grabbed hold of the line, fending the boat away from the hull with their arms. Saxon secured the mooring rope to the anchor line.
All four faces stared up at the menacing hulk of the black ship towering up there. There was something strange up there, just below the bowsprit – a terrifying shadow, poised like a large animal ready to pounce. But it was like no animal they had ever seen – a monster! They all froze, silently watching. The creature did not move, just swayed gently with the rocking of the waves.
As their eyes strained in the darkness, they could make out the ugly creature better. A large ferocious head, its mouth open in a silent roar, its many sharp teeth gleaming softly. Red eyes flickered in the darkness.
Long, sharp claws reached out to rake the enemy’s face. Powerful hindquarters quivered with the exertion of staying still, while a long tufted tail curled languidly down the bow of the ship.
The children stared up, terrified, mouths dry, hearts beating and muscles pumped with adrenalin, ready for flight. Still the creature did not leap. Ethan quietly moved forward to untie the mooring rope and push off, back to the relative safety of the sea. Saxon moved to help him, and then paused, staring up at the monster.
He muffled a nervous giggle. ‘It’s all right,’ Saxon whispered. ‘It’s only the figurehead. We usually carve beautiful women for ours, but the Sedahs prefer monsters!’
Lily’s knees went weak and trembling with relief. She took a deep breath. Of course it was just a carving, she thought. It is amazing how shadows play tricks on the mind .
Ethan climbed up the anchor line, swinging arm over arm. He swung up into the shadows on the ship, then snaked down a coil of rope that he had attached to a stanchion. Lily tied this rope around her waist then climbed up the anchor line, as agile as a monkey. The rope came snaking down again.
Saxon grabbed it before it splashed in the waterand passed it to Roana. She hesitated then tied it round her waist. She carefully took hold of the rope and looked up into the dark shadows above.
The boat rocked alarmingly and the anchor line creaked and groaned. The ship towered above, rocking slightly with the motion of the waves. The ship and boat moved as if in a formal dance, rocking together, then wrenching apart.
Roana swallowed, the pit of her stomach lurching with nausea. She tried not to think of Octomons or sea serpents lurking in the depths below.
‘Come on, Roana. You can do it,’ hissed Saxon under his breath.
Roana took a deep breath, then climbed hand over hand up the anchor rope as Lily had done. But Roana was not as fit as Lily, nor as used to climbing. Her arms ached with the strain of taking her weight. She reached halfway up the rope. Her muscles started to burn and her arms shook uncontrollably. The effort became greater and greater. At last Roana could not let go of the rope to climb any further.
She hung suspended over the boiling black sea, frozen with fear. Her hands were slick with sweat. She could feel the rope slipping from her grasp. Ethan and Lily felt the guide rope stop, so together they took the slack and hauled with all their might,winding the rope around a timber strut to stop it from slipping back.
Roana was dragged, dangling and kicking, up onto the deck. She collapsed panting in a heap. Ethan untied the safety rope and lowered it down to Saxon. In a moment Saxon was clambering on board too.
In the bow they all crouched, hardly visible in the darkness with their black cloaks and charcoaled faces. They paused for a few minutes, gathering their breath and their courage and their bearings. At a nod, they crept forward, one after the other. Roana lead the way as she was the only one who had ever been on a ship of this size. From the stern they could hear low murmurs and the smell of pipe smoke.
They found the ladder leading down into the deep, cold hold. Hearts thudding, they climbed down and down and down into the
All four faces stared up at the menacing hulk of the black ship towering up there. There was something strange up there, just below the bowsprit – a terrifying shadow, poised like a large animal ready to pounce. But it was like no animal they had ever seen – a monster! They all froze, silently watching. The creature did not move, just swayed gently with the rocking of the waves.
As their eyes strained in the darkness, they could make out the ugly creature better. A large ferocious head, its mouth open in a silent roar, its many sharp teeth gleaming softly. Red eyes flickered in the darkness.
Long, sharp claws reached out to rake the enemy’s face. Powerful hindquarters quivered with the exertion of staying still, while a long tufted tail curled languidly down the bow of the ship.
The children stared up, terrified, mouths dry, hearts beating and muscles pumped with adrenalin, ready for flight. Still the creature did not leap. Ethan quietly moved forward to untie the mooring rope and push off, back to the relative safety of the sea. Saxon moved to help him, and then paused, staring up at the monster.
He muffled a nervous giggle. ‘It’s all right,’ Saxon whispered. ‘It’s only the figurehead. We usually carve beautiful women for ours, but the Sedahs prefer monsters!’
Lily’s knees went weak and trembling with relief. She took a deep breath. Of course it was just a carving, she thought. It is amazing how shadows play tricks on the mind .
Ethan climbed up the anchor line, swinging arm over arm. He swung up into the shadows on the ship, then snaked down a coil of rope that he had attached to a stanchion. Lily tied this rope around her waist then climbed up the anchor line, as agile as a monkey. The rope came snaking down again.
Saxon grabbed it before it splashed in the waterand passed it to Roana. She hesitated then tied it round her waist. She carefully took hold of the rope and looked up into the dark shadows above.
The boat rocked alarmingly and the anchor line creaked and groaned. The ship towered above, rocking slightly with the motion of the waves. The ship and boat moved as if in a formal dance, rocking together, then wrenching apart.
Roana swallowed, the pit of her stomach lurching with nausea. She tried not to think of Octomons or sea serpents lurking in the depths below.
‘Come on, Roana. You can do it,’ hissed Saxon under his breath.
Roana took a deep breath, then climbed hand over hand up the anchor rope as Lily had done. But Roana was not as fit as Lily, nor as used to climbing. Her arms ached with the strain of taking her weight. She reached halfway up the rope. Her muscles started to burn and her arms shook uncontrollably. The effort became greater and greater. At last Roana could not let go of the rope to climb any further.
She hung suspended over the boiling black sea, frozen with fear. Her hands were slick with sweat. She could feel the rope slipping from her grasp. Ethan and Lily felt the guide rope stop, so together they took the slack and hauled with all their might,winding the rope around a timber strut to stop it from slipping back.
Roana was dragged, dangling and kicking, up onto the deck. She collapsed panting in a heap. Ethan untied the safety rope and lowered it down to Saxon. In a moment Saxon was clambering on board too.
In the bow they all crouched, hardly visible in the darkness with their black cloaks and charcoaled faces. They paused for a few minutes, gathering their breath and their courage and their bearings. At a nod, they crept forward, one after the other. Roana lead the way as she was the only one who had ever been on a ship of this size. From the stern they could hear low murmurs and the smell of pipe smoke.
They found the ladder leading down into the deep, cold hold. Hearts thudding, they climbed down and down and down into the
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