Kid and Heg walked the docks after they loaded the supplies. No one wanted to sail with them in front of the possible storm that was brewing on the horizon. It was better to batten things down and try to keep the boats from wrecking in the harbor. A few like Kid had loaded up supplies to take their chances running from the storm and circling back to the island after it was over.
Kid didn't blame them. Typhon was not something for the faint of heart. He wouldn't even consider it except he felt that was the only way he could deal with things.
It would be rough sailing with just him and Heg to try to handle things between themselves.
He had his magic, and Heg seemed experienced enough to do things on the water. They might be able to reach the keep on the bottom of the ocean and stop the wind and the ghost pirates. He doubted he would be able to raise the land to where it was.
He felt it would take more magic than what he could do.
A man came down the dock, wearing rags and holed boots. He waved at Kid and Heg as they readied to sail. He had a sword at his hip, but it looked rusty and unused.
“I heard that you were hiring sailors,” said the man. “I was wondering if I could sign on with you.”
“It will be dangerous,” said Kid.
“How dangerous?,” said the man. He considered Kid and Heg with a suddenly keen eye.
“We're going to be sailing to a destination in the middle of the sea and dealing with pirates,” said Kid.
“I need passage to Ophelia,” said the ragged man. “I will be glad to help you if you can give me passage.”
“You have the stink of bad luck on you,” said Heg. He pulled out a pipe and chewed on the stem. “No other ship will take you, will they?”
“That's right,” said the stranger. “I have been shipwrecked before.”
“We're going into dangerous waters,” said Kid. “Are you sure you want to throw in with us?”
“I haven't been home in a number of years,” said the ragged man. “I would like to see it again before I die.”
“I can't promise that,” said Kid. “If you help us, I will do what I can to get you home. That's the least I can promise since I don't know if we will survive the search.”
“That will be fine,” said the ragged man. “Whatever I can do, I will.”
“I'm Kid,” said Kid. He waved at his first recruit. “That's Heg.”
“I'm Gilead,” said the stranger. “It is good to meet you.”
“Let's hoist sails and get clear before the storm hits,” said Kid. “We'll try to recruit more help at Demetria, before we try to sail for our real goal.”
“All right,” said Gilead. He undid the lines and tossed them aboard before hopping over the side of the boat. Heg put the rope away. The both of them went to the spool for the anchor and began winding up the chain.
Kid whispered to the sails to unfurl and went to the wheel. He let natural wind catch the cloth and he sailed away from the dock. He would ask the wind to help them if he needed to, but for now he wanted to just let the boat course along under its own power.
“The wind is pushing us along,” said Heg. He glared behind them. “We might not be able to outrun the storm.”
“Demetria is west of us,” said Gilead. “We'll have to circle around if we want to get there. The storm will push off course the way we're going.”
Kid nodded. He turned the wheel to take the boat out of the wind. He headed for calmer waters and hoped that the storm didn't turn to try to take them again. He knew that was a forlorn hope. Typhon was following him. No matter how much he tried to turn out of the way, it would turn to bear down on him again.
He shouted for the air to push his boat forward as much as it could. He needed distance if he wanted to outrun the storm coming on behind him. He looked back. They weren't going to make clear water the way they were going.
The storm would overtake them, and then it would sink them. They would drown under the torrential rain.
He didn't see anything he could do about it.
Heg grabbed the anchor chain. He rubbed the head of his pet chicken and told it to stay inside the cabin. He wrapped the chain around his waist.
“What are you doing?,” asked Gilead. He had a grip on the gunwales so he wouldn't tip over the side.
“I'm getting us out of this mess,” said Heg. He dove over the bow, and began swimming.
Kid paused in his steering. His first mate pulled his boat behind him faster than the wind could push. The howl of the storm seemed muted as the sailor swam faster than any sea creature the magician was aware of. They reached clear water, and Heg floated in the water. He looked dead tired from his exertion.
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“Pull him aboard,” Kid shouted at his crewman. “We need to keep moving before Typhon catches up to us.”
Gilead ran to the bow. He pulled on the chain, dropping the excess on the deck as he pulled Heg to the hull and out of the water. Kid joined him a moment later. Between the two of them, they laid Heg on deck and wound up the anchor chain around its reel.
“That was inhuman,” said Gilead.
“It was something,” said Kid. “I have never seen someone do that.”
He looked behind him. They were miles away from the storm clouds, but the thing was trying to catch up with them.
“The storm is chasing us, isn't it?,” said Gilead.
“It looks like,” said Kid. “We have to make landfall somewhere protected from the wind and rain.”
“There is a small rock on the way to Demetria,” said Gilead. “I don't know if it's still there, but there used to be a natural harbor on one side of the place.”
“Do you know the heading?,” asked Kid.
“I will tonight if we can see the stars,” said Gilead. “I think it is a little southwest from here.”
“I'll grab the wheel and turn that way,” said Kid. “See if you can get him into a hammock until he can walk on his own two legs again.”
“Why is the storm following you?,” asked Gilead. He kept his off hand on his sword hilt.
“We're old enemies,” said Kid. “Please take care of Heg for me. I want to use the time he bought us to try to reach cover before Typhon catches up to us.”
“Can you get me to Ophelia?,” asked Gilead.
“I would be surprised if we can't,” said Kid. “We already beat our enemy once.”
“All right,” said Gilead. “I will hold you to that.”
He grabbed Heg under his arms and lifted him to a sitting position. Then he lifted him to his feet. He helped the sailor to the cabin door so the first mate could sleep off his exertion. He made sure to put the man's chicken in the hammock with him before closing the cabin up.
Kid kept an eye out. He hadn't expected the showing of extreme strength that Heg had demonstrated. He hoped Gilead was right about the safe harbor. They had got out ahead of Typhon, but the elemental was intent on chasing them down. He could see the face in the clouds screaming for his blood.
He wanted to deal with the storm permanently but he couldn't think of how to do that while he was on the water. If there was a way to confine the storm to a selected area, that would be a big help, and keep shipping safe until he figured out how to deal with his other problems.
Maybe Gilead's rock would the perfect place to deal with this problem before it dogged them across the water to his destination. He couldn't deal with the sea monster and the ghost pirates with the storm trying to sink him.
He made the decision to fight back, and then he considered what he needed to do that. He needed something to anchor the storm in place long enough for him to finish the rest of his business. Then he could come back and get rid of it for good.
He would definitely need Heg to help him with everything. Gilead could be their decoy.
Kid nodded at the decision. Stopping Typhon meant helping all of the islands that faced his rampages day after day. It helped clear the way for him to disperse the pirates and the crocodile. That opened the way for him to search for the key at the bottom of the ocean.
If he cleared everything away, maybe he could fix the sunken land. That might help the settlements hanging on to existence on their rocky peaks.
He asked the wind to point him toward Gilead's island. He watched as the sails caught the air, and the boat jumped ahead. The assistance wouldn't last long, but he hoped the amount it did would allow him to reach the island with enough time to prepare.
He mentally listed the things he needed. He didn't think he had half of the ingredients in their supplies. He looked over his shoulder. Typhon stirred up the ocean behind him. He needed to get to land if he wanted to save his small crew from the elemental force.
Maybe he could dig into the rock to shelter against the living storm. He could work on the trap once he was sure he had a way to stop it from doing harm to him and his.
Gilead and Heg would have to do some of the work as he prepared to defend them from his old enemy. He had no idea what they could do against the wind. Maybe he would think of something before they landed.
Kid asked his eyes to see farther. He picked up small details on the horizon. It might be Gilead's island.
He asked the water to push them faster. He nodded as the waves hit the stern of the boat. The request could die at any minute, but it was carrying them faster than just the wind alone. He studied the outcrop as they sped toward it.
It was a spiral from the wide base to the narrow tip at the top of the outcropping. Small humps flickered in the water. He suspected they were shallow barrier islands that surrounded the central spiral. He didn't see any vegetation, or animals. Any sailor stopping here was not doing more than catching a night's sleep in a safe harbor and moving on.
He wondered if he could lay his trap in the middle of the barrier islands. That would give him an anchor to the island that no one could break unless they could rip up the rock itself. He didn't discount that since he knew he could do such a thing with the right word.
The main worry was inscribing the right words to trap the wind before it bulled its way to the island and tried to kill all three of them, and sink their boat.
How could Heg and Gilead help him with this? He didn't know enough about Gilead, and Heg's tremendous strength wouldn't amount to much since he couldn't write the right things in the rock.
He doubted he could have them lure Typhon into chasing them without losing them to the wind and rough water.
Gilead stepped out on the deck. The wind pulled on his ripped and holed clothing. He stared at the rock ahead of them.
“There is an opening in the protective reefs on the east,” he said. “There is a cave at the base of the mountain you can sail into with a boat this small.”
“A cave?,” asked Kid.
“You can't see it from here,” said Gilead. “But I assure you there is one that we can use to hide from the blowhard chasing us.”
“Is there another opening out of that cave?,” asked Kid.
“Not that I know,” said Gilead. “Why?”
“We need a way to keep Typhon away from us while we go about our business,” said Kid. “We need smooth waters for the diving we are going to have to do when we reach our destination. We can't do that while he is trying to sink our boat.”
“So you think this cave would be perfect for what you want?,” asked Gilead.
“We would have to sail in and out while Typhon is chasing us,” said Kid. “It will be a tight maneuver to carry out with it right behind us.”
“But if we could sail out of the cave while it was still inside?,” asked Gilead.
“Then we could trap it long enough to take care of the rest of our business,” said Kid. “Once we are done with most of it, we'll be able to disperse the wind ourselves.”
“And you will take me to Ophelia afterwards?,” asked Gilead.
“Unless we get killed in the process of fixing the world,” said Kid.
“All right,” said Gilead. “I'll help you with this insane scheme.”
“All right,” said Kid. “Let's see if we can get to the island first.”