by Watson, Tom
What is good is what is best for people. Killing and steeling women is not the best for most people, so it is more wrong than killing to save the women, she concluded.
“We-did good. We-are good. They-give, they-got,” Ember finally said to Brig'dha. Her next statement was complicated, so she carefully spoke the words and waited to see if Brig'dha understood.
“Good-people ask if right, bad-people know right,” Ember said, as best as she could in the trade language.
If you ask if you are doing the right thing, then you are likely a good person, she thought, but the truly bad people are often those who know they are right and without question. Ember had decided that what really bothered her was the enormity of the encounter. She just could not seem to grasp that she had killed or left for dead four men. Even now, she still could not fully appreciate the severity of this.
Brig'dha listened to Ember's words of wisdom and came to a smile. The more Brig'dha thought about it, the more Ember reminded her of the stories of the fire Goddess Brid'da, her namesake. Brig'dha sat back and considered how the Elders of her tribe might view her musings. Brig'dha whispered a chant to Brid'da, softly in her native tongue.
“Fire, burn away all the old and kindle the new.” Ember didn't notice as she had drifted off to sleep a few moments after speaking.
Ember awoke to a clearing sky and a partially blocked sun. A light rain earlier in the morning had replenished some of their water; the Great River was undrinkable, having a salty taste. The taste was incredible to Ember, but Brig'dha explained that drinking it would soon lead to death. Ember was unsure how too much salt was bad, but she supposed it would make you thirsty. She continued to poke her fingers into the water and lick the salt off of them, until Brig'dha described how the Greatest River was filled with large and powerful monsters which could swallow a boat whole. Since that moment, Ember had kept all of her body firmly in the boat.
Water was not the only problem, for Ember was growing concerned about the quickly dwindling food supply. Long periods of handling the boat and rowing required plenty of food, and the stores were falling quickly. Normally, fish could be caught and, technically, eaten raw if needed. Ember watched the surface of the water for long periods of time hoping to see a fish, but Brig'dha explained that most of the fish in the Greatest River swam very deep and were very large. Ember continued to keep her eyes open glancing into the water now and then hoping to spot a fish. She was unsure how deep the water was at that point, but it had to be at least as deep as two men, for she could not see the bottom.
While looking at the water carefully trying to see the bottom, Ember caught sight of a rough and gray form moving below. At first, she reckoned that she had caught a glimpse of the bottom. She was about to turn and poke Brig'dha to share her discovery when the shape suddenly rose from the depths and arched out of the water less than the length of a man from Ember! She nearly fell out of the boat with shock as the back of a whale came into view, blowing water and air from its back into the air as a jet! All around the boat more whales emerged to vent their breath and dive again. Ember was suddenly surrounded by sea monsters, each many times larger than the boat!
Ember sat back, stunned, and watched as a small pointy whale fin passed by the boat. The whales all finished breathing and dove quietly below the surface of the water. Ember could not find words to describe what she had just seen. It was both terrifying and beautiful at the same time. For a long time, she just sat and watched the water. Brig'dha waited for a while before explaining to Ember what a whale was. She barely knew herself, but her people had seen whales before off of the coast and they were commonly known to live in the Greatest River.
This river has some really big catfish, Ember thought.
As the second day on the water progressed, the two women became more worried. The course of the boat had been difficult to determine, and Ember could only assume that the Greatest River flowed to the south. Brig'dha explained that the Greatest River flowed both ways, depending on many factors known to the men who crossed it. Brig'dha's explanation turned out to be true when, after the middle of the day, the boat seemed to be moving more north west. Ember hadn't noticed any change in the water, which was very choppy and constantly filled the boat. The day had brought a warmer current of air than was expected, and a light fog had obscured the direction forward. The layer of fog was far ahead, and they were moving closer to it. The sun moved that same way and so the women kept rowing, though fear was starting to take hold of them.
Ember and Brig'dha were both quite tired after much of the day spent rowing. Suddenly, Ember caught sight of land through the low fog that had rolled in! The fog had been part of the land and had obscured it from their view. She merely pointed and yelled a victorious sound. Brig'dha had traveled this water once before and remembered that seeing land and making it to the land were different things entirely, but she also felt a sense of hope.
As the sun finished burning away the fog, the vast landscape of Inn'bry'th came into view. Ember and Brig'dha gave each other a hug, in a spooning fashion, and redoubled their efforts to row. The land was still small on the horizon, but vast in width. To Ember, it looked more like the bank of the Greatest River and less like the massive island Brig'dha had made it out to be. She had explained to Ember the layout of the land, from rolling hills in the north to grasslands in the south. Her people were from the very north and might one day return to the north. Ember enjoyed the breaks from rowing while she listened to the stories of the new and amazing lands to the far west.
The rowing was taking its toll as the sun began to vanish behind the land and night set in. Both women were nearly out of strength, having rowed intermittently for two days. Rowing used upper body strength, something women had less of than men, Ember considered.
Many tough men might be complaining by now, she mused. With exhaustion slipping in, the women slept for the night, again taking turns keeping the boat in the correct direction, as best as they could tell. Ember and Brig'dha were having troubles keeping from both sleeping at the same time. The water would rock them into sleep for short periods of time.
Sometime during the middle of the night, Ember knew not when, clouds fell upon the sky and blocked much of the moonlight. The total darkness this created made navigation impossible and so the women decided to sleep. The journey was in the hands of fate.
Well Gods, here I am at the edge of a new world, the farthest west I can go on my own. Now it's your turn, Ember thought. She laid there in a tiny boat in pitch blackness as the night rolled along. A cool breeze fell upon the women as they slept.
The morning of the third day on the water, the women awoke to see the land was much closer, but now looked different. Ember was not sure, but she felt as though the boat had moved just as much north or south as towards the land. She was not sure of which direction.
How can land be so close and yet so far? Ember wondered. Ember's stomach growled and she felt around the various food containers for something to eat. A short time later, Ember and Brig'dha sat eating the final strips of dried and salted meat they had. With only a handful of salted beans remaining, their food supply was effectively exhausted. The women sat for a long time, watching the land slowly taunting them from the distance. The day rolled along, and the women became more irritable as hunger, fear, thirst, and exhaustion took their toll.
“We-wait, water-move, land-closer. When-close, we-row,” Ember said to Brig'dha in broken trade language. She was worried that their strength would fail before they made land. Perhaps letting the current lead them to shore was the best way, saving their strength for the final pull. Brig'dha was unsure of this plan and argued back.
“We-row, land-come, more soon. We-wait, we-die,” Brig'dha said. Ember disagreed with this idea, thinking the flaw obvious. Brig'dha could see the frustration on Ember's face, which only made things worse. Fear took hold of the friends and each woman argued in broken trade language for a short time.
“We no-move, we-die,” Br
ig'dha said, thinking the current to be unreliable. Ember knew this was possible, but she could barely bring herself to row, her arms aching even at the thought.
“We-row, more-weak, more-weak!” Ember said angrily. Why wouldn't Brig'dha understand this obvious problem, she wondered? After a long and very heated exchange, made more heated by their inability to correctly articulate themselves, the women ended their fight and merely sat in silence. Each knew the other had a valid point, but they were too tired and angry to admit it. Both women knew the source of their anger was fear. They were taking out their fears upon each other and the only thing keeping them from really hurting each other was their inability to say the sorts of things people say when they are angry. The rest of the day passed in silence with neither woman doing anything but keeping the boat steady. The silence was painful.
The night of the third day on the water, the women put the oars away and made ready for sleep. Ember and Brig'dha had carefully switched positions several times each day to keep the rolls of navigator and rower split. The boat was large enough for them to carefully swap spaces, in a squatting fashion. This was beneficial as other daily acts had to be performed and the back of the tiny boat was the best place for privacy and for leaning one's backside over the edge of the boat without falling in. The silence hung over Ember and Brig'dha as the women prepared for a hungry, tired, and thirsty sleep. Their water and food had finally run out earlier that evening, and the land had only grown slightly larger.
Ember was unsure of how she would sleep. Normally, she rested her head in Brig'dha's lap or vice versa, but the two had spent the day in silence after their argument. Both knew the source of the argument had been fear and not each other. Ember closed her tired eyes and lifted her head up to the sky full of stars. As she did, she felt small hands reach into her hair and start untangling it. Ember said nothing as Brig'dha slowly worked on her tangled and matted hair, long neglected since leaving shore. Women commonly cared for each other’s hair, but the act of doing so while on a boat in the middle of the Greatest River was absurdity. Ember understood the act for what it was, an attempt by Brig'dha to let go of their earlier fight. Ember appreciated the gesture and was tired. She no longer had the urge to argue and welcomed the invitation to apologize.
“Sorry,” Ember said, without the ability to say anything more. She was cold, tired, and afraid. The only thing she had left was her friend, Brig'dha, and she would not let their argument continue. Ember reclined her head into Brig'dha's lap and looked backwards, upside down, at her friend. Brig'dha sat behind her with slightly wet eyes and a smile. Both knew they would not survive another day and night on the water. The water beat upon the sides of the boat as Brig'dha's head rested on the supplies. With little hope and bodies weak from days of rowing, the two friends drifted into a deep sleep on a boat in the Greatest River, one day to be called the North Sea.
A splash of salty water smacked Ember in the face, waking her up in a sudden panic. At first she thought a storm had come in the night to kill them, but the moon was out and the wind was calm. The boat rocked back and forth threatening to capsize! Ember's eyes came into focus, and she realized the source of the waves, they were near the shore! With days in the water, Ember could not be sure it was the correct shore, but at this point she would take any land. With the beach in sight, Ember forced herself awake. The boat was bobbing in the surf and turning sideways. If the boat turned sideways, the waves would flip it over. Ember could not let that happen, not with land so close! Ember grabbed at a paddle and dug it deeply into the water. As she started pulling hard with sore arms to bring the boat in line with the waves, the powerful currents took hold. The boat was bobbing up and down over the waves nearly out of control.
“Brig'dhaaaaa!!!” she called but heard nothing over the pounding surf. Ember couldn't take the time to look back and check on Brig'dha as she pulled hard against the water. Before her, the land loomed with a wall of powerful waves separating them. Ember felt a tap on her shoulder and saw the other oar being pulled free. Brig'dha was awake. The boat bounced up and down nearly throwing the women as it slammed into the waves head on. Both women fought to control the boat as the shore line came upon them. The waves seemed to be pushing the boat away from the shore, though Ember could not be sure. Her arms spasmed with pain from days of rowing, and her mind was still foggy with fatigue. Ember tried again to move the oar against the current and found her arms simply giving out. She could not continue to row, but the boat might not make it to shore if she did not! Her arms were nearly spent, but Ember had two perfectly good legs... Over the wave crests, they rode until Ember finally decided on a daring move.
Ember kicked off her boots, tore off her shirt lest she be dragged under, and rolled out of the boat into the cold water, not but fifty lengths of a man from the shore! Ember grasped the side of the boat and kicked with her legs as hard as she could! Her arms were nearly exhausted and could just hold onto the boat, but her powerful legs, honed from a life of swimming, bit deep into the water. Together, the women forced the boat to the shore with sheer willpower.
The remaining energy in her body bled away as Ember kicked against the current. Blackness and tunnel vision started taking hold in her eyes. She saw sparkles in her vision and began to lose focus of her surroundings. Suddenly, her feet found cold sand beneath her! Ember's toes sank deeply into the sand, and she began to haul the boat ashore. Ember didn't see Brig'dha jump into the water and help pull the boat as she was too exhausted. Ember stumbled as she pulled the boat forward, her body not completely responding to her anymore. Ember let go of the boat and stumbled beside it falling to her knees. As she looked to her right, Ember saw Brig'dha lying on the ground. She smiled back at Ember, weakly. Exhausted, both women laid beside each other and their boat. Ember, too tired too even stand, crawled over to Brig'dha and held her hand, to which they both smiled and promptly passed out.
Sometime later that same day, the women awoke beside each other on the sandy beach of the land of Inn'bry'th, the Ends of the World. Ember stood, slowly, and with the soreness only days of rowing and little food or water could bring. Brig'dha lay awake on the sandy ground slowly gaining the urge to stand and muttering to herself in her native tongue. Both had made it with their clothing, effects, and supplies intact, for the most part. Their heavier boots had been removed at the start of the trip to keep them dry, and they were still somewhat dry. Ember tossed Brig'dha's boots to her and put her shirt and her own boots on. Both women had made it alive and even the little boat was in good shape, being a solid piece of wood. Ember and Brig'dha, when she was fully awake, pulled the boat completely ashore and tied it to a tree near the beach, a flat land with sparse trees. With the boat secured, Brig'dha took a closer look at the land and nodded to Ember.
“This is-home. We-are here,” she said, to which Ember and Brig'dha yelled powerful screams of triumph into the air. They had been on the water for three days and having made it to their goal; they were filled with euphoria.
Later in the day, the two friends sat beside a warm fire and ate meager portions of a small but well-cooked bird. The feathers were long beautiful, but the meat was very oily and not plentiful. Ember did not complain. The warm meat, the first food she had eaten in a day, tasted greater than anything she could have imagined. The women licked the bones clean leaving not a single bit of the bird, besides its guts, feathers, and bones. Ember had even speculated how the beak might taste, sending Brig'dha into hysterical laughter. Their stomachs slightly filled, the women set up a small camp by the shore for the night. It felt good to sleep on dry land.
That night, Ember slept better than she had in a long time. She was finally able to stretch fully and relax her haggard body. The water of the Greatest River had rocked and rolled her, always threating to overturn the boat. As Ember slowly drifted to sleep by the low fire, she could not help but notice that the stars didn't look any different. Ember wondered why that was.
The next morning, the women packed up their gea
r and started the long walk towards what Brig'dha hoped would be her tribe. Brig'dha explained that her tribe was the farthest south of her “greater people”, a term sometimes used to speak of people and tribes who practiced similar customs. According to Brig'dha, her people had moved south from a place much farther north than where they now lived. The far north was full of large hills and mountains, and very cold, Brig'dha had explained. People of the land of Inn'bry'th, including her people, journeyed to the mainland by boat using the same basic route they had used. She concluded that her people should be north not more than a few days walk.
Ember considered this to be a large amount of supposition. During the trip, both women had lost any idea of how north or south they had journeyed. Brig'dha had to agree with Ember on this point, but she insisted that her people lived by the shores of the Greatest River and traveling north should soon reveal them.
As the day rolled on, Ember and Brig'dha spoke about Ember remaining with her people, the Isen'bryn. Ember had given much thought to the idea of remaining with Brig’dha’s people, at least until the weather was warmer. Ember could not bring herself to consider another trip across the Greatest River without many ten-days of rest. Perhaps she could even join the next expedition of Brig’dha’s people to the mainland.
“My-people will-welcome you. You-save me. You live-long with-Isen'bryn, take-man?” Brig'dha asked. Ember thought about that for a moment. She was of the age to be joined, and it was the custom of every tribe she had ever encountered. The problem for Ember was that she was not ready to settle down. She had tasted the wide world and the urge to return to traveling was a slowly building fire. Ember also remembered her promise to return, which she made to her mother East and her childhood friends Fire Blossom and Kanter. Ember unconsciously rubbed her Goddess pendant as she replied.
“I-will stay for a-time. I-will return to my-people, The Great River People, see my-mother. She worried.” Ember was never quite sure if all of her words were fully understood, but Brig'dha seemed to get the general meaning, as usual. Brig'dha sympathized and understood the need to see one’s people again, all too well. Together, the two friends walked on for the rest of the day and through the next three days moving north along the coast.