So Anthony, Julia, and Lanse all agreed that the incident with the Jellys was indeed a diversion. Furthermore, that Captain Redhook was either trying to intercept us, or worse, waiting for the opportune moment when he could strike us at our weakest point.
"But what would make us seem week?" Julia asked.
"Well, say for example, another storm struck us, and we were separated. As Lanse has told me before, our firepower is greatly decreased, more than tenfold in that scenario." I answered, Lanse nodded his head. The sun was beginning to set, and shined a beautiful shade of orange throughout the gilded ready room.
"It would be an excellent moment for an attack, it would eliminate his threat to finding Atlantis, and would deem Captain Gray not a threat either because we have the map and compass." Lanse pointed out.
"Well, suddenly our situation seems even more dangerous than before." Julia was afraid, as well we all were, but we had each other, as well as the support of Gray in tandem with us.
"Let me assure ye all though, as long as I be breathin, I will not let anything happen to any of you. Our friendship be something greater than any ship of power Cap'n Redhook can master." I reassured them. I meant it too, we had been friends through not just many years, but also some quite terrifying moments as of late.
Unbeknownst to us, the Sea Witch had been gaining speed. Her location was secret, so secret in fact, that Captain Redhook killed his own first mate just fer lookin at the charts. The dark perfectly smooth black hull of the Witch glided effortlessly and hastily through the waters, and towered above the seas in a way which still had not been matched by any other ship afloat. Her three rows of guns on both sides, meant she was the best at negotiatin terms, and the pitchfork ended broomstick-like bowsprit reminded all her foes, that she be not one to trifle with.
Captain Gray maintained his close proximity to the proud and mighty Black Pearl which had some grace all her own as well. Traditional sweeping lines, a thick hard experienced hull, and strong sails. Equipped with cannons able to reload faster than any other ship afloat. Together with the pure white Caroline, the two ships looked and were, as if on a crusade type of mission. To save a lost city from certain destruction or worse, damnation to Davy Jone's Locker by way of a Witch. The sun was just about to drop beneath the vast as of right now at least, calm horizon, and Anthony looked out holding the wheel of his beloved ship. Straining not to blink, he witnessed the green flash, and remembered the few times he had with his father, Will Turner. Me eyes began tearin, and Julia knew exactly what be the matter, and hugged me from behind. Burying her face in me leather warm jacket. Her awesome round, red hat almost fell off from the hug, and I adjusted it fer her.
"Thnak ye miss. Ye never seize to be comfortin me, even when no words be spoken ye know how to make things bettter. It is like," I paused, feeling humble saying it outloud.
"Like what Anthony?" She asked.
"Like your me sister." We both smiled, and Lanse came from assisting some crew with the lines, which had through the movement of the ship, come loose, and almost dumped into the sea. His own piece of 8, his brown belt, aided him in fetchin it back. He looked across at Gray's ship, and could see him walkin around, pacing, as if Gray were troubled by something. Indeed he was.
"Sir, you have been pacin fer almost an hour now, what be the matter with ye?" Hitchens, his first mate concernedly asked.
"If ye must know, I jus be stressed about meetin the largest warship ever built in all the history o Pirates and our ships." Gray continued pacing. He could only imagine the sheer size of that beast.
"Sir we are two in number, surely we can beat him especially with the Pearl on our side,"
"Do you know how many cannons she has? 48! 48 on one side! Not to mention the 6 at the bow that make her look like she has eyes, but the three at the stern as well! She has 360 degree firing capability!"
"But sir we have the greatest firin range of any ship afloat, we could attack before they even knew what was out there!" Hitchens pointed out, remembering it just now. This was their only advantage. If they could somehow manage to keep a 2 mile cushion between them and the Sea Witch, they may have a fightin chance. Gray smiled and looked back at the Pearl.
"Hitchens, ye may jus be the best first mate on the world!" they both laughed, and suddenly, ther was a loud rumble of thunder that echoed throughout all the ocean, and pierced the hearts of the four of us. A storm was coming. The one thing we feared most that had proven in the past could infact separate us. Only this time, it was no mere thunderstorm.
Julia's ring was glowing profusely, and she was mortified that a storm was heading our way, so she walked quickly from side to side of the ship, trying to distract herself, with no such luck.
Another crack of thunder, sharp this time, and down came the rain. With the sun already gone, and a moonless night, there was now even less visibility, the rain having the same affecct as fog plus the natural darkness of night.
"Really rain? That's even more than less than unhelpful," Julia looked up at the pitch dark sky. We lit all our lamps and closed their small doors so that despite rain and wind, they could remain lighting our ship brightly and faithfully. Caroline soon imitated, and we slowed our speed only marginally so as we could maintain control through this terrible rain. Then, the waves picked up and lightning started. Julia screamed with the fisrt crack matched perfectly with the blinding flash of natures electricity.
"Don't worry Julia, it's only a storm, we have managed before we can do it again!" Lanse encouraged. On we sailed, and the rain now falling sideways was dripping from the brim of our hats like waterfalls. Our crew now experienced with mid-Atlantic storms, was calm and knew exactly what to do and how fast to do it. The waves were riding with us this time, so only pitching fiercly up and down occurred. The waves were endless, and every so often the lightning illuminated our next wall of water we had to fight. High the bow of the Pearl rose, and then with a moaning sound of the wood hull of our mighty lady bending, fell back down in the sea, with a huge crashing wave that sometimes was strong enough to drench us all.
"I think I'm gonna be sick!" Julia yelled over the wind and rain and thunder. For a moment the waves were sustainable, the bow lifted high above the horizon in perspective, and then crashed back down in a predictable pattern.
Then the lightning flashed once more, and the biggest wave of our entire lives was just feet before us.
"ALL HAND BRACE FOR IMMEDIATE AND HEAVY LISTING! HOLD ON TO THE RAILING DO NOT LET GO!" I ordered with all my lungs could muster, and kept Lanse and Julia at my side, and we all held each other down to the railing as a crewman took the wheel. The bow moaned, not wanting to list this much. Higher and higher we rose, 10 degrees, 20, 30, and rose higher still. Everything loose came thrashing down the decks towards us, some crew tried to stop them from falling but gravity was too strong and drug them with it. The bow of our ship aimed almost straight up at the heavens as Gray watched in horror, he had increased the distance between our hulls to allow for safer passage through the storm. Then the wave had passed us, and the bow began falling freely back to the water. We all screamed as the oak hull moaned, and we felt as if butterflies were in our stomachs, and then with a wave as large as another ship practically, we succeeded in completely drenching Gray with so much water, his ship took on a list aswell, but she soon corrected herself.
"This is insanity!" Julia couldn't believe the size of that wave, it was honestly ridiculous.
"That was a rogue wave, ye should be countin yerself lucky that it didn't strike us sideways," I reported to her. We were starting to loose sight of the Caroline, being so focused on makin it through that wave, we forgot about keeping distance with Gray. In the darkness of the night however, we could barely decipher the difference between the white hull, and the foam of other waves crashing in on themselves in the distance.
Where has she gone? Oh my god Anthony we lost the Caroline again!" lanse looked all around running to different parts of the deck trying to look at all angles, but found no sight of Gray or his ship.
"Just settle down everyone We'll find him! I will not let him become stranded! We must find our friend, keep searching!" I ordered, and my heart cried worried sick about his safety in this terrible storm. More waves had fun with our ship but as long as we maintained course, they wouldn't damage us. Lightning struck all around and the echoing thunder seemed to accentuate our new found isolation. All of a sudden, Julia's ring shined so brightly, it lit up the whole ship, and began blinking as if it were a lighthouse. Then our ship began shaking, there was something in these waters, gaining on us.
"OH MY GOD ANTHONY! IT'S THE SEA WITCH SHE'S FOLLOWED US HERE!" Lanse and Julia both looked out in front of us as the enormous, 35 foot tall hull of the Sea Witch once again soared high, punching through the water surface with her broomstick bowsprit, shooting out tons of water into the air, and exposing the full 250 feet of her length. The three of us stood in absolute terror as the enormous enemy appeared before us. Her four masts unfurled their sails magically, and fish along with other sea creatures of the deep, dripped off them falling back to the water. The three rows of cannons were now illuminated by lamps, and the bridge, a whopping 65 feet in the air at the stern, was now level and she was floating just on our starboard bow. Her dark red sails looked like they were made of blood, and the skeleton adorning the prow of the great monster was covered in sea weed and barnacles. Julia grabbed my hand and held it tightly, she was breathing hard, and I ordered full stop, we waited for the other to make the first move. The Sea Witch just sat there, impeding our movement, and Captain Redhook was nowhere to be seen or in this distance, heard of. Lanse stepped slowly closer to me and whispered trying not move his lips too much,
"Don't make any sudden movements and try to be absolutely still, I feel like we're prey at the mercy of a blood thirsty shark, willing to charge as fast as light if we budge." He slowly stood back up straight, and we were so afraid, we could hardly move. Then, our hearts almost stopped when we heard the bone chilling, raspy, and deep toned cackle, coming from right behind us. We all turned around slowly, and standing there with his shining hook, and dark black hat with red feathers, was the notorious Captain Redhook.