the horizon, determined to see the ship through the distant passage.
The moon leered down at the captain. The steely expression on his face only riled her temper.
If this mortal man intended to breach the bay’s liquid barrier, he would have to summon his sharpest sailing skills.
With every uptick in lunar rage, the tide’s strength increased. Ayala grumbled in frustration, finally conceding to the insurmountable force. They would have to turn back and try again tomorrow.
Silly little captain
, the moon beamed triumphantly, sensing she had him beat. She had no intention of letting him escape.
But just as she was about to inflict a final swamping blow, she detected a presence on the boat that caused her to reconsider.
A slender white cat stood defiantly on the deck, her claws digging into the slick wooden floorboards. Her blue eyes sparkled up at the moon, issuing a mental command.
You will let this ship through.
The moon rolled back on her hips, taken aback by the cat’s brazen demand. She was unaccustomed to direct communications with the beings that lived on the ground below. Certainly, it was the first time she’d been so boldly addressed by a cat.
The globe flickered in the darkening sky as she considered the request.
Why?
Isabella transmitted her reply, her expression stern and unflinching.
It is time.
The moon stroked her round chin, puzzled by the audacity of this tiny creature. The cat possessed a bewitching presence almost as powerful as her own.
While still hesitant to share her precious jewel with the rest of the world, the moon’s wrath began to dissipate. With a last look down at the persistent cat, she decided to bless the ship’s passing.
The moon released the ship, and the
San Carlos
popped through the Golden Gate as if attached to a rubber band that had been tethered to the opposite shore.
A sudden
whoosh
of wind propelled the ship into the bay’s wide middle.
The moon gazed down at the tired little vessel, with its human, feline, and avian occupants—and then drew in her breath, aghast.
Her glowing tendrils reached out, trying to claw the boat back, but it had traveled beyond her grasp.
Too late, the moon had glimpsed the evil that lurked beneath the deck.
Chapter 13
ANGEL ISLAND
CAPTAIN AYALA STOOD at the helm of the
San Carlos
, warily surveying the bay’s dark water. The moonlight provided a dim outline of the surrounding shore, but he was wary of getting too close.
After the grueling fight to gain entrance to the bay, it would be a shame to wreck the boat now. Better to wait until morning, when he could devise a safe approach to land.
An eerie quiet settled in around the ship. The encircling hills blocked the Pacific’s fierce winds. The water glistened with a deceptive calm.
The captain nodded to his second in command.
“Humphretto, let’s see if we can drop anchor here.”
As the first mate supervised the lowering of a heavy metal hook, the passengers who had taken shelter belowdecks slowly began to emerge.
Father Monty staggered up the stairs from the second level looking green around the gills.
A crew member dipped a bucket of water from the bay and set it beside the priest.
Monty splashed a handful onto his face. “No offense, Captain, but for a while there, I didn’t think we were going to make it.”
Just then the ship lurched.
The priest fell face-forward into the bucket.
The bay was much deeper than Ayala had anticipated, and the anchor had failed to hit bottom. The current had snagged the hull and jerked the boat back toward the opening it had fought so hard to clear.
They had reached their destination, but the voyage wasn’t quite finished.
—
IT TOOK ANOTHER two hours for the captain to find a location shallow enough to anchor that was safely beyond the direct pull of the tide.
Ayala tried several lodgings in the open water, but each time, the vessel failed to hold in place. He finally circled to the far side of the bay’s largest
The moon leered down at the captain. The steely expression on his face only riled her temper.
If this mortal man intended to breach the bay’s liquid barrier, he would have to summon his sharpest sailing skills.
With every uptick in lunar rage, the tide’s strength increased. Ayala grumbled in frustration, finally conceding to the insurmountable force. They would have to turn back and try again tomorrow.
Silly little captain
, the moon beamed triumphantly, sensing she had him beat. She had no intention of letting him escape.
But just as she was about to inflict a final swamping blow, she detected a presence on the boat that caused her to reconsider.
A slender white cat stood defiantly on the deck, her claws digging into the slick wooden floorboards. Her blue eyes sparkled up at the moon, issuing a mental command.
You will let this ship through.
The moon rolled back on her hips, taken aback by the cat’s brazen demand. She was unaccustomed to direct communications with the beings that lived on the ground below. Certainly, it was the first time she’d been so boldly addressed by a cat.
The globe flickered in the darkening sky as she considered the request.
Why?
Isabella transmitted her reply, her expression stern and unflinching.
It is time.
The moon stroked her round chin, puzzled by the audacity of this tiny creature. The cat possessed a bewitching presence almost as powerful as her own.
While still hesitant to share her precious jewel with the rest of the world, the moon’s wrath began to dissipate. With a last look down at the persistent cat, she decided to bless the ship’s passing.
The moon released the ship, and the
San Carlos
popped through the Golden Gate as if attached to a rubber band that had been tethered to the opposite shore.
A sudden
whoosh
of wind propelled the ship into the bay’s wide middle.
The moon gazed down at the tired little vessel, with its human, feline, and avian occupants—and then drew in her breath, aghast.
Her glowing tendrils reached out, trying to claw the boat back, but it had traveled beyond her grasp.
Too late, the moon had glimpsed the evil that lurked beneath the deck.
Chapter 13
ANGEL ISLAND
CAPTAIN AYALA STOOD at the helm of the
San Carlos
, warily surveying the bay’s dark water. The moonlight provided a dim outline of the surrounding shore, but he was wary of getting too close.
After the grueling fight to gain entrance to the bay, it would be a shame to wreck the boat now. Better to wait until morning, when he could devise a safe approach to land.
An eerie quiet settled in around the ship. The encircling hills blocked the Pacific’s fierce winds. The water glistened with a deceptive calm.
The captain nodded to his second in command.
“Humphretto, let’s see if we can drop anchor here.”
As the first mate supervised the lowering of a heavy metal hook, the passengers who had taken shelter belowdecks slowly began to emerge.
Father Monty staggered up the stairs from the second level looking green around the gills.
A crew member dipped a bucket of water from the bay and set it beside the priest.
Monty splashed a handful onto his face. “No offense, Captain, but for a while there, I didn’t think we were going to make it.”
Just then the ship lurched.
The priest fell face-forward into the bucket.
The bay was much deeper than Ayala had anticipated, and the anchor had failed to hit bottom. The current had snagged the hull and jerked the boat back toward the opening it had fought so hard to clear.
They had reached their destination, but the voyage wasn’t quite finished.
—
IT TOOK ANOTHER two hours for the captain to find a location shallow enough to anchor that was safely beyond the direct pull of the tide.
Ayala tried several lodgings in the open water, but each time, the vessel failed to hold in place. He finally circled to the far side of the bay’s largest
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