The storm - storm? Hah! The hurricane! - Was one that left even the likes of the experienced Angel Silver and Captain Jonathan Smollet shaking their heads in wonder. The winds ripped through the air and tore everything, whipping men's faces till they were raw, grabbing at anything that was loose and tossing it into the air, buffeted about, till they eventually fell into the sea.
The sea – the sea was a different thing, a different creature, from the playful blue wetness that kept the ships afloat in normal weather. Today the sea was possessed by a wild and vengeful spirit, and the waves reared high like the sea-horses of Poseidon and Neptune, frothing and spitting and tearing at the ships, while sirens keened, their screeching and wailing rising high and carrying over the distance as fish flopped glassy-eyed and floppy-finned onto the ships' decks.
Angel Silver was in her element. She was as wild as the wind and the sea, her eyes alight with some internal fire, looking like some sea goddess or spirit as she clung to the Angel of Death's riggings, the lifeline tied around her waist the only thing keeping her from having the wind pluck her into the air and drop her into the raging waves below. Her golden hair whipped around her face, and her cheeks were blood-red while the rest of her face was deathly pale, and as she hung from the ropes, her eyes filled with wind-induced tears, she laughed long and loud and hard.
Robin Morgan, glancing up at her for a moment while he clung to the mast's base, shook his head at her. There was only one thing that could explain Angel's behaviour – the lass was just plain crazy. But then, that was why he loved her, wasn't it?
On board the Hispaniola, there was nothing to do once the sails were reefed and everything tied down but wait out the storm. Everyone huddled together in a shaking, wet, fearful group, nervously fingering the knots on their lifelines, while some closed their eyes and prayed for God's mercy.
Indeed, only God's mercy saved them, for who or what else could have stopped the vicious waves from tearing the Hispaniola apart into driftwood to float powerless in the mighty ocean, buffeted by the waves and the malicious wind as it screeched with the effort of pulling the masts out from their very roots?
Yes, Elizabeth decided as she grimly clung on for dear life to the largest solid and unmoving object she had found, this storm made her believe in God as no other passionate preacher or minister at church did. But then, she reflected as she dug her heels into the planks to stop herself from sliding across the slanted deck into the depths of the sea, in a storm like this one must believe in something to keep one as grounded as possible, or else one would go insane.
Though Thomas, eyes clenched tight in terror and arms wrapped tightly around the base of the creaking mainmast, did look rather mad with his mouth making the oddest shapes as he gabbled fervent prayers to be snatched up by the winds and tossed into the heavens.
Just then, however, the ship gave a sudden gut-wrenching lurch, and Elizabeth shut her eyes and decided to empty her mind of everything except survival.
