Quest for the White Wind

by Alan Black

  The water drew them faster and faster along the tunnel. As they rushed along, Tanden kicked furiously with his legs, trying to avoid Gadon. He thrust his free hand upward to the top of the cave searching for an air pocket. He wasn’t yet short of breath, but Gadon’s lungs must be aching and I-Sheera wasn’t a swimmer by any means.

  Suddenly his hand cleared the water and his knuckles scraped bare rock. They were past the air pocket before he could stop. Again, he found another pocket clear of water, but once again, they were swept past, the rush of water jerked them away. Tanden reversed his body angle so he was traveling feet first.

  When he found the next air pocket, he jammed his feet upward to the roof of the tunnel and surfaced into the air. He grabbed a rock outcropping. Curling his arm to his chest, he yanked Gadon into the pocket next to him. The man came up sputtering and hacking to clear his throat and lungs. Tanden let loose of Gadon and reached for I-Sheera. She was almost swept past them before he clasped his hand around her wrist and pulled her up.

  I-Sheera surfaced. She blew air and water, spraying the two men waiting in the air pocket. She wrapped her arms around Tanden’s neck and held him tightly. She desperately gulped air.

  The water tugged at Tanden, but he held against its insistent pull.

  “Breathe quickly. I can’t hold us here for long.” Tanden spoke too soon. Before he took another breath of air, something slammed against his back, knocking him loose from his moorings. He rolled in the water wrapping one arm around I-Sheera. He reached to grab Gadon, but missed. Thrashing about he searched for his friend, but he and the woman were washed away from the air pocket.

  Tanden felt a tug on his trousers and a weight dragging at him. He put both feet up on the rock ceiling of the tunnel, pushing downstream. He clawed with his free hand and drove with his feet in a bizarre upside-down climbing motion, propelling himself faster downstream than he could swim.

  Light flooded his eyes and he shot upward. Breaking the surface of the water into the air in a large sunlight chamber, he heard I-Sheera gasping as she clung to his neck. He reached down, grabbing the hand clutching his pants. He yanked upward, pulling Gadon to the water’s surface. The man was pale and shaking as he drew in a ragged breath. Each breath Gadon took in caused him to cough and gasp.

  Tanden kicked at the water furiously to keep them afloat. They were not out of the tunnel yet, but the current was relentlessly tugging them toward an opening. Beyond it, Tanden could see trees and a small patch of sky. It was almost sunset. Pale light was coming from the last rays of the sun, reflecting off a small pool at the entrance.

  He could not turn and look for Tuller and Seenger. Tanden held Gadon in one arm with I-Sheera wrapped around his neck. It took all of the strength in his legs to keep them afloat. The water was too deep to stand. He released his arm from I-Sheera’s waist. He was sure she would not let go of him. He pulled at the water trying to reach the nearest side of the chamber.

  His foot scrapped a rock. He tried to clutch at it, but missed. He hit another rock and then another. Gathering his feet under him, Tanden bodily flung himself and his charges up onto a small, barely submerged ledge. The three of them sat in water breathing heavily. Gadon hacked and coughed, doubling over to hold his sides. He shivered violently. Tanden put his arm around his friend and drew him near in a close hug. I-Sheera didn’t release her grip on Tanden’s neck and, in truth, he didn’t want her to let go. Tanden wrapped his other arm around her and held her tight.

  Tanden looked around once his eyes adjusted somewhat to the dim light. Across from them, on a dry ledge, Tuller waved back at him. The man was obviously too tired to call out to them. Seenger lay stretched out on the rocks, his chest heaving like an overworked bellows. Tanden was certain one of them had bumped him loose from the air pocket.

  The entrance to the chamber was only twenty or thirty yards distant. Tanden could not see much of what lay beyond the opening aside from a few moss-covered trees hanging over the water. The sky was getting darker as the sun was dropping behind the western horizon. As tired as they were, he wanted to quit this underground crypt and reach dry land to start a fire before dark.

  They were all wet, tired, and hungry. Tanden might not be able to feed them this evening, but he definitely wanted out of the water. He could feel Gadon shaking against him. The big man needed warmth to fight his chill. Tanden heard a flutter of wings above him. His eyes shot upward, scanning the ceiling.

  I-Sheera screamed, burying her face in his neck. From every crevice in the rocks about them oozed flying creatures screeching and flapping their leathery wings at Tanden and his people. Releasing his hold on I-Sheera and Gadon, he slapped at the small creatures diving and swirling around them. He had never seen such foul creatures in his life. These were the incarnation of the dark demons in all of his dreams. They dove at his face and veered away at the last possible moment.

  As quickly as they appeared, the creatures were gone. They swarmed out of the chamber into the evening air, swirling like smoke disappearing into a cloudy sky. Tanden shivered with revulsion. He looked across the water to see Tuller staring at Seenger.

  Seenger was still lying on his back. He had caught one of the creatures and was holding it by its outstretched wings. It wiggled and snapped at the man, but he held it tight. The ogre turned the creature every which way, examining it from all sides.

  Tanden called out, “What in the names of the six gods is that thing?”

  Tuller replied, “Seenger says it’s a cave dweller that only comes out at night. I’ve never seen such a thing. It looks like an angry dragonette with wings and it’s covered in animal fur.”

  Tanden asked, “Seenger, what do you call that thing?”

  Seenger answered, “It used to be called a bat.” With a quick twist, the man snapped the neck of the creature. “Now, I call it supper.”

  Rather than dwell on the mental picture of Seenger eating a flying, furry dragonette, Tanden commanded the two men to work their way out of the chamber and find a dry place to spend the night. He told them he would follow with Gadon and I-Sheera.

  It did not matter if they hurried to catch the White Wind, they could not wear themselves out getting there. They would all need their strength to retake her. I-Sheera needed rest and Tanden’s concern for Gadon’s health was growing by the minute. They would have to rest and then take their bearings in the morning before proceeding.

  He gently pried I-Sheera’s arms from his neck. He stroked her wet hair, brushing it back from her face. He tilted her head slightly and swept his lips across her forehead before smiling down at her.

  “Can you make your way along these rocks? I need to help Gadon.”

  She nodded and gently slid her fingertips across his lips. Without saying a word, she turned and began walking slowly through the water, moving from rock to rock. Tanden watched her until she was about halfway to the entrance.

  He looked down at Gadon, “Ready, my friend?”

  “No, but you aren’t really giving me a choice, are you?”

  Tanden said, “No, I guess I’m not. I don’t want to sit in this water waiting for the tide to come back in or for those bat things to come back and have us for supper. We walk out together.”

  Gadon nodded, “I’m sorry, Tanden.”

  “Sorry? For what? That you caught a chill? Don’t be foolish, Gadon. You have nothing to apologize for.”

  “As you say. If we have to go, let’s go.” The two men stood up and followed I-Sheera. Gadon leaned heavily against Tanden all the way to the entrance. They stopped next to the woman at the edge of the light. Tuller and Seenger stood opposite them on the other side.

  “Bad news,” Tuller said. “It’s a swamp as far as we can see.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Tanden stood waist deep in swamp water with Gadon strapped to his back. His feet sank in the mud and he wondered if he was in a swamp, a bayou, or a delta. He could not decide what to call it, except to call it a problem. Gadon’s weigh
t was driving him into the sandy muck on the bottom. The sunlight was fading fast and he was standing in a saltwater marsh surrounded by trees that grew on stilts directly out of the water. Reeds and tall grasses grew in tangled patches every direction they turned. Everything dripped water.

  I-Sheera grasped his tunic. She pulled him forward. Her other arm was clamped wrist to wrist with Seenger. The Ogre stood on a rock outcropping, bracing his feet against the strain. Tuller pushed at Tanden’s behind, trying to drive him upward out of the muck.

  One of Tanden’s feet slipped up and out of the sucking mud that tried to pull his boot off his foot. He curled his toes and arched his foot. Pulling his boots off would have been a good idea, but it was too late now. Swinging the free foot forward, he dropped it into the mud a step closer to their destination. Another foot, then another and Tanden stopped to twist around. He reached back and offered a hand to pull Tuller closer to him. The man sank deeper in the muck for each step he drove Tanden and Gadon forward.

  Gradually, they worked their way toward the rock, the only dry spot in view. It would provide the only possible resting place for the night. It would be a cold, hard perch, but they all agreed it was better than sitting in water all night, or trying to slog their way to dry land in the dark.

  Gadon burned with a fever and his cough left him breathless and gasping. The heavyset man had struggled briefly through the mud, but his strength quit. He had stopped, unable to summon more energy than it took him to breathe in the thick, dank air. He had even been too weary to complain about his weakness and made no comments when Tanden lifted him onto his back. They had only traveled a few dozen yards to where they now stood, but it took all of them to reach this point. Tanden carried Gadon the whole way while Seenger and I-Sheera pulled Tanden from the front and Tuller pushed from the rear.

  Daylight had deserted them before the small troop gained the top of the dry rock. Tanden gently laid a sleeping Gadon in the middle of what space was available. There was barely room for all of them on the rock, but none begrudged Gadon the space. The sun’s residual heat from the day radiated up from the rock, soothing and comforting the ill sailor, quieting his shivering.

  The night was not yet fully dark as Six Finger cast its dim light over the swamp. Its annual erratic course through the heavens brought the moon low on the southern horizon, lighting more of the sea’s wavetops than the air above it. I-Sheera cradled Gadon’s head and shoulders in her lap, rubbing his shoulders and chest. Even in the dim moonlight, Tandon could see the look on her face was the same look of dismay and pain she displayed as she held the wounded saurus. The look said, “I want to help, but I don’t know what else to do.” Tanden knew the look and the feeling. There wasn’t anything they could do.

  Each man sat as close to Gadon as possible, sharing their body heat with the man. Seenger took the dead bat from inside his tunic to slice it with his knife. Splitting it lengthwise, he caught a handful of blood from the small creature. He leaned over Gadon, allowing the thick liquid to pour from his hands into the sleeping man’s mouth. Gadon swallowed in his sleep, licking his lips.

  Seenger looked to I-Sheera and said, “It isn’t much, but any nourishment is better than none.” He turned back to the animal and quickly dressed it, tossing the offal into the swamp. It provided only a small handful of meat. The ogre did not offer the meat to anyone. He took a bite out of it and chewed quietly.

  Tanden had not wanted any of the bat. He had eaten many disgusting things in his life when he was hungry, but right now he was not hungry enough to eat something that evil looking. Still, he would have appreciated being asked if he wanted any. He certainly would have wanted to give I-Sheera the opportunity to have some small measure of a meal. He was about to confront the ogre for not offering to share when Seenger removed the chewed piece from his mouth and pushed it between Gadon’s lips.

  Tanden watched as Gadon, in his sleep, chewed and swallowed the meat. Tanden had seen mothers feed their young babies this way, but he had not thought to feed a sick man by the same method. He watched as Seenger ground down piece after piece of raw meat and fed it to Gadon. When he finished, Seenger wiped his bloody hands through his hair, slicking it back out of his face.

  Tuller said, “In my brother’s name, I thank you, Seenger.”

  The ogre shrugged and settled back against Gadon’s bulk. His head dropped to his chest and much to everyone’s amazement, he fell asleep immediately.

  Tanden said to no one in particular, “Strange creature.”

  Tuller answered, “Yes, but a good one. Huzzuzz ogres may be ignorant, uncivilized barbarians, but I’ll stand with Seenger as a friend all the rest of my days.”

  Tanden agreed, “Without a doubt.” Long ago he had determined Seenger to be honorable and committed. Many chastised Tanden for adding an ogre to his crew. Seenger had peculiar personal habits, but Tanden would never again hear this creature criticized without taking a stand in his defense. Called many things while growing up and treated poorly by many people simply because of the circumstances of his birth, Tanden long ago decided he would treat everyone he met according to the manner of each individual’s actions.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Dawn was near when Tanden awoke with a start to see a pair of eyes staring at him from the water. He grabbed the knife from his lap and leaped to his feet in a defensive stance. His quick movement jolted Seenger and Tuller to their feet. Even I-Sheera awoke to put her hand on the hilt of her sword.

  Tanden’s heart settled back into his chest as he recognized the eyes of a large bullfrog. He shook his head at his own folly and pointed for the others to see what had startled him. The three men settled back on their seats to the sound of Gadon’s snores. The bullfrog raised his head out of the water to croak a rumbling response.

  Tuller laughed with the others and said, “It must be true love. Maybe we should wake Gadon up before his mating call has us buried in lustful, green suitors.”

  Tanden said, “How is he this morning?”

  I-Sheera gently placed the back of her hand on the sleeping man’s forehead and then his cheek, “I think his fever broke last night. He’s still warm, but he rested well for most of the night. He needs to sleep and gain his strength back.”

  Tanden nodded, “Yes. But, this isn’t the place to rest for long. We need to be moving soon after sunrise. Let him sleep until then.”

  Gadon spoke, “How can a man sleep with all you little girls chattering away. Can’t you see that I’m laying here on my deathbed. Oh, my aching back. Tanden, you aren’t any better than a pile of maggot-covered camel spit. You profess to be my friend. Here I am, dying and you can’t find me a decent place to lay my head. Look where you’ve dragged me! I’m stretched out on a rock in a swamp. Oh, just kill me now. Don’t let Mother know how poorly I’ve been treated, the humiliation would be too much for her.”

  Gadon tried to sit up, but Tanden held him down with a hand on his chest. His attempted movement set off a coughing fit that sounded painful.

  Tanden said, “Relax, you giant bag of wind. We aren’t going anywhere yet.”

  He looked around him. Trees blocked their view on three sides. The cave behind them cut a hole through ragged rocky cliffs. He spotted a tall tree nearby. It was taller than the trees clustered around them and should give a climber a good view of the surrounding swamp.

  He took an accounting of everything they carried. He only had a knife, having broken the bow in the cave. He had lost his long sword and the short sword long before they entered the cave. Tuller and Seenger each carried a long sword. Seenger also had a knife. I-Sheera had a short sword and her sling. Gadon had nothing with him. He must have left his weapons along the way in the cave network. Tanden could not blame him; fever would keep anyone from thinking clearly. They had little in the way of weapons, but still they carried more than they had at the beginning of their journey.

  Tanden commanded, “Tuller.” He pointed to the tall tree and gestured a finger upward.r />
  The sailor slid off the rock and waded through the water to the tree. The group watched as he climbed. The climb was easy for a man used to scrambling up and down a ship’s mast as it bobbed and weaved on ocean waves. Near the top, they saw Tuller scan in all directions.

  Tuller shouted, “The sea is only a hundred yards to the south, but I can’t tell where this swamp ends and the sea begins. To the east, I see swamp until more trees block my view. There’s nothing behind us.” Tuller pointed to the west. “That way.”

  He began climbing back down, speaking as he worked his way around the limbs. “It may be a trick of the morning light, but it looks like the edge of this swamp is only a few hundred yards west of us. Beyond the cave, it looks as if we may find a dryer path if we stay close to the cliffs.”

  Tanden said, “Good. That’s the direction we’ll go.”

  “There may be a better way. Seenger and I can mount the cliffs and see if we can find an easier path.”

  “I don’t think so,” Tanden answered. “You could make the effort and not find a better choice than we have now. Those cliffs would probably be easier to scale than some we’ve seen recently, but it would take two or three hours to reach the top and return. That’s a long delay for unknown results.”

  I-Sheera spoke quietly, without raising her eyes, “Tanden?”

  “Yes?”

  “May I ask a question?” she queried, keeping her eyes downcast.

  Tanden said, “I-Sheera, you’re one of us. I believe you’ve done your share. You’ve earned the right to stand with us and speak your mind. Does anyone think otherwise?”

  Tuller pulled himself up from the water, dripping wet. “I’ve seen her gut a man and even unseat a mounted warrior. Who am I to say anything against her! She stands in a better light with me than many others who call themselves warriors.”

  Seenger nodded his agreement.