"Aid them we shall," promised Kalina.
Chapter 41
Local Friends
None of the sailors on the Remora noticed the eagle flying high overhead. It spiraled lazily downward and landed in a clump of palm trees. A moment later Kalina walked out of the clump and approached Captain Gomery who was sitting on a log near the beach. The captain looked up with a start as he saw the woman approaching.
"You always scare me when you appear out of nowhere," smiled the captain.
"Sorry," Kalina said as she returned the smile. "Are you ready to depart?"
"As ready as we will ever be," answered the captain. "The repairs are done, and we have hundreds of coconuts on deck. The men are carving them up right now, but we can finish the job while we are underway. I still have a concern about navigating up the river, though. What wind there is today is out of the north. That will place it firmly on our bow. You may not be a sailor, Kalina, but even a landlubber knows that you can't sail into the wind."
"Don't worry about it," smiled Kalina. "Just get the men ready to leave."
Captain Gomery nodded as he rose from the log. He shouted for his men to gather aboard and prepare to depart.
"It will take us an hour or so to get the bow off the beach," commented the captain. "Should I have them start that now?"
"No," Kalina shook her head. "Let's get aboard."
The captain walked Kalina to the Remora and helped her climb aboard. He followed her up the rope ladder intending to stop at the helm, but Kalina had continued onward to the stern, and he followed her. The mage stood staring northward, and the captain moved to the rail alongside her.
"What are you looking for?" asked Captain Gomery.
"Your guide," answered Kalina, "and here she comes."
The captain stared into the distance and he saw something on the horizon, but he could not tell what it was. A moment later one of the sailors shouted that something was approaching them, and every sailor gathered at the stern to see what it was. The object came towards the ship at an amazing speed and the captain soon saw that it was a lone woman, and she appeared to be sailing across the surface of the water on her feet.
"What in the name of barnacles is that?" he asked.
"Your guide," Kalina chuckled. "Her name is Haditha, and you will instruct your men to show her respect at all times. From the moment she sets foot on this ship, her word is law."
The captain frowned and turned to stare at Kalina. The thought of a captain turning over control of his ship to anyone else was unheard of. Kalina felt the captain staring at her and she turned to face him.
"Haditha is known in this land as a water witch," Kalina explained. "The Zarans have used them for centuries to explore the sea as no other civilization has. I do not mean to demean your position as captain of the Remora," she continued, "but there is no creature in the world that better relates to the sea than a water witch. Follow her instructions, and the Remora will do things that you once thought impossible."
"Very well," the captain said hesitantly.
Captain Gomery moved away from Kalina and quietly instructed his men to treat Haditha as if she were royalty. He returned to Kalina's side in time to catch the water witch's final approach.
"I thought her feet were skipping over the surface of the water," he said softly, "but now I see that I was mistaken. What is that she is standing on?"
"A grass mat," Kalina replied. "It is abundant in the swamp where she lives. Have someone help her aboard."
The water witch sped towards the Remora like a gale force wind skimming across the waves. As she approached the ship, she threw her arms wide, and the grass mat slowed considerably. When she reached the side of the ship, her forward progress halted completely. She sank into the knee-deep water and bent down to pick up her mat. Cirris helped her climb the rope ladder, and Kalina and the captain were there to welcome her aboard the Remora.
"A cargo ship," she sniffed indignantly. "When I was young, we used to sail in explorers. Now, they were sleek vessels. Is your crew ready to leave, Captain Gomery?"
"We are ready," replied the captain. "What do you wish us to do?"
"Lash the rudder in a neutral position and hang on," grinned Haditha.
Ecaro looked to Captain Gomery for confirmation before carrying out the water witch's instructions. As soon as the rudder was tied in position, Haditha walked to the bow of the ship. She raised her arms wide apart, and the Remora began slowly backing off the beach. The sailors murmured loudly, but the captain halted their voices with a stern look. Once the bow was free of the beach, Haditha's hands moved in circular motions as the Remora pivoted in the bay. Once it was pointed away from the island, she brought both arms forward and the Remora began to sail into deeper water.
"She has not even asked us to raise the sails," Captain Gomery commented softly to Kalina.
"As you said yourself," grinned Kalina. "Sails are worthless sailing into the wind."
"How does she do it?" he asked.
"Truthfully," Kalina responded, "I do not know. Haditha has taught me some things about water that I never knew, but I suspect it takes a tremendous amount of training to do what she is doing, even for those with the ability. We are very fortunate to have Haditha work with us."
"I can see that," the captain nodded in appreciation. "How far are we going?"
"Over a hundred leagues into the Endless Swamp," answered Kalina. "That should give your men some time to finish up the coconuts and prepare to receive the barrels of flamorweed. I don't know if it has been mentioned before, but flamorweed is highly flammable. Each barrel will need to be secured before the Remora can return down the river, so you might want to have the men lay out the restraining lines as soon as the coconuts are completed."
"You sound as though you will not be here," frowned the captain.
"I will not be with you for some time," confirmed Kalina. "I must travel to the Rangers and direct them to where the Remora will halt its upstream journey."
* * *
The Rangers, the elves from Glendor, and Karl Gree followed Kalina through the Endless Swamp. Despite a liberal coating of melanrie, the bloodthirsty mosquitoes had been attacking them for two straight days. Their bodies were covered with welts by the time they reached the edge of Atule's Maze where the Remora was supposed to appear. Lining the edge of the swamp were over a hundred barrels, but none of the Rhodans were in sight. As they approached the barrels, Kalina waved Shawn forward.
"Check one of the barrels," she ordered. "Make sure that they contain the flamorweed as we requested."
Shawn Cowen selected a barrel at random and pried the lid off. His eyes widened as he stared into the barrel.
"They have already extracted the resin from the stalks," he commented.
"Isn't that what you wanted?" asked Kalina.
"It is more than I wanted," replied the Ranger. "I had expected to have to extract the resin during the sea voyage. That could have been tricky depending on the seas, but this cargo is now highly volatile. We must be extremely careful in handling these barrels."
"Then we shall be careful," Kalina responded. "Is the quantity enough?"
"More than enough," nodded Shawn. "My estimates were based on the quantity of stalks needed. We easily have triple our needs."
Kalina caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see Gerant moving towards the jungle foliage.
"Stop!" Kalina shouted.
Gerant halted and then turned to look at Kalina. "I was only seeking some shade," the elf said defensively.
"You will have to do without shade," Kalina replied forcefully. "I am not exactly sure where the jungle begins, but we will not move past the barrels."
The elf nodded with disappointment and turned around. Just beyond the barrels a group of women warriors remained hidden while they watched and listened.
"This is technically not Atule's Maze that we are in," one of the Rhodans commented softly. "We are in half swamp and half jungle
."
"I know," answered Yortana, "but Kalina wants to be sure not to offend us. I feel sorry for them out there in the sun, but it is best that they stay away."
"Look!" another warrior called softly as she pointed southward beyond Kalina's group. "How is that possible?"
Yortana stared at the tall masts in the distance. While she preferred not to spend too much time in the Endless Swamp, she was familiar with the area where they had arranged the barrels of flamorweed. The Endless River was some distance away, but there was no mistaking the masts that were getting closer to them. A large ship was somehow maneuvering through the swamp. The Rhodans were not the only ones amazed at the appearance of the masts. The Rangers and elves turned southward and stared in amazement.
"Haditha?" asked Max Caber.
"The water witch," Kalina smiled and nodded. "Only she could bring the Remora to us here."
"The trick with the raft was impressive," Clint commented, "but a ship the size of the Remora is almost unbelievable."
"Believe it," replied Kalina. "Get the men ready to load your cargo of flamorweed. I would like to depart as soon as possible. While I do not expect the Federation army to arrive at any moment, Haditha said that the emperor does send spies out here at times. I don't want the Remora's location known to him."
"The men are ready," Clint replied. "We will not move a single barrel until that ship is rock steady. Otherwise we will end up as a permanently scorched part of this swamp."
Kalina nodded as the Remora came into view. Haditha stood on the bow, her arms pointing forward. When the ship got closer, the men murmured as the hull came into view, pushing the tall grass to each side. Haditha's arms fluidly spread apart, and the forward momentum of the Remora slowed to a smooth stop. The ship sat in a small channel of water, and the seamen lowered a small platform over the side. The platform was attached by rope to one of the spars and the line ran through a winch. As soon as the platform reached the surface of the swamp, Haditha threw a rope ladder over the side of the ship and climbed down. She stretched her arms and legs and then walked over to Kalina.
"That looks like it takes a lot out of you," Kalina commented.
"It does," replied the water witch. "When we used to sail the oceans, we always had at least two water witches on board. That would allow one of us to rest while the other guided the ship."
"I really appreciate your help," smiled Kalina. "We could not have accomplished this without you."
"I am just pleased that you were able to come to some type of accommodations with the Rhodans," Haditha replied. "You didn't explain to me what happened in there."
"I did as you suggested," answered Kalina. "I went in and let them surround me. After that I merely spoke the truth to them. Sooner or later the Federation will seek to exert its control over the whole continent. No one is safe trying to hide from them."
"I suppose that is true enough," nodded the water witch. "And they let your men enter and gather the weeds without a problem?"
"No," answered Kalina. "The Rhodans gathered the plants and filled the barrels. They even delivered the barrels to the edge of the swamp so that we did not have to enter Atule's Maze."
"Did they now?" Haditha raised an eyebrow. "It sounds as if they approve of whatever it is you plan to do with the flamorweed."
"What we plan to do," smiled Kalina, "is torch the entire fleet of Federation ships. That way they will not be able to invade Alcea."
"No," gasped the water witch. "How can you possibly hope to do that? They would never be foolish enough to anchor their fleet outside the Needle."
"No, they wouldn't," agreed Kalina. "There are over a hundred troop transports anchored just inside the Needle. They are practically without crews."
"Why would they need crews or protection?" frowned Haditha. "They are in the Sea of Tears. You will never even get close to them. I am sure glad that my part in this endeavor will be over when I guide your ship back to the Isles of the Lost."
"We will get to those ships somehow," Kalina replied optimistically.
"Now you are lying to yourself," retorted Haditha. "You are taking these men on a suicide mission. Do they know about it?"
"The Remora is unfit for a return trip to Alcea," declared Kalina. "If we cannot get our knowledge back to Alcea, we must endeavor to cripple the Federation's plans for attacking our homeland. Each man was given the opportunity to leave our service. Not a single man took that opportunity. We all know the risks that we face, Haditha, but there are some things that are more important than life."
"That is silly," scowled Haditha. "Nothing is more important than life. What could you possibly think is more important than your life?"
"The lives of thousands of others," Kalina responded without hesitation. "I also have a strong belief in right versus wrong. I cannot allow the followers of Balmak to despoil my country, kill my friends, and pillage my cities. I have an obligation to halt that evil if I am capable of doing so."
"Balmak?" spat the water witch. "Now that is a name I have not heard spoken in a long time. The empire was born of the followers of Balmak. It was they who began the slave trade. I wish someone had put a stop to them a long time ago."
"I guess those who could have made a difference chose not to get involved," retorted Kalina. "The spread of evil depends upon good people turning away instead of taking a stand. Fear is one of Balmak's most potent weapons."
"If you are trying to shame me into accompanying you on this suicide mission," scowled the water witch, "save your breath. Water witches have never been violent people. We do not run off to war or stand in battle. We are a peace-loving breed."
"I was not trying to shame you into anything," frowned Kalina. "I apologize if that is how you took my comments. I guess I sometimes come on a little strong where certain subjects are concerned. I have spent my whole life fighting the forces of Balmak in one guise or another. Three years ago I thought that battle had been won. My husband and I finally had settled down to a life where we could just enjoy one another, and now I have discovered that the battle is not yet over. I cannot apologize for my strong feelings on this subject, but I do apologize if my words sounded as if they were meant against you. You have already been a great help to us," she added with a smile. "I truly appreciate what you have done for us."
"And what I have yet to do," replied Haditha. "I still have to get this huge wooden beast back to Claw Key. I think I will go rest in the captain's quarters until it is time to leave."
Kalina was angry with herself as she watched the water witch return to the ship. She had not intended to insult Haditha, or water witches in general, but looking back on the words she had spoken, it was easy to see why Haditha was upset. Kalina had practically accused her of running away from her troubles rather than confronting them. The truth was, she mused, if Haditha had not hidden in the swamp, she would probably have been killed as the other water witches had been.
Kalina chewed on her lower lip in silence as the men loaded the barrels of flamorweed onto the ship. Clint had been correct when he said that his men were organized for the task. The loading of the barrels moved smoothly and quickly. As the last platform of barrels was being hoisted aboard the ship, Kalina turned and marched towards the jungle. She halted in front of the first large tree and spoke in a voice loud enough to carry some distance into Atule's Maze.
"Please give my thanks to Tsarana and the Rhodan people," she said to whoever was spying on the Remora. "As I have promised, should the Sisters of Justice ever need help in the cities or woodlands of Zara, the Alceans will stand ready to assist in any way that we can."
"Go in peace, sister Kalina," came the reply from the jungle.
Kalina smiled for she recognized the voice as belonging to Yortana.
"And peace be with you, sister Yortana," grinned the Knight of Alcea.
Kalina turned and made her way to the Remora. She climbed up the rope ladder and inspected the lashing of the barrels.
* * *
Giza was a huge city. The capital of Aerta was the Zaran center of shipbuilding, and long docks jutted out into the sea. The mouth of the Zinbar River divided the city in two, and numerous bridges spanned the wide river. Wharves lined both banks of the river, and scores of warehouses were dedicated to housing the output of Aertan farms before the goods were shipped across the Sea of Tears. In Alcean terms, Giza would have been the largest city in the country, and it would also have been the most prosperous, but Garth was saddened deeply by what he saw.
Hundreds of Federation soldiers patrolled the streets of Giza, and the citizens scurried about like nervous sheep in the wolves' den. Garth couldn't help wondering if the people were afraid of the soldiers, or the soldiers were present because of what the people feared. Street beggars were so numerous that they were completely ignored by the rest of the citizens. Most of the beggars sat dejectedly with their palms out, and the look on their faces showed that their expectations were slim. Natia's purse jingled when she tried to pick out a coin for some young girls on a corner. Morro moved so swiftly that Garth blinked at the sight. The elven thief grasped Natia's hand tightly as he whispered into her ear.
"If you give even a single coin," he warned, "hundreds of people will mob you. Everyone in Giza will soon have a description of you. We cannot afford to be known just yet."
Natia frowned, but she nodded in understanding. When Morro released her wrist, the gypsy princess moved her hand away from her purse. Morro returned to Garth's side as if nothing had happened. He tapped Garth's arm and nodded to the right as they passed through an intersection. Garth turned his head and stared down the cross street. Several bodies littered the street and the decay told Garth that the bodies had been there for a day or two. The Knight of Alcea glanced questioningly at the thief.
"It may have been from hunger," explained Morro, "or maybe the result of a robbery. Sickness is also a possibility. The point is, no one seems to notice anymore."
"Why haven't they been buried?" asked Garth.
"Who can say?" shrugged Morro. "It is usually the family that comes and disposes of the body, but those corpses might not have any family. Or maybe the families cannot afford the burials so they pretend not to notice."
Final Voyage of the Remora Page 51