Once it was free, Ethan and his team took to the rails and hoisted themselves over. Ethan, leading the way, faltered halfway when he saw the raging waters beating against the ship’s hull. His hesitation, however, lasted less than a second. He knew he couldn’t balk if this was going to have any chance of success, and he certainly wouldn’t be able to lead his crew anymore if they saw him cower. As such, he steeled his resolve, tightly gripped the rope ladder, and started down.
The moment his feet left the deck, the ship rolled starboard, flinging his legs into the air and over the raging sea. Immediately, Ethan tightened his grip and shot an arm through one of the ladder holes, wrapping that elbow and forearm in the line.
Reflex roll made!
You hang on to the ship!
Ethan groaned and rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the update,” he muttered. “I’d forgotten how much I missed hearing you.”
Narrator didn’t reply, but Ethan tacked one last thing on. “Feel free to not update me on everything else that happens, too.”
Zoey and Jean followed a few seconds later, with Katryna coming down last. The foremost two took positions on opposite sides of the ladder and worked their way down. When Katryna joined them all, she looked up from her spot and yelled to those back on deck. “Do you all have both sheets aft? Get that boat in the water!”
Ethan couldn’t see what was going on at that point, but he could hear the shouts, the curses, and then what sounded like a tree breaking in half. A thousand nightmare scenarios raced through his mind over the next few seconds as to what the deck was like, pictures of snapped lines, shattered bones, and crushed sailors.
Before his worry got the best of him and guilt and fear took over, the lifeboat appeared at the edge of the railing. It hovered there for a couple of beats, and it looked like it might disappear when the ship listed portside. But then came a triumphant rallying cry of a dozen determined crew. The Victory rolled back the way it came, and the lifeboat slid over the edge.
Chapter Twenty-Four
A Wet Landing
The boat nearly capsized when it hit the water. The bow popped back up a moment before it dug into the rise of a swell, which sent it flying toward the stern of the Victory. Despite the line attached, Ethan jumped, fearing they were about to lose the small craft completely.
How much luck did he need to make it? Ethan had no idea. But he dumped eight points—because eight, he decided, was a lucky number. As he sailed through the air, time slowed to a crawl. He could feel every drop of the salty spray against his face and hear every voice and gasp from the onlookers at the ship’s rail.
He considered using one more point of luck, possibly two, to be sure. After all, saving any for later would be meaningless if he ended up swept away. Before he could commit to the extra points, his feet found the lifeboat, and he slammed into the center bench. Any hope at a graceful landing evaporated right after. His momentum carried him forward, and he barely managed to shield his face from the unyielding floorboards when they rushed up to meet him.
“Oh, damn, that hurts,” he groaned, dazed and rolling to the side, due more to the boat’s rocking than his own efforts.
The boat listed toward the Victory as he tried to find his feet and then back in the other direction right after. Each shift was marked by Zoey and Katryna’s landings, respectively. Zoey managed to catch herself before spilling over the edge, but it was only a lightning-quick lunge by Ethan that ended up catching Katryna by the back of her belt, ensuring she didn’t go for a swim.
“Thanks,” she said, dropping into the seat at the bow.
“Watch yourselves!” Jean yelled. The man launched himself from his position on the ladder and managed to land square in the middle.
Six skeletons rained from above. Four made it into the boat, smacking loudly against its hull and collapsing in a heap. Two missed, and though they hit the water within arm’s reach, they were swept away before anyone could grab them.
A wave took the little boat a split second later, raising it up a full six feet before spinning it into the side of the Victory. Everyone dropped as low as they could to keep from capsizing.
“Push off the ship!” Zoey yelled, grabbing and tossing oars to everyone. “We’ve got to get clear of her before she drags us under!”
Instantly, Ethan dug the tip of the oar into the Victory’s hull. There he waited for the half second it took for the others to follow suit, at which point he gave a fast count. “On three! One! Two! Three!”
The lifeboat rocked sideways and then rode the crest of another wave clear of the Victory as she turned portside, further breaking away from the group.
“Oh, thank God,” Zoey said, sighing with relief.
“Told you guys I was lucky,” Ethan said, driving his oar into the water and using it to bring the bow of the lifeboat in line with the coast.
“God, what a rush,” Katryna said, sinking back in her seat, her face awash with exhilaration. “I could do that a thousand more times.”
“You aren’t going to be doing anything again if we don’t keep at it,” Jean chided. “We’re still in dire straits.”
As if on cue, the boat suddenly twisted starboard and lurched sideways. The four worked feverishly to correct its course and stay upright. They managed to do so, but the lifeboat then spun in another direction and nearly flipped again as it rose on the swell of a wave.
“Oh crap,” Ethan said, clenching his oar even tighter than before. His muscles burned like fire, and somewhere in the rapidly unfolding chaos, he caught sight of the other ships in the area. The Griffin, Redfish, and The Popinjay all had anchors raised as they made for the western peninsula. He doubted any of them had the wind in a bottle yet, but he couldn’t be sure. He could only pray this desperate beach landing wouldn’t be made in vain.
“Ethan! Paddle hard to port!”
Zoey’s cry snapped him back into the moment. Their lifeboat, riding fast on a wave that had to be eight or nine feet tall at this point, hurled them toward a long, naturally formed jetty.
Ethan’s eyes bulged as mental images of the rocks tearing his body to pieces smashed forefront into his mind. He dug his oar into the water as hard and as fast as he could and repeated the one mantra that seemed appropriate. “Oh, damn! Oh, damn! Oh, damn!”
Even Katryna’s usual zest for life in the midst of chaos faded, replaced by a dread Ethan never wanted to see ever again. “We’re not going to make it,” she said.
Zoey twisted in her seat and hit Ethan in the shoulder to grab his attention. “If you’ve got any luck left, now would be a great time to use it,” she shouted over the roar of the storm.
In total agreement, Ethan committed it all. Where those points went, he had no idea. Hell, he didn’t even know what skill was needed here. Was it a check on something like rowing? That was his first guess, and if that was the case, they were massively screwed. He didn’t have any skill in that at all, and as he’d quickly learned when he first arrived, checks on untrained skills suffered massive penalties and critical failures the likes of which were nothing shy of spectacularly awful.
Or was he simply making some sort of saving throw? Did this game even have saving throws? Hell if he knew. Again, something that he’d probably have gleaned if he’d spent more time reading the manual. And if he got out of this alive, he resolved to do just that. Assuming it was a saving throw, what was it against? Save versus crush? Drowning? Death?
It didn’t matter.
Narrator, the ever uncooperating fellow, didn’t chime in with an explanation, either. At least, not until it all came crashing to an end. Literally. The small boat skipped off a set of unseen rocks before a large swell carried them up ten feet into the air and slammed them all into the jetty. The impact split the bow of the longboat, and though the midsection of the craft held together for a few seconds after that—a true testament to the craftsmanship—the violent torque produced by the waves tore the rest of the ship apart as it ha
mmered it a second and third time against the rocks.
Rowing failed!
Ship suffers catastrophic damage!
Ship foundered!
Ethan, along with Zoey, Katryna, Jean, and their skeletal crewmates, flew out into the ocean as Narrator gave the recap. The frigid water ended up being far, far colder than Ethan had expected, and he was surprised at how fast it drained his strength. To make matters worse, Ethan couldn’t see where the others ended up, but at the very least, he did have the presence of mind to tuck into a ball and cover his head, something that probably saved his life. The instant he struck the water, both forearms rammed unforgiving rock.
His skin split open, and lightning pain shot through his arms. His ears picked up the faint sound of bones cracking amidst the roar of pounding surf, and the coppery scent of blood filled his nose, even underwater with his breath held.
Rock hits!
You are moderately wounded!
Ethan gritted his teeth and fought the urge to scream. His body tumbled underwater, bouncing off rocks again and again. When he finally resurfaced, it was but for a split second in time. Still, at that moment, he managed to refill his lungs with much-needed air.
Under the surf he went again, tumbling along in the noisy, chaotic dark. His body lifted in the water, only to be slammed from above by a monumental force that he swore pulverized every bone in his body.
Still trapped underwater, his shoulder hit sand, and he rolled across the bottom. The waters suddenly receded, and Ethan found himself face down in coarse, wet sand. He gasped for air right as another wave struck him from behind. Cold, salty spray engulfed him, and as the wave receded, it tried to pull him back into the sea.
Ethan scrambled forward, gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut when he put weight on his arms as he moved.
A set of hands took Ethan from under the shoulders and hoisted him up. “Come,” Katryna said. “We’ve got to get moving before it’s too late.”
Ethan nodded as he found his footing right as another wave crashed into them. Thankfully, he remained upright. They hadn’t made it to the central beaches as planned but rather had been swept much more east to where countless tide pools lay scattered about, and beyond them, towering cliffs they had no hope of climbing. The low grounds were a long way away, and he wasn’t sure if they’d make it to them in time before the storm rolled in. Even if they did, Ethan realized they’d still be in grave danger.
Despite that, a greater concern washed over him. “Where’s Zoey?”
“I don’t know,” Katryna said, tugging his arm. “I’m sure she and Jean made it.”
“She might need our help,” he said, rooting himself in place. His eyes scanned the beach to both sides, desperate to pierce the torrent of rain that fell. Wherever they looked, however, he couldn’t see any sign of the vampire.
“Ethan!”
Another wave slammed into the two, one stronger than the previous. Ethan fell forward, striking his palms and elbows against rock. He pushed forward on instinct, splashing through water and fighting against the tow as the waters receded. Katryna scrambled next to him, her face hardened with determination, and within moments, they were running.
Their feet hit the first stretch of sand that belonged to open beach, and at that point, they redoubled their already intense pace. Ethan dared a glance over his shoulder at this point to check the open water. Not a ship could be seen, and the billowing clouds of the storm wall seemed right on top of them, driving the tide higher and higher with every passing heartbeat.
The two passed over a second set of tide pools, at which point there were barely a dozen feet between the rising waters and the sharp cliffs. Near-gale-force winds hammered the pair relentlessly, and the chill they brought sucked the heat right out of Ethan’s body.
Another open stretch of beach came, bolstering Ethan’s spirits, and they sped across them. But long before they cleared this final stretch to safety, Ethan’s feet started to splash water with every stride. First, they sank into water not even an inch deep. That water turned to ankle-deep far quicker than Ethan would have liked.
Wind buffeted his face, and the roar of an approaching wave gave him enough warning so that when the chest-high monster hit, he managed to brace himself not to be taken down by it, and Katryna did the same.
Rain pummeled them from the sides, and between the deluge coming down and the fact that the clouds had blotted out the sun, not a single soul alive had a prayer in hell of seeing anything. Thankfully, Ethan was no longer alive, and the night vision he possessed was more than enough to compensate so that when they reached a narrow break in the cliffs, they didn’t miss it. Or rather, he didn’t miss it.
“Over here!” he shouted, grabbing the woman by the elbow and tugging her sideways.
“Thank God. I thought we’d never get off this beach.”
They darted up a steep rocky incline. The rain made the ascent treacherous, as footing was slick. More than once, each of them went to the ground as their feet slipped, bruising knees, shins, and elbows.
After a few minutes of climbing, and at times clawing, they reached the top, lungs gasping for air that never seemed enough. Ethan flopped to his side before rolling onto his back. Goosebumps raised across his skin, and his body shivered.
Katryna appeared, her body kneeling next to his head, her face hanging over his. She shouted at him, but the storm drowned her words. His eyelids grew heavy, and all Ethan wanted to do was sleep.
Somewhere in his muddled consciousness, he knew he couldn’t. But he could rest for a moment to catch his breath and warm up. With that in mind, he let his eyelids close and told himself it would be only for a moment.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Feeding
A slap stung Ethan’s cheeks.
He jolted awake, eyes wide to find Katryna glaring at him with an open hand poised to strike again.
“Get up,” she ordered. “Fall asleep on me again, and I’m leaving you.”
Her words simmered in Ethan’s muddled thoughts, and he had to spend a few seconds to get his bearing. Slowly, he pieced together his fragmented memory while the brutal storm raged overhead, pummeling his body with a chilling rain and vicious wind. He became acutely aware of the hard dirt and sharp rocks which dug at his back, which sparked images in his mind of them crashing into a jetty not long ago. Or was it a week ago? A year?
Ethan gritted his teeth and shook his head. No, that wasn’t right. But when had they come? And why?
Ethan rubbed his temples, which given the numbness in his fingers, ended up being quite the task. A dull pain raced through his arm as he did, and his gaze fixated on the deep gashes he’d suffered on the inside of both arms. The skin had been severely torn, and the wounds in each forearm easily went to the bone as he could see deep into the tissue.
“Oh shit,” he mumbled. “That can’t be good.”
Katryna slipped around him, stuck her hands under his shoulders, and hoisted him into a sitting position. “No, it’s not,” she said as she kept him steady. “It going to be worse though if we don’t get to the fort soon. Now get moving already.”
With a great deal of effort on his part and support on hers, Ethan stood on wobbly legs. “I can’t feel anything,” he said, teeth chattering.
Katryna gripped his sides and rubbed his upper arms as hard and as fast as she could. “Did that help?”
Ethan shook his head again. “No.”
“You should be more resilient than this,” she said. “Something’s wrong.”
“What’s wrong is I can’t feel a thing,” he said. No sooner had the words fallen from his lips when a stab ripped through his gut. “Damn it to hell. I wish that were true now.”
“What?”
“I feel like I haven’t eaten in a week.”
“I thought you had a meal,” Katryna said as she threw his arm across her shoulders and started to pull him along.
“I skipp
ed breakfast thanks to the storm,” he said. “It’s been a while.”
“How much of a while?”
A splitting headache erupted across the back of his skull, and Ethan cringed as he tried to do the math. “Sixteen hours, maybe?”
“That shouldn’t matter too much, unless—” Katryna stopped herself and shook her head. “Let me guess: fast metabolism?”
“Yeah.”
“Great,” she sighed. “That explains your near hypothermia. You’ve got nothing left to regulate your body temp.”
Ethan cursed under his breath before shutting his eyes and taking in a deep breath, hoping it would help him steel his resolve. Instead, he took in the alluring scent of warm, fresh blood, and when he opened his eyes, they instantly fixated on Katryna’s neck.
“Katryna?” he managed to eke out, gripping her hand tightly in his.
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry.”
With that, he spun into her and lunged, fangs bared in an attempt to open up her jugular. The swashbuckler moved gracefully with the clumsy attack, spinning around while catching him with an underhook with one arm and hip-tossing him to the ground. Much to Ethan’s surprise, she helped him to his feet right after but kept him at a stiff arm’s length.
“Please,” Ethan said, somewhere between a plead and a growl. “All I need is a bite.”
“I know,” she said. “But not here. You have to wait till we find shelter.”
“I’m not sure I can.”
“I’m quite sure you must,” she retorted.
Katryna spun him around, and with one hand on his shoulder and the other locked on his opposite wrist, she pushed him forward. Ethan shuffled his feet as best he could. They felt like sandbags had been tied to each one at the ankles, but that was all he could feel. From the thighs down, each leg was numb, which only further slowed him, as finding his footing with each step turned out to be only a couple of shades away from impossible.
The Crew (Captains & Cannons Book 2) Page 23
