Bloodlines Of The Ancient Pantheons 353 Cccliii. The Action Docking

The two warriors climbed one of the s.h.i.+p's edges and climbed the Bra.s.s Arrow, positioning themselves next to the oars, already in position and waiting for their Master.

After taking a torch and a flint to speed up the fire, he too climbed the boat: Dag and Sander approached the two pulleys on which the chains that held it were tied and began to unroll them, dropping the boat through Frank's impeccable lever system.

Progressively, the lower surface of the Bra.s.s arrow gently rested on the water, diving to the right point and beginning to float.

In a decisive gesture, Kjell detached both iron hooks tied to its ends and the two warriors began to row, hurriedly flooding from the Iron Emerald, traveling at great speed to the distant sh.o.r.es of Krypstorm.

Sander nodded to the s.h.i.+p's crew, and at that very moment the rowers stopped rowing and the two helmsmen tried to keep the boat as still as possible, avoiding approaching further and risking blowing up the plan.

At high speed, the Bra.s.s Arrow traveled to the flat sea that fairly sunny day and Dag, as well as the other Masters and some of the warriors, faced one of the edges, looking at their companions and waiting for some kind of signal.

Slowly, the Sun rose into the sky and its light began to reflect on the surface of the water: at that point, the Bra.s.s Arrow remained visible, but only summarily.

Dag focused, clutching the boat's wood with his hands and trying to concentrate as much as possible.

The small boat continued to approach the coast, leaving everyone in suspense, in the hope that nothing bad would happen to their companions in the middle of the sea, who were completely defenseless in case of remote attacks.

"Come on... Kjel, c'mon... do it quickly..." Dag thought aloud, who was the only one on the boat who could see Kjell clearly and the dull torch he held in his hand.

About 25 minutes after his departure, the Bra.s.s Arrow began to veer and turn back.

Kjell quickly lit the torch and raised it to the sky, waving it like a flag.

"It's the signal! It's a green light! We can go!" Dag shouted, as soon as he could distinguish the light of the torch, which no one else except him was able to see because of the intense sunlight.

"Did you hear that?! Come on, at top speed! Let's reach our companions and prepare for the s.h.i.+p's docking!" Sander yelled soon after, ordering the still half-sleeping warriors to move and return to their positions.

Within seconds, the sails were hoisted and the rowers began to row again, while the helmsmen turned the boat, pointing its bow towards the mainland. 

When the Bra.s.s Arrow came close enough to the Iron Emerald, Sander and Dag threw the two chains at Kjell.

He grabbed them and hooked them to the metal hooks, to repeat the process done before, but in reverse.

"Then? What did you see? Is there anyone?!" Gridd asked, impatient to get answers, after the long, monotonous journey.

"There are two huge observation towers, but they are completely destroyed. We've come close enough to say for sure that there are no enemies on the coast. If we get there quickly, we shouldn't have any problem!" Kjell answered, overcoming the boat's edge and climbing back on it, next to his companions.

"Perfect! In a few minutes, we will be there!" Dag replied, happy with that good news.

"Helmsmen! There's an inlet on that side that seems to be right for us! Head in that direction and when we are near the rocks turn sideways, so as to approach the sides of the s.h.i.+p to it. We'll take care of the rest!" Kjell exclaimed, addressing the crew, who obeyed orders without saying a word.

Dag and Sander nodded, looking into each other's eyes, ready to help Kjell, who would guide them to the docking and anchoring maneuver of their large s.h.i.+p.

As they approached, the temperature began to drop dramatically and, although the seawater remained in a liquid state, near the rocks were clearly visible small icebergs, wedged between the rocks, which gave the high coastlines a spectacular but macabre appearance at the same time.

"What a f.u.c.king cold! Brrr! It's freezing!" Gridd exclaimed, who picked up one of the fur blankets used to sleep on the ground and put it on her shoulders, beginning to jump for a warm-up.

Large black crows flew over the coast, croaking at the sight of the unknown boat, which under Kjell's orders, began to veer, approaching that kind of inlet, consisting of a cove in the rock, caused by a collapse and a small beach of black stones, dug by the sea over the years.

"Dag, Sander! At my signal, grab one of these chains and jump with me to the sh.o.r.e! We have to wedge them between the rocks to keep the boat still!" Kjell ordered, lifting a chain and resting his foot on the edge of the s.h.i.+p, ready to jump down.

Dag, who had already done something similar with the Bra.s.s Arrow without anyone's help, did as he was told and prepared to jump, while Sander stood next to him, repeatedly lowering his legs, stretching out his sore muscles.

"Aaargh... look what I have to do at my age!" he chuckled, grabbing the last chain left with his huge hands and holding on to his colleague's signal.

The waves broke on the rocks and as it pa.s.sed, the Iron Emerald began to swing dangerously, while one of its flanks was facing the rock.

"Now! Jump!" Kjell yelled, who made a long jump towards the small beach inside the cliff, landing perfectly on his feet, as did Dag, just after him.

Sander was less fortunate and, having waited a few seconds too long to launch himself, had miscalculated the swing of the boat and landed slightly decentralized, ending with a kneecap on the ground, without reporting any serious damage.

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