She reached the spar, needing another burst of effort to release her grip on the rigging so she could slowly move out along the spar, her arms gripping it for dear life and her bare feet finding a perilous hold on the rigging set below the spar for that purpose. The vibration of the mainsail, thrumming under the force of the winds, could be felt even through the fury of the storm. The mast groaned again and another massive wave hit with a mighty crash, almost paralyzing Kira for a moment with fear that the ship had begun coming apart beneath them. Focusing again on the area just before her as Jason and the rest of the crew joined her on the spar, she began bringing in the rough, soaked canvas. The sail bucked under the wind's blows, its coarse fabric tearing at the skin of Kira's hands as she punched and wrestled one-handed to help get it furled and tied down. Red blood swirled across the wet canvas, then vanished under the driving rain, but Kira felt only mild stings on her numbed hands.

At some point Kira realized that she was tightening the rope that tied the sail to the spar, quivering with reaction and praying the ordeal was almost over. The ship pitched and bucked, jerking the mast through the sky and threatening to hurl everyone in the rigging down to the angry water or, just as bad, to the solid deck to be broken before being swept over the side.

Someone else was yelling, but the voice wasn't clear enough for Kira to make out. She looked to the sailor next over on the spar, whose face reflected the same terror and exhaustion Kira felt. The sailor stared at Kira. "The captain says the mast's still under too much strain!" he yelled, his voice barely able to be heard over the storm. "We need to reef the topsail."

"The topsail?" Kira braced herself and looked upward. At the end of the pendulum formed by the mast, the spars of the topsail seemed impossibly higher and even more dangerous than where the crew now clung. Kira looked down again, gasping with fear. She gazed to one side along the spar and then the other, looking for the person who would lead them up to the topsail.

But everyone else was looking at her.

The wind and rain tore at her. The spar bucked beneath her like a living thing determined to throw her off. Kira gritted her teeth, feeling a stubborn resolve rising from somewhere, battling against the fear that threatened to paralyze her. This is what you wanted, right? For everybody to see you, to look at you and not at your mother. What are you going to do about it? "All right," she whispered to herself. Then she raised her head and yelled. "Let's go! Reef the topsail! Everyone up there now with me!"