Chapter 11: The Sealed Secret

Chapter 11: The Sealed Secret

After the successful maneuver, a joyful and triumphant atmosphere reigned on board.
A storm was an everyday thing for a sailor, but not every time did they escape it so easily.
The happiest on board was Richard. His thoughts warmed with the realization that Tom still knew what he was doing.

- At this rate, we'll be home by tomorrow!!! Did you hear that, lads?! We're making history!

- Don't exaggerate, Rich. But haha, it's true—we really pulled it off!

- You pulled it off! And I, the fool, was worried. Thought you'd completely lost your marbles and brought death upon us.

- I'd never...

Indeed. Tom had never taken such risks before, for he... He was the captain! He was responsible for the lives and health of his crew.
In such circumstances, every decision had to be maximally weighed and sensible. But... that feeling inside.
How many beats had his heart made? He finally heard its rhythm.

- Get rid of the water on the deck at last, and check the holds!

- We've almost made it out!

- This fog bothers me. Check the sounding line.

- I'll take a look, Captain. Seems clear so far. I don't feel anything.

- We've almost exited the storm; we need to change tack. Rich, prepare for a tack change! We can't move at this speed in such fog.

- Wait...

- Reefs under the keel!

It seemed Tom's maneuver, meant to be legendary and etch itself into the history of global seafaring, wasn't as successful as it appeared.
Through the thick fog, he hadn't seen where he was leading the ship, and they began to run aground.

- Damn it! Otto, get the tarpaulin! We've definitely got a breach in the hold. Richard, drop that blasted sounding line!

- The fog's clearing...

- Hell! We're heading straight for a rock. Hard turn to the port tack!

Catching the wind, the crew hadn't questioned where it intended to lead them. And it led—no, rather dragged—them straight toward a rock.
If nothing was done, their ship would suffer catastrophic damage, and the entire crew would face mortal danger.

- We're turning directly into the wind! Lower all sails!

Through the fog hanging over the sea like a gray veil,
Tom hadn't seen where he was steering his ship.
On one side, reefs and a rock; on the other, the raging storm.
They were caught between Scylla and Charybdis.
It seemed everything was against Tom and his crew today.
But he had no intention of giving up.

- If we don't hit the reefs, we'll turn back and try to exit the storm again.

- That's madness; better to drop anchor! The sea's calmer near the shore; we can wait out the storm!

- I won't wait! Turn over the bow! Shift the sail!

- If we end up in hell, I'll be your personal tormentor, Captain!

- That'd be an honor, Rich. Now secure that sail at last!

- And then what? The current and wind won't let us go back!

- If there's a rock, there must be a bay or inlet where the current's weaker!

- But we'll smash the ship against the bottom and reefs before we reach it!

- First, we'll pull far enough from the shore with tacks, then we'll search.

- In this storm, we'll have to change tack every knot!

- Is my crew incapable of that!?

- Hahaha! I love it! You've definitely lost your mind. But I love it.

Get ready, lads! If you don't want to meet your ancestors before Judgment Day, you'll have to rub your hands raw!

Perhaps circumstances could have turned out differently, and Tom Warren might have entered history as the greatest captain who exited a storm by catching a backstay, then maneuvered at about eight knots through thick fog amid reefs.
Perhaps it was just luck. But without preparation, luck is merely an opportunity easily lost.
No, luck had nothing to do with it. It was skill and an animalistic will that guided them that night.

A thunderclap resounded with a lightning strike. The Lottie's keel was mercilessly shattering against the reefs.

But Tom and the crew didn't know this wasn't the last trial of the day. For from the depths of the sea, beneath that boundless sky, another pair of eyes watched them—eyes that had brought this deadly storm.

She was tired of watching. She wanted the game to end quickly.
She needed him...
Why was Tom resisting so much...?

- I'm already sick of this!

From her enchanting, empty lips—hidden within the darkness—came an ironic chuckle.
Like that of a predator who had finally overtaken its prey.

- I like how you claw your right to the crown from me. But even your life doesn't belong to you!!! It's mine! Do you hear!!! IT BELONGS TO ME!!! AND NO ONE ELSE!!!!

I'm tired of your performance!

Meanwhile, on the ship, work was boiling. Each sailor performed grueling tasks to prepare a vessel on the verge of sinking in the storm.
To prevent that, they hauled tarpaulin to plug the breaches in the hull, bailed water, and lowered sails.

The thirst for adventure, the desire to find answers—these were the stars that had guided many people across the world throughout human history.
But tales and cheerful legends don't convey the risk and harsh existence of an adventurer who staked their life.

Richard had many questions for Tom, much anger... But now, he had to do his job. For that's what the captain ordered, and their lives were at stake.
For no matter who among those following a leader might doubt their decisions, if the leader begins to doubt— it's the end for all.

Richard understood this and tried to support Tom to the end.

- The storm's getting stronger! We can't go further!

- Lower the sails!

- Drop the anchor!

- Jettison all excess cargo overboard!!!

Tom, Richard, and the crew didn't hear it. But the weather began to shift slightly, for in the droplets of the waves, a spell started drifting toward them.
A spell uttered by HER.

- Oh, my poor bridge, nec invenies finem,I'll gather fierce winds and wrathful waves for you, my stranger. Tenebrae maris (sea darkness) shall break free, To drag your soul to the deep bottom.

The anchor idea didn't work...

- The bottom's too soft! The anchor won't hold!

- Chop down the foremast quickly!

One of the last resorts for sailors caught in a storm is to cut down all masts and jettison all cargo, turning their ship into a lifeboat that will simply ride the ferocious waves, hoping the storm won't take them.

- We don't have enough hands!

- I'll help!

- Our only hope is the anchor!

- The wind will drive us onto the reefs. It'll find something to catch on! For now, keep bailing water!

An unknown voice spoke again.

- Tempestas (storm winds), weave your dance,The waves are truly my wrath—let fear guide you free. In the sea's fury, I'll envelop you,Nautilus tuus (your ship) shall no longer be saved.

But Lottie's anchor was slightly faster; wandering the bottom, it found something to catch on.
The last flickers of hope glimmered above Lottie's mast.
Above the mast that was about to fall as a sacrifice for the crew's survival.

- It's caught!

- Hurry and finish with the mast! Then we've got a chance!!!

Another lightning bolt cracked overhead, masking an even more terrifying sound...

- The anchor's given way!!!

At that moment, SHE laughed at the pitiful humans on earth... She couldn't—and didn't try to—hide how much she enjoyed the scene below.

- Nebula (fog) and night, rains without end,

I'll unleash all the water's forces upon you again and again.

Your body will melt into the waters without a trace,

Your soul will perish in the deep bottom.

Finally, Richard realized the catastrophe this had led to...
The anchor had failed, the masts were cut down. The hull was full of holes...
These were the worst circumstances he'd ever faced as a sailor.
Chances of survival were almost nil. Unless the storm suddenly died down and, through the fog, they spotted an islet so close by.
And it was all because of Tom...
Or was it only him...?
Richard had no strength—or even desire—to be angry. Now, amid that terror and anxiety, he felt only inner peace.
Of course, he was closer to despair, but he blamed no one but himself.
It was he who woke Tom, he who trusted him, and followed his orders to the end—a logical outcome for such actions.
Now, all that remained was to wait.
To see how this spectacle would end and finally reunite with Beatrice. Whose life he had destroyed in the same way.
By his absence and the passion that took him from her, then her from him.
Perhaps God had granted him these final minutes of life to think about what he'd say to her.
The first words for the most important person in his life, which he should have spoken while still alive.

- Captain, this is the end...

- Don't say that, Rich... We still have a chance... Not everything's lost yet.

- To die beside you is an honor!

- It's not time to say goodbye! If we're lucky, we'll drift. The current's pushing us away from the reefs!

- But the wind and waves are driving us toward them...

Tom couldn't find words for Richard. Inside him raged another storm—far more terrifying than the one he faced at sea.

He had doomed the entire crew to death. Because of his... pride? Overconfidence? The desire to prove...
But what was there to prove?

That question was the only one left unanswered for far too long. But it was undoubtedly the key to this story.

But life... Life is too complex a thing to describe with words. Sometimes, in the darkest moments, miracles happen.
Miracles we certainly don't deserve. At least, that's what we always think.
Yet they happen.
They come at the moment when they're needed most.