'I cannot believe we're doing what a bunch of fourteen-year-olds think we should do,' Elias said, clearly disgruntled. Jake held up his hands in surrender. 'We can't just let the ship get tossed around like this -'
'We won't get tossed around!' shouted Wren impatiently. 'Going with mother nature is a plan most likely not to fail.'
'It's too risky -'
'I was thinking about a different approach,' interjected Jake. 'Like using the anchor -'
Three cries of 'NO!' flushed down his voice at once and Jake shrank back, lookish sheepish. Elias turned to Wren.
'It's a life situation. We don't have time for experiments.'
'This,' Wren breathed, having had it, 'is not an experiment. And I gurantee you, if we die, which we will not, I will pay for everyone's hospital fee!'
All of them groaned. 'We haven't got time to argue,' Jake shouted. 'Storm's getting worse already. Must've been, what, a day already?'
'Around 42 hours,' Elias said. 'I'm getting the unnecessary cargo out - Wren, take one turn to West.'
'The work of a moment,' Wren said shortly, turning round on a heel as Jake saluted to Elias and shouted after him, 'You're the captain!'
The tempest had transformed the tranquil into a roaring, chaotic monster. Wren stuggled to keep herself standing - waves were crashing against the ship, water coming in, driven by the relentless wind. Each wave was a behemoth. The water had turned a dark, ominios gray and the salty spray of the water stung Wren's skin.
The wind, a malovent force, coursed through the air like small, rippling waves. It pulled at the sails and rigging as Elias, Jake and Ladislaya worked their way to keep it low.
'Gah!' spat Wren, as a bit of salt water psrayed into her mouth. The waves showed no mercy - Wren scowled as she steered the helm left.
The storm clearly wasn't dying anytime soon. Moments when the ship was rocked back and forth were truly scary. Everybody would stumble forward and lightning would crackle. Wren blinked every now and then as the flash of lightning grew sudden and intense.
'Around two more hours to go, chaps,' Elias announced. 'Hold on. Wren, you sure about this?'
'Very,' said Wren, her gut twisting, lying through her teeth. 'We can get this over with.'
Waves reached heights tall enough to swarf the ship. The ship was creaking and groaning horribly and Wren felt desperate. Beads of perspiration was working Elias's forehead.
'We're gonna get pushed down,' he told Wren anxiously. 'I put five pounds on it. We're going to die like a desperate, plunging bundle of salmon!'
'Chill, Elias,' Wren said. 'We're not worth salmon. It's really expensive.'
'Is that your concern now?' Elias shrieked.
'Excuse me, I'm on the same ship as you and I've noticed I might die as well!' Wren bellowed.
'Alright, alright! God!' Elias said, returning back to the helm. 'I'm stressed as hell!'
Rain lashed down in torrents, Wren soaked from head to foot. Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the tumultuos waves and revealing the monstrous specter of the storm. Thunder boomed, adding on to the chaos. The ship, meanwhile, a tiny vessel in the midst of this maelstrom, was tossed and turned at the mercy of the tempest's wrath.
'WATCH OUT!' screamed Jake's voice.
Everything happened suddenly - a flash of lightning and the deep roll of thunder; Wren toppled backwards and Ladislaya slipped against the deck - Elias screamed as well and Jake was shaking from head to foot.
'WATCH IT!' screamed Jake, literally shaking and pumping up and down. 'I DON'T WANT TO DIE! WREN! MOVE! MOVE! RIGHT, RIGHT!'
'We're supposed to go West -' bellowed Wren but when she looked up to see a towering wave that was about to crash down and push the whole ship down; any second now, they would be underneath and she knew it -
Wren could feel her ribcage burning from pain; her heart was literally hammering against her chest madly. Swallowing, she steered to the right as hard as she could pull the helm. She heard a clang behind her but she didn't bother to turn around and look -
The wave battered and crashed down as the ship slowly steered away from its drive. As it crashed down to join the thundering waves of the ocean, it caught the end of their ship - there was a scream from Ladislaya.
'LADISLAYA!' yelled all three Wren, Elias and Jake deafeningly.
A gasp. Wren breathed in relief but it was a painful breath - the gasp signaled Ladislaya was here, all of them, alive and standing on board.
'Wren, turn away, turn away!' hollered Elias, making crazy hand gestures from the end of the ship. ''Nother wave!'
'We're stuck!' shrieked Wren. Elias dashed over to the helm and pushed Wren roughly to the corner - he steered the ship North, away from the waves. Wren slumped against the wall of the ship, breathing heavily.
'We done now?'
'No!' roared Elias. 'Ahead!'
'Lower the sails!' ordered Jake.
'Already!' puffed Ladislaya. 'Useless cargo's out, rigging's checked, can hold up, but won't last forever, hatches are battened down!'
'Looks sharp!' yelled Elias.
'Thank you!' yelled Ladislaya.
'Check the navigation instruments - we might need to pump water out of the bilge if there are holes in it!'
'I'm on it,' Jake said at once. 'I bloody well hope there aren't any holes in the bilge - you suggesting we might drown?'
'Well, cross your fingers and hope the bilge's alright!' hollered Elias. 'And tighten the sails, somebody, we can't have them flapping around like that!'
Wren, drenched by the pounding rain, rushed over and struggled to adjust the sails to catch the unpredictable wind. 'Nearly impossible, but I'd say it's a damn lot tighter now!'
'Wren - incoming wave!'
Wren's instincts acted up - she turned her head so fast to her right it cricked - and yes, there it was, a giant fury of wave; it would be drowning them in seconds - as if done by an invisible force, the wave pulled away and dived back down into the sea, roaring. Wren stared in disbelief.
'Did I do that?'
'I think you did!' yelled Elias.
'Was that ... instict?' Wren couldn't help grinning.
The ship pitched and rolled with every monstrous wave in the maelstrom. 'Lads, make sure the cargo's secure!' Elias barked from the helm. 'We're going through a very nasty wave now ... brace for impact ... we might be down in the water for a while!'
'What?' wheezed Wren.
Elias looked anxious. 'Nothing to worry about at all, just down in a few seconds and we'll be up again. The ship'll handle - she'll bring us up again in no time - the navigation instruments are on it.'
Jake shut his eyes and sucked in a breath.
'We're riding with it now!' yelled Elias.
'I'm going down,' Wren said, feeling sick. 'Where's Ladislaya?'
'Checking the navigation instruments,' Jake said, looking rather green as well. Wren clambered down the deck, so did Jake. Elias sucked in a sharp breath.
'I'm going to leave the helm,' he said. Wren shrieked so suddenly Jake jumped.
'But - you can't!' she said in aghast. 'Don't you have to - I don't know - keep the ship from sinking or something?'
'Well, if I do keep the ship from sinking, it's merely impossible!' roared Elias. 'The helm's useless - everyone - below the deck - now.'
'The windows are closed but the water's coming in,' Jake said anxiously. 'Little droplets of them. What d'you think's gonna happen?'
Wren was about to reply when the boat rocked to one side. Jake turned a dangerous colour of purple. Wren swayed and staggered, feeling dizzy. The ship had no mercy - nor did the waves - Wren could tell they were riding with a humoungous wave. Elias was peering out the windows. It was a deep blue - all was water.
'We're gonna drown, aren't we?' Jake said in a small voice.
'Yes, but we'll be back up in seconds,' answered Elias feverishly.
'Wren!' moaned Jake. 'Isn't there anything you can do? Control the water!'
'I can't just - I'm new to this, Jake!' Wren said, outraged.
'Not any more!' shouted Jake. 'We're gonna die! I don't want to die drowning! Carrots - do something!'
'What, me?' shouted Wren, bewildered.
'YES, YOU!'
'We are NOT going to die!' roared Elias. He sank back, breathing heavily. 'Jake's got a point though, Wren - can't you do anything?'
Wren glared at him. He held up his hands in surrender.
'Fine! Fine! It was Jake with the idea!'
There was a short silence except for the rumbling of the storm and the crackling of lightning. 'We're going down,' Elias informed them. 'Once we're up, prepare for the worst of storms.'
'You're saying this isn't the worst yet?' cried Wren.
Elias looked bewildered. 'Of course not! It might be worse than the beginning but it ain't the worst.'
Jake was muttering prayers under his breath feverishly. Wren slowly let out a breath and sank down into a cushion. She could see from outside the window - a wave at least eighty feet tall was surfing from the waters and it was bringing the little ship with it along its surface. Up, and up, they went, Wren frantically clutching on to the window desperately as if clinging on it would do any help.
'No, no p- please - let her go - let her go!' she screamed.'Don't do this! Stop!'
The ship tummelted - it turned vertically, riding with the wave and Wren could feel the huge wave holding the ship up then -
Plunge.
Down the ship went.
Down they went.
Wren was not surprised to hear Jake sing a happy birthday song.
Wren threw up in a bucket as the whole ship turned upside-down, lopsided. Elias was breathing so fast his chest rose and dropped down twice as fast. Out of the window, everything was blue, deep, dark, dark blue. Dizziness overwhelmed Wren.
Elias sat down, breathing heavily. 'We're probably ten feet under the ocean.'
'Ten feet?' screamed Jake.
'Ten or fifteen!'
In the silence of a pause, Wren could hear a steady drip-drip-drip in the ship - then a slow rhythm of running water. Slowly, she turned her head around to see a shaking Ladislaya who was trembling slightly.
'There's a crack in the ship,' she whispered hoarsely.
Wren stared at the ground. 'God, we're gonna die.' she whispered quietly.
Elias let out a low, raspy sort of growl. 'In the navigation instruments' compartments?' he said.
Ladislaya nodded, whimpering slightly. Elias glared at the palm of his hand angrily, standing up.
'I'm going to check,' he muttered.
'When will we be up?' Ladislaya whimpered.
'Based on my calculations, I'd say around eight minutes,' Elias replied, before stomping off to the navigation compartment.
'This is horrible,' Ladislaya said weakly, pressing her hands into her face.
'We could try to swim to the surface,' Jake said hopefully.
'Relax,' Wren said in a what-she-hoped was a convincing tone. 'We haven't drowned ... yet. Stay optimistic, people.'
'Sounds like you're trying to convince yourself,' humphed Jake.
Wren shrugged, but she knew what Jake said was right - her heart was thumping in her chest and she was trying to convince herself - she hoped it was working. Suddenly, the ship tummelted dangerously to one side, plunging through the next wave. Swaying from side to side yet rising slowly, the ship began its ascent, steadying itself as the sea grew calmer with every passing moment.
Wren rushed above deck. The sky was still dark, but it was clear that the storm's fury had lessened; the rain had transformed into a gentle drizzle. Clouds overhead had began to break, allowing tiny silvers of sunlight to pierce through the gloom. The air was still, with a bit of whipping wind.
'It's over now?' Wren said weakly in relief.
'Looks like it,' Elias said, taking over the helm of the ship once again. 'Well ... we'll be expecting Iridia in no time.'