The Outcasts (A Brotherband Fanfic)

Chapter 6

There was a small swell running and Heron lifted to the first of the waves as they emerged from the mouth of the creek. Kari rode the movement easily, her feet set apart for balance. To their right, she could see the town of Hallasholm—a tidy sprawl of pine-log buildings and thatched roofs. Smoke rose from chimneys and she could smell the fresh scent of pine smoke overlaid on the salt breeze.

The mole, a protective rock wall that ran round the harbor, shielding the boats from heavy weather and winter storms, blocked the sight of the two or three dozen wolfships and smaller craft that were moored there. But Kari could see the small forest of bare poles formed by their masts.

Hal nudged the steering oar gently and swung onto a diagonal course away from the coast, heading to the left, away from the town. Heron rose and fell smoothly under his feet as the swell rolled under her keel. The other boys had settled into a smooth rowing rhythm—one they could maintain for hours if necessary—and he exulted in the feeling of being under way, at the helm of his own ship.

Stig glanced up at Kari from his rowing bench.

"How does she handle?" he asked.

Kari grinned back at him. "Like a bird."

Gradually, the town dropped behind them, until it was little more than a blur on the horizon, appearing when the ship rose on the crest of a wave, then disappearing as she dipped into the trough. Far enough, Kari thought. She was eager to see how Heron handled under sail.

"Stig, Ingvar," she said quietly. "Stand by to raise the left-hand sail."

The boys had been awaiting the order for the past five minutes. They ran their oars inboard, stowed them along the centerline and moved forward to the short, heavy mast. Kari checked the telltale, the long pennant streaming from the high sternpost that told her the wind's direction. It was coming from ahead, over their right-hand side at an angle of about sixty degrees.

She hesitated. This was the moment when she would discover if her idea worked. For a second or two, she was filled with uncertainty. What if the sail simply shivered in the wind and the boat wallowed without any driving force? She knew her friends wouldn't laugh at her if this were the case. But word would get out and others would.

Then her lips formed a grim line. It would work, she told herself. The idea was sound.

Grabbing on a rope she ordered "Haul away."

Stig got behind her to help pull the rope. As Stig's arms wrapped around hers from behind she could feel a faint burning sensation rise to her cheeks and ears. With her back pressed against his chest, the two, and Ingvar, heaved on the ropes that sent the slim yardarm rising smoothly up the mast, taking the sail with it. Instantly, the sail billowed out, flapping in the wind.

"Ulf and Wulf, trim the sail."

The sail hardened into a smooth, swelling curve. As the wind pressed into the taut sail, Heron's bow began to swing to the left, under the pressure. Now was the moment, Kari thought. Hal heaved on the steering oar, forcing the bow to the right, back toward the wind.

Obediently, the boat responded, swinging back until they were heading across the wind, then up into it. Then farther upwind still. Kari felt a huge surge of relief. Vaguely, she could hear the boys cheering.

They had never seen a ship sail at such an angle to the wind before. Kari estimated that they were heading at about forty-five degrees into the wind. She shook her head in delight. A well-built wolfship couldn't manage much more than fifteen degrees. Hal heaved the steering oar farther over and Heron responded, moving closer still to the wind.