Andy got out the map and they tried to figure out roughly where they were and where they were going.
"Jacksonville, North Carolina has a Marine base," Nasim noted, tapping the small city's location on the map."
"So we altered course around there," Robin noted. They'd been out in open waters, out of sight of land, for several days. The Black Pearl had not fallen apart so far, but Nasim had had to plug several leaks with magic. Robin seemed to think that as soon as they got to shore the trireme would fall apart.
"And where is Fort Lauderdale?" Robin asked. Andy pointed to the Florida city; Robin had decided the day they'd changed course that they were heading to Fort Lauderdale and hadn't changed his mind since.
"That just leaves the question of where we are now," Nasim commented. Andy could have sworn that a silvery hand appeared out of nowhere and pointed to a spot on the map.
"Around here," Robin said, circling the area the disjointed hand had picked out.
"Did you see that?" Andy asked Robin.
"See what?" he seemed genuinely confused and, since he was completely hopeless at lying, Andy was forced to believe that only she could see the ghost's hand.
Or she was going crazy. I mean, I've always been heading that way, Andy thought to herself. It was only a matter of time.
"How much longer do you make that?" Robin asked.
"A few days," Nasim said. "Three, maybe four."
"Can the Pearl make it?"
"I don't know," Nasim said seriously. "Do you think you can... um, read anything I can work with?"
"I'm not sure," Robin said, shaking his head. "Perhaps, if I had my Argonautica... I can try to remember the verse."
Robin had Andy stand at the middle of the ship so that if there were any sudden rocking or disturbance of the boat she would not be thrown into the water. Then, as before, he had Nasim place his hands on his shoulders as he lifted both hands and began to recite.
At first, the words came haltingly, as though he did not know if they were quite right. But Robin's voice rapidly grew stronger and faster as if his mother supplied him with the proper verse.
"They strongly girded the ship with a rope well twisted within, stretching it tight on each side, in order that the planks might be well compacted by the bolts and might withstand the opposing force of the surge." Andy shifted nervously as she began to hear the popping and groaning of the planks beneath her feet.
"And above, on both sides, reversing the oars, they fastened them round the thole-pins, so as to project a cubit's space. And the heroes themselves stood on both sides at the oars in a row, and pushed forward with chest and hand at once. They at once, leaning with all their strength, with one push started the ship from her place, and strained with their feet, forcing her onward; and she glided into the sea."
Andy began to notice that they were sinking and she heard a crash that was louder than the others. With a start of fear, she heard the swish of water rushing in below deck.
"Robin, we're sinking!" Andy yelled. The boy didn't look up, but raised his hands higher and his voice boomed out over the mast and the riggings, reaching every corner of the ship.
"But the heroes stood there and kept dragging her back as she sped onward. And round the thole-pins they fitted the oars, and in the ship they placed the mast and the well-made sails and the stores."
The Black Pearl made a sounding like a grating roar as she tossed upon the calm waters and Andy screamed. She saw Nasim's hands clenched like vices upon Robin's shoulders and they were tossed to the deck together. Andy lost her footing as well and went tumbling down.
She clenched her eyes shut and, as suddenly as it had begun, the rocking of the ship ceased. The rush of water below her head stopped and no more creaks or crashes came.
"Oh gods, we're dead aren't we?" Andy asked, her eyes still tightly shut.
She heard Robin respond with a mirthful laugh and the sound of him leaping to his feet and running towards the prow of the ship.
Andy slowly opened her eyes, still not sure that they weren't dead. From here she could see that Nasim's eyes were closed, his hands wrapped over his head as though to protect it from falling debris.
Andy rolled onto her side and began to crawl towards where Robin stood. She got there and carefully used the railing to lift herself into a standing position.
The Black Pearl stood high in the water, her side smooth and unblemished by barnacles and whatever other living debris normally clung to the sides and underbellies of ships. She shone with varnish, as good as new.
And, so far ahead one might have thought they were imagining it, was a sliver of land.
"Land ho," Andy whispered, her lips curving into a smile.
A/N: Footnotes:
The passage Robin recites comes from the Argonautica by Apollonius, book 1.