Kora finished tying tarps over the large magnet engine in the bottom of the ship. The engine room was the biggest and loudest room—some of the time—in the place. Right now it wasn't very loud, because they were running off magnet power. But they had a backup diesel engine. When that thing was running, this room was deafening.
It wasn't that sand could get into this room, but this boat hadn't been in water in a long time. Kora wasn't sure how well the wallboards were sealed. Tarping the engine was precautionary.
Scarlet entered, taking Kora by surprise.
"Bracing for the storm," Kora said.
"It looks bad," said Scarlet.
"We'll make it through."
"You're familiar with sandstorms?"
Kora shook her head. "The Ginger Star is tough." Kora couldn't help the anxiety in her own heart, even as she spoke strong words to Scarlet. "Not that we can avoid it," said Kora.
A moment of silence.
Through the walls, they could hear the approaching storm, like a low bass, like a beast, coming after them. Slowly but surely. Or rapidly—because it was getting louder by the moment.
"I've been thinking about something," said Kora.
Scarlet waited for Kora to complete the thought.
"In Murrieta, in Torch Town, a bounty hunter tried to kill me, but he was sniped. I assumed that the sniper was with the Resistance, protecting me." Kora was trying to read Scarlet's face, especially for this next line. "It took two shots for the sniper to kill him. One to the stomach and one to the head."
Scarlet's face didn't move, was only looking at Kora's eyes.
"Were you the sniper?" Kora asked.
"Why?" said Scarlet.
"So you were," said Kora.
Scarlet didn't object.
"If you're so good, why did it take you two shots?"
Scarlet didn't answer.
Before they could talk further, the sandstorm hit the boat, and it sounded like they'd been hit by a typhoon—as if a gigantic wave had crashed over them. The previously serene engine room was overtaken by the vociferous storm, echoing in the dimly lit room. Scarlet covered her ears. Kora watched the walls, waiting to see if any sand came through. None that she could see.
Then Kora left Scarlet there, running out the room and up the stairs, needed to get on deck and man the ship. She sensed that Scarlet was behind her, and she glanced back to see that she was. Kora continued up the steps.
She tried to push open the door to get onto the middle deck. The door opened an inch, then closed back against her hands. The powerful wind pressed against it, holding it shut. Kora tried again, leaning her shoulder into it. She got it about four inches open—sand spilling in—then it shut against her.
The sand floated all about the air inside this dark atrium.
Everything had gone dark.
Because the storm was blocking much of the sunlight.
Scarlet: "What are we—"
Kora ran past her, back to her private quarters—captain's quarters.
It was a palatial room, large, had wrap-around windows. She opened the doors and saw that all the windows were intact. For now.
A good sign.
Scarlet was behind her again.
"Whoa," Scarlet said.
And she was right. It was very dark in here, sand streaming past and around the windows, beating into the ship, which was beginning to jar and shake. They'd pulled down the sails already. Kora didn't understand what was causing the ship to jar.
Couldn't see much in here.
She went to her dresser and threw open the top two drawers, rooting around for something. She found two of them. Scarves.
She tied one around her head, handed the other to Scarlet.
"We need to push through that door," Kora said, tightening the knot at the back of her neck.
Scarlet nodded, finishing off her knot.
Then they were back at the door to the deck, side by side.
Kora counted down from three.
They got the door open, nearly halfway, pushing against the wind—when the wind caught the inside of it and flung it open, smashing it against the outside wall and shattering it to pieces. The pieces were quickly caught in the wind and carried away with sand particles.
The sand was disorienting and painful against her skin.
Kora couldn't see the front of the ship from here.
But she could see that the mizzenmast's sail had become slightly unwound. It was whipping around loosely in the wind. Hadn't been strapped down properly. Though only a small bit of the sail was whipping around, it was affecting the ship, jarring it side to side and up and down.
Kora couldn't see any of the crew.