Avarice of the Sea | | b o o k 1

16: The Enigmatic Abyss

Copyright © 2014. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. 

:  C H A P T E R  S I X T E E N : 

"Helm's alee! Storm on the bow!" someone shouted from high overhead, repeating the same phrase over and over again. I looked around me frantically before following Ivan's gaze westward to the dark rolling clouds of a tempestuous storm on its way. They were massive, billowing clouds rising high above anything else. The waves underneath were bucking and stirring, and from here I could see the white tips brewing.

I rushed to the very front of the ship, leaning up against the railing with a spellbound stare in my eyes. This looked far more furious than any other we'd come across.

"Ya hear that!" I whirled back around to find Avarice marching his way up the quarterdeck stairs. Shannon straightened up at the sight of his captain coming up. His blue eyes stared each of us down before turning to face his crew. He leaned up against the railing at the very center of the quarterdeck, taking in each of his men with a stern look in his eye. "We've reached the Abyss, boys! Gather up the hands, prepare the ship for entry!"

"What?" I gapped, turning my eyes up to see the sails being shifted and adjusted, whipped around by a nasty gust of air coming from the storm. "He can't be serious. Ivan, we can't just go into a storm!"

"It ain't the storm you should be worrin' about," he told me, coming to stand beside me at the tip of the ship. He drew a mark on the paper in his hand before nudging his glasses up his nose. "We prepare to hit the storm head on, but it'll be over within a moment's time."

"Yeah, before the ship's capsized," I remark snidely, earning a small smile from Ivan as he reached over and patted my shoulder comfortingly.

"Don't worry, Maxine. Just wait an' see," he said, and marched off to shout something at Shannon, who was steering the ship sharply to the left and causing a tilt to send me leaning to the side. I managed to pick myself up and rush across the quarterdeck to find the men yanking at the ropes, tying them around masts, and shutting the hatch. It was chaos, but somehow everyone managed to do their part without getting in the way of another. It reminded me of my amazement the day I came up on deck and saw them work for the first time.

The wind was blisteringly cold, and damp with salty sea water. I could see the water crystals in the frizz of my hair as it came whipping around in front of me. I came to grip onto the railing, standing a few short feet away from Avarice. He was wearing his heavy captain's coat, and a cap to match that covered the top of his hair and flattened it against his back. His eyes flickered towards me, and at that moment I urgently looked away and pretended I hadn't been observing him.

"What is going on?" I called over to him, raising my voice against the howling wind. I was starting to feel the rock of the waves under my feet, and I feared that we were going to be tipped under at this rate. My fingers were turning cold and white, gripping so tightly onto the railing.

"Don't look so concerned, dearie! We've done this plenty a time," he said, a wicked grin spreading across his lips as he rose a hand out to one of the men down below. He spouted pirate gibberish, and as he yelled I observed his closed fist on the railing.

Enclosed in his fist was an object of unknown size and shape, but I knew he was holding onto something and I felt its presence ticking in the back of my head. I thought about the days before when I learned of the key that allowed Avarice of the Sea to pass safely through the Marooned Abyss. This could be it.