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Salt and Blood - Chapter 44
🕑 Added 2024-10-15 12:17:15 +0000 UTC<< Chapter 43 | Table of Contents | Chapter 45 >>
1.44 - Between a Rock and a Hard Place
One of my students once asked if it was possible for multiple convergences to form simultaneously. At the time I was a recently tenured lecturer. I had no answer for him, except the commonly accepted one—of course not. Having lived a lifetime since, much of it in the depths of my obsession, I would offer him an alternative answer—with the tide, anything is possible.
-Excerpt from ‘The Convergence Compendium’ by Professor Athamere Kenn
Rose had been confused for a single breath. The reality soon hit her like a speeding ship. Another one so soon? The pounding of her heart echoed in her ears, but she was surprised to realise that she felt no fear.
Rather, she was excited to test herself against more beasts; to see if her convictions could stand up to the force of the world itself. There was no visible change in the world. The storm still raged around them, but she spotted three rocky islands in the distance that hadn’t been there a minute before.
They were already on course for the leftmost island. However her hopes were dashed when Felix yelled from above—he’d rushed back up the rigging while she’d been lying on the deck.
“WHIRLPOOL AHEAD!”
She didn’t need to see it to know he was telling the truth. As they were caught in the outer flows of the whirlpool, the ship lurched to the side and she stumbled, almost falling to the deck once more.
As they continued onwards, it seemed as though they might avoid the heart of the fearsome vortex. The momentum of the ship carried it forward, cutting through the swirling flows and on toward the island.
However, the closer they got the more intense the pull grew. Right before they burst through the other side there was an ear-piercing groan and the ship tilted almost seventy degrees to the side as the whirlpool sucked it into its clutches.
They started to sink closer to the centre and the ship accelerated as it curved back towards the boundary of the convergence. Unfortunately, there was no escaping it now—they were trapped.
“We have to unfurl the sails,” Trent shouted from the poop deck, having reclaimed control of the wheel to keep them from slipping into the centre too fast. “It’s our only chance to break free.”
Even before he’d finished speaking Rose was clambering up the rigging with the grace of a mountain goat. Felix was already waiting on the boom and untying knots with lightning speed and the precision of a hawk.
Skill up!
Sailing 14 > 15
Skill up!
Athletics 7 > 8
The splashes barely registered over the screaming storm, the levels less so. Rose had grown numb to such things and even though she was excited to progress, there was no time to celebrate yet.
Her fingers moved in a blur as she pulled knot after knot undone. In her rush, her foot slipped and she tumbled backwards off the beam towards the ocean below.
Only by grasping for the flailing rigging did she manage to catch herself on the cusp of disaster. A few seconds later she had crawled her way back up and taken hold of the rustling sail.
As one, her and Felix dropped like anchors to the lower boom and tied off the mainsail. Nasar stood like a statue in the centre, holding the fabric taut with a single hand in a display of strength that dwarfed theirs.
With the sail secured, there was nothing they could do but wait and pray that Trent could deliver them to relative safety. There would still be a convergence waiting for them, after all.
Seconds ticked by and Rose let the storm drown out her worries. Standing on the bow, she could see all the way into the vortex of the whirlpool—a seemingly endless abyss that led to the dark ocean floor and whatever lurked below.
They whipped around the middle of the currents until they were once more angled towards the islands.
This time it seemed as though they would arrive at the second rocky protrusion. Unlike the lush, forested island of her first convergence these were far more foreboding.
Not as impressive as the cliffs of Derridas, but those towered overhead in a semblance of security—they signalled the city’s strength and hold against the force of the ocean. These were a reminder that nature held no mercy for those who braved her wrath.
“We’ve made it!” cried Felix as they broke free of the curving pull of the whirlpool.
Rose wanted to cheer, but Nasar’s expression was grim. Something was wrong. A moment later she realised why the chef hadn’t celebrated with the boy—a crunch from below followed by the sound of rushing water told her the whirlpool wasn’t done with them yet.
As the ship turned back to the centre, she heard Trent curse and the pounding of his steps on the deck. “Nasar! Keep them safe.”
That was the last thing she heard before her Captain leapt off the back of Liberty and vanished into the rushing waters beneath. Seconds later there was a deafening bang and the sound of splintering wood reached her ears once again.
Then, they exploded forward. Not just breaking free from the gravity of the whirlpool, but from the clutches of the sea itself. As they sailed through the air towards the islands, Rose let out a whoop.
Trent was a reckless bastard, but she had faith in him to find his way back. More importantly, they were flying! Another marvel to add to the list of wonders she’d experienced on her adventure.
Rose realised one thing that Trent may have failed to consider in the heat of the moment. It was one thing to send them flying away from danger, but the landing posed perhaps an even greater threat.
Well, as long as we live everything can be fixed afterwards. And I can always steal another ship.
***
A sharp pinch on her thigh startled Rose awake. She slapped at the source of pain only to yelp when her fingers were pinched in response. Opening her eyes and leaping to her feet she saw a little red crab dangling from her hand.
At least it’s the normal colour. A second convergence was one thing, but she wasn’t sure she could handle another colour coded one. Not for a few years, at least.
It was the second time she’d been stranded on an island since beginning her adventure, though this time she at least had a better recollection of the events leading up to it. Trent had saved them, risking his own life.
She was sure he had his own methods of survival. Teasing the crab off her finger took some effort but eventually she convinced the little fella to run back to the rock pools scattered around the shore.
In fact, most of the surrounding terrain was made of slippery rocks, coated in algae from the constant shifting of the tide. No lush forest greeted her when she turned inland, only a steep climb to the top of a jagged spire.
Rose couldn’t see out to sea, her vision blocked by a wall of rock. With little else to do but climb, she began to clamber her way up.
One or two slips and scrapes later, Rose had made it out of the crater of pools and onto higher ground. Blood trickled lethargically from grazes on her hands and knees, but none of the wounds were serious.
At last she was able to see over the rocks. The sight that greeted her was less than ideal. In the distance beyond the border of the convergence, the storm still raged like a berserker let loose.
Inside, the climate was far more temperate. There was little sunlight; the world was cast in hues of grey that did little to raise the mood. Worse, Liberty had been wrecked by the sharp reef below.
Most of the damage was to the exterior and thus fixable, with the main body of the ship still intact. However, with no trees nearby they wouldn’t be able to perform the necessary repairs. All she could do was keep climbing and hope that clearing the convergence would offer a solution.
***
Five minutes later she had only managed to reach the next ledge. The rock face had plenty of hand- and footholds, but that was a deceptive front.
Due to the slimy algae and seawater that coated them, they offered precious little grip and more than once she’d almost fallen back into the rock pools below. Her situation wasn’t all bad though, as when she’d finally reached this ledge she’d spotted what looked like a person about fifty metres around the rock.
They were lying limp and unconscious—or so she hoped—but she wasn’t able to tell if it was Felix or Nasar at this distance. She began the tricky process of climbing sideways to her crewmate, hoping for the best.
You have learned a new skill!
Climbing 0 > 1
A new skill surprised her with the worst possible timing. The splash in her ears made her miss her handhold and Rose fell from the rocks.
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