Jules nearly lost her feet again as the Sun Queen jerked and dropped into another trough. She gazed into the murk ahead, breathing heavily from the effort of just staying standing. “Cape Astra! This storm might be the death of us unless we can make the harbor there!”
“The harbor?” Ang flinched as what felt like a solid wall of rain washed over them. “We’ll have to try!”
They needed someone up forward watching for the coast and signs of the harbor, Jules knew. But posting someone on the bowsprit in this weather would be insane, and passing the word back from there would require a line of sailors, all of them also risking death every moment.
The wind veered suddenly, whipping about to the west and slapping the Sun Queen so she reeled. Gord, Marta, and Ang struggled to hold the ship on course, the helm jerking under their hands, as the wind howled and swung back to coming from nearly astern of the ship. A bolt of lightning hit the water so close that the crash of thunder came at seemingly the same moment, producing an instant of heart-stopping fear.
Jules made it to the front railing of the quarterdeck, holding on against the blows of the storm, trying to see ahead. The rain and spray filling the unnaturally dark sky was ripped by frequent lighting that made the murk between the bolts seem all the gloomier. Maybe the dark was lifting a bit, or maybe her eyes were just growing accustomed to it, but she thought she could see a little farther. She held on and gazed ahead, hoping for the sight of land ahead, and dreading the possibility that her first view of land might be of a jagged coast too close for the ship to avoid.
The bowsprit jumped skyward as another high swell rolled past the stern and dropped the aft end of the ship in the trough. Sun Queen tried to veer to starboard again, Gord, Marta, and Ang straining to shift the rudder to port.
There was no way to mark the passage of time when the sun was masked and the storm was raging at them. Every moment seemed an eternity, yet each came and went so quickly in the welter of the storm that no moment could be held onto.
She had no idea how long they’d been running with the storm when Jules thought she saw something. Risking removing one hand from the railing to try to shield her eyes. she stared into the gloom ahead as more lighting raced down to the sea or tore among the clouds.
Yes. There was a darker mass rising into the sky, fitfully lit by the glow of the lightning.
“Ang! Heights ahead!”
Bent over the helm, Ang raised his head, gazing at the dimly seen land as more lighting popped above them, very briefly showing a little more detail of the coast. “It’s Cape Astra! We need to come left to reach the harbor!”
Together, he, Marta, and Gord wrestled the helm, forcing the Sun Queen to port, the shadow of land ahead now just to starboard of the bow as the ship jerked wildly.
Jules hung on, measuring their odds and not liking them. They’d sailed into the harbor at Cape Astra twice before this. It was a beautiful, well-protected harbor, but the entrance was narrow. Would they be able to spot it in the midst of this storm? And if they did see the entrance, would they be able to maneuver the Sun Queen into it?
The barely-seen black bulk of Cape Astra loomed ever closer and higher as the Sun Queen raced toward the land ahead. Now, when they needed it the most, the lightning grew erratic, only a few bolts flaring amid the clouds. Ang forced the helm over a little more, bringing the ship a bit farther to port, the heights of Cape Astra now seeming far too close and menacing off the starboard bow.
Twin threads of white spray appeared off the bow, a slim band of open water between them. “That’s it!” Ang roared. “Head for it!” he ordered Gord and Marta.
Together the three threw their weight against the helm, the Sun Queen fighting to break free and smash herself against the rocks. The white spray grew closer, easier to see, the storm-driven waves hurling themselves against the land with a thunder that matched that of the lightning overhead. Shadowy land came into sight rising above the spray. The bow jerked first toward the land to starboard and then abruptly swung to point to the surf to port, while Ang, Marta, and Gord struggled to aim for the narrow channel that would mean the ship’s and the crew’s salvation.
Perhaps no one else could’ve done it, perhaps no one else had the combined experience and skill of years at sea to hit that mark, but together Ang, Marta, and Gord brought the Sun Queen into the channel, the waves from the south shoving the ship in. The darker masses of land were on either side now, and then falling away as the ship made the harbor. Ang ordered the helm to starboard to swing behind the curving headland that sheltered the harbor, the water suddenly choppy but no longer massive swells, the fury of the wind dropping off as the living rock of the heights blocked it. Above, thunder still echoed from the land as lighting danced madly among the storm.
“Liv!” Jules shouted, her voice carrying better now. “We need to get the crew ready to drop anchor and bring in the mainsail!”
“I got it!” Liv yelled back. She struggled for a moment with the sodden knot holding her line about her before bringing out her sailor’s knife and sawing through it. Reeling across the quarterdeck, she made it to the ladder and down onto the main deck.
The ship’s speed had slowed as wind and wave ceased battering her, but ahead a scattering of dimly-seen lights marked lanterns inside the new buildings of Cape Astra. They could still run aground if they didn’t get the anchor down.
Jules looked about, trying to judge their position in the harbor amidst the rain still falling in torrents.
Liv had come back to the foot of the quarterdeck, ready to pass on Jules’ orders.
Jules continuously blinked away rain as she gazed at what little could be seen of the land around the harbor. Lightning rippled down to hit the heights to starboard, giving her a decent look for a moment. “Drop anchor! Bring in the mainsail!”
Liv shouted the commands as well, running forward in a staggering dash.
Sailors went up the rigging, the journey no longer insanely dangerous with the ship inside the harbor. Others ran forward to the anchor to let it go.
As the mainsail flapped in feeble imitation of the thunder rumbling overhead, the anchor dropped, splashing into the water, the thick cable attached to it running out.
The Sun Queen jerked as the anchor reached the bottom and sought purchase. But though the ship slowed, she kept moving.
“The anchor’s not holding!” Ang shouted.
“We’ve still got room!” Jules yelled back.
Sun Queen jerked again, slid, shuddered, then with a jolt came to a stop as the anchor found purchase on something hard enough to hold. The thick, hemp rope anchor cable emitted a squeaking, crackling grumble as it came under strain, a few terrifying pops marking fibers snapping inside it. But as the Sun Queen settled the strain on the cable lessened, and the warning noises subsided as the risk of the cable parting faded.
Everyone on the quarterdeck simply stood still for a long moment, exhausted, as the rain fell on them and the wind gusted across the ship. Jules saw Marta and Gord straining to unlock their hands from the spokes of the wheel that they’d been holding in death grips.
Ang came away from the helm, his feet unsteady. “No problem, Cap’n,” he said to Jules, smiling broadly as the rain ran down his face, his breath still coming in deep gasps.
She laughed, amazed to still be alive, and wrapped Ang in a hug, then released him to clap Gord and Marta on their shoulders. “You are sailors!” Jules shouted. “The best the sea has ever seen or will ever see!”
Marta winced as she tried to flex her hands. “How about backing up those words with a shot of rum for us?”
“You’ve got it,” Jules said. She looked about at the land, checking the barely visible landmarks to make sure the anchor wasn’t dragging.
Keli the healer came up the ladder, peering at everyone on the quarterdeck through the rain. “Anyone hurt up here?”
“We’re good,” Jules said. “How about the rest of the crew?”
“Some bad bruises a
nd a sprain or two, but otherwise we’re in good shape for men and women who ought to be dead.”
“That’s great,” Jules said, trying to gather her thoughts. “Ang, we need to—”
“You need to get below, Captain,” Keli interrupted as Liv rejoined them.
Jules shook her head at him. “I need to set up a watch to keep an eye on the anchor, the hull and rigging need to be checked for damage, the…the…” Her thoughts suddenly ran out, leaving her groping for words.
Keli stepped closer, wiping rain from his face. “Captain. You’re worn out. You’re wet through. And you’re shaking with cold. Hold your hand out! See? Your hand is shivering like a flag in a stiff breeze. Get below, get dry, get warm, and get rest.”
“I can handle anything the rest of the crew can,” Jules insisted.
“Sure, you can,” Keli said. He pointed to her midsection. “But those in there might not. Do you want to lose them? You could, if you don’t do as I say.”
“Keli’s right,” Liv said. “Let me help you down the ladder to your cabin.”
“But—” Jules protested.
“We can handle things,” Ang told her. “If we have need of you, we’ll let you know.”
She glowered at them, unwilling to give in.
Keli looked south. “So that’s what the Jules Sea is like when it gets a mad on,” he said. “Sudden and furious, and any man with any smarts better get to a safe harbor. I’m thinking it was well-named. Takes after its namesake, doesn’t it?”
“That it does,” Liv said.
“You’re all so very funny,” Jules said. But she felt a cramp in her abdomen and realized that she’d better listen to Keli. Grumbling, Jules headed for the ladder, Liv right with her. Suddenly dizzy, she had to grab on to Liv as they went down the steps. She realized that both her back and her feet hurt like blazes.
Liv half-supported her to the cabin and inside, pausing to look about.
Some of the stern windows had been broken by the storm, a mix of rain and seawater washing about on the deck. “I’ll get some crew in here to sweep and swab this out,” Liv said. “We’ll put some planks over the broken windows until we can get the glass replaced. Your bunk’s dry, though. Let’s get those clothes off you. Is your nose bleeding?”
Jules wiped under her nose, looking at the pinkish water on her hand. “I guess it is. I don’t remember hitting it.”
“No, a nosebleed is just one more gift from the cargo you’re carrying,” Liv said, pointing to Jules’ midsection. “Come on, then.”
Jules managed to peel off her clothing, though her back hurt so badly she needed Liv’s help to get her boots off. Liv wrapped her in a blanket and helped Jules fall into the bunk. “I’m not an invalid,” Jules growled even though she was shaking so hard the blanket nearly fell off.
“Of course you’re not. Try to rest. Ang and I’ll look after things. We can do that, you know. Handled everything ourselves while you were vacationing around Landfall.”
“Vacation? Was that what it was?” Jules clutched the blanket, resolving to stay awake until her cabin had been swabbed out, and then…
* * *
She woke to see the grayness outside the stern windows had lightened. Rain still fell, but in a steady drumming rather than a lashing downpour. The ship was still shifting in the choppy water of the harbor, but less than before.
Sitting up, Jules stiffened with pain. Everything hurt. It took her a few moments of sitting on the bunk before she could start dressing. Almost immediately, Jules discovered that she’d grown again. She’d always thought a woman grew slowly and steadily bigger through a pregnancy, but her bulge seemed to expand in sudden bursts. Her former set of pants wouldn’t close anymore, so she had to dig out a larger pair Liv had acquired for her.
But once in the pants, Jules discovered that her feet were so swollen she couldn’t get her boots on. Fortunately, the cabin still held a pair of Mak’s old boots that Jules had hung onto for sentimental reasons. Those boots were a bit large even with her feet swelled up, but they’d do.
Outside the cabin, Jules paused to look up at the sky, the rain falling on her face cold but also refreshing. Spare sails had been strung up as awnings over part of the deck and the quarterdeck, providing shelter from the rain.
“Good day, Captain!” Mad said.
Jules looked over at her, seeing Mad and another one of her guards dressed in their armor, swords at their sides. “What are you doing guarding my cabin?”
“We’re in port, Captain,” Mad said. “Artem said that means we guard you.”
“I guess so,” Jules said, having accepted that the guards made sense for her even if they also made her a bit uncomfortable at the special treatment. “You can wait here. I’m just going up there.” She went up to the quarterdeck, finding Liv leaning against the helm and yawning. “How long have you been here?”
Liv shook her head. “Not that long. I took over from Ang a little while back. How are you doing?”
“I’ll live, but I hope every day for the next four months doesn’t feel like this.”
“They won’t be like this,” Liv said. “It gets worse.”
“I really wish you’d stop telling me that,” Jules said. “How’s the ship?”
“We’ve got some rigging that parted during the storm and needs fixing, some hull planks that need looking to, and a fair amount of caulking to plug up small leaks. The anchor cable is holding the strain but Ang thinks it’d be a good idea to get a new one next time we’re back east. Both Marida’s and Kelsi’s should have some for sale. Otherwise, we’re good. Ang and I both think we should spend a few days in port here to do the fixing.”
“There’s no reason we can’t stay a few days,” Jules said, squinting toward the town. The rain partially obscured the wooden buildings and a couple of masonry structures that were being constructed. Like other settlements in the west started near good harbors or the mouths of large rivers, Cape Astra was growing fast. “We can let the crew ashore for some time off, too.” Among the first buildings thrown up in any harbor were waterfront taverns, because where sailors went taverns followed like gulls seeking out schools of fish. “We need to know if there are any Mages about, though.”
“We’ve got both boats in the water,” Liv said. “I can send Gord ashore to talk to folks.”
“Make it Marta,” Jules said. “Gord might decide to gather information at the nearest bar and indulge too much.” She looked about the harbor. Two other ships rode at anchor, both appearing to be merchant ships.
“That one came in this morning,” Liv said, pointing to one of the ships. “They’ve already sent some people ashore. Looks like new settlers. The other ship was already here when we came in, but we were a bit too busy to notice it.”
“All right.” Jules leaned on the railing to ease her back, wincing. “You and Ang work up a schedule. I want to make sure everyone gets some time off the ship.”
“Everyone but you,” Liv said. “Because I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re big enough now that a blind man could see it.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed,” Jules said. “People might wonder why I’m not going ashore as well, though.” She paused, thinking. “We’ll tell the crew to tell anyone who asks that I hurt my leg during the storm. Nothing that won’t heal, but it hurts and I can’t walk well, and that has me in an awful mood, so visitors would be a bad idea.”
“People will believe that,” Liv said. “About the mood, I mean.”
“Do you guys really think I’m like what Keli said last night? I mean, I’m not that bad, am I?” Jules remembered the Mechanics who’d described her as dangerous among themselves. Even though she hadn’t recognized the terms they used, the meaning had been clear enough.
“Not usually,” Liv said. “To be honest, though, there are probably a few people who’ve moved on from this world thanks to you who likely felt like we did when we saw that storm coming for us.”
“But they deserved what they g
ot,” Jules said.
“I won’t argue that. I will say that just as folks are wary of crossing you, I’ll be respecting the mood of the Jules Sea a bit more from now on.”
Marta came back with a report that no Mages had been seen about Cape Astra. Jules wondered about that again, why the Mages didn’t seem to be moving aggressively into the west in search of her. Were they in their own way like the Empire, so unaccustomed to challenges that their response was slow and fixed on whatever had worked in the past?
Whatever the reason, it freed up the crew to work on repairs to the Sun Queen during the day and to go ashore to drink and gamble in the evenings. Jules, unable to spend much time on deck where someone might notice her, chafed at her confinement to her cabin but endured it for the sake of her crew. They’d sacrificed before for her, and would do so again. The least she could do was to let them have breaks when possible.
Two guards remained around her at all times, the eleven men and women dedicated to that taking turns at the duty. It seemed unnecessary to Jules, but everyone else was happy with it, so she kept quiet on the subject.
Two nights later, Jules stood on deck talking to Ang. Most of the crew were ashore. Only about ten remained on the ship in case of emergency, plus the two guards watching Jules tonight.
Her conversation broke off as Jules heard a bell being rung, and shouts. She went to the bow of the Sun Queen, gazing across the bowsprit toward the town of Cape Astra. Flames lit the town, leaping high from one of the buildings, bright enough for the light to illuminate the parts of the Sun Queen facing the blaze. “Looks bad,” Ang said as he arrived beside her.
“If it spreads they could lose most of the town. They’ll need everyone they can get to fight that fire,” Jules said. “Take the crew that’s still aboard.”
Ang shook his head. “It wouldn’t be wise to leave you aboard alone.”
“I’ve got two guards on duty. I’ll post them at the ladder so no one can get aboard. Now get our people ashore to help the town fight that fire!”
Fate of the Free Lands Page 21