A day afterwards, we had not changed our course at all; we were waiting for the Caroline to regroup. We were not about to leave our friend in the middle of the Atlantic, in an enormous storm, alone with no heading.
"Are we sure he's still alive even?" Julia said. We were all thinking it, she just be bold enough to verbalize it.
"Don't say things like that! If we start doubt ourselves, how can we be certain to do anything?" I told him. I looked up to the storming sky, looking up to the heavens, asking the higher power to keep him safe wherever he may be.
Just then there was a tawny owl that came flying over to us, getting closer to me. I thought it was strange because owls don't usually be seen this far out at sea.
"Captain! Look!" Lanse said, as the old owl settled right on the deck and stared at me. I walked over to him and he let me pick him up, and there was a small scroll in his feet that dropped in my free hand. I read it aloud to Lanse and Julia.
"Anthony and crew of the Pearl, we be about a day's worth behind, remain on course, we just regained full canvas. When you get this, look abaft of your ship." Lanse read aloud, the rain was so bad with every vowel; water flew off his lips from the rain. We all three of us ran to the wheel deck, and peered into the distance in between the three huge brass stern lamps. In the distance we at first saw little. The rain was so heavy still it was hard to see. Then out of the storm, we saw the large beautiful white pureness that out of the haze in the rain, appeared to be gleaming. Riding the waves like a seesaw, the great ship raced towards us, wanting to make up for lost time. Then when our bowsprits were even, I ordered full canvas, and all of our sails stretched lower, increasing their surface area, which in turn increased our speed mightily. Our ships were racing so fast through the calmer (but mind you still rough) seas that our bow splash was level with the anchors, wetting some of my crew! The thunder and lightning stopped, but I think we are just getting started.
The next days we had been communicating with Gray telling him our heading, and our desired course, but also about the map. At this point flags were getting annoying so instead we got closer and just yelled to each other.
A few more days past and so far Captain Redhook's threat turned out to be false. Or, so we thought.
By afternoon, we were all exhausted. The rum was getting low but our food was still awesome. A king's dinner every night we had. But before we all had dinner, the crew I let relax for a bit, the ship could handle herself for now, we were going straight now. Si the three of us sat on the deck and talked. I unbuttoned my largely cuffed, stiff collared, flared at the waist linen jacket, and enjoyed the therapeutic sunset with sea breeze.
"So, how do ya think he's gonna attack if he not be using cannons?" I asked them both.
"Who?" Lanse asked. It had been almost a week since our encounter with Captain Redhook.
"Davy Jones. NO CAPTAIN REDHOOK YE NINNY!" We all laughed and then Lanse cleared his throat.
"Oh Right! Well, I heard stories,"
"Of?" I urged him to continue.
"Of this huge army almost of Sharks. Not just normal ones though. I swear they be the size of two dinghies, and have razor sharp teeth, four rows of them. They are fast and can jump out of the waters. But they're just stories right?"
"Where do the stories come from I wonder?" Julia asked. We all were very scared now. A Shark like that could easily slow us down. Or worse…
Later that night the storm had cleared, and now the full moon, a comforting sight, shined in the starry night. The white glow from the moon shined with Gray's ship, and on the angel adorning our bowsprit. For once the seas were flat calm, which made us go even faster now. Almost 20 knots to be exact. Side by side, with the white Caroline, the Black Pearl graced herself through the waves, closing the gap between us and the lost city of crystals.
The water looked darker now. We had entered the beginning of the part of the sea bottom where id began to dive even further. Now the bottom was 1000 feet deep. The Pearl had never been in such deep waters till now.
"It looks almost like it's trying to hide something," Julia commented, worried about us. She was able to walk around the ship now that the seas were calm, but out of peace of mind, still kept one hand on the rail. Her ring was glowing again, and she walked over to the focsle deck at the bow, getting closer to the water. Gray could see the blue glow on her hand, and signaled to me asking what was wrong. I signaled back explaining, and he was fine again.
"Just worried is all, No harm in being cautious," Gray explained to his first mate. Then, there was a faint thud on his hull.
"QUIET! EVERYONE KEEP IT DOWN!" He paused. There was another thud. "Do you feel that?" Again there was a thud within the Pearl's old wooden decks. "Something's off," He ran over to the edge, and couldn't see anything. Then right out of the water, and enormous 50 foot long shark jumped, with its momentum flew over to the deck, bit a crewman by the head, and landed on the other side of the ship in the water again.
"ALL HANDS BATTLE STATIONS! MAN THA GUNS AND TURN HER HARD A STARBOARD!" Gray ordered.
Back on the Pearl I could hear his orders, and looked over the edge. There was a 4 foot tall fin, a lot of them, circling my ship, and then all of a sudden, another one jumped out if the water, and this time, tried to bite a crewman, but Lanse grabbed him, and saved him. The Shark continued flying through the air, and his tail fin smacked against the railing, breaking it to pieces, and landing on the port side. I mimicked Gray's orders, and our ship took a huge list to port, moaning with the extra effort needed to make such a maneuver at such great speeds. More of these Sharks were attacking and Gray had already ordered firing individual cannons, trying to shoot them down before reaching deck level. Some worked, the cannon balls hitting the mouths of these leviathans sending them to the very far depths of the unforgiving Atlantic.
Another Shark rammed himself against the hull, making the entire ship shake violently from the tremendous force. Then I was worried Julia was all the way forward at the focsle deck, closer to the water than any of us. I ran over to her, and was horrified. There were sharks leaping out of the water all over the place, trying to bite her out of the air, but unsuccessfully. The bowsprit was always in their way. I leaned down to help her up and one of the sharks got his head stuck in the railing. Julia was screaming and out of fear couldn't move. He was trying to eat her leg! I kicked him with me boot hard square in the middle of his eyes, on his nose, and he fell down.
"Few, thank you Anthony! That was really close!" Then I looked over her shoulder below her and saw another enormous shark. He opened his mouth this time, and broke through the railing, the debris smacking my chest and sending me down on the ground. I thought the shark was gone, but the pain was so unimaginable I didn't feel it right away. Blood was pouring onto the deck, and Julia was screaming, thinking the worse might happen next. Once it hit me I was screaming in agony as the Shark shook his head around, holding on tightly to my leg from the knee. She was screaming now too and all of us were helpless, the blood came out faster, as the teeth sank deeper between my bones. Lanse heard my screams and ran as fast as he could, bringing a piece of debris from the broken wood railing. He saw the blood and the shark and my leg, and rammed the huge block of wood into the Sharks head, killing him. His grip was loosening, but it was too late, blood began pouring like a waterfall out as the shark fell back into the ocean, with half of my leg in his mouth. Lanse took off his jacket and tied it around my leg, trying to stop the bleeding. I had grown pale, and blacked out. Julia was crying now, worried that I might die out here. Lanse told one of the crewmen to signal the Caroline of our wounded Captain, and he carried me in his arms to Sick bay. The ship's doctor wrapped towels around my leg that were clean of bacteria and other risks to stop the bleeding, and he held Julia's hand trying to comfort her, but he was really worried too.
Gray saw the flags red over red being raised, and was terrified.
"YOU TAKE THE HELM IM BOARDIN THEIR SHIP!"
"AYE AYE SIR!" Gray cut one of the falls loose, and used it as a vine in a jungle to swing from his ship to mine, and went straight down to the sick bay. He saw Lanse and Julia tearing but trying to show it, and then he saw me on the bed with one and a half legs, and fell to the seat, and took his hat off in respect. Julia's ring persisted on glowing immensely, as if not caring about the incident, telling her that Atlantis was now half way away.