Shipwreck

It had been five days since they left Acre.

Norn let out a bored yawn. The first two days had been hell for him, as he spent most of his time lying in the cabin, puking his guts out from seasickness. It was only in the past few days that he started to feel a bit better and was able to come out and enjoy the sea breeze. But staring at the endless ocean day after day was bound to get old.

"Lord Norn, are you feeling any better today?" The captain, always eager to help, spotted Norn's boredom and quickly approached with a smile.

"We caught a big fish today. Would you like to give it a try?" The captain suggested.

Norn shook his head quickly, remembering the barbaric way they ate it. The captain looked disappointed, then walked over to one side, grabbed a piece of raw fish from a sailor, and chowed down with a satisfied expression.

"Oh, by the way, Captain, how much longer until we reach Genoa?" Norn asked.

"Almost there. We should make it by tomorrow morning at the latest," the captain replied, his mouth still full of fish.

"That's good to hear." Norn took a swig from his water skin, and the knot in his stomach eased a bit.

"Though you might want to head back to the cabin today. There could be a storm coming," the captain said nonchalantly.

Norn thought he saw a few dark specks on the horizon. "Damn it! Those pesky Venetians!" the captain spat out his mouthful of fish and cursed. "You brats, get the sails up! Oarsmen, get to your stations and get ready!"

Seeing the captain's panic, Norn asked nervously, "Captain, are relations between Genoa and Venice really that bad?"

"It's not just bad. It's more like we're sworn enemies," the captain shrugged. "After all, taking away someone's money is like killing their parents. It makes sense."

"Don't worry, Lord Norn. My ship is famous for its speed!" the captain assured him.

Three hours later, the oarsmen were exhausted, and on the verge of puking, but the dark specks were getting closer. Norn could even see figures moving on the other ship's deck.

Norn rolled his eyes at the captain, clearly skeptical of his earlier claim.

The captain's face fell, and he awkwardly laughed, "It's usually fast. It's just that we picked up some spices from Acre, and we're a bit overloaded. Just a little bit, I swear."

Norn was speechless. He figured "a little bit" was more like "a lot."

"Don't worry, my lord! My guys are all seasoned sailors. They're like sea wolves—tough and battle-ready!" The captain slapped his chest, showing off his scrawny muscles.

Norn looked around at the similarly thin sailors and thought he could probably take them all on himself.

But there were still 20 guards and 30 sailors on board. They should be able to handle a boarding party.

Norn glanced at the approaching ship and figured there were maybe forty or fifty guys on it, and they didn't look like they could put up much of a fight.

Yeah, the advantage is definitely on our side!

But he needed to let Anna know so she wouldn't worry. Just as Norn turned to head back to the cabin,

"Whoosh!" "Splash!"

A stone projectile whistled through the air and smashed into the water, sending up a huge splash.

Norn felt his heart sink. The other ship had a ballista! His overloaded vessel wouldn't withstand many hits.

"Don't worry, my lord! I've been sailing this ship for over a decade, and we've never been hit," the captain boasted again.

Sometimes, you really shouldn't jinx things.

As a stone was flying through the air, a sudden gust of wind pushed it off course to the left, and it landed right in front of Norn.

Norn looked at the hole at his feet, gulped, and peered over the edge. Water was gushing in from a breach below.

He turned to the captain mechanically. "Captain, can you please say something reassuring, like your ship can take a few hits?"

The captain, who loved to brag, was now embarrassed and could only mumble, "Don't worry, my lord. The Venetians usually prefer to take prisoners."

Even though the hole was patched, the ship's speed dropped again.

Dark clouds quickly filled the sky as they chased each other, and huge raindrops suddenly started falling, quickly turning into a downpour. The once calm sea turned into a stormy mess.

The Venetian ship's sails were billowing in the wind, pushing it straight toward Norn's ship. The waves crashed, and the warship's metal ram glinted as it struck.

Norn's eyes widened. They had a ram on their ship!

"Hold on tight!" the captain shouted.

A massive force hit, and Norn almost lost his grip on the wooden railing. When he looked up again, all he saw was the warship's sails full of wind, its sharp ram slicing into their ship's side like a hot knife through butter.

Before Norn could give any orders, the Venetian warship quickly pulled back its sails and extended its oars to retreat.

The damn Venetians didn't even want prisoners. They just wanted to sink their merchant ship. Norn made a terrifying realization.

In front of Norn was their ship, now looking like it had been bitten by a giant beast. Two decks were exposed, and cargo was slowly sliding into the sea. The remaining half of the ship was creaking under the strain.

"Captain, with your decades of sailing experience, what do we do now?" Norn asked, clinging to the last shred of hope.

"Don't worry, my lord!" The captain slapped his chest again. "My ship is made of very light wood!"

"So?"

"So if you can grab onto a piece of debris, you probably won't sink."

The sound of snapping wood echoed as the remaining half of the ship couldn't bear the weight and snapped in two. The broken ends immediately rose high, with the bow and stern plunging into the water.

"Norn!" Anna's shrill voice reached Norn's ears.

He looked over and saw tiny Anna clinging to a broken edge in the other cabin, at risk of being thrown off at any moment.

"Don't be afraid! I'm coming to save you!" Norn shouted. Seeing his ship now tilted at a 30-degree angle, he let go of the railing and sprinted toward the broken edge.

Those few seconds felt like decades, but Norn managed to reach the highest point of his half of the ship.

He took a deep breath and leaped.

"Norn!" Anna watched as Norn arced gracefully through the air, then slowly fell out of her line of sight.

"Anna!" At the last possible moment, Norn grabbed onto the broken edge and struggled to climb up.

"Give me your hand!" Norn stretched out his right hand with all his might, and Anna, overjoyed and crying, shakily extended her left hand.

The moment their hands clasped, the fierce waves crashed into the cabin.

The two halves of the ship finally succumbed to the sea, leaving only debris floating on the surface, a silent witness to the disaster.

After a long while, a wooden plank surfaced, supporting two small heads.

"Phew!" Norn gasped for fresh air, easing the pain of near-drowning.

A big wave hit, and the helpless plank was pushed away.

Norn watched as the shipwreck and the Venetian warship faded from view, and he made up his mind:

I'll make those Venetians pay one day!