"There is a bend in the river coming," Garth announced. "Perhaps we can snare something on the far shore as the current has its way with us."
Tedi moved quickly to the bow of the raft and stared at the fast-approaching riverbank. While his eyes sought a vine long enough to reach from the raft, Garth called Natia to the tiller.
"I am going to steer us into the riverbank," announced Garth. "It will be quite a jolt when we hit, so everyone needs to be ready for it." Turning to speak to Natia directly, he continued, "Once I get the raft alongside the bank, I want you to man the tiller. Use the flow of the river to keep us pinned to shore for as long as you can."
"Alright," Natia said hesitantly. "Are you sure I have the strength for it?"
"Such a question from a gypsy," Garth grinned wearily. "Pretend it is a wayward horse that needs to be pinned to the bank to avoid discovery and you will do fine."
Natia laughed, but her nervousness was still evident. She dropped to her knees and prepared for the coming crash.
"Brace yourselves," Garth called as the current started sweeping the raft towards the shore.
Everyone knelt except Garth. He held the tiller tightly as he maneuvered the raft as close to shore as he could, leaving the rest to the sweeping current. A loud crack split the air as the raft slammed into the riverbank. Kalina and Natia tumbled forward to the deck of the raft, but Tedi went sailing into the mud embankment. Garth fared best of all, having the tiller to hang onto, but the impact made him feel as if his muscles were being stretched beyond their limit.
"Grab the tiller," ordered Garth as he let go of it and raced towards Tedi.
Natia moved swiftly to the tiller and held it firmly, as Tedi scrambled up the bank and snared a long a vine. As he grabbed the vine, his eyes focused on the skull sitting atop the bank. He paused for only a second as a tremor shivered through his body.
"Jump," ordered Garth as he stood below Tedi.
Tedi nodded as he grasped the vine firmly and leaped onto the raft. Garth reached out and caught him as he landed, knowing that Tedi's hands would refuse to let go of the vine to cushion his own fall.
"How do we secure it to the raft?" asked Tedi.
"Bring it aft," Garth instructed with a sense of urgency. "We don't have much time."
Tedi glanced at Natia and understood the urgency. The gypsy princess was straining to hold the tiller against the force of the river. Her face was a mask of determination, but Tedi noticed that her arms were quivering from the strain. At the stern of the raft, Garth withdrew his long, two-handed sword from its sheath. He inserted the tip of the sword between two of the logs forming the raft and shoved downward with all his might. The sword struck bottom with a foot of blade still showing.
"Tie the vine to the hilt," Garth commanded as he moved to take the tiller from Natia.
Natia gratefully gave up the tiller and sank to her knees in relief. Tedi tied the vine to the sword and backed away from it.
"Now what?" he asked.
"Now we let the river decide where we shall go," replied Garth as he let go of the tiller.
The raft bucked away from the shore, and Garth's sword wobbled violently as it scraped along the river bottom. The vine quickly grew taut as the river tried to drag the raft downstream. The vine creaked loudly in protest, and several loud snaps echoed across the water as strands of the vine gave way to the tension, but the raft halted its movement downstream. The four Knights of Alcea held their breath as they waited to see if the vine would snap under the strain. Several long minutes passed until the gypsy princess asked the question that was on everyone's mind.
"Will it hold overnight?" asked Natia.
"I do not know," admitted Garth. "I suggest we all get some rest as soon as possible. I don't look forward to having to do this again tomorrow night, so we will start down the river as soon as it is light enough to see. Hopefully the river will be tamer downstream."
"That loud crack when we hit the riverbank might have been a splitting beam," interjected Kalina. "We should avoid stressing it any further if we want this raft to stay together."
"And I don't think your sword could take another shot at this type of mooring," added Tedi. "I would hate to see what shape it is in when you draw it back up."
"It will be fine as long as it is still straight," Garth frowned. "It might take a bit of work with a stone, but I'll have plenty of time for that tomorrow. It's not like we can spend time sparring on this leg of the journey."
The Knights of Alcea let the strain of the voyage drain from them as they began to settle in for the night. Tedi sat at the stern of the raft staring at the distant riverbank as darkness claimed the sky. Garth sat down next to him and lit his pipe. For a long time the two men sat staring off into the darkness without sharing a word. Eventually, Tedi broke the silence.
"There was a skull on top of the riverbank back there," he said softly. "It looked like a human skull."
"Undoubtedly it was," Garth said in reply. "I saw several of them along the banks in the hour before we stopped. I am sure it is a sort of warning for anyone foolish enough to use the river as an entrance to Atule's Maze."
"Such a comforting thought," quipped Tedi, "considering that we are the fools that they are warning."
"Aye," Garth nodded as he puffed on his pipe. "Whatever creatures inhabit this jungle, I take them for intelligent creatures. If they are smart enough to warn strangers away, they are also smart enough to know that we mean not to trespass. By staying on the raft overnight, we show them the respect that they want. Let's hope that is enough to avoid a fight."
The Knights of Alcea were exhausted from the strain of the journey down the Calusa River. They opted to forego a sentry as the raft was bobbing in the middle of the river, and they all needed rest for the struggle to come when daylight returned. The jungle came alive at night with strange sounds drifting in the still air, but the Knights of Alcea did not hear them. The lone soul aboard the raft that was paying any attention was the dog. Smokey rested on the wooden beams with his head placed across his forelegs. His ears lifted frequently as strange sounds wafted out of the jungle, and once or twice he whimpered as a louder noise startled him.
About an hour before dawn, Smokey picked up the scent of something new in the jungle. He cocked his head as he listened intently and tried to peer into the darkness. After a few minutes, the hairs on his back rose, and the dog scrambled to his feet. He moved to the very edge of the raft and gazed back along the vine to the bank where Tedi had gone ashore. Dark shapes moved stealthily through the foliage of the jungle, and Smokey began to growl softly. Suddenly, the vine holding the raft snapped, and Smokey started barking loudly. The Knights of Alcea woke immediately. Garth was the first to get his bearings. When he saw that the vine had broken, he shouted out orders.
"Tedi, grab the tiller," commanded Garth as he raced towards his sword. "Natia, pull as much vine onto the raft as you can. We might need it later. Kalina, try to figure out how to get some light ahead of us. We will need to see the rocks in order to avoid them."
Garth grunted loudly as he pulled up his sword.
"Send the fairies out before us," called Kalina. "They can use fairy lights wherever there are rocks."
Garth and Tedi immediately stirred their fairies to life. Bitsy and Button heard their instructions without comment and disappeared into the gloom. Garth untied the vine from his hilt and sheathed his sword without examination. He turned towards Natia as the gypsy pulled in the final piece of vine and examined it.
"It has been cut," she reported.
"Are you sure?" asked Garth.
"Positive," replied the gypsy. "The separation is clean and smooth as if it were struck by an axe. Someone does not care for our presence in their jungle."
"So it would seem," Garth nodded distractedly as he bent down and patted Smokey's head. "The inhabitants of Zara seem quite content to let nature kill their enemies."
"Why battle your foes when nature will do the trick?" int
erjected Kalina.
"Maybe they don't mean to kill us," offered Tedi. "Perhaps they just want us to leave Atule's Maze."
"Then we have a great deal in common with them," stated Natia. "We also are anxious to put this jungle behind us."
"There is a rock!" called Kalina as she pointed downstream.
Tedi stared at the dim fairy light in the distance and saw the tip of a rock protruding from the river. He nodded in acknowledgment as he leaned hard into the tiller to steer the raft around the boulder.
* * *
After two frantic days on the swift moving Calusa River, the raft flowed into the placid Lake Calusa. Garth relaxed his grip on the tiller as the raft slowed to a gentle pace.
"Have we reached the sea?" asked Natia as she gazed at the endless expanse of water.
"Not hardly," Garth shook his head. "This is Lake Calusa. We are still deep in Atule's Maze. Somewhere over the horizon is an outlet from this lake. It is called the Lower Calusa River. That will take us out of the jungle and into Karamin. We are about halfway on our journey to the city of Calusa."
"If we can find the Lower Calusa," Tedi remarked with a frown. "I didn't picture a lake as large as this. It is more like an inland sea. I see nothing but water before us."
"Nor will you for some time," remarked Garth. "If memory serves me correctly, we will have to sail thirty leagues across this lake to enter the Lower Calusa. This lake is precisely the reason we created the sail."
"I was wondering about that," replied Natia. "Should I get it?"
Garth gazed skyward and calculated that they only had about two hours of sun remaining. He released his hold on the tiller and drew his knife. Taking a slice of wood from one of the beams, he threw the scrap far enough to send it out of the river current and watched it float away.
"Clever," chuckled Tedi. "Arik and I used to use that trick in Lorgo. We are moving about the pace of a fast walk."
"And it will get slower as we get farther away from the mouth of the Calusa," nodded Garth. "The current flowing into the lake is still affecting us quite a bit."
"What are you thinking?" asked Kalina.
"I am thinking that we can cross this lake under sail in a single day," answered Garth. "If we get decent winds tomorrow. We are in need of sleep right now, and I want to get a good night's sleep before we enter the Lower Calusa. So, what I am thinking is that we let the current take us further into the lake without the use of the sail today. We can rest in peace without fear of anyone on shore attacking us. Tomorrow we will raise the sail and head across the lake. Before we get close to land, we will lower the sail and sleep again. The following morning we enter the Lower Calusa and hope that the natives are friendly."
"Are you sure we will be able to find the other river?" asked Natia. "Who knows where we might drift during the nights?"
"The fairies will find the outlet for us," answered Garth. "Let us relax for the evening where nothing can disturb us."
* * *
Two female figures stood on the shore of Lake Calusa, concealed by the dense jungle foliage. One glared hatefully at the small raft floating away from them.
"You are going to have to answer for this," Marfor scowled. "You had the chance to kill them, and you let them go. Your plan to let the river kill them was a foolish one to begin with. Tsarana will not be pleased with you."
"Actually," replied Yortana, "they have not set foot in Atule's Maze. Why are you so quick to kill everyone?"
"You know that they touched land," retorted Marfor. "How else could they have gotten the vine to tie to their raft?"
"I cannot be sure how they got it," Yortana replied stubbornly. "Are you declaring that you witnessed their intrusion personally?"
"Don't play games with me, Yortana," scowled Marfor. "You know that I did not witness their crime, but you also know that it must have occurred. You are too soft to be a Rhodan warrior."
"Perhaps I am here to counterbalance the likes of you, Marfor," Yortana retorted. "I am prepared to kill to protect Atule's Maze, but unlike you, I do not enjoy the task. I do what I must to enforce our laws. I have not witnessed any crime from the intruders. Besides, only one of them carries a sword. How much of a threat do you see in them?"
"The other male has a staff," declared Marfor, "and both of them had bows. It is obvious to me that they are warriors and should be eliminated."
"Would you kill the women, too?" questioned Yortana.
Marfor hesitated.
"Or would you just let them die to the river because their men are not there to care for them?" pressed Yortana.
"Women don't need men to care for them," spat Marfor.
"Some do," argued Yortana. "Not all men are evil, Marfor, and not all women are capable of becoming Rhodan warriors. You may not want to believe that, but such is life."
"Do not try to talk your way out of this," scowled Marfor. "You failed in your duty with these criminals, and I am bound by law to report it to Tsarana. You had best hope that they die on the lake. Only that will spare your hide."
"Then perhaps you should run to Tsarana and report me," shrugged Yortana. "What are you waiting for?"
Marfor frowned with suspicion as she stared at Yortana. She had expected the other warrior to stall for time, but the opposite appeared to be true. She turned and glanced at the drifting raft once more.
"What do you have planned?" she asked accusingly.
"Nothing," Yortana replied innocently.
"I do not believe you," Marfor said. "You are trying to get rid of me."
"Why should I care what you do or where you go?" shrugged Yortana.
"You shouldn't," retorted Marfor, "but I think you do. I think you want me to go and report you so that I will not be around when the intruders reach the other shore of the lake."
"You see danger where none exists," Yortana shook her head. "It will take them days to drift across the lake. Look, Marfor, you go do whatever it is you want to do. I am going to continue my patrol."
Yortana turned and disappeared into the jungle foliage. Marfor stood for several minutes staring at where the other warrior had disappeared. Eventually, she shook her head moved deeper into the jungle.
* * *
The Lower Calusa River was a broad, meandering river. While the current was fairly decent, the Knights of Alcea paddled almost continuously to help move the raft downstream. The sail had been discarded as impractical with the lack of wind within the jungle and was too visible to those who might not notice them otherwise. The skulls placed along the riverbanks were more numerous than those found on the Calusa River above the lake, and the Knights of Alcea were anxious to depart Atule's Maze. The lower river was fairly free of obstacles, and they had taken turns paddling both day and night. Several times since leaving the lake, Garth had felt eyes watching him, but never for long. He never gave the appearance of having noticed, and he hadn't mentioned it to any of the others, but it was not a feeling that gave him any comfort. Each day he had quietly instructed Bitsy to scout the jungle before them, but she had never found anything worth reporting, until now.
"There are soldiers around the next bend in the river," warned the tiny woman.
"Soldiers?" asked Garth as he gazed downstream to the bend far in the distance. "In the jungle?"
"Oh, no," corrected Bitsy. "The jungle ends around the bend. There is a wide swath of field and then an old forest."
"Show me," demanded Garth as he dragged his paddle in the water to slow the raft.
The other knights turned to see what Bitsy would display. When the image formed, they saw the jungle come to an abrupt halt as if men had been tasked with stopping its spread. Just beyond the edge of the jungle was a wide prairie before the trees of the forest began. Six green-clad soldiers sat around a small fire ring. Garth stared at the image and tried to determine if the soldiers would be able to see the raft go by.
"They can't miss us," Tedi declared. "What would soldiers be doing at the edge of the jungle?"
"It appears as if there has been some effort to halt the encroaching of the jungle," replied Garth. "Perhaps the Karamins and the Rhodans do not get along with each other."
"We don't even know what the Rhodans are," Kalina pointed out. "Does that field indicate the border?"
"It must," answered Tedi. "That would make the soldiers more like border guards, but one doesn't guard a border with animals. The Rhodans must be human."
"They may be," replied Kalina, "but we can't determine that from your logic. All we can determine is that the Karamins are guarding against an advance upon their territory. What are we going to do?"
"We could get rid of the raft," suggested Natia. "The bank looks steep enough that they would never see us swim past them."
"They would still see the raft," Tedi pointed out. "That alone should pique their curiosity and cause them to get a closer look."
"Unless we tied the raft to the shore again," offered Natia.
Undecided, the three Alceans looked to Garth for his opinion, but it was obvious that Garth had not been listening.
"What is it, Garth?" Kalina asked softly.
Garth raised his arm and pointed downstream, and the others turned to see what he was pointing at. Very softly he spoke, "Try not to react to my words, but we are being watched from the jungle. It would appear that the Rhodans also have border guards."
Kalina turned casually to look at Garth as his arm dropped. She peered into the jungle behind him, but she could not see anyone. "What are we going to do?" she asked quietly.
"Given a choice," Garth replied, "I would rather face six Karamin soldiers than whatever is hiding in the jungle. When we get to the bend in the river, drop flat to the deck of the raft. We will keep our bows close at hand, but it would be best if we were not noticed at all. If we have to fight the Karamins, kill them all. We cannot afford to have their soldiers racing after us and calling for reinforcements."
Final Voyage of the Remora Page 18