Chapter 1
Going out on deck I'm struck by a gust of wind. A glance at the horizon, where a thick layer of dark cloud blends land and sky into a brownish smudge, recalls the doctor's words. Around me there is only confusion and agitated shouts. I look up and behind a tangle of stays I can see the mainmast leaning over like a fir tree about to break. Two men have climbed up to the crow’s nest to take down the triangular sail and replace it with a much smaller square one.
I make my way forward cautiously, looking for footholds. Common sense tells me I should go back under cover but the power of the scene draws me in and enthrals me.
I trip over a cable. Somebody grabs my arm. It's Giacomo, the second-in-command I had met before in Palermo during the plague. I give him a smile but he doesn'
