Danger in the Water

[Finn Roberts]

It was a typical sunny morning as the Phantom Queen hoisted anchor from the Ninraih coast and set sail towards the Preldova Narrows. Captain Finn Roberts had his reservations about sailing through the Narrows, but it was either that or weeks at sea to sail the long way around to Verdant Row. He also knew how fickle the ocean and her climate could be. But still, the Narrows it was. For now, the sea was quiet - on good behaviour
"All sails, lads! While the beast is quiet, I want this lady moving for those Narrows as fast as possible!" he ordered as he steered the Queen gently through the water.

Derrick hobbled over to the helm and took his place next to his Captain. "When was the last time we came through here? You think those stones will play as nice now as they did then?" he asked his friend.
Finn looked at his quartermaster. "We can only hope." he answered. He then looked up towards the Nest.
"Logan! What is the weather doing?!" he called up towards his lookout.
"Cloud banks from the Mainland, Cap'n!" Logan called back. "Probably less than an hour away!" he added.
Finn sighed. They still had a stretch of ocean left before they reached the treacherous pillars. By then, the wind would start tearing at the sails and start throwing the water against the hull, which will make it hard to navigate past the boulder-throwing pillars.
"Give this lady all she has, lads! I don't fancy a swim today!" he ordered. The crew unfurled the last topsail , giving the Queen her last bit of speed.
Derrick leaned over and spoke quietly to Finn. "Chances of us reaching the Narrows before the wind picks up, are slim. You know that. Do you want me to take over, so that you can get ready for the fight?"
Finn smiled at his friend's concern. Thank you. But we sail this, like we sail any other day - all together." he answered. He just hoped the wind was all he had to contend with. That the talk of spirits and monsters were just that - talk. He did not want to sacrifice his ship and crew for a mere business errand.

@Itzcohuatl

[Itzcohuatl]

The impending tempest charged the sky,and Itzcohuatl found himself feeling similarly electric and adventurous as he dived and wove through the clouds along the swirling and ever increasing winds. He had often come to the narrows as it was rarely travelled by others and so its rich waters made an ideal place to hunt for food – large schools of fish made a nice change in his diet. Not to mention there was something exhilarating even after nearly three centuries of gliding just above the water, seeing your reflection shimmer below you, and to feel the cool spray of the salt water as he dipped his head below to catch something. It was a little thing, silly really, but he still enjoyed it even as he was becoming too old for such things. So, with the wind carrying his spirit into a playful and adventurous mood as it ran over his feathered wings and scales, he could not help but be entirely surprised as he spotted a ship sailing through the narrows.


It was odd, Itzcohuatl thought to himself as he climbed a little higher into the cloud cover, as most ships avoided the narrows especially if they were as large as this one. A bold captain and crew then, or maybe an ignorant one? He mused to himself as golden eyes searched the deck of the ship below, and then turned his head back to the clouds behind him: the storm would be on them before they could make it past the stone pillars surely. Perhaps he might warn them? But surely they have noticed, and even then what would a warning do: to turn back would merely drive them into the storm regardless, and he didn’t even know if such a thing was possible as the nature of ships wasn’t known to him in the slightest. He might have ventured down to ask and talk, but such a large group of people could be dangerous – they might react poorly, or even just one reacting so could send the others over the edge. No, there was not anything to do but to watch… for now.

Itzcohuatl did his best to stay in the increasingly thick cloud cover, flying a good height above the ship, his multicoloured self hopefully obscured as much as possible. However, as he had to keep an eye on the ship, he did not risk going too high and still had to sometimes dip below the clouds just briefly to keep an eye on it. He had no idea what he might do to help nor even if they would need it, and he could hear the voice in his mind saying to fly away, not to risk himself for others, especially when they’re going to be fine anyway most likely. But his conscience kept his course fixed, he soared above the ship, a rainbow of feathers and scales fluttering on the dangerously swirling wind. The electricity in the air now more than a feeling, it was palpable, the storm would soon break, and it would be no mere squall. The voice grew more insistent to go, but he held true – they could be in danger, if he might help, he should. A simple sentiment, but one which he held deeply to heart.

[Finn Roberts]

The wind started pulling on the sails. Finn's jaw clenched. It would be a fight then he thought. He sighed as he looked at the pillars just ahead of them.
"Furl mains, lads! We need to move quickly!" he ordered his men. It seemed it was going to be one of those days of sailing. He will feel his shoulderblades in the morning.
"Cap'n! There is something in the sky!" Logan suddenly yelled from the Nest.
Yes, man! They are called storm clouds!" Finn snapped back as he had to start fighting the wheel to keep the Queen on course.
"Aye, Cap'n, but this thing flies between them!" Logan answered back.
Finn's brow furrowed. They really did not need any more trouble. He looked at Derrick.
"I need eyes, my friend. Eyes on the sky and on those pillars." he told his quartermaster.
"Do you want men on the crossbows?" Derrick asked as he pulled his spyglass from his jacket.
"Not yet. It may not even be anything. Perhaps Logan has had his head in the bottle a bit too often last night." Finn answered. He dearly hoped the latter was the case and that they did not have more trouble on their hands.
Derrick nodded and hobbled over to the prow.

Thunder rumbled through the sky as the wind kept looking for the main sails that were now furled. Finn kept his eyes on Derrick's hands as his quartermaster corrected his course slightly to reach the first pillars. The muscles in Finn's back bunched as he fought to keep the ship steady as the wind and water started working against them.
"Cap'n! It's a dragon!" Logan hollered down, fear in his voice.
Finn's head snapped up. Logan's cry told him that the man was serious and not drunk at all. The men fell silent and looked at Finn. He had just opened his mouth to tell them to man the ballistae, when the Queen's prow entered between the first pillars. The water that was displaced by the keel, rebounded against the stones and fell back against the hull. The pressure on the rudder increased and all thoughts of dragons went out of Finn's mind as he fought against the wheel.
"Furl mizzens! I want this lady to go quickly where I ask!" he ordered his men instead.
Hard to port!" Derrick yelled from the front. Finn did as he asked without question and they narrowly missed a sharp protruding boulder. The hull lightly scraped against the side of the one pillar, jostling the Queen slightly.
"Derrick! Report!" Finn ordered.
"That was the easy part! What more do you want to know?!" his quartermaster yelled back, while waving his hand slightly to right.
Finn frowned at his friend's quip but still forced the Queen slightly to starboard as more pillars came into view.

Rain started splashing slowly on the deck as the wind started blowing in strong gusts, pulling hard against the top gallants. Finn's back was burning from the struggle with the wheel. As he adhered to every one of Derrick's directions, he thought of the dragon again. They were like sitting ducks between these pillars, yet it did not attack? It seemed odd.
"Fretaghn!! Boulder coming for us to fore!" Derrick cursed in a distressed voice.
Finn forced the wheel very hard to starboard and hoped for the best. He did not fancy a swim in this storm, as the rain was pelting down harder now.

@Itzcohuatl

[Itzcohuatl]

Itzcohuatl could not hear the cry announcing he had been discovered as the storm now raged about him; the rain poured thick and heavy, each droplet flung like a pebble through the air, while the air was pulled into eddies and spiralled violently this way and that such that he had to beat his wings harder to keep his course, and the thunder roared like an angry and terrible god, it was such a cacophony of noises that he could barely hear his own thoughts. However, his eyes noticed the briefest of pauses in movement on the deck and he imagined they must have seen him. He still held his course as he waited to see if bolts or nets would be flung towards him, but nothing came. A small relief as dodging such in this storm would be no small task.


The stillness on the deck vanished in an instant as the ship passed near the first of the pillars, and Itzcohuatl’s eyes shifted from the ship to the mighty stone pillars which thrust forth from the sea and into the stormy sky as if in defiance of both. Here lay the true danger, and he reckoned those on the ship knew it too as they seemed abuzz with activity: he saw the sails, or some of them anyway he didn’t know the names of them, roll their linen away. Brave souls to be clambering on those wooden beams when they could not fly, Itzcohuatl thought to himself and added, he would like to ask them what made them do that. There was one figure which did not move as much as the others, who seemed to be standing next to something, holding onto it with great effort – maybe he was afraid? There was so much he wanted to ask the souls below, but this was not the time.

Itzcohuatl saw the boulder as well, teetering on a ledge of one of the pillars and then falling from it, heading right for the ship. He felt that voice telling him not to do it, to think of himself only, after all these people might yet attack him! But he couldn’t, they were in danger, he might help him them – how could he turn away? With a beat of his great feathered wings he forced himself down into a dive and the wind forced the rain into him like stinging knives, yet still he dove. There was no hiding himself now, those brilliant colours caught the little sunlight left and flashed with every strike of lightning, and the noise of his motion through the air audible even in the storm such was the force he propelled himself down with. A younger dragon would not have the good sense to control this dive, and an older one might lack the strength, but Itzcohuatl was in the prime of his life and it showed.

Though it looked as if Itzcohuatl was diving for the ship his real target was the boulder flying down towards it nearly as fast as he was. He opened his mouth ready to shatter it into tiny pieces of glass with a fiery breath that burned the hottest and purest white. Itzcohuatl could only hope the people on the boat did not panic and try to attack him or drive their ship into the pillars from fear; have faith, a little faith in the duty to save strangers when you saw them in danger, just for a moment longer, that’s all he needed. The seconds seemed to stretch out into eons as he dove towards that rock, just a little longer and he would have it…

[Finn Roberts]

For the first time, it felt like the Queen was turning like a galleon. She took forever to turn her nose to starboard. Finn felt like his shoulders were going to tear loose from his body as he forced the wheel against the water. He knew, however that it was almost impossible to miss that boulder coming for them.
"Brace lads!" he cried, still giving the wheel everything he had.
"Cap'n! Dragon coming for us!" Logan's panicked voice rang from above.
Finn gritted his teeth. This was to be split second decision - fight the boulder or fight the dragon? Frank had already loaded one of the ballistae.
"Frank! Fire at the boulder to divert its course! We'll deal with the dragon later!" he ordered his second mate.
Frank loosed the bolt at the boulder.

It was as if everything went quiet. Finn could hear the mighty beat of wings above them and the bolt took forever to reach the boulder. The Queen was turned almost horizontally now, so Finn had a brilliant view of what was happening. He watched as the boulder fell straight for their port side. There was no way the ballista bolt was going to divert the rock's course now.
For the first time in his life, Finn wished he believed in a certain deity, for now he did not know who to call out to. Instead, he clenched his jaw and waited for the worst. But it never came. A stream of white-hot fire shot through the sky above them, shattering the boulder into the smallest pieces of glass.
"What?! It saved us?!" he cried in disbelief. Derrick looked back at him in equal surprise.

Finn only stood still in amazement for one moment, before realizing he had to do several things at once.
"Leave the dragon! Do not fire! Get this girl moving! We still have a fight ahead!" he ordered as he forced the wheel to port again, as they were precariously close to being thrown into a pillar on their starboard. The men gaped at him, but did as he ordered. They knew very well that, if they refused to follow orders, their Captain would ram this ship into a pillar just to spite them.
As he fought his wheel to port, he watched as a beautifully coloured, feathered dragon sped past him and banked upwards from its dive again.
"Incredible." he mused as the Queen got back on course just in time to miss the next pillar.
"Oi! Focus on your sailing!" Derrick hollered from the bow as he waved his hand frantically to port.
"Yes, mum!" Finn called back sarcastically, but he still adhered to his quartermaster's directions. They narrowly missed another sharp, jutting stone tooth.

The storm was getting quite heavy now. The wind whipped his hair into his face and was pulling hard at the few sails still unfurled. The water broiled around the pillars, pushing at the rudder from all directions. It has been a long time since Finn has fought at the helm like this. His back ached from the tension as sweat mingled with the rain on his face.
"Ale's on me tonight, lads!" he shouted through gritted teeth.
"Don't celebrate yet! It's not over yet!" Derrick shouted, waving his hand to starboard.
Finn sighed as he fought the wheel again. A pillar scraped past on port side. As they passed, Finn heard the splash of more boulders narrowly missing them. All the while, he quietly wondered what had happened to the dragon.

@Itzcohuatl