فصل 56

CHAPTER 56

A FLASH OF LIGHTNING

JUST DOWN THE WATER TRAIL, where it converged with the mountain trail, Cheeky O’Neal, Frederick DeWulf, and Rufus Kelly were crouched behind a pile of huge rocks at the edge of a beach, getting what protection they could from the rain. They’d been there for hours, listening to the thundering sound of big waves crashing on a reef a hundred yards offshore.

“Don’t see how they can land a boat in this,” said DeWulf. “Don’t see how they’ll get past that reef.”

“You don’t know Nerezza like I do,” said O’Neal.

“Of all the nights for a storm to come up,” said Kelly.

“It works in our favor,” said O’Neal, staring into the sheeting rain. “There’s no way the Mollusks will see them coming in this.” He turned to DeWulf and said, “McPherson’s been on watch long enough. Go relieve him.”

“But it hasn’t even been an hour!” protested DeWulf.

O’Neal, leaning his huge frame close to DeWulf, growled, “I said go relieve Angus.”

“All right,” grumbled DeWulf, rising to his feet. “But I don’t see how—”

“They’re coming!” shouted McPherson, soaking wet, running around the rocks from his lookout post on the beach. “I saw ’em just now in a flash of lightning, riding a wave over the reef. Looks like they’re struggling.”

O’Neal was on his feet, running around the rock, followed by the others. In a moment they were on the beach, surf surging to their knees, then waists, almost knocking them over. They peered into the driving rain. There was a flash of lighting.

“There!” shouted McPherson, pointing.

The others saw the boat then, sliding down the face of a huge wave, its oarsmen rowing frantically. Then the lightning was gone, and the boat disappeared.

“This way,” shouted O’Neal, running toward the area of the beach where the boat had been headed. Another flash, and he picked it up again; it was riding the last push of the wave surging onto shore, spinning sideways and leaning, but still upright.

As he sprinted toward it, O’Neal smiled grimly. He’d been right.

Nererzza had made it.