The Long Road To... - 44. Contents May Shift

I was jerked sharply awake. I felt disoriented with no reference of time or even how long I might have slept.

I knew the sea and storm were rougher when I was thrown to the side. It was impossible to ignore it now and I once again made my way up deck. It was slow going. I fell onto a crew member and tossed into the walls.

Through the opening to the deck was white rain and black sky. I kept my head just inside but was promptly hit with a large wall of water thrown sideways from the sky into my face. Then a man fell onto me.

“We advised everryone to stay below,” Huallpa gasped and shook the water out of his beard. “Worrst parrt. Steerring with the waves now and waiting it out.”

“Captain!” Another man came out of the torrent. “Ozcollo is caught in the rrigging! We need to get him out!” He shouted over the wind.

Huallpa wiped his face with his hand, stood up straight, and pushed back out into the storm. The other man stumbled after him. I did not think other than to follow.

I was blinded at first for the water. Unfortunately, once I could see, I was staggered to the side with the force of the next wave. I made out the retreating back of the man who had come to the captain and I tracked him across deck.

The crewman in question was practically woven into the ropes at the side. Part of the sail whipped violently above him. Huallpa was already grasping on the line around the man’s face and neck, another man was grabbing at the man’s legs. The hand who sounded the alarm grasped at the ropes in a vain effort to untangle them.

The ship hit a wave, the entire deck dropped, and we plummeted to the slick boards. The man caught in the ropes swung round and half over the side. I grasped out and caught his hand before being blinded with water and slammed against the rail.

I felt someone fall on my leg and clasp down hard on it. I shook my head and squinted to see Huallpa and another man working the ropes. The other man tried to stand but was swept down onto me again.

I gripped the tied man with both hands, braced my feet on the rail, and pushed with all my strength, pulling him further back in and over the ship again. I hoped that causing the slack would loosen the ropes. The man who had fallen over me was finally up and grabbing at the man’s other hand.

The next thing I knew, we all fell backward, to the middle of the deck, the man from the ropes mostly in my arms.

“Hold on!” Huallpa bellowed.

I shut my eyes and held tight. Without warning, the man came loose and we slid all the way across the deck and rammed the opposite rail. Someone else slid into us.

I pulled at the man, now free from the ropes. Water obscured my vision. I tried to stand with him in my arms when another wave hit us and I fell on top of him. I did not attempt to stand again. I dragged, half crawling, half falling, the man to the hatch.

I collapsed inside and struggled for breath. Huallpa fell in and onto his knees next to us.

“Arre you alrright?” he gasped out.

I nodded. “The others?”

“Strrapping down the sail and going for the wheel.” He leaned against the wall and was thrown forward on the next wave.

I looked down at the man in my arms; he was bloody but breathing.

“We must get him to LLoque.”

I nodded and together we dragged, fell, and staggered our way to LLoque’s quarters.

To his credit, LLoque helped get him on the bed and strapped in place quickly, quietly, and with an efficiency I had only seen previously on the battlefield.

Before we parted in the hallway, Huallpa turned to me, grabbed my arm and clasped my shoulder. He looked exhausted.

“Thank you,” he gasped. “You should have stayed below deck, but I am happy you did not.”

He managed a ragged smile then staggered into the opposite wall before being tossed forward. He fell down between my legs. I could feel his heated gasps on my crotch.

He grabbed my legs and pulled himself up against me before standing back and bracing for the next surge. He looked me up and down and grinned wolfishly.

“Sometime laterr maybe…” He winked and smiled warmly. “This may well be a long odyssey across the sea after all.” He staggered quickly away and left me alone in the passage steadying myself for the next wave.

The typhoon continued for days and I did keep myself below deck. The tossing and turning both outside the ship and inside my head continued to deny me good rest. The only times I did go up was to eat and relief myself. I did not see Revinn at all. I felt somewhat sorry for him, he had to be sicker than a dog. I only saw Leaf briefly. He smiled at me. His eyes were sad, but hopeful. I could not help but feel his warmth, but I also felt my shame. I continued to sleep in the hold alone or at least to.

During the restful-sleep deprived hours, I had been slowly coming to realize Leaf felt the same way about his former wife as I did about Thorn. There would be no others. Each were unassailable. We were loyal to a fault. This is one of the things that made us who we were. One of the things that made me feel the way I felt about him and most likely, how he felt about me. We cared about each other and that would have to be enough.

I was thrown, hard to my side, then rolled back to where I had been. I was out of breath for a moment, listening to my own gasping breaths and for the sounds of the storm outside. I did not hear it.

There was a blanket around me. Someone had found me. Someone who seemed to understand me in spite of myself. Someone who I had a great deal of affection for. I needed to realize and accept that understanding and compassion in a different way before I lost what we had, and hopefully still, shared. He was so caring, forgiving; I wished I was more like him. I hoisted myself up to stand and dropped the blanket to the floor.

A group of crewmen with lanterns rushed past me to get to the ladder leading the lowest deck. Before I had a chance to ask, they disappeared below.

I made my way to the hole and leaned down to listen.

“Some spillage there.”

“Rear is damp, but no major leaks.”

“Puddles along the midsection.”

“Let’s check the bow.”

I heard them retreat underneath and to the front of the ship. Some puddling was normal on ships like this and not a reason to worry. Still, there were concerns if men were sent down to check.

“... I don’t think so...”

“Huallpa will want to take a look.”

I pulled back from the edge as they came up. One stopped and turned to me.

“Not too bad sir.” I could not tell how much he believed himself. “Go get Huallpa.” He nudged the second man who scampered away. “Nothing to worry about, just checking on… the stores… making sure nothing shifted in the storm.”
He could tell I knew he was not giving me the complete truth.

“Need help down there?”

“No sir.” He shook his head. “Minor movement.” He moved to stand between me and the ladder down.

“Storm over then?”

He nodded. “Yes, well for the most part. Regular rain now.”

“And the waves?” I felt like I was getting nowhere with this one.

“Better, evened out…”
No more games. I feinted like I was headed for passage back up and when he made to move that way, I crossed to the ladder behind him.

“Sir!” He grabbed my arm.

“Let him be.” Huallpa and the other man came in to the room with us. I was released.

“Let’s go then.” Huallpa directed the two to go down. I stood to the side as they descended.

“It does not sound all that bad, my phrriend.” He smiled at me. “We washed onto a barr or rreeph. When the sun rrises we will know morre.”

He went over to the ladder. “Want to come look?”

I waved him to continue without me. I trusted his word when it came to his ship.

“Suit yourrselph.” He winked and dropped below, leaving me alone.

Angry black skies in the direction we had escaped from and a dark gray blanket of clouds hanging in the other. I was thankful the torrent had turned to a light drizzle. Some of us made it out onto the deck to catch the fresh air and look out over the water not minding the remains of the storm.

Revinn said it just as I noticed the same thing.

“Where are the other ships?”

There were a few mumbles from the assembly on the deck and the shaking of heads. No lights on the water in any direction.

“Storrm drove them ophph,” one of the crewmen ventured.

The sudden quiet between us grew uncomfortable. A number of things could have happened. Things were being thought that no one wanted to say out loud.

Our ship was still in the water. The only sounds were the waves slapping at the sides. If it were a reef we were stuck on, it could not have been that mighty for it did not tear the ship’s hull. If it were a bar, there was land to be found. Releasing the ship could be as easy as waiting for the tide or as hard as prying us loose by manual labor. Everything would be dependent on the condition of the hull.

“Land!” The call sounded from above us.

There was a dark smear at the water line under the overcast pre-dawn sky. It was hard to see at this point, but once the sun was up we should be able find out what we were looking at.

The time passed slowly and the drizzle stopped while we waited. Huallpa appeared and pronounced the ship sound although some repairs would need to be made to insure it stayed that way. Once off whatever we were stuck on, more might be necessary to make us safe for the voyage home.

“Once we get ourr bearrings, we can plot a prroperr courrse.” He looked up at the clouds. “No help phrrom therre yet.”

The sun finally began to show its face between the clouds and water and we could see the land.

It was closer than I had expected, though still a long rowing distance. It seemed relatively featureless. A long shore of sand and grasses, all varying shades of browns and yellow and ivory set between the gray blues of the sea and sky. I could not see any peaks, only hills running inland.

“We should send a boat in,” Huallpa said while he studied the shoreline. “See iph therre is anything out therre worrth putting it on the map. While that is going on, we can see what needs to be done to phrree us up. Rrepairrs and time to set our courrse.”

I caught sight of Leaf coming out of the hatch. The rising sunlight caught his face and he blinked several times while his eyes adjusted to the brightness. He glanced around himself searching.

When his glance stopped my way, for just that moment, I fought myself and my resolve to surrender myself back into our intimate friendship.

He saw me and started to raise his hand to wave or acknowledge, but stopped himself short. The smile faded from his lips. His eyes betrayed him.

I nodded but could not help the smile aching from my lips. He brightened in response.

“We will send eight to land. Do we have any volunteerrs?”