The Captain noticed their silence, especially the boy’s, and was much impressed. The lad was smart, there was no denying that, and would know just what landing the ship would mean for him. His silence spoke volumes for both his courage and character.
“Lieutenant Hobbs hard to port. Take us north, dead with the wind,” he finally said, and to his credit Hobbs relayed the order without hesitation. In the swells the ship turned slowly, allowing the trireme behind to gain on them quickly, but then the wind finally filled the sail of the Londalay and they streaked off toward the north. Their pursuer seemed to hesitate then they also began to turn toward the north, but then the rains came hard and steady and blotted them from sight.
Lightning filled the sky and the thunder rolled over the waves far easier than the Londalay, but the crew kept the ship heading due north, as wave after wave crashed into the bow.
“Hobbs, see to the boy,” the Captain yelled through the noise of the storm. Hobbs nodded as the Captain gave orders to trim the sail, before it drove them sideways into the teeth of the swells. The ship would rely on the oarsman, already tired from the chase, to keep them on course.
Hobbs came over and showed both Gwaynn and Karl how to run a rope, which looped around their waist. It would keep them from being washed overboard by the high seas. It was a measure of safety but it also meant that if the ship went down they would be pulled down with it. All through the morning and well into the afternoon they fought the storm. The ship weathered it extremely well, but the oarsmen were very near exhaustion and the Captain knew that if they were to survive, the storm must begin to abate soon.
“Captain!” Karl yelled holding stubbornly onto Gwaynn’s shirt as they both fought to keep their feet on the pitching vessel. “We can’t take much more. Where are we headed?”
The Captain smiled. “The Temple Islands, but if we make land it will be in the sunshine. The Islands are still at least a day away on calm seas.”
Karl’s eyes grew big. “Can you swim?” He asked Gwaynn, who looked up at his big friend but said nothing.
The crew fought the storm for nearly two more hours before the first of the oarsmen collapsed from exhaustion. The ship grew sluggish as more men fell, then began to founder as the remaining men lost their battle with the sea. Waves turned the ship and crashed into it seemingly from every side. Sailors, those with enough strength left, fought the rolling of the ship and clamored to the top deck. The Captain was near the stern when a large wave hit them, spraying them all with a wall of water, when it past the Captain was gone.
“Remove the rope Karl,” Gwaynn yelled into the wind. Karl, though he stood right next to Gwaynn did not hear, so he yelled once more, then once again until the big man understood. They untangled themselves just as the ship was hit by a mighty roller. It struck them and the ship listed nearly thirty degrees. Karl gripped the rail with one arm and Gwaynn with the other, neither believing the ship could right itself, but for a moment it did, then the next wave hit and they were both washed overboard and into the sea.
Gwaynn went completely under and panicked. He kicked strongly, fighting for several seconds but still did not reach the surface.
The two rode the waves together for a few moments looking for other survivors, but they could not see any. The rain continued to pour down on them, limiting their visibility, so they could not be sure whether or not any other sailors were struggling to survive.
“Take off your clothes,” Karl yelled, knowing that the heavy wool would drag them down eventually. Gwaynn nodded and did what he was told, though he was reluctant to give up the garments he had just so recently acquired. His head bobbed below the surface several times while he was trying to slip out of his pants, but soon enough he managed to shed himself of everything and once again he was completely naked. Karl had drifted a few yards away and Gwaynn could tell that he was still struggling with his clothes. Gwaynn swam toward his friend, but the sea was teasing them, keeping them apart; playing with them as a boy might play with ants. Gwaynn eventually came close enough for Karl to reach out and grab, but naked now, Gwaynn’s arm slipped from his grip, so he had to try once again. They finally got close enough to clutch at each other, both impeding the other’s ability to swim, but each happy to be close never the less.
Gwaynn fought to keep is head above water, amazed at the size of the waves that lifted them up and then let them down. On and on went the endless cycle of rising and falling. It was on the crest that Gwaynn spotted debris floating near the base of the wave and pointed it out silently to Karl. The big man nodded and smiled.
“Grab a hold,” Karl yelled and turned his back on Gwaynn, who put his arms around the man’s neck and held on tightly, but still used his legs to help keep them both above water. Karl waited until they crested once more, spotted the debris field again and immediately began to swim strongly in that direction. It took them nearly a half an hour to get close enough to actually see what was floating on the water. There were several oars and other bits of wood that would do them no good, but there was also a large section of planking and Karl slowly made his way closer until they reached it.
Karl, breathing hard from his exertions, half climbed onto the planking, which measured nearly six feet square, and immediately dropped his head down and closed his eyes. Gwaynn climbed from Karl’s back and scrambled onto the makeshift raft next to him. It felt good not to have to tread water for a bit, though both did have to fight to stay on the planking as the sea continued to try to dump them off every few minutes. Silently they rode the waves, up and down, up and down, and the rain continued and the lightning crashed until the afternoon turned to night.
They fought to survive together and the storm waned so slowly that neither noticed when it finally stopped nor sometime later when the seas finally grew calm once more. They both slept, though very fitfully, each amazed when the sun moved above the horizon announcing the fact that morning had come and they were still both alive.
Karl woke first, thirsty and looked about the calm seas. He held out the hope of spotting other survivors, but deep inside he knew he would find none, and he didn’t. He turned to check on Gwaynn and found the boy awake and looking across the sea.
“Se…” Karl tried to say and then swallowed. Gwaynn looked toward him. “See…see anyone?” He finally managed knowing the boy’s eyes were far better than his own.
Gwaynn shook his head, also very thirsty. He wished he had thought to drink more of the rain that was coming down so plentifully last night. He felt like crying, but didn’t, and in fact, he knew he never would again, not that he was going to survive very long out here. Even if they didn’t drowned they would surely die of thirst before they reached land, if they ever reached land.
“I have to survive,” Gwaynn said softly.
“You will lad,” Karl said, mistaking the boy’s statement for fear. “You will. Come,” he added checking the sun. “We need to start moving if we can..moving north. Hopefully we’ll stumble across the Islands.” Together they worked themselves around to the other side of the makeshift raft, and without a word began to swim.
They both kicked for nearly an hour before Gwaynn began to seriously tire. Karl grabbed him and hoisted him up higher on the planks.
“Rest a bit lad. We’ve all day to swim,” he said, a smile in his voice, though he did not have enough strength to put one on his face. Gwaynn said nothing, just closed his eyes and concentrated on the movement of the raft in the water. Karl continued to kick, but he could not be sure of his exact direction, and being low in the water as they were their line of sight was very limited. Swimming, however, gave him something to do other than thinking of their impending deaths. At the moment Karl had strength to spare.
Gwaynn sprawled on the raft for several hours before Karl noticed how red his back was becoming, and cursed softly to himself. After spending most of the previous afternoon naked in the sun tied to that damn scaffold, Karl had now let him lay exposed in and out of the water.
