PART ONE: The Redemption
Charlisse bolted upright, her heart pounding. The ship's tiny cabin bucked like a wild stallion. She grabbed the bedpost to keep from being thrown onto the floor. Books flew off the shelves. A wooden chair tumbled across the room, crashing into the far wall. The ship lurched. She lifted off the bed, then plunged back onto the hard mattress, smashing her elbow on the bed frame. Burning throbbed up her arm. What was happening?
Charlisse tried to remember where she was. The merchant ship. She had bartered passage from London to the Caribbean in search of her fathera man she had never metand the only family she had left in the world. After spending the afternoon enjoying the fresh ocean breeze up on deck, she had come down to her cabin for a nap. In just a few short hours, the gentle rolling sea had transformed into a raging demon.
From outside the cabin, she heard a deafening roarlike a giant sea serpentfollowed by pounding on her window. She looked up at the round porthole. Fierce tentacles of water clawed to gain entrance.
Her body dove through the air, crashing on the hard deck. Pain shot up her back, piercing her head like the thrust of a sword. The cabin door swelled and groaned, creaking and moaning like an overstuffed belly. A flood of seawater burst through the oak planks and shoved her to the back of the cabin. Her head slammed against the bulkhead. She gulped for breath and flung her arms through the turbulent water searching for anything solid to cling to.
The ship lunged in the other direction, and the water gushed back out the door, carrying Charlisse with it. She grabbed the doorframe. Her muscles strained to maintain a grip on the slippery wood, but the force of the torrent flung her out into the hallway.
Muffled screams barreled down from above. Fighting her way up the companionway ladder, she braced against the blasts of water. Finally, she forced her head above deck. A swirling tempest crashed over her, choking her and crushing her back against the ladder railing. Saltwater stung her eyes. A deluge of rain assaulted the ship so thick it obscured everything into twisted, surreal shapes. The deck tilted to the left, sending a cascade of water over its side. Broken riggings and sails, still attached to the mast, flung back and forth in the onslaught, threatening to knock overboard anyone who crossed their path. Angry black clouds growled and hurled bolts of lightning toward the ship.
This could not be the end of her life, not when she had finally gotten the courage to flee from the clutches of her depraved uncle. She could not die like this, not all alone, in a foreign sea, never knowing if she was ever lovedby anyone.
She saw the captain clutching the quarterdeck railing. She wanted to reach him, to hear him say they would survive the storm, but dread of the tempest gripped all her muscles and froze them in place.
Another burst of wind and rain slapped her, stinging her face and shoving her down into the seawater that rose up the ladder. Drenched, she clambered upward again and fought to pull herself onto the slippery deck, deciding to brave the storm rather than drown below in her cabin. A surging wave assaulted her and thrust her against the mainmast. She clung to it as the ship rolled right.
Sharp pebbles of rain pounded on her skin from every direction, carried on blasts of wind that pushed her one way and tugged her the other in a frenzied contest to dislodge her.
She made out the blurred shapes of men up in the top riggings, battling with the sails. Each heave of the ship tossed them about like paper dolls. Lightning cracked the stormy sky, illuminating them for a brief second, leaving the disastrous scene imprinted on Charlisse's mind.
The black ocean raged all around them, licking its lips in foamed peaks. Thunder blasted across the sky, shaking the ship from stem to stern. Each bone in Charlisse's body shuddered with the massive jolt.
The ship careened to the right, riding on the swell of a monstrous wave. Her feet left the deck. Clutching the mast, she closed her eyes and clung to it with all her strength. Her fingers slipped over the groaning pillar. Shouts echoed through the pounding rain, joined by the stifled voice of Captain Hathaway. The ship righted, hovering in the air above the tempest, before it landed with a thud on the other side of the wave. Her feet pounded on the deck. The skin on her hands and arms burned raw with splinters from the mast.
She gasped and opened her eyes to see Captain Hathaway beside her. Fear etched the features of his old, weather-beaten face.
"Get below, Miss Bristol," he shouted, "'Tis not safe!"
No sooner had he spoken than the ship dove to the left. The captain vanished into a blast of water plunging over the deck. The flood punched Charlisse with the force of a cannon shot and muffled her scream, filling her mouth with the murky taste of seawater.
She searched for the captain and was relieved to see him hanging on the side railing, shouting orders to the few crewmen who were still struggling to save the ship. One of the sailors scrambled up the ratlines, following his captain's orders. A wall of water struck him, flinging his body into the churning sea.
Charlisse closed her eyes. We're all going to die.
The roar of the storm dimmed. The tottering ship eased into a heaving roll. Charlisse pried her eyes open to see the waves no longer bursting over the deck. Wiping wet, tangled hair from her face, she glanced around the ship. She heard someone throwing up. Captain Hathaway bellowed orders that sent the remaining sailors scrambling. Is the storm over? Did we survive? Her eyes met the captain's. She smiled at him, hoping for reassurance, but he glanced upward, his face turning ghostly white.
Following his gaze, Charlisse saw a wall of black water towering over the ship. It pulled the sea from underneath them and rose like the wings of a dragon, white foam salivating on its tongue as it curled over the tiny vessel, ready to pounce. Terror stuck in her throat, choking her. Trembling, she clutched the mast as tightly as she could.
The crew froze, staring at the monster. A few crossed themselves. The captain yelled, "Hold on!"
Then it hit.
The mountainous surge of water shoved Charlisse overboard and plunged her headfirst into the raging sea. Disoriented, she flailed in the cold, churning water. The salt stung her eyes. Darkness surrounded her. Underneath the surface of the sea, the deafening sounds of the storm became a muted rhythm of swirling bubbles.
An eerie peacefulness engulfed her. Lured by its deception, she ceased struggling, wondering if it wasn't better to fade away into this serene underwater world. But then she remembered. She must find her fatherto know if he loved her, wanted her. How could she die without ever knowing that at least one person in the world cared for her? A strong voice inside told her to hold on, don't give up yet. God help me, she prayed.
Her head popped above water. Instantly, chaos assailed her. Her lungs heaved for air between the waves that crashed over her head. The rolling tempest hurled her up and down, making her nauseous. Her muscles ached. Seawater poured into her lungs and stomach. As the energy drained from her body, dread consumed her. She was going to sink to the bottom of the cold sea and die alone and unloved. No one would know what had happened to her. No one would care.
Something hit her from behind. She turned to find a bulky slab of wood. With her last remaining strength, she hoisted herself onto it and collapsed, coughing and spewing out seawater.
Lightning flashed and she caught a glimpse of the ship several yards in the distance. It lay on its side, masts along with sails, sinking fast into the raging sea. Several heads bobbed in the water. The terrified wails of the crew sent icicles down her spine.
She paddled in their direction, not wanting to die alone. But with every inch of progress, the storm tossed her farther away.
Looping her arms through an iron bar fastened to the wood, she wedged herself tightly against it and hung on with all her might. Another large wave hit, carrying her upon its massive swell. From its crest, Charlisse saw the last remnant of the ship's sails sink beneath the dark waters.
