Anthony really started tearing when he read the message from the Owl in his head. Julia was beyond terrified, and could hardly breath from the painful feeling she felt in her heart. Trying really hard to sound normal through her choking tears,
"What does it say Anthony?" She asked but could already assume the worst.
"It says… It says the storm be too much fer us. We cannot get out. Our masts have broken, my crew imprisoned aboard the Sea Witch. Redhook left me to die aboard my ship. Sinkin down by the stern slowly. Tell Julia I will meet her again in a better place, and Lanse that I enjoyed our times as bretheren in trainin. And tell Anthony he be the closest thing to a blood brother I ever be havin. Don't come fer me, I surely be gone by tha time ya reach me." Anthony read it out loud that time, and then just collapsed to the deck and couldn't feel his legs or hear anything around him. Julia came and sat next to me, and with both of us in oceans of tears, hugged tryin unsuccessfully to comfort the other.
A few hours later when we pulled ourselves together, sadness was gone and now a fire in me burned hot and bright, I wouldn't rest until I found Gray and sent,
"THE HORRIBLE SEA WITCH AND THE MISERABLE OLD WRETCH REDHOOK TO THE DARKEST DEEPEST DUNGEONS OF DAVY JONES LOCKER!" I stood up and grabbed my sword, and raised it to the sky.
"Who was it that attacked us and brought us on this ill fated mission to start with? Who was it that tried to kill you? WHO WAS IT THAT TRIED TO SINK ME SHIP? WHO HAS MURDERED GRAY?" I rhetorically asked.
"Captain Redhook!" Julia yelled.
"AYE, REDHOOK!" Anthony screamed as he raised his sword to the heavens.
"You don't know if Gray really is dead or not, we just need Captain Barbosa to help us, there is still hope Anthony!" Julia tried to reason and encourage me.
"Right Lassy, Forward and make sail into the abyss!" I ordered full canvas and took the compass from out of my pocket, the arrow now pointing to what I wanted which for now, was to find Gray.
"See? It is pointing to something! Gray is alive!" Julia cheered, and stood by me side.
"Hold on Lassy, we are going to go faster than we ever had before! Signal the Queen Anne's Revenge our intentions and ask for their help!" Julia lit the lamps and then waved the right flags. Barbosa did the same, and followed our suit. In no time we were making full speed. The storm not even affecting us. It was still raining as hard as ever, and now the sun was rising again, and the lightning struck behind them, and the light illuminated the endless scenery of dark blue ocean.
Hours passed, and the sun flew ever higher above the sea, and us.
Julia and I decided to go and check on Lanse again, s we made our way to the medical bay. When we entered the room, the Doctor was there but there was no sign of Lanse.
"Where is he where'd he go?" I asked.
"He's polishing his new hand, see for your self," The doctor moved out of the way and showed us Lanse sitting down with his feet up, polishing not a hook like our enemy, but a cross, like the ones the Christians back in Port Royal used. Lanse saw the doctor had moved and saw me and Julia watching with watery eyes and growing smiles.
"Thank heavens ye be ok matey! Thank goodness." Anthony was absolutely happy that his close friend be ok.
"Ya big lug, don't scare us like that!" Julia sarcastically greeted. We were all too happy to know it, and hugged each other, laughing and celebrating in the moment.
"Lanse, We had a message from that Owl again, Gray may be sinkin, we are on a rescue mission right now, after that, Atlantis be only two days away!" We all ran from there back up to the bridge on the stern.
"How far are we from the Caroline?" Lanse asked as we ran up the stairs to get to the highest deck where the wheel was. Julia ran behind us.
"Not too much farther now, Oh and that be The Queen Anne's Revenge, she be helping us now, for good!"
"Aye she be indeed! Let that miserable old hag Redhook try and attack us now!" We all laughed, and Anthony told Lanse how truly relieved nothing permanently bad had happened to Lanse, as did Julia. After a few minutes, Barbosa screamed to us,
" THAR SHE BE MATEYS!" But it was not a happy scream. The scene of carnage was horrifying, and bone chilling knowing that our friend was among this rubble. The Caroline was burning, and snking down by the stern. As we watched in horror, the masts fell down, and cracked the deck, and fell into the sea. The sails draped all over it in a mess of tangled lines. Then the ship made her final plunge.
"Hats off gents," I ordered our crew and Julia to give respect to a noble lady now dying. The Caroline's bow rose higher towards the sky, pointing up at the heavens, and dramatically moaning with the bending wood hull in pain. Then the greeat ship broke her back, and the bow came crackling and crashing down to the sea, sending the stern promptly down to the depths. The bow capsized, and then sunk after. I was in shock, so no tears had come out yet, and the search for Gray had begun. There was debris from that poor great ship everywhere, and I went out on one of the Pearl's dinghies looking for him. For a while, I saw nothing but floating chunks of wood, and other things.
Barbosa went out on his own dinghy and followed me, again offering his assistance in finding him.
"Thank ye Captain" I said, still hopeful to find him. That sinking looked pretty dreadful. I thought about it, and came to the conclusion that he had definitely been attacked by the Sea Witch, and lost. Which is why we never wanted to be separated in the first place. Then, Barbosa stood up.
"There in the distance do ya see him Anthony? " We approached the man in shock, not really understanding what was happening. Barbosa pulled the guy aboard and gave him some water.
"What be your name matey? Arr ya the one some call Gray? Or are you an otherwise downtrod lad whose ship just happened to look exactly like the one we be lookin for?" Barbosa asked in his own way, and I couldn't help but chuckle a bit at that. The man opened his eyes, and mumbled.
"Yes, I am Gray, I tried to get back to the Pearl I knew he'd be after Anthony and his ship next, but fire, so much fire, and ice…" Gray fell back asleep, and Barbosa and I rowed back to our ships.
"Here, ye take this lad, he's your friend, and I be missin any doctor aboard me own ship."
"Thank you Barbosa, please if you would, please continue helping us, next we need to find Atlantis an I be willin to bet that Redhook will be wantin another re-match."
"Aye, he will indeed. An we will give him the biggest brawl the seas had ever seen! Ahahahahahaha!" We shook hands, and then parted ways. I brought Gray aboard our ship, and everyone was gloriously happy that he was ok, and not dead. We mourned the loss of his crew and ship, but thanked our blessings that Gray was ok. After a lot of sighing and an overwhelming sense that this had all just begun, the three of us had a meeting to discuss the rest of the plan. We stuck to the map, and agreed to let whatever way be that to take us down to Atlantis. Julia's ring shined as bright as the sun, and we didn't know if it meant we were about to reach Atlantis, or if the Sea Witch had returned, but none of it mattered. We had each other, and more than that, we had all survived sharks, sea battles, flying jellyfish, ancient squid minions of the lost city, and storms that would make the bravest seaman skiddish. We had one thing that Redhook never had, and that missing thing is the true reason why he was banished from Atlantis.