For the next three days, Arya and Aulix watched the card game that was played at night, using the rodents that lived on the ship. In the early dawn of the fourth day, they discussed what they'd learned.
"The passenger with the lazy eye, always gets an itchy nose when he has a good hand. If it's a bad hand he plays with his cards. The Boatswain glances at his money and sits forward when he's impatient to bet. His neck vein throbs a lot when he's bluffing. When he's got a bad hand he scratches his hands." Aulix continued to inform Arya on the players' tells.
"What about the tall skinny guy? His usual betting patterns is that in the first two hands usually he folds or bets low. He comes across as a pro," she questioned her observations.
Aulix scratched his chin, thinking back to the game last night. "He definitely could be. The black centre of his eyes expand slightly with a good hand, but no other tells. And when he handles his cards or betting, it's controlled and no fumbling."
"Well I'll have to use what Sarra taught me and see if he can be distracted," Arya winked. She proceeded to explain some of the betting patterns of the players. "Are we both sitting in tonight or what?"
"You play tonight, I'll play tomorrow and then we'll see."
"I get the feeling you're undecided about something."
He shrugged, "something is right… I have this nagging feeling, but can't pin point what it is or whom it's about." Aulix rubbed the back of his neck and rotated his shoulders trying to shake off the feeling.
"What kind of vibe, like a danger warning?"
"Maybe. Damned if I know right now. Tell me if you feel anything odd today too." He looked skyward.
Arya knew that Aulix was hypersensitive and Taron always paid attention to his friend's weird feelings. More often then not, those feelings were right. As she thought of her friends from the guild, she questioned herself if she was on the right path or if her quest was useless. Her mind was introverted.
Aulix could tell that she was missing Taron. He put an arm around her and kissed Arya's cheek. "Your destiny has always been different than that of everyone in the guild. Don't doubt that. When you've completed your death list, if you still miss Taron, come back to the guild. If you two were meant to be together forever, then you will be."
"How did you… never mind," she sighed. They went to look out at the water, by the bow, now that the sun was up.
"It's back… I'm going," Aulix suddenly said.
She shifted so that when he left his mind, her body held his up against the ship railing. To anyone looking their way, it would appear like a hug from behind, between lovers. This time Aulix was gone longer than before, but not as long as when he took over a bird. She could feel his body straighten, when he returned.
"So what is it?" Arya asked with curiosity.
"I still don't know, but it is very intelligent. I couldn't take it over, but only share my presence in it's mind. The speed it can swim….," Aulix said in awe.
"Did it say anything important?"
"We're sailing straight into a violent storm if we stay in this direction. We'll reach it late this afternoon."
She nodded, "so it's a friend then."
"Not sure, it said it with almost a crazy kind of glee… so hard to describe using human emotions."
"Aulix do you think that weird feeling you had earlier, was that thing approaching or the coming storm?"
He shrugged, "no idea, but it's gone now. Perhaps that thing was searching for my mind."
Arya shivered, "I don't think I want it to be able to enter your mind."
"I know, right. Anyway if I report this to the ship Captain, he'll think I'm nuts. Clear sky; no clouds for as far as our eyes can see. If the sky grows green, we know the storm is fast approaching."
"Should we go below deck or help the sailors, when the storm arrives?"
Aulix suggested, "we'll go below and stay out of the way. If it's rough water, then there's a high risk of being swept overboard. However the passengers will most likely get really sick down below."
"Great our options are possible death or getting super sick. Shit odds on both," Arya grumbled.
He laughed, "so just enjoy the nice weather while we can and eat any bread we have left. The cheese and apples should be fine even if soaked in the salt water."
"I guess no card gambling tonight."
"Depends on if we can outrun the main storm and stay on the outskirts of it. If we go straight in, then it'll be a rough ride," Aulix advised. "They'll probably drop anchor to slow the ship and realign her bow so she points directly into the waves."
"But won't that sink us?"
He nodded, "well if the bow is pointing directly into the wind and a very large breaking wave pitchpolls us, then she could capsize end over end." He looked at Arya, "when you came to Braavos, didn't you sail through any rough water?"
"It wasn't crazy bad, rough yes, but not life threatening."
"Just remember not to panic and we're both good swimmers," Aulix reassured. "The way the cargo is positioned in the ship and the weight of it, will help to stabilize the ship against the waves."
Arya calked her head to one side and looked at him, "were you a sailor or something in the past?"
He grinned, "I've been on a few ships from time to time, that went through bad storms."
"But it shouldn't be so violent, since we're only going across the Narrow Sea and not the Shivering Sea right?"
"Hopefully," Aulix agreed.
Mid day gave the first indication that their direction of travel could lead to bad weather. There was still no cloud in the sky, yet a light rain fell, sending all passengers, except Arya and Aulix, below deck for shelter. The wind picked up slightly. Slowly the rain increased, then on the horizon clouds could be seen and the sky had a greenish hue. From the direction the ship went, the Captain was trying to out run the impending storm. The waves became bigger and the Boatswain trimmed the sails. Furling in most of them, would prevent the ship from being flung in every direction by the wind and ensure the sails weren't ripped apart by the gales. Some sail was left up, to allow the helmsman to have a little control.
"Oh shit, this is gonna get real bad," Arya yelled pointing ahead of them.
The sky was black, except for cracks made from lightning. The boom that followed, was like the roar of the Gods. Towering walls of water, driven by the powerful winds, slammed into the ship. The rain came down so forcefully that it was stinging their exposed skin. Arya chose not to go below deck, tethering herself to the mast with a rope. Aulix tried to make it below, but the pitching deck of the boat, cause him return to her side and do as she had with a rope.
"Bare poles! Bare Poles!" Shouted the Boatswain.
The crew scrambled to take down the remaining sails, the craft on it's own was being propelled forwards too quickly. They also loosed the anchor, it's drag would help. The lightning seemed to crash too close to the ship, the after shock of the thunder, shook them all. Arya got sick, but the next wave took whatever liquid had come out of her, as it crashed over the side of the ship. The ship rocked over on one side and then a few seconds later, whipped across to the other. The helmsman was assisted in steering the ship, fighting the ocean for control. The rolling of the ship was hard for the crew, but the worst thing they feared was the repeated impact of the hull slamming into the troughs between the waves. If that battering lasted too long, the pounding of those impacts could break the ship apart. The sea was angry and the wind howled all around, the sky was darker than night.
Arya was scared until Aulix grabbed her hand. Just as he did, the ship heeled to the right and they saw and heard the scream of a sailor sent overboard. Arya let go of his hand and had the tethered arrow already set on her bow. She sent it just past the sailor's head, as he struggled to remain above the churning water. Aulix held on to her waist. By some miracle the man that was overboard managed to grab the line. Together, Arya and Aulix pulled him through the water, by the line. They got him close enough to reach the anchor. Another sailor with a rope around his waist, climbed down the anchor and grabbed the man. Everyone worked hard to get both back on board. Once the men were safe, Aulix helped Arya get her bow on to her back and then he secured them to the mast again.
The violence of the waves eventually receded and the clouds broke. To the relief of the entire ship, the storm moved past them, continuing on its way. The rain still slammed down in heavy sheets, but the anchor was pulled up and the sails raised once again. The people down below came up and they all were sick over the ship's side.
"You did well and kept your head," Aulix praised Arya.
She untied herself, as he'd done, glad that he couldn't see that she was crying, due to the falling rain. She hugged him, "thank you."
"That man is alive, because of you."
Arya smiled, "for once my bow gave life, instead of sending another to the God of Death."
The sailors involved in the rescue and the man who'd been saved, all came forward and thanked Arya and Aulix. Word spread quickly among the crew. The Captain invited them to eat with him that night, in thanks. They accepted, but she couldn't eat much, as her stomach was still rolling. The Captain understood and gave them a bag of food and a jug of ale.
Aulix asked the Captain, "do you have any ginger and peppermint tea?"
"Yes, it'll help calm her stomach. Also an old trick is to use your thumb and press your inner arm, three finger widths down from your wrist crease. Hold for a few minutes and it should help too," the Captain explained and demonstrated.
"Thank you sir," Arya said and applied the knowledge he'd given.
"And don't go below deck until it get's mopped up. The smell will set you off," he advised.
Arya excused herself first and Aulix finished another mug of ale. Once the tea was ready, he thanked the Captain and returned to her side. The tea and using the pressure point trick, helped Arya regain her equilibrium.
"If that sea creature returns tomorrow, ask how we can thank it for the heads up about the storm."
He nodded, "are you okay now?" Aulix wasn't meaning her stomach.
"Yes… I'm glad you came with me."