wrath of the Sea Queen (33 page)

Once on
the open
deck, the two men were pelted by large raindrops and tossed about by the swelling seas and accompanyi
ng strong winds
.  Those few crewmen who did have duties on the deck were lashed to the railings with safety lines and wore heavily lined clothing to help protect them from the fierce weather. 
The ship
sailed
on the back end of a
n enormous
tropical storm that settled over the
Hawaiian island
almost six
hours
earlier
.

Ben and Vin carefully made their way into the
rear
entrance
of the wheelhouse where many
members
of the crew
were taking
refuge.  From the men gathered there, they learned that the
downed
plane
had shown up
on radar less than a
half
mile ahead, but the captain was having trouble determining the best method
for approach and
rescue.  The strong winds were one problem, but the huge swells were going to be the most dif
ficult factor to work around. 
Ben pulled Vin off to one side where they could talk somewhat privately.

"
I know
I
ha
ve asked a lot of you this trip
, but i
s there anything you can do about these winds?
"

"
I will try
, Ben
, but I
a
m going to have to go
someplace
else to do it.  It'
s too noisy and crowded in here," Vin replied.

"
Follow me then.  I'm going
to the
forward steering room to have a word with the captain about his rescue plan.  I think I have an idea or two that might be beneficial.  While I do that, you hang off to the side
a
nd see what you can do,
"
Ben instructed. 

Vin followed him along a short, narrow hallway that ran from the
rear
wheelhouse to the front cabin, where the steering and navigation equipment was housed.  Here, they met with the captain and a few of the ship's officers.  After brief introductions, Ben immediately began talking about the plan to rescue the survivors, offering his advice and engaging the captain and most of the officers in a discussion of possibilities.

Vin leaned back against one of the exterior windows where
a slight draft blew threw his hair and chilled
his skin.  He closed his eyes to shut out the distractions around him and tried to focus on the raging winds of the storm outside.  The storm was huge and
strong
. 
Vin had difficulty
latch
ing
onto a current that he could manipulate.  After several unsuccessful attempts, he found another way.  Vin let his mind move with the winds and rode them into the center of the spinning gale.  From here, he nudge
d
the central wind, bit by bit, until it began to loosen its tight knot.  This caused the wind speed to lessen and the force of the gales on the water to decrease
noticeably
.  With that, Vin move out along the air currents and send the winds further and further apart until, at last, they calmed s
ignificantly
.  T
he
winds
would no longer be an insurmountable issue for the rescue workers.  Moreover, it provided the added benefit of reducing the ferocity of the ocean swells that
had been
augmented by th
ose
winds.  For the time being, the path ahead
would be
easier to
navigate
.  Though the rain still fell and the waves still rolled, the fury of the storm
took
a dinner break.
  It was only a temporary respite, as a storm like this would rebuild its momentum
;
but it was the
most
Vin could do
for now
. 

The captain glanced up at the loud gasp of one of his navigators who reported the sudden change in the weather.  Ben glanced over at Vin
,
trembling and leaning heavily against the window as a result of his efforts.  Ben politely asked one of the officers
for
a place
nearby
where his sick friend might lie down.  Ben was g
ranted
access to the helmsman's room, a small space behind the steering house normally used by the person who
co-piloted
the night shift with the helmsman.  It was all Ben could do to keep Vin on his feet long enough to get him settled onto the utility cot in the little room before exhaustion over
took
him.  After making sure that Vin was resting, Ben returned to the steering room to keep an eye on the ship's progress.

Fi
ve
minutes later, the
wreckage
came into Ben's sight o
ver
his
right s
houlder
.  By comparison, the airplane
seemed small against the approaching vessel, and he was afraid that the
proximity
of the
large
ship
might cause the plane to capsize.

"
Captain, have you decided how
you a
re going to get the passengers off the plane?
"

Though
Ben
was
certain that the people aboard the plane
w
ould be able to see the
Coast Guard
ship out the windows by now,
the
captain could not raise
them on the radio.  The plane most likely lost power when it crashed and there were no cell, radio, satellite, or any other signals getting through in this storm.  Ben wanted to know the plan so that he could try to communicate with Salma.  The risk of using her gift was still his best chance
of saving her and the others.

The captain consider
ed
his options for safely retrieving the stranded passengers, but the uncooperative weather and unpredictable seas were making it
a ve
ry difficult
decision
. 

"
I think our best hope is to come alongside and use our crane to pull her snugly against the hull.  I'm afraid if we don't hang on to the plane, our size will sink it. 
O
nce we have a good hold on
the plane
, we should be able to
get
the
surviv
ors
onto the cargo net and let the
m
climb up to the deck.  If our rescue swimmers help pull them off the plane, we should
be able to move
quickly. 
It won't be easy, but I think it's our best chance at success. 
The only thing I
don't know
is
how to get the message to the
people on the plane
or how the survivors over there will deal with the water that will flood the plane as soon as the door is opened.
"

"
I think I might be able to help with that.  Give me a minute.
"
  Ben disappeared into the cabin where Vin still
lay
sleeping
off his exhaustion
.  Ben sat down in the chair and closed his eyes.  He had no idea if it would work or not, but he hope
d
Salma would
somehow
sense him calling out to her. 

"
Salma?  Can you hear me?
"

He did
n
o
t get a response. 
Ben sat still for several minutes and kept
Salma
firmly centered in his mind.  He kept c
alling to her, unsuccessfully.

"
Salma, please hear me.
"

He refocused and tried again
and again
;
Still nothing. 
Finally,
Ben
stood up and began to pace within the small room, rubbing his chin as was his habit
when trying to solve a puzzle
.  Unfortunately, neither the pacing nor the chin rubbing provided him with any alternatives, though they did rouse Vin from his sleep.

"
What's going on?
"
  Vin sat up slowly trying to clear the cobwebs from his heavy head.  He was still very tired, but
assumed t
hat they must be getting close.  He needed to be awake and alert in order to help.

"
We are next to the plane.  The captain has a plan, but we cannot contact anyone over there.  I thought that I might be able to call to Salma, hoping that she might sense me, somehow, but it hasn't been working.  I
ha
ve been trying to think of a way that it might,
"
Ben caught Vin up on the
details of their
current situation.

"
I
s that all? 
Why didn't you
say so
? 
If you promise not to ask questions that will make my head spin, and you don't mind another three-way call, then I can help.  Sit down in the chair and try calling to Salma again,
"
Vin said to Ben in a matter-of-fact, yet still very
groggy
, voice.

Ben raised an eyebrow in question
then
quickly complied with Vin's instructions.  As Ben closed his eyes to concentrate on his wife once again, Vin merely reached out his hand and placed it on Ben's forearm.  Simultaneously, Vin opened his connection to the winds flowing between the ship and the plane, to the link between himself and C
a
eli, and then found and followed Ben's connection to Salma
; a
trick Raphael
had
taught him.  The room became slightly chilled by the draft blowing through it.