| A section from Realm of Shadow Wind and waves rocked the Zephyr as it made a hard turn to port. Catherine Foster held the stair railing tightly as she climbed the port side steps to the top of the aft castle. Rain pounded her body and drenched her to the soul. Visibility was down to a mere hundred yards, if even that. Her free hand shielded her eyes as she watched the smaller craft approach. The storm slowed them both down, though the Zephyr had the advantage. The other ship struggled as the large waves splashed over her sides. The storm was a lifesaver that appeared just at the right moment. Lightning brightened the sky as she slowly moved to the rear of the vessel. Timothy staggered up beside her. "The helmsman can't get her to respond, seems the wind is coming from everywhere." "It can't," she yelled back. "Unnatural," he replied. "I never saw clouds as black as those before." The ship rocked again as a wave rolled over its midsection. Men slid across the deck as they frantically tried to keep the vessel under control. Foster and Tim held the side banister as the Zephyr dropped. "Can't do battle in this!" Foster yelled. "I know," Tim responded. "Then they can't either." "Good," she answered as the smaller vessel nearly capsized as a huge wave rolled over it. "She can't handle a storm like this." "Can we?" Tim asked nervously. "It’s a new ship, who knows. It’s large enough to handle the swells, but we’re losing a shit load of maneuverability.” She paused, gripping the rail as the ship rolled. She raised her eyebrows to him, her hair whipping erratically around her in the face. “We’ll find out I guess, but," she paused looking at the swells around her, the ominous clouds above her and shook her head. “But what,” Tim yelled. "I've never seen a storm like this,” she admitted. In her many years at sea, from a deck hand to a captain, she seen a lot of weather, from the hurricanes on the western face, to the trade wind storms along this route, and none of them were like this. This was more a combination of both, strange, unique, and magical. The ship vaulted up and rapidly down again, Foster lost her footing and slid to the deck. Frantically she reached out and snatched a hold on the rail post. Tim, down to his knees, still held the rail with both hands. "Holy Asoamar," she barely heard him over the wind. "What?" she yelled and pulled herself up the rail. With his left arm wrapped around the rail, he pointed northward. Her gaze followed his finger as she pulled herself to her knees. A second ship emerged into view, sailing majestically from the mist, riding high on the waves. The mist flowed behind it, swirling eddies of gray rolled off the aft of the vessel, as if the fog was emerging from its hold. Sails grayed with age, tattered, and torn, billowed in the wind and the unnerving fog seemed to push the sails. The ship was large, not the size of the Zephyr, but bigger than the other ship on their rear. If she was not mistaken she would assume it to be a frigate, but no other merchants or navy's along this portion of the coast had ships that class—well it was rumored the elves of the Araeaine did along the wide and deep Araeaine River. It skipped off the waves effortlessly and headed straight for the first vessel. The storm did not affect its course, as if the two worked in conjunction. "Who the Hell is that?" she asked. "This ain't natural, I tell ya Capt'n," Tim answered. "I've heard stories, terrible ones." "Come on Tim," she tied herself to the rail with a lose rope. "I've been sailing this route for years and never seen any signs of a ghost ship." He grabbed her shoulder, "I think you're seein' it now." The strange frigate steered nearer to the smaller ship, its course had not yet veered. "She's gonna ram her," she said as she removed a spyglass from her belt. "I tell you, it’s the damned Waverunner. Asoamar, we're doomed." "Shut up," she snapped as she lifted the glass to her eye. "Hold me tighter," she ordered. He clutched her tighter and used his right hand to grab the rail. "We're done for." She huffed, ghost ship my ass. She focused the lens on the bow of the ship. An Alexian ship sank the Waverunner twelve years ago. It took three ballista bolts to the waterline at the starboard bow. Eyewitnesses aboard the Alexian ship reported that it sunk almost immediately. Reportedly two of Islesen's best knights were on the Waverunner at the time. According to the reports back at Islesen, they were the only two to survive. To this day, no one knew who saved either. The only ships in the vicinity were the Alexian pirate vessels and they did not rescue a single soul. A bolt of lightning bounced horizontally from the smaller to the haunting frigate, the intensity blinded her view. She lowered the glass and saw the frigates main sail burst briefly into flames. Magic, how she hated magic. However, better the frigate than the Zephyr as their target. After the Zephyr again lurched up and down, she lifted the spyglass to her right eye. She searched until she found the bow of the frigate again. She moved the lens down the length of the ship and read the letters aloud as she saw them.
Realm of Shadow Learn about the world of Dargothia See the timeline of events Find out about the Elves & Dwarven people What happened to the Dragon's? Learn about your favorite people
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