A Fool's Run
Chapter 4: A Trial by Fire
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The meteors ranging in sizes from heads to houses screamed past the Sarah, making the schooner pitch and shudder, its sails and rigging aflame. The Etherium around them no longer consisted of stars; it was a world of fire and heat. Everything was tinted in reddish light, thrown by the burning sails. Smaller meteors bounced along the deck, smouldering and scorching the polished timbers. The strong interstellar winds fanned the flames, causing the embers to burn faster than normal. Jim stood on the foredeck, Izzy clutched defensively in his arms. The young pirate hung onto him with her nails sunk deep into the material of his sleeves. He shielded her from the worst of the heat, knowing she was his responsibility. He brought her on this voyage and it was his responsibility to see her off. Simple as that. But, first he needed a ship to see her off. And he wouldn't have one left if he stood here for much longer.
Picking her up by were he gripped her around her narrow waist Jim threw himself across the deck, turning himself slightly in flight so that he was the one who collided with the decking. Just as they thudded to the floor a meteor the size of a small person crashed onto the deck where they had just been standing. Hauling himself to his feet, and Izzy along with him, Jim kept a secure arm around her waist he led her to the companionway. Crewmen were already pouring out from below deck, some carrying buckets of water.
"Get on the laser cannons!" Jim bellowed as he pushed Izzy below deck. "Keep the bigger ones away from the ship!"
"Aye, Captain!" a four-armed crewman replied, scurrying to follow orders and mount one of the three deck-mounted laser cannons.
Getting Izzy to the bottom of the stairs he pushed her onto a galley bench. He noticed Jocelyn, standing wide-eyed in her nightgown to one side. He motioned her forward. The girl stepped forward hesitantly, lurching as the ship moved beneath them. "Jo', I need to you get dressed and get up on deck. You're in charge of lifelines."
She nodded determinedly, seeming to lose her fear. With a concerned look in Izzy's direction she bolted off towards her cabin. Jim turned to Izzy, who seemed to be recovering from her earlier shock. Grey-green eyes blazed, watching him intently. "I want you to stay below deck, Izzy."
Her nails dug further into the muscles of his upper arms. Whether in outrage or fear he was not sure, the woman was equally liable to both. "I'm not sitting bundled up below deck like some baby, Jim Hawkins!" Looked like it was outrage. "I can help!" she continued. "I've been through worse. You can't make me sit here while your crew does all the work."
"You will stay below." He snapped. This was no time for her to try and play hero. "No arguments, Izzy. Just do it."
She looked angry enough to explode, but agreeable. She would be yelling at him later, he had no doubt of it, but that was not important now. Morph still had his tiny arms wrapped around the end of her braid. Jim motioned the blob forward. Morph reluctantly let go and floated forward him, perching on the end of his outstretched finger. "I've got a job for you, Morph."
Morph perked up, remembering those familiar words. "I need you to look after this… pup." Jim smiled at the memory, and Morph saluted him, floating off his finger and coming to rest on Izzy's shoulder. Izzy was glaring at Jim, having missed the memory behind the words. "I'm no pup, Hawkins. I'll deal with you when this is all over."
In one last gesture Jim ran a hand across the top of her hair, smiling down at her while she glowered up at him. With that he bounded back up the stairs two at a time, lurching as the ship shuddered, and yelling orders as he went. Izzy was gone from his mind; all that mattered now was getting his ship and his crew safely out of this meteor shower.
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Izzy sat and watched Jim bound up the stairs, anger and surprise swirling in her stomach, ears twitching with affront. She was no pup! He had no right to confine her to this galley while the rest of the crew strived to save their own lives. Her life was in danger as much as theirs and she had every reason to be up there doing everything she could to keep it. She was still sitting there fuming when Jocelyn ran past at full pelt in a pair of baggy trousers and short coat that copied Izzy's style.
She watched the girl pass and sat for moments before growling at herself. He told her to stay and here she was sitting like an obedient little Zorellian puppy. Izzy jumped to her feet determinedly, only to jar her hip against the table as the ship lurched. Rubbing her side she staggered drunkenly up the companionway. Morph moved to block her way. The blob changed into a hand, motioning for her to stop.
Izzy pushed past the floating hand with a muttered curse. Morph screeched and grabbed onto the end of her braid, desperately trying to pull her back down the stairs and failing miserably.
The ship lurched more erratically than before; she guessed Jim had finally got his hands on the helm. Making it to the top of the stairs otherwise unharmed Izzy grabbed one of the coils of rope lying near the mouth of the companionway, tying one end deftly around her waist as she ran and the other end around one of the notches in the central mast. Jocelyn was already there, checking and double-checking the lifelines. The girl smiled as Izzy appeared at her side.
"Fine day for a stroll." Izzy yelled over the rumbling of the meteors and the racket of the crew.
Jocelyn forced a laugh; it was shaky and full of fear. "Might need a parasol, Izzy. It do be a bit bright."
Izzy nodded, patting the girl comfortingly on the shoulder before rushing to the sides of the ship where she could climb the rigging. She could see Jim at the helm, feet planted far apart and knees bent for balance, both hands clutching the ships wheel white-knuckled and the muscles in his arms stood out boldly with the effort of holding the wheel in check. He was frowning with concentration, a crewmember calling out coordinates for Jim to follow in order to avoid the major meteors. Izzy smiled at the sight of him and ducked as a small flaming rock flew past her head. Morph was gibbering in fear, burying himself in her coat pocket.
With a determined set to her shoulders Izzy mounted the rigging, moving with an ease that spoke of years aboard ships. She reached the cross of the central mast, jumping to help the crewmen furl the mainsails. She grabbed a rope and pulled with all her strength. She felt the muscles in her arms and back scream in protest, but she kept on pulling, ignoring the pain. The wind roared in her ears, making speech pointless. She had to communicate with the other crewmen by hand signals. They secured the mainsail of one mast, and Izzy set her eyes on the next. Bracing herself she felt the muscles in her legs tense, like a coil ready to spring.
She leapt from the central mast, sailing through to air with arms outstretched and legs close together. She felt embers and rocks burning through the materials covering her back but she didn't give them notice. All that existed in her world was the cross-mast fast approaching. Her fingers brushed wood, and then her hands then her arms… she collided with the forward mast with a dull thud that echoed in her ears. The wind was knocked out of her. Arms tight around the wood she held on for dear life, knowing that she would die if she let go. She sucked in air in great ragged gasps, hot air burning the path to her lungs, and gradually regained her senses. Her ears slowly stopped ringing.
Walking along the cross-mast with arms outstretched for balance against the pitching ship Izzy grabbed the ropes that controlled the mast. There were crewmen climbing the rigging below her, trying to reach her to help. Some were already making their way along the cross-mast. She threw ropes towards them; a clenched fist pulled back against her side the signal telling them to pull with all they had.
The second mainsail was almost secure when something caught her eye. Looking down between her spread feet she could see Jocelyn's fair hair, whipping and dancing in the harsh, hot wind. The young girl was walking along the narrow top of the ships railing, arms outstretched to keep her balance. She was walking towards the criss-cross of ropes that led aloft. A meteor crashed into the railing right behind Jocelyn. What Izzy saw made her breath catch. Jocelyn's life line, severed by the burning meteor, frayed end flapping in the wind, the rest of the rope lying limp on the deck. She watched frozen as Jocelyn's arms windmilled, trying to keep her failing balance, tottering.
Jocelyn fell from the Sarah with barely a sound, disappearing over the side into the sky of fire.
With barely a seconds thought Izzy let go of her rope and ran nimbly down the length of the cross-mast. Once again her legs tensed for a leap, and she launched herself off the top of the Sarah. For moments she sailed disembodied through the air, nothing but the wind in her face. There was fire and heat all around her, but she did not notice, all that filled her vision was the form of Jocelyn below falling through clouds of flame.
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Jim strained to keep the helm in check. It fought against his grip, trying to twist this way and that. There were massive meteors to the left and right of them, bigger than the ship itself. With the solar sails down he couldn't get enough power to push them past the meteors, and if he fell back they would be incinerated in the tail. The only option left was up or down, all he needed was an opening in these damned meteors.
"We've got an opening, Captain!" cried the crewmen behind him, an alien with more eyes than Jim dare count. It was only sensible that he be made navigator. The alien pointed to the prow, where Jim could just see the darkness of space between swirling flames. This was worse than when the star went supernova…
Angling the ship down Jim began a rapid descent, building up speed as the ship plummeted. He laughed triumphantly, finally, something was going right, and they might actually make it out of this alive. As the ship angled prow down the masts became the centre of Jim's vision. What he saw made his stomach clench.
There was Izzy, running along the cross-mast of the forward mast, braid flying behind her, legs slowly bending as she prepared to jump…
Jump!
She sailed gracefully through the air, everything in slow motion, beautiful slim body arching as she disappeared over the side of the ship. That moment his heart stopped his chest. Cries of 'overboard' went up among the crew and Jim finally pulled himself out of his stasis. He threw a nearby crewman at the helm, vaulting over the guardrail to land solidly on his feet, the thunderous beating of his heart the only thing he could hear.
She had jumped. The damned woman had jumped!
If she made it out alive he'd kill her.
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Izzy kept her hand clasped tightly around Jocelyn's thin wrist, every muscle and tendon in her straining arm stood out. Below her Jocelyn stared up with fear wide eyes, her mouth working in silent prayer. The girl dangled eerily, bare feet kicking at the air of the fiery void beneath her, held from certain death only by Izzy's pure will. The pirate groaned as the Sarah rocked, the lifeline that kept her tied to the ship was also painful around her middle, the rope hard and rough against her flesh.
"Don't let go…" Jocelyn sobbed pitifully. "Please… please… don't let me go."
"I got you, Jo." Izzy yelled to the terrified youth. "I won't let go."
Jocelyn's free hand rose swiftly to grasp onto Izzy's wrist, and the fear on her face lessened to some degree. This close Izzy could see that the girls eyebrows had been burnt off and she suspected her own had as well. Sweat slicked her skin, dripping off the end of her nose. Slowly, ever so painfully slowly, her grip began to slide.
Jocelyn let out a scream as she felt the slip. In a desperate attempt to save her life Izzy grabbed for the girl, clutching the only thing she could, a handful of Jocelyn's long blonde hair. With a determined grunt she pulled the child closer by her hair. Jocelyn screamed once again, this time in pain.
"I'm sorry…. I' sorry…" Izzy repeated under her breath like a mantra as she pulled the girl ruthlessly upward by the hair. Soon she could grip her under the arms. Jocelyn let go of Izzy's arm and clung to her. The pair hung like that, clinging together as if hugging, buffeted by the wild winds and firestorm.
There was a rough tug on the rope and Izzy cringed in pain, dismissing it as nothing more than the wind. But soon they were slowly rising, being pulled steadily upwards. Izzy gave a sigh of relief, ignored the pain of the tight rope around her middle and smoothing a weeping Jocelyn's wayward hair.
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A/N: OKAY. This chapter took tooooooo long to write. I've been busy with heaps of things and I'm sorry to those of you who have been waiting for this update. The next one should come sooner. Keep your eyes peeled and don't expect much fluff next time. Jim's pretty pissed at her, lol.