Chapter Nine

The storm had broken out so suddenly that despite the fact that she had been expecting it, Torri was taken by surprise, and scrambled to her feet at once when thunder roared above, her heart leaping. She took a moment to slow her accelerated breath and remember where exactly she was and what exactly was happening.

The sky all around them had darkened visibly, covered by a heavy lid of storm clouds, lightning raged here and there and the moon elf wondered how long it would be before one struck the ship. Realizing she truly did not want to know, she concentrated on keeping her balance, and not being swept right off the deck and dragged into the raging ocean by the wave that had decided to sweep across the vessel. Her eyes quickly darted off towards the crates; the line of ropes tying them in place had been doubled and the metal bars in some places reinforced – Nirra and Knave, her true interest, were just struggling to their feet, the latter coughing, obviously caught unaware by the water.

Rain finally began to fall down all around, in the form of huge heavy drops, and soon there was no other sound than the clamor of water everywhere, both around and below. A soaked Torri headed over for her two companions, who were in no better a state, glaring at a crate that swung to the side, threatening to fall right onto them. However, it had been effectively tied down atop the pile and the ropes held steadfast, halting the move before it could even begin to harm anyone.

"We should find something else to hold on to!" Torri shouted, aggravated, in order for her words to pierce the roaring of the storm all around them and reach the others' ears. "Those crates are unstable!"

"They're fine!" Knave replied the same way, handing her one of the ropes nearby, which the moon elf eagerly grabbed, just as she was beginning to lose the ground under the pressure of a new sweeping wave. The mage then hurried to hold on to something himself, his other arm wrapping about Nirra's shoulders and pulling her close to him, for the fragile gold elf wasn't much good resisting the might of the waters.

The highest crate swung again, frighteningly so, and in one instant that none would have been able to anticipate, its rope gave in, and the massive object came down hard, crashing to splinters right between the three. The impact threw them all aback, and they lost their grip almost at the same time, when a new wave hurried to help with eroding their already fragile position.

Torri couldn't possibly concentrate on anything else but her own safety at that chaotic moment, as she saw herself thrown down, she felt her body rolling or drifting towards the taffrail. Her fingers clawed at the solid deck below, water brushing over her, and with her. The attempt was futile, and it earned her no more than a few seconds, before the pulling continued, and she was swept further. Finally, the rail was her salvation, her hands gripped the wooden bars fiercely, and her entire body pressed against it, caught between this last obstacle and the strength of the wave going past her.

In the end, the moon elf was safe again, and a tremendous effort brought her back to her feet. Her armor felt heavier than ever, her hair clung to her face, her sight was clouded and her eyes stung from the salty waters that had invaded them. Still, her condition was stable, and with the little perception she still had left, she searched for Nirra.

She located Knave almost instantly, only a few feet away from her, further along the taffrail. The distressed mage bore the gravest of expressions, even as he blankly stared at the waters below, at their constant struggle. The moon elf's worries increased sizeably, her heart beating faster at once.

"Where's Nirra?" Torri shouted to the human, then coughed hastily, and could ask no more.

Knave took a few moments to acknowledge that she was there, before he raised a shaking hand, affording to hold on with just his other, to point out at sea, then downwards. His entire attitude was that of a shocked man, and he wasn't even blinking; he just swallowed tightly. It was all more than enough for Torri to guess.

The moon elf blanched in a matter of a small moment, her already ivory-white skin growing to be as that of a recently deceased, before she joined the mage in his staring at the spot he had last seen Nirra, a place the ship was departing from with every passing second. Gritting her teeth and blinking back tears, Torri gripped the taffrail tighter, almost as if she was trying to strangle a living thing, almost as if she had found the guilty one for this new and stunning discovery. "No..." her lips moved to shape out, although the sound was swallowed by the general tumult.

Another flash of lightning, a couple of more frozen moments in time, and Knave's last sight of Torri was the expression of a mad woman, harboring a crazed smirk, then a few elven words reached his ears, and the moon elf was off, diving into the unknown right behind her friend.

Knave cursed aloud, watching the tiny form disappear within the mass of water, most likely never to return again. This new shock rendered him oblivious to the fact that he was supposed to hold on to something, and even as he spun about, for a reason he had yet to formulate, a third wave hit him fully and threw him right behind his two former companions. The way his ears perceived the lid of water covering them almost sounded like a mighty fit of laughter, the sea amusing itself with the three puny beings that had been its toll.

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Waking up was a difficult process for Nirra with her head aching the way it did and her lungs feeling as heavy as they did. Nevertheless, the gold elf forced her eyes open, clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, bit her tongue without caring about it, and was finally sitting up. After the coughing fit was gone and the water out of her lungs, she shook her poor head slowly, to ease the pressure a little, and when it seemed to work she warily took in her surroundings.

Above her was a neat bluish surface, that almost looked like the sky, but Nirra guessed it to be water immediately. The floor below her was solid, made of solid stone apparently, and she could spot Knave, Torri and a few of the sailors around her. Some were conscious, like her, and some where not, Knave among the former, Torri with the latter.

The gold elf looked at the mage, who had hugged his knees close to him and laid his chin upon that support. He was silent and calm, almost like a monk in the process of meditation. However, when Nirra looked at him, he smiled vaguely, offering the little reassurance he could still shape out.

"Where..." - the gold elf had to stop, coughing out some more water. "Where are we?" She scoured further away in all four directions, her eyes meeting the solid masses of four walls, out of which the last had a single arched door, currently closed.

"The City of Caverns, they call it," Knave shrugged. "A sahuagin settlement, nonetheless."

Nirra gasped, suddenly troubled beyond return. "All I remember is being swept off into the water..." she stated, confusedly.

"The few of us you see here," Knave pointed at the rest, "were unlucky enough to share your fate." He paused, to rub his chin thoughtfully. "Well, except Torri." His eyes flashed with disapproval. "The fool jumped in to go find you or something."

"She did?" Nirra seemed taken aback by the news. "I... I may be selfish for saying this, but it makes me feel good in... in this time of need."

Knave shrugged again, grimly. "They're just now deciding what to do with us. They were going to eat us, but one of the men had a bottle of poison, or something of the kind, which he broke inside one of the sahuagin's mouths. What's certain is that the creature fell dead shortly after eating him, and they've decided not to eat the rest of us."

"Did they say anything that you could understand?" Nirra asked, swallowing tightly and attempting to contain her fear.

A groan, coming from Torri, interrupted them for the moment, and the moon elf threw herself halfway up, coughing out some water. Then, limply, she fell back to the floor and was unconscious again.

"She'll be fine," a gesture from Knave stopped Nirra from going to check. The mage was much closer, and he could see Torri's chest rise and fall with her breathing.

Nirra nodded, although her eyes didn't leave the side of her old friend for a long while, thoughtful through it all. Finally, she looked back at the only door. "So?" she reminded the mage of her question.

"They did talk to us briefly," Knave confirmed her suspicions. "Mostly just to mock us. They did tell us that the ship had been left alone, though. They weren't planning to attack, but since we so conveniently fell into the waters by ourselves..."

He let the phrase hanging, since Nirra could very well continue the reasoning for herself. "I see," the gold elf nodded. "There is still a chance for us, I think. Let's just hope that whatever it is they decide, that won't be to kill us on the spot. Maybe we can escape, if they give us time."

Knave's expression told her clearly that the mage agreed fully. "They could sacrifice us to whatever gods they worship," he made a point. "But I doubt such 'ugly and awkward creatures' like us would please them, so we're safe."

Despite the dire situation, they both found it hard not to chuckle.