"This is where we are," the water witch said as she pointed to the liquid chart. "And here is where Calusa is."
"But that is all the way to the western coast," frowned Garth. "It takes us far off our course to Ramaldi Pass."
"It does indeed," agreed Haditha, "but it would still be quicker if you did succeed in getting horses in that city."
"But you warned us about traveling through the jungle," Kalina reminded the witch.
"Oh yes," nodded Haditha, "You should not journey through Atule's Maze, but there is a somewhat safe way to do it."
"Somewhat safe?" questioned Garth.
"Nothing is totally safe," Haditha smiled thinly. "If you were to make a raft, you could sail down the Calusa River. It would be much faster than walking, and you should be safe if you stay on the raft until you exit Atule's Maze. As long as you don't set foot on the land, the Rhodans should not bother you."
"Rhodans?" asked Kalina.
"They are the inhabitants of Atule's Maze," explained the witch. "They are tasked with guarding the jungle from intruders. Stay on the raft, and they should not bother you."
"But what kind of creature are they?" asked Kalina.
"I do not know," shrugged the witch. "I have never journeyed into Atule's Maze. I only know what I hear, and what I hear is that the Rhodans will kill you without asking questions. No one sets foot in Atule's Maze and lives to tell about it. You had best stay on the raft."
Garth was still staring at the liquid map and shaking his head. "Even if we did make a raft," he sighed, "we could not get to the Calusa River without entering Atule's Maze."
"You can at its headwaters," the witch said as she pointed to a spot near the Barrier. "If you follow the Endless River to its headwaters, it is only a day or two to the headwaters of the Calusa River from there. You will have to make another raft, of course, as it would be easier than trying to drag one between the rivers."
"Another raft?" frowned Garth. "Are you saying we should try to raft up the Endless River? Is there no flow to the river at all?"
"There is a strong flow," declared Haditha, "but it can be overcome."
"How?" balked Garth. "Even with all of us paddling, we would need a boat with a bow to break through the water. Taking a raft upstream would be impossible if there is any current at all, never mind a strong one."
"You said that you would die to defend your friends, Garth," smiled Haditha. "Am I to be considered your friend?"
"You are our friend," replied Garth, "and I would defend you, but you are avoiding my question."
"No," grinned the water witch, "I am answering your question. Have your men build the raft. I will take you to the headwaters of the Endless River."
"You would leave the swamp for us?" questioned Kalina.
"I will not have to leave the swamp," replied the water witch, "but I will have to come close to its edge. I do believe that you would defend me, and that requires me to aid you as I can."
"I think it is more than that," Kalina declared. "What made up your mind?"
"It was the killing and plundering that drove the water witches into hiding," replied Haditha. "We could not condone it then, and I will not condone it now. If the Baroukans are raiding your homeland, I will do what I can to help you, but I will not leave my swamp. I will, however, guide your raft to the headwaters of the Endless River."
* * *
Tedi stood outside the brick hut shaking his head in disbelief. Spread out before him was a large mat made of woven grass. Not far away, the Rangers were struggling with six long poles fashioned out of wood that the fairies had found and transported to the camp.
"Why aren't you helping with the frame?" Natia asked as she came up behind Tedi. "You don't want to have to spend another day in this swamp, do you?"
"Not one day more than necessary," Tedi replied, "but I can't help thinking that the raft will never hold us. It's only made of grass."
"As were the huts we passed earlier," retorted Natia. "Shawn says it is a rather sturdy weave."
"There weren't a dozen people standing on the roof of the hut," countered Tedi. "It is not just a dunking in the river we will get, Natia. The river will be full of those beasts. I have no desire to go swimming with alligators."
"And you would rather hike through this muck for another hundred leagues then?" questioned the gypsy princess.
"If that is what it takes to leave the swamp in one piece," Tedi shrugged, "then so be it. At least I would be whole when I got there."
"Nevertheless," replied Natia, "the others are struggling with the frame. Get over there and lend them your strength."
Tedi tore his eyes away from the grass mat and nodded. He turned wordlessly and strode over to where the others were assembling the frame. Max Caber glanced up at Tedi's approach and smiled broadly.
"Now here's a fresh lad," Max announced. "Give a hand on that center beam, Tedi. She's a might bit stubborn."
A rectangular frame was laid out on the ground with three long poles that had been shaved down to some degree of smoothness. Each pole had three notches cut into it, one at each end, and one in the middle. Across each of the ends of the frame, a beam had been placed into the notches in the poles and tied in place with vines. The center beam rested in place, but it didn't quite fit, as the long poles were bowed slightly. The Rangers were trying to force the beam to spread the poles apart, and Tedi shook his head in confusion.
"Why not just shorten the beam?" he asked. "It would be much easier than trying to force it in."
"For the tension," answered Max. "Certainly we could cut the beam down and be done with it, but if we can force it to spread the poles apart, it will create a rigidity that will help keep the mat out of the water when we put weight on it."
"Tedi doesn't think the grass mat will hold us," interjected Natia. "He thinks we will all end up swimming with the alligators."
Tedi shot a dark glare at Natia, but Max nodded in understanding.
"I can well understand his concern," Max admitted, "but I think we will be alright. If we keep the bulk of the weight over the beams, the mat will hold the rest. I propose that the free mat portions be reserved for the sleeping. That will allow four of us to sleep at a time. Those awake will keep their weight over the beams. It'll hold, Tedi. Trust me."
Tedi nodded silently and joined Clint in pushing the beam into place. Max and Shawn grunted as they tried to spread the outside poles. After several minutes of struggle, the beam loudly popped into the notches.
"Sit on it!" shouted Max as he sprang to grab a vine. "I want this thing tied in place before it changes its mind."
Natia raced to help Max as Tedi and the other Rangers put their weight on the beam. Within several minutes, the beam was tied in place and everyone sighed in relief. Max stood back and gazed at the structure with a gleam in his eye.
"It's not much to look at," chuckled the Ranger, "but it will get us out of this land of bugs and reptiles. Let's get the mat onto it and secure it. The sooner we leave this swamp the better I will like it."
Despite the melanrie coating on their skin, everyone had bites all over their bodies. The Alceans had admitted defeat in the onslaught of mosquitoes and flies and didn't even bother to go through the motions of swatting them anymore. They were all anxious to put the Endless Swamp behind them. Shawn and Clint ran to the mat and carried it back. Max and Tedi helped position it over the frame, and they began to fasten it to the wooden poles and beams. Inside the hut, Garth and Kalina sat and drank tea with the water witch. Kalina looked out the window and saw the men completing the raft.
"The time has come," she said to the others. "They are fastening the mat now."
"We will still need to fashion paddles," commented Garth. "That will take some time, if we can find the wood for it."
"You will have no need of paddles," smiled the water witch. "Once they have the mat attached, we will leave."
Garth opened his mouth to ask the obvious question, but Kalina stopped him with a
gentle hand on his arm.
"We are indebted to you, Haditha," Kalina said.
"Nonsense," smiled the witch. "You are willing to take on the fight that I have no stomach for. Water witches are not a violent breed. Sometimes I wish we were, but I think it is impossible given our nature."
"We are indebt nevertheless," smiled Kalina. "Let's get everyone together and get that raft to the river."
"That won't be necessary," grinned the witch as she rose. "Get your people together and get ready to leave."
Garth looked at Kalina questioningly, and she nodded. He rose and left the hut, calling for the group to assemble. By the time everyone had assembled, Kalina and Haditha had arrived. The water witch stepped onto the raft and walked to the very center. She tested the tension of the grass mat and nodded in satisfaction.
"You make a fine raft," she said to Max Caber. "Now let's see if everyone and everything can fit onto it."
Everyone looked at Garth for confirmation, and he nodded and waved everyone onto the raft. The Alceans scrambled to get their packs and board the raft, feeling foolish as it sat squarely on solid ground. Max announced his instruction about positioning and everyone but Kalina and Natia sat on the crossbeams. The two women sat on the grass mat near the stern, one on each side of the center pole.
With a final glance around to ensure that everyone was present and prepared, the water witch raised her arms into the air. The Alceans stared at her and wondered what she was doing. So focused were they on the witch that they did not notice the change in the land around the raft until Lyron called their attention to it.
"The ground is sinking!" shouted the elf.
The water witch grinned with satisfaction, but she did not speak as she continued her spell. The Alceans gazed in wonder as the raft sank along with the land it was sitting on. Within minutes the raft was floating in a large pool of water. The raft bobbed and bounced around a bit, and everyone braced themselves against the movement. Haditha brought her arms down until they were horizontal to the ground. She pivoted her body to point to the northwest and mumbled a few unintelligible words under breath. The pool of water spread in the direction she pointed as the ground before them sank and filled with water. Within moments, a canal formed to the northwest and spread out before them as far as they could see. With a dramatic flick of her wrist, the water witch caused the raft to start moving.
"Incredible!" exclaimed Max Caber. "The Great Oscar Dalek would have paid greatly to have a canal such as this. These are truly rivers of magic."
"The Grand Canal was not built through a swamp," Garth replied with a chuckle. "The land between the Boulder River and the Cleb River was hard and filled with rocks."
"A swamp is mostly water," Haditha said, confirming Garth's remarks. "It is a land that I am well attuned with. Everyone should brace themselves as they can."
Haditha raised a single finger on her right hand, and with a definite flourish, brought it down and pointed forward. The raft rose up on the water and the speed increased dramatically. Within minutes the raft was skimming along the top of the water in the improvised canal at a speed that was invigorating. The tall grass along the banks sped by at a dizzying pace, and even Kalina's eyes widened in awe.
"Can't the Baroukans sense your powerful spells?" she asked the water witch.
"I wouldn't think so," answered Haditha. "They do not have any water witches left under their control, and it takes one familiar with the spells to detect them. That is another reason that I do not leave the swamp. Should one of us become their captive, all water witches would be subject to discovery. It is far too dangerous for me to be that foolish."
Kalina nodded in understanding and then turned to look behind the raft. The canal that had been created before the raft was disappearing as soon as they passed through it. She shook her head in amazement. The Endless Swamp was truly a river of grass.
In less than an hour, the canal emptied into a wide river. The craft bounced severely as Haditha turned into the river and pointed upstream. Kalina gazed along the banks of the river and smiled. Thousands of birds lined the river, their wings extended as they sunned themselves in the morning sun. Small deer drank from the river even as hungry alligators slowly maneuvered to get within striking distance of them.
"It's beautiful," Kalina remarked aloud.
Haditha turned and smiled broadly at Kalina. "Perhaps there is a bit of water witch deep within you," she said cheerily before returning her attention to the river.
Chapter 13
Infiltrated
Haditha had dropped off the Alceans at the edge of the swamp and used the grass raft to return to her home. A scant fifteen leagues separated the headwaters of the Endless River and the Calusa River, and the group had made the trek in less than two days. Forgotten were the stinging flies, mosquitoes, and alligators. The Alceans found a nice clearing alongside the Calusa River where the forest ended and the jungle began. The elves and Karl Gree set off immediately to hunt in the forest and replenish their food stocks. The Rangers, Garth, and Tedi began the building of the raft, which would take the Knights of Alcea down the river to civilization. Kalina and Natia mended torn clothes. As the sun began its long descent towards the western horizon, Garth called a halt to the raft building.
"We can't finish it today," he said. "Besides, we should rest up and prepare for what is to come. Take a leisurely break until the evening meal. Tonight I will discuss our plans with everyone and tomorrow we will part company."
The group eagerly disbanded. Tedi pulled Natia away from her mending and led her into the forest for a walk. Max and Clint headed for the river to bathe, and Garth walked over and sat next to Kalina. He pulled a pipe from a pouch, filled it, and lit it. With a long sigh, he gazed off blankly into the woods and puffed on his pipe. Kalina's eyebrows rose as she turned her head and glanced at him. She knew that the pipe was indicative of Garth trying to sort through a mental puzzle, and she left him to it in silence. Half an hour later, Kalina had finished her mending and she glanced at Garth once again. He remained the same, as if frozen in place by some magic spell.
"What is it?" she asked softly.
Garth did not answer, and Kalina repeated her question a bit louder. A slight start of his body told her that she had broken through his self-imposed barrier.
"Nothing," Garth replied disarmingly.
"Since when do you hold secrets from me?" Kalina asked.
Garth pulled the pipe from his mouth and turned to look at his wife. He sighed heavily again and nodded in submission.
"It is just a feeling," Garth declared. "I am sure that it is nothing."
"And?" pressed Kalina.
"When we were speeding up the river with Haditha," Garth said, "I felt as if someone were watching me. It was not anyone on the raft, but rather someone, or something, in the swamp. I figured that a water witch would probably have some type of creature that helped to protect her."
"You should have asked her," replied Kalina. "Haditha was very open to us."
"She was indeed," agreed Garth, "and that is precisely why I didn't ask. I felt no ill will coming from her, so if she kept a secret from us, who was I to complain? We also kept secrets from her."
"True," shrugged Kalina. "Did you see anything in the swamp?"
"Not directly," answered Garth. "I could see the tips of the tall grass moving some distance from the river, but I never actually saw anything."
"At the speed that we were traveling?" Kalina asked in surprise. "Are you sure that it wasn't your imagination?"
"No," sighed Garth, "I am not sure. I could not imagine man or beast that could keep up that speed for such a long journey. A horse would be useless after such a long run."
"I agree," stated Kalina, "but why does this trouble you now? The swamp is far behind us."
"Exactly," replied Garth, "yet the feeling remains. Even while working on the raft I felt it. Is it possible that the Zarans have some way of monitoring my travels?"
"I don't
know," Kalina admitted as she sat next to Garth and comfortingly placed a hand on his knee. "One of the things I hope to accomplish on this journey is to learn more about Zaran magic and its capabilities. Haditha was gracious enough to teach me some things about water magic, but even she does not know much about normal Zaran magic."
"Well," Garth smiled thinly, "now you know what has been on my mind. There is little that I can do about it, but I find it distracting at times."
The quiet conversation ended as Karl Gree entered the clearing carrying a deer over his shoulder.
"This should replenish our supplies," Karl announced happily.
"Let me give you a hand with that," offered Garth as he rose to his feet. "With this deer and our quivers full of myric quills, we are as well provisioned as when we started out. I was beginning to worry about that on our final leg of the voyage."
"You will worry no more," grinned Karl. "The elves have taken quite a few rabbits as well. Where is everyone?" he asked as he looked around the empty campsite and spotted the unfinished raft.
"We are taking a break," answered Garth. "We will finish the raft in the morning. I think the Rangers are bathing, and Tedi and Natia went for a walk."
"I saw Clint and Max in the river upstream," Karl responded, "but Shawn wasn't with them."
"Shawn didn't leave with the others," volunteered Kalina. "The last I saw him, he was still standing near the raft."
Garth turned and stared at the raft. "Kalina, help Karl dress the deer," he said as he walked towards the raft.
Beyond the raft he could see dense vegetation with ancient trees and hanging vines. The canopy was much thicker than the sparse forest to the north, and the lighting within the jungle was dim even in the light of day. Garth moved to the edge of the jungle and gazed intently at the ground. He moved parallel to the jungle until he saw what he had been expecting. He knelt and examined the tracks in the dirt. Garth rose and raced back to the camp. He hurriedly grabbed his weapons and strapped them on.
"What are you doing?" asked Kalina.
Final Voyage of the Remora Page 16
