain with it.

After a few minutes, they returned, shaking their heads.

"We’ve got a few weeks. The water supply is the most concerning."

Everyone gasped and began to frantically whisper amongst themselves.

Whimble came to the front, hobbling as he took a place next to Marix.

"Sir. My invention hassss...slrrrp...drinkable water. I can make two more...slrrrp....and we won’t have to worry abouter.....slrrp.....water supply."

Marix smiled to the group. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

"That’s right. Whimble has secured our water supply. As for our food. I want everyone to eat half a portion. We’ll stretch it as long as we can."

Everyone nodded as they groaned.

"Etil. I want you to toss some nets, try and fish up some food so this won’t affect us too terrible."

Etil saluted him, "Yes sir!" He then nodded his head towards the side of the ship to a small group that surrounded him. They headed over and began casting the nets.

Marix turned around to see Eilownia’s eyes rolling, her body slumped against the pole.

"Whin? Whin what’s wrong?!"

He ran to her just as her eyes rolled back, her body plummeting to the floor. He caught her before she hit the ground.

"Whin! Whin!" He shook her and gently tapped her face with his hand but she didn’t respond.

"DR. LEIN! DR. LEIN! SOMEONE GET DR. LEIN! NOW!"