The crew listened to Tepic and Beryl take turns providing music as hail rained against the hull. Falling ice had grown larger with each passing hour and waves deluged the entire ship. The ship had slipped back towards the sea several times, held in place only by the chains Wright had secured. During one of Tepic’s ballads they could hear part of the roof being ripped apart by the wind and thrown out to sea.
“Cor!” Loki had never seen wind powerful enough to tear off a roof before. “Ain’t never seen a storm this bad! Like it tryin’ ter kill us! Ain’t at all natural!”
“Bet it’s ‘cause of them scientists,” Tepic muttered angrily as his fists clenched on his flute. “They was messin’ wif things they shouldn’ and this is the heavens retally…retaliadin.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Wright countered, trying to sound calm despite his raised hackles. “But I won’t deny the weather is a mite unsettling. Are you sure you want to continue, Captain?”
Bookworm considered her response carefully, “If the storm doesn’t break we may not have a choice but to radio for aid ourselves.”
“I requested assistance on the remote telegraph, but there was no response,” Yang offered in his naturally soft manner that sounded apologetic. “The storm may have interfered but I believe it was in disrepair from the onset. We never received confirmation when we informed them Loki was aboard.”
“It’s a good thing we are the help then,” Beryl said with a morbid, but optimistic cheer. “May I take a turn Tepic, I’ve got a few more songs in me.”
While Tepic made way for Beryl, Mariah leaned in close to Bookworm and made a small confession, “If we cannot call for help then the fault is mine. My ships never had communication devices and I never thought to check it.”
“We all make mistakes,” Bookworm replied quietly as Beryl began their performance. A loud eruption interrupted them and a wave of pressure crashed into the ship. Everyone was on their feet as Beryl fell to the floor, holding the violin protectively above their head.
Alarm and confusion followed as everyone shouted questions at once. Bookworm and Wright raced up the stairs to see the damage and the others followed them. When they reached the upper cabin and opened the door they noted that the hail was slowing down.
Bookworm tried to open the door, but was blocked by several feet of snow and ice. Wright rammed the door with his shoulder until finally he broke through. They could see the storm clouds were passing them and that the skies above Wuldram Shores were clearing and the deep fog had lifted. They saw the Hildskal mountain range extending before them, dotted with abandoned structures from dynasties long past, and a strange purple light emanating from deep within the peaks.
“Geeezz!” Tepic said as he shivered, having left his coat downstairs like the others. “Vodka woud freeze in sum o’ this!”
Bookworm tried not to think about that possibility as she looked out over the calm mountains, but the turbulent ocean prevented her from enjoying the view. She pulled back shouting for Wright to shut the door before a powerful wave crashed into the ship and drenched them all.
“Looks like we ain’t goin’ anywhere just yet,” Mr. Wright said gruffly as he turned back to the others. “Anyone know what happened out there?”
“Reckon maybe them scientists got what was comin ter ‘em?” Tepic asked with an impish shrug, which earned him an angry glare from Bookworm. The lad met her gaze unashamed of his comment.
Bookworm turned to each of them, meeting their expectant gazes in silence, measuring them in her mind for the journey ahead. “Dr. Falcon had been sending regular reports to New Babbage. There are…abnormalities causing changes in the weather, but we lost contact before she learned anything substantial about them.”
“The storms always returned,” Beryl interrupted before she could get to that point. “We should take advantage of this break as soon as we can.”
“Yes, in the morning we’ll make our way to shore if the gulf is calm. After that we’ll travel to the city by foot. We’ll need an early start so everyone should turn in for the night.” Bookworm looked specifically at Tepic and Loki, “That goes for you two as well.”
Loki winced as if Bookworm wounded him, but Tepic recognized the importance of an early start. “Righ’. I knows a few lullarbyes, an’ feelin’ up ter playin ‘em.”
The crew went below deck, but instead of huddling in the boiler room they went to their bunks. Tepic played his flute while they prepared for bed, his soft melodies soothing their individual anxieties over the team and the mission. Slowly they drifted off to sleep, until finally Tepic himself slumped over and fell asleep sitting up. Someone stirred as the music faded and noticed his uncomfortable position. They brought his blanket and pillow, which he curled up with in his sleep. He slept soundly, kicking as he chased something in his summer filled dreams.
*********
As sunlight illuminated the Hildskal mountains through ominous gray clouds, Mariah Lanfier rang the bell in the mess hall. She and Wright had been the first to rise, and he had prepared a quick breakfast for everyone. Loki gagged at the offer of eggs and vole milk, and contented himself with a banana, cider, and some raisins. It was halfway through the breakfast that Mariah informed everyone they could not take the raft to shore.
The turbulent seas had calmed during the night and the frigid air slowly solidified the water. The ice floes that had filled the gulf had formed large lumps of ice over the frozen gulf. As the crew marveled at the sight, this time armed in their full coats, Yang was the first to speak,
“I had thought it odd to discover so much pack ice when we first approached the gulf, but now I understand.” Yang spoke with calm awe as he examined the frozen scenery. “I had heard tales of the gulf freezing in their past, but never before witnessed it for myself. The ice will break apart through the day and form ice floes such as we encountered before.”
“Well, I ain’t seen a frozen ocean up ter now!” Tepic grinned as he looked out with wonder to the horizon. “Reckon this is the world’s largest skatin’ rink! I needs two bits o’ angle iron an some small twine.”
Bookworm regretted her decision not to pack her camera, but had not wanted to risk it during a dangerous mission. Remembering why they were here she turned to their guide, “Is the ice safe enough to cross?”
Yang shook his head regretfully. “We do not know, Ms. Hienrichs. The ice may not sustain even the children’s weight.” The thought of falling through the ice sobered the crew as they considered methods to escape the frigid quagmire.
Wright examined the rocks below and shore, measuring the distance. “Just about four hundred yards to shore but every step could be your last. Might follow the rocks for a few extra yards, but they’re covered in ice and could break more than an ankle trying that route.” With a glance at the rolling clouds above he finished, ”Whatever we do, we should do it quick.”
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