The wave slammed into Hudson and the sailor he was trying to aid, swept them off their feet. He hit the railing of the ship, lost his grip on the hapless sailor, and then felt the rail break away with the force of the water. Swept overboard, tumbled and crushed beneath the surface by the salt water, the chill of it was as much a blow as the wave. Only instincts built by long years on the water kept him from gasping in an inhale that would have killed him.
Disoriented, he opened his eyes and tried to find the surface. There was nothing but darkness around him. All those years courting the sea and she finally decided to take what was owed. Mo brann, mo croidhe, I?m sorry. The thoughts passed through his mind and then were banished with a stubborn set of jaw. Hudson never had been able to simply resign himself to his fate.
Flashes of lightning lead him upwards, the only clue to his direction. When he broke the surface, he only had time to suck in a breath before another wave crashed overhead and he ducked into it. Riding with the waves instead of fighting them. When he surfaced again, it was into a tangle of debris ? the railing from the Escape tangled together with half a spar and rope. Scarred hands strong from his fishing still weren?t strong enough to keep his grip under the pounding impact of waves; he could feel the wood slipping away.
Lightning flashed again, lit a white sail already far in the distance; Hudson had been caught by the current and swept far in a very short time. Already the cold and the fight to keep his head above water drained his strength. ?Iomchair leinn air bharr an t-sal, iomchair sinn gu cala tamh. Carry us o?er th? surface o? th? sea, carry us safe tae a haven o? peace.? The rope. He thrust his right arm, his closer arm, into the tangle of spar and rail, reaching for an end of the rope, a loop, some piece of it. Another wave slammed the pieces of wood together, and Hudson bit back a scream when he felt the bones of his wrist crunch.
But the rope was already around his arm, above his elbow, holding his head above the waves. The lightning flashed again, but the thunder which followed it was distant, petulant. A temper tantrum which had worn out to fretful crying. Already the waves had moved on, leaving rolling swells in their wake. Hudson could feel the ice of the water seeping into his bones. He had to get out of it before it drained away his life. Pulling against the rope around his right arm with his left, he managed to heave himself on top of the tangle of wood.
The pain of the action took him into blackness. How long he remained there Hudson had no way of knowing, but when black eyes opened again, the clouds had cleared from the sky. There was no sign of the Escape on the horizon, but there was a glimpse of land. Low, little more than a dark shape in the distance, the current was flowing towards it. Hudson?s mouth turned up at one corner, the beginning of a smile, and then darkness took him again.
Three days after the storm the Escape limped into port, battered but still sound. Its holds were full, and the trade agreement with the South Islands rested safely in Hudson?s kit along with the small gifts he had found time to acquire. Captain Mabons picked up the pack with a fleeting thought. The price might have been too high.
Disoriented, he opened his eyes and tried to find the surface. There was nothing but darkness around him. All those years courting the sea and she finally decided to take what was owed. Mo brann, mo croidhe, I?m sorry. The thoughts passed through his mind and then were banished with a stubborn set of jaw. Hudson never had been able to simply resign himself to his fate.
Flashes of lightning lead him upwards, the only clue to his direction. When he broke the surface, he only had time to suck in a breath before another wave crashed overhead and he ducked into it. Riding with the waves instead of fighting them. When he surfaced again, it was into a tangle of debris ? the railing from the Escape tangled together with half a spar and rope. Scarred hands strong from his fishing still weren?t strong enough to keep his grip under the pounding impact of waves; he could feel the wood slipping away.
Lightning flashed again, lit a white sail already far in the distance; Hudson had been caught by the current and swept far in a very short time. Already the cold and the fight to keep his head above water drained his strength. ?Iomchair leinn air bharr an t-sal, iomchair sinn gu cala tamh. Carry us o?er th? surface o? th? sea, carry us safe tae a haven o? peace.? The rope. He thrust his right arm, his closer arm, into the tangle of spar and rail, reaching for an end of the rope, a loop, some piece of it. Another wave slammed the pieces of wood together, and Hudson bit back a scream when he felt the bones of his wrist crunch.
But the rope was already around his arm, above his elbow, holding his head above the waves. The lightning flashed again, but the thunder which followed it was distant, petulant. A temper tantrum which had worn out to fretful crying. Already the waves had moved on, leaving rolling swells in their wake. Hudson could feel the ice of the water seeping into his bones. He had to get out of it before it drained away his life. Pulling against the rope around his right arm with his left, he managed to heave himself on top of the tangle of wood.
The pain of the action took him into blackness. How long he remained there Hudson had no way of knowing, but when black eyes opened again, the clouds had cleared from the sky. There was no sign of the Escape on the horizon, but there was a glimpse of land. Low, little more than a dark shape in the distance, the current was flowing towards it. Hudson?s mouth turned up at one corner, the beginning of a smile, and then darkness took him again.
Three days after the storm the Escape limped into port, battered but still sound. Its holds were full, and the trade agreement with the South Islands rested safely in Hudson?s kit along with the small gifts he had found time to acquire. Captain Mabons picked up the pack with a fleeting thought. The price might have been too high.