Lorit and Chihon headed for the wharf early in the afternoon. If the ship was transferring cargo, they would likely be busy. Lorit wanted to wait until after they had finished before approaching the captain.
Tied up at the pier was a large sailing ship identified by a mermaid holding a silver globe in her hand. Lorit pointed to it. "Look familiar?"
"It's the Silver Sun," Chihon said. "I can't wait to see how Captain Darves is doing."
They hurried along the pier to find a sailor sitting behind a rickety table at the foot of the plank. He was dirty and unkempt, his long hair stringy and oily. He looked up at Lorit as they approached.
"Something I can do for you, young'uns?"
"Is Captain Darves aboard?" Lorit asked.
"Why you asking?" He peered lazily at Lorit.
"Because we're old friends of his and we want to talk to him."
"Old friends, you say?"
Before Lorit could answer, a voice came from the deck. "Let them up, you lazy bum. Didn't you hear? They're old friends. Besides, he's a Wizard and you don't want to get on his bad side."
"A Wizard, you say?" The sailor sat up a little straighter. "Go, ahead with you, then."
Lorit and Chihon made their way up the plank and onto the deck. Captain Darves greeted them as they stepped onto the worn wooden planks. "What brings you two back to the Silver Sun?"
"We need passage to Wradon," Lorit explained. "I was told that you were headed there next. Do you have room for the two of us?"
"Of course I do. We sail with the setting of the sun. The winds turn round about then and we can take advantage of them to help us out of the harbor."
"What is the fare?" Lorit asked.
"For you, nothing," Captain Darves said. "Not a single thing. You can have my old cabin again. I've moved up top."
The last time they were on the Silver Sun, Darves had given up his quarters as first mate. As captain, he was kicking his first mate out to make room for them.
"You don't have to do that," Lorit said.
"The Silver Sun has treated me well, and I have you to thank for that. I pay my debts."
"Have you been a good Captain, then?" Chihon asked.
"Yes, I have." He smiled at her. "You will be my guests, no fare, no fee, and no work. Just enjoy. We should be across in about a half a moon. The winds have been good to us this season."
"Thanks," Lorit said. "We'll stow our gear. I think I remember the way."
Lorit and Chihon dropped their packs below deck, in the First Mate's cabin. They ate dinner in the mess and returned to the deck. Lorit watched as the sailors scrambled up the tall mast and unfurled the sail. Even though he was not expected to help, Lorit hurried around the deck, picking up the small ropes used to lash the sails. He rolled them up and stowed them, just as he'd been taught on their first voyage.
The ship rocked as it caught the breeze. The sail filled and snapped tight with the start of the evening wind as the sunset painted the high clouds from beneath with streaks of red. They slowly pulled away from the pier, turned and headed for the open waters. The ship pointed her bow into the setting sun and rolled gently as they cleared the breakwaters and headed out to sea.
"This is nice." Chihon looked over the railing at the setting sun. "Much better than our last trip."
"In a few days, we'll be in Wradon. I wish we could have traveled overland; I still get a little nervous out here," Lorit said.
"Relax and enjoy the ride." Chihon patted his hand where he grasped the railing a little too tightly.
Twilight gave way to the shadowed light of night as the sunset was mirrored in black and white by the rising of the full moon. They stayed on deck until the moon was off the horizon and the cold breeze made it uncomfortable.
In the morning, Lorit rose in time to watch the moon set. The sky was just starting to lighten and take on the glimmer of sunrise. The high clouds were still there, and lit from beneath by the coming sunrise.
Chihon joined him on deck just as the sun poked over the horizon. Far out to sea, Lorit could see a line stretching across the surface of the water. It looked like a roll of white cotton had been placed on the surface of the sea, reaching from horizon to horizon. Above the white roll, the sky turned dark gray and stubbornly refused to change as the sunrise hit it.
"What's that?" Chihon asked. "I've never seen anything like it."
"I don't know." Lorit reached out with his power and tried to probe it. His powers were muted, his reserves low and the water damped out his ability to draw on the earth. All he could make out was a roll of clouds stretched out before them, damp, cold, and foreboding.
"Storm ahoy," someone yelled from above.
Lorit looked up to see the sailor in the crow's nest peering out into the distance. He was pointing in the direction Lorit had been gazing. "Storm ahoy. Batten the hatches and prepare for the worst. It's a bad one."
Lorit watched the clouds on the horizon. The weather was warm and calm where he stood. It was hard to believe that a storm was coming on such a peaceful morning. The sun shone calmly down on him as the ship gently rocked in the shallow waves that rolled past her.
The deck came alive with sailors as they scrambled up the mast to furl the sail. They quickly had the sails disconnected from their lines and wrapped. The roll of clouds started to take on a more ominous form, growing tall and dark as it approached, even though the sea was calm and the sun warm.
"Grab on to something," one sailor said. He tossed a rope to Lorit. "Lash yourself to the rail, it's going to be a big one, and it's almost here."
Lorit made a loop and tied it around his waist. He did the same for Chihon, feeling a little foolish making such a drastic preparation on a warm sunny morning, but the clouds were approaching fast, almost as if the wall of dark gray were alive.
The cloud wall grew taller and darker, falling on them like a thief, stealing the warmth and light of the sun. The temperature dropped and Lorit thought he was going to freeze in place. The sea grew restless beneath them and the ship pitched violently as the waves rose, crashing over the deck.
Then the rain came.
As if on command, the rain pelted down on them with such intensity, it hurt where the large drops hit. Hail struck the ship leaving ice rolling around the deck, making the wet wood even more treacherous than it already was. The wind whipped around the deck, throwing sprays of icy water into his face.
He wanted to go below, but the ship pitched too violently in the raging waters, and the deck was slippery. They were trapped out in the deluge.
Lorit tried to cover his eyes, but it didn't help. The hail and rain curled around his arm and into his face. His hair was soaked and icy.
The wind whipped the sail around, breaking the lashings free until it snapped and cracked in the wind. Lorit feared that the ship was going to roll over and dump them into the icy water. He reached out with his magic to see what power he could draw on to save the ship. The tall mast groaned under the assault. The hull creaked and shuddered, threatening to come apart under the continued battering of the waves. Water splashed across the deck and only the closed hatches kept the flood from entering the hull and filling the ship with water.
Lorit could sense the mast starting to yield under the stress. He worried that it would crack with the next hard gust. He reached out his magic and poured his energy into it. He visualized it as a tall willow tree, able to bend in the wind but not break. He willed it to flex and give, not break and shatter. He could feel his efforts bear fruit but he wasn't sure how long he could hold on. The storm raged across the deck for an eternity as Lorit poured his power into the mast to keep it strong. He felt Chihon join his effort. She added her magic to his, giving him enough strength to hold out even as he felt the mast start to crack.
Aided by her power, he was able to hold the mast together while the storm raged. After an eternity, the mast flexed and returned to its normal shape as the storm finally abated. The hail stopped and then the rain turned to a light mist.
The sea grew calm but the sky stayed a dark impenetrable gray. The sun was obscured by the haze. So much time had passed, Lorit could not tell if it was night or day. Sun, moon, stars? They were hidden behind a thick layer of cold dark mist. He probed with his magic, but wasn't able to reach beyond the haze. The sea was calm, with only the lightest of breezes to tug at the fluttering sail.
"What now?" Lorit asked.
One of the deck hands came over and looked down at the water near Lorit. "No use in putting up the sail until we know where we are. We could end up on the rocks or who knows what."
"So, what do we do?" Chihon asked.
"We wait it out," the sailor said. "You may want to get below deck and get some sleep. These can last for days."
The ship rocked gently in the calm waters, as the slapping of the waves resounded with each new crest that struck the hull.
"We'd better get below. I'm drained after all that magic. Maybe once we eat and rest we'll be able to see through this fog," Lorit said.
They went below and found the galley, now that the ship was no longer threatened. The cook had begun to prepare the meal. No doubt, the rest of the crew would be as hungry as Lorit and Chihon.
"Let me help," Chihon called to the cook.
"Aye, who's there?"
"It's me, Chihon," she shouted back to him.
"What?" he asked again.
Chihon stood up. "I'd better get in there. Maybe he'll remember me when he sees me."
Lorit could hear Chihon shouting her side of the conversation at the cook. Fortunately, the man's cooking skills were much better than his hearing. In no time at all, the galley was crowded and the meal was ready.
The Captain sat next to Lorit. "Where's your lady friend?" he asked.
"She's in the kitchen."
"I told you, 'no working off the fare'. You're my guests. By the looks of that mast, I owe you even more. That storm should have snapped it like a twig, leaving us stranded here, not just blind in the fog."
"It was nothing," Lorit said. He had felt the magic in the storm, it was not a natural phenomenon, but he didn't want to admit that magic had been involved. He saw Chihon helping serve the sailors before she took her seat next to Lorit.
"Captain, what now?" she asked. "How long do you think this will last?"
"Could be hours, days, even weeks. I've seen fog like this last for weeks. You can get stuck out here, becalmed and lost. That wind could have driven us almost anywhere. Until we get our bearings, the safest thing is to stay put. This haze will eventually blow over, it always does."
"What if there's another storm?" Lorit was worried that more bad weather would overpower his dwindling reserves. He was not sure he could hold out against anything more.
"Storms don't follow one another too closely. That one was moving fast. You could see it come at us across the water. They always run like that when they're bad, and that one was one of the worst I've ever seen. There won't be another one right away."
"How can you find your way out?" Chihon asked. "Surely you know which direction is north. Can't you figure out where you are from there?"
"Yes, I know which way is north. I have a compass. But where are we? How far did the storm blow us? We can't take a chance that we run into something while we're blind." He stood up. "Go get some rest. It will clear up eventually, and then we can figure out where we are."
Lorit and Chihon left for the cabin. Lorit slept well, after the exhausting day of magic. He woke to the same hazy gray of the day before. He knew it was day because it was slightly lighter than pitch dark, but no sun, no moon.
"Looks like we're still lost in the fog," Lorit said. "Another dreary day at sea."
"I think I can sense where the sun is through this fog." Chihon sat on the bed. She held Lorit's staff in her hand and gazed skyward, closing her eyes and concentrating. "Yes, I think I can feel it."
"Let's go see the Captain." Lorit held the door for her and followed her out.
Chihon knocked on the door to the Captain's cabin.
The captain was partially dressed and looked like he had not slept in days. "What can I do for you?"
"Haven't you slept?" Chihon asked.
"Can't sleep until I know where we are. Wouldn't do for the Captain to be asleep in his quarters when the ship ran aground, now, would it?"
"I think I can help," Chihon said. "I can sense where the sun is. I can find out where we are."
"Navigation is a complicated art. It's not something you can just pick up."
Chihon looked over the sextant on his desk, atop the maps. She picked it up and looked through it, pointing it towards the wall.
"You need to see the sun," he said. "That's why it doesn't work now. No sun, no navigation."
"You don't need to see the sun. You need to know where it is." Chihon moved around the cabin. "There." She made adjustments to the instrument and set it down. She looked over the charts and started asking questions of the Captain. Soon Chihon and the Captain were in deep discussions about radians and longitudes and the like. Lorit decided to head out on deck while she worked.
After a while, Captain Darves came on deck and started shouting orders. The sailors climbed the mast and unfurled the sail. The wind was light, but it caught and the sail billowed out, stretching tight. The ship lurched and they were underway once more. Lorit felt the ship lean as the Captain set a course for their destination.
Chihon joined him on deck. The sky was still dingy gray but Lorit felt better now that they were moving. She grasped his arm and looked off into the haze.
"Did you find out where we are?" Lorit asked.
"We're off course quite a long way. But we're not far from land. We can make port by morning."
Lorit knew the ship was damaged and badly in needed of repairs. That meant they had to put into port as soon as possible, any port. He hoped they were not too far off course. "Where are we?"
"We're almost to Trickby," she said.