Rodney had been through a few storms at sea. He was confident he could get the ship through whatever was coming, but Cole and Creighton were still worried. When Cole had sent off a Magical letter to ask Archibald about the phenomena, he had decided to seek out Joan. She’d still be asleep, but he needed to be sure that they hadn’t drifted south. He confirmed that they hadn’t from Joan’s logbook, rather than from the woman herself, and returned to the aftcastle to begin some last minute planning with the day crew, being joined first by Lieutenant Hardridge.
“Allright, we’re going to be making two hard, sharp turns. Creighton described it as rotating widdershins, so we’ll need to head into the wind if we want to find the closest path that won’t take us farther north.”
“We’ll not be needing the sails, then?”
“No we shouldn’t. Make sure they’re secure.”
“How powerful is this propeller, then?”
“It’s limited while we’re in the air, but it can get us up to a good clip on the surface.”
“Should we just stay out of the way, then?”
“I'd rather everyone stay below deck. We might have to cut a corner through the edge of one of the storms, and the cyclone is constantly kicking rain out into the runs, so there’s no reason to put yourselves in danger.”
“Can we rig some sailcloth over the wheel?”
“That’s a good idea, as long as it’s small it won’t catch much wind.”
The canvas awning was strung up so that Rodney could keep his vision clear on the port side, and by the time they had finished configuring the ship, Archibald’s response had arrived. Cole had been talking with Creighton about what he’d seen on his second scouting trip, and it was only now that the further insights were passed on to him.
“So, It’s not much different from where we are now, except that the confines are a lot tighter. The real danger is the outer wall’s overhang. It would be silent if it were to shift, and drop the full fury of the broilstorm on us.”
“That’s because the wind is blowing the rain away from the center?”
“Yes. The most westernly path is to the left, and takes us west southwest. It’s about a third of the way around, so we really will be going against the wind.”
“How rough were the waters?”
“It nothing that risk the ship, but it splash water on the deck.”
“I like your new roof. We should get a more permanent solution next time.”
“We’ll need to make good time, but it should be fine. If it gets bad, we can just have Creigton steer us.”
“Then there will be no one left to watch for our exit.”
“It can’t be that hard to miss.”
The last thirty minutes passed uneventfully. They had been able to see the highest clouds slowly rotating past the end of the run, but soon they could start to see the aggravated mix of rain, clouds, and steam that made up the center of the cyclone. The lower the altitude the faster it was spinning. Creighton had gone ahead, to watch for any sudden changes that might catch them unawares, or phenomena he’d missed on the first two passes. As the Galefast finished its descent, the entire crew began to sweat as the air grew humid and stifling. After impacting the water, the Plates of Levitation briefly sparked as the last traces of Lightning arced through the seawater that had splashed up onto them.
Now fully committed to making the attempt at sea level, Rodney turned the ship in, and they started slogging against the headwind. Sheets of rain blew in from the starboard side, soaking the top decks with still steaming water, But Rodney kept the ship in the approximate center. It wasn’t long before an initially silent column of water crashed into the ocean off the port side, the impact sounding less like sudden rain and more like a giant waterfall. By now, the oiled cloth awning was getting waterlogged, and Rodney had to step to the side to avoid one particularly persistent leak. The nearly boiling rain was lifting the oil coating away, and the same water was starting to make its way into his boots.
After a grueling five minutes, Creighton signaled that the exit was coming up by channeling light mana. Rodney was tempted to leave the wheel, but he’d not given Creighton any lessons on manning the helm, and Krisjen would be ready to relieve him once they made it back out into calmer waters. It was dark down here at sea level, but after Creighton finished circling, he lit up like a sun. It was so sudden and so bright, that Rodney was blinded and ended up late in starting the turn, having to wheel the ship hard to port, slamming the rudder over. As he started easing the ship back into a straight heading, the starboard side passed within a dozen yards of a particularly ill timed cascade, the resulting waves throwing the ship up and down violently. The ride was nauseating, but the ship's balance kept the roll to a sedate lumbering. Rodney only loosened his grip on the ship’s wheel as they passed out of the last squall.
~~~
The air below decks was cooler than that of the top decks, but not by much. Cole was currently keeping the condenser chilled, as without it the engine would start to bog down with just how much moisture was in the air. Rivulets of steaming water were constantly running down the hull, and on the level above he could hear the crew had started running the bilge pumps. The robust ventilation inside the ship meant that the lower decks had heated up rapidly, but it also helped take away the additional humidity. Occasionally, huge torrents of water from the ocean would wash over the topsides and make its way down into the bilge, but this was a welcome reprieve, as the ocean water was, comparably, much cooler than the rain.
The crew’s firemen were unaccustomed to shoveling so much coal so fast, and two exhausted men were swapping out with two fresh crewmen. The intake was shielded against rainwater, but the exhaust stack was not, and the ashpan was slowly filling with a mixture of steaming water, extinguished cinders and coal ash. During the seventh minute the ship started getting violently thrown around, the incoming seawater starting to outpace the pumps. Once the ship settled back down with the wind at their backs, they were now taking the waves straight on, so the constant streams of water slowed to a trickle.
Cole could feel Creighton’s approach before he heard him, as the ambient fire mana was drawn out of the air, before being replaced with ice that gave the crew a much needed breather. The fire had been stoked as fiercely as it would go, but now they let it start to die down. Due to the high load on the engine, and the ambient heat, once the fire died down they’d be taking some time to check on the engine, specifically that the oil feed was sufficient, and none of the bearings were damaged. Creighton was already getting to it while the engine was still running though, and the crew that had been sitting idle started for the topdeck, as they’d now be sailing with a tailwind, thanks to the cyclone behind them.
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Leaving the condenser behind, Cole went to check on the three iceboxes. Despite the canvas coverings, and thick rope, one of the crates had slid away from the interior wall, and slammed against the exterior hull. This environment had already been a lot for the iceboxes to withstand, and this damage had been too much, the box in question was now full of soggy, room temperature meat. However, the reason this box hadn’t been lashed down as thoroughly was because it had been the one they were using, so instead of losing multiple week’s worth of rations, only about a week’s food was spoiled.
~~~
Getting the ship back in proper order had taken the rest of the afternoon, and with the night shift starting Joan and Deuin were eating together, before Joan started her navigations, and Deuin returned to his divinations.
“So, what do you reckon?”
“We’re headed west by southwest, but we’d been drifting north. I expect we’ve got another few days of sailing ahead. If we don’t run into another one of those, we’ll really be in uncharted water by the first.”
“Still another week of sailing before we are out of these storms? I thought we were making better time than that.”
“We are, but it will depend on if we return to a more westernly route, or if we continue to curve farther south.”
“I would recommend getting back in the air sooner, rather than later. It’s hot down here, and it’s starting to fatigue the crew.”
“We’ll be getting back in the air tomorrow morning. Not much reason to try and rush, it’ll be plenty cool enough at night.”
“I wish they’d take off tonight. I can’t be sure of my predictions until I can see more than that thin sliver of stars.”
“I didn’t consider that. It’s not like we’d take any branches now though, the wind is still with us. For now.”
“I expect you’ll see the last of it before sunrise, the wind won’t carry as far down here at sea level.”
“You make a good point, as always, grandfather.”
“Who is it this time?”
“Frekain.”
~~~
Now that summer was coming to a close, it was certain. It had been warmer this year than the last, the testbed had gotten plenty of rain, and there was not a single trace left behind. Gregor had come to check for himself, as despite Detryl’s assurance that there was no chance they would survive the winter, he’d never let foresight be the deciding factor in his decisions, ever again. A few mages were checking through the soil, searching for any seeds that could have laid dormant.
The testbed was a small valley, it mimicked the topology of ridgewern proper, but was secluded enough that the test wasn’t at risk of being leaked. In order to scry on a location, you must know it exists, after all. The preparations to ransom back the knights, in addition to the mage that Duke Drake had captured, were proceeding apace. The ransom would be a good excuse to talk to the Duke, and with luck, a more generous ransom would keep him from interfering, though as soon as the duke had sent his apparently fearsome Soulsteel away, Gregor was reasonably certain that the Duke wouldn’t throw in with his niece.
The trip back to Jinkrok was short, and now that he’d determined that the Gnarlthorns were controllable, he needed to speak to his nephew, and his sister in law. Despite how desperately Gregor was fighting for the throne of Ridgewern, his heir apparent was his nephew. While Charles Ridgewern The First had taken up arms during the war of succession, he had the good fortune of being captured by the First Prince, Gregor. As punishment for rebellion, Gregor had stripped him of his right to inherit, but Gregor had spared his son, Charles The Second. The former now sat in house arrest, but his son had been receiving an education befitting his status. His mother was engaged with the local nobility, as Jinkrok had originally been planned to be the demesne of Charles The First, and she was the daughter of a local Baron.
“Good day, Uncle.”
“It is, Charlie. It is. I have good news to share. Where is your mother?”
“She is out, the harvest is soon, and she’s gone with Baron Higgans to inspect the southern crop.”
“Ah, that’s fine. You can tell her the news for me, then. I’m told you’ve been excelling with your new tutor?”
“Yes, he says I have an above average magical aptitude, and he has been a most gracious teacher.”
“You do like him, then?”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“I should hope so. He was in line to be the headmaster, before the war. If I had it my way, you’d be taking classes from him at Greswich, but this will have to do.”
“I thank you again, uncle. Mother and I appreciate all the opportunities you’ve given us.”
“Charlie, I always take care of my family. Now, the news I have to tell you is both another opportunity, and responsibility. The city of Jinkrok will be needing a regent while I am away, and that will be you.”
“W-w-what?”
“In addition, due to your ‘inexperience’, your father’s confinement will be coming to an end, so that he may advise you. I’ll be taking all the attention anyways. In three days, I’ll be making the official announcement.”
“Does father already know?”
“He does. Now, I’m permitting you a meeting with him today, so that you two can talk about what’s going to happen. I’ll send your mother to join you if she returns in time.”
“Thank you, Uncle.”
“You’re welcome, now get going already. I have three more meetings to get through.”