[Child of the 7th Age]

Child looked groggily down to where Rose pointed. Yes, it was the Lonely Star but caught within a maelstrom of furious gusts and churning waters. For one hideous instant, as the ship swung upward on the crest of a giant wave, Child feared it would be sucked down to the ocean floor. But then it slid off at the peak and came back within the whirling waters.

At this point, Angara slammed savagely into the deck, spilling everyone from her back onto the hard wooden planks. The three riders found themselves scattered in different directions. Bird crashed into the ladder which led to the galley. She managed to lodge herself against it and wrap her arms tightly around a barrel that stood nearby. The force threw Rose clear to the other side of the vessel. Her limp body slumped perilously over the top rail. Child recalled little after that. She saw Rose and Bird lying on deck, and part of her wondered if someone on the ship would come and claim their bodies. Then she felt herself hurled in the direction of the mast. She landed with a thud. At the same moment, the ship lurched forward as if propelled to a different time and place. The last thing Child remembered thinking was that there was no turning back for she had truly left her beloved hobbits and Beleriand.

[ August 21, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]