“That sounds … smart,” Baya had to concede.
Chapter 47
There was too much ground to cover. After much debate it was decided that they needed to split up. Vicaroy would head east and Baya would explore to the south. This way they could cover more ground in search of food and shelter. Neither was thrilled about the idea. It was most likely dangerous but this was a vast land and they needed to find resources — and fast — if they were to survive.
There was no telling what terrible things could be out there. They hadn’t seen any signs of the dangerous animals that the scrolls warned about. Yet, Baya knew that they most likely existed. They were out there … somewhere.
She watched with apprehension as Vicaroy headed off on his own. He might very well be the only other person in this new world. The thought of being alone for the rest of her life made her shiver. “Be careful,” she called after him.
Armed with his bow, quiver of arrows and a spear which doubled as a walking stick, Vicaroy disappeared into the thick forest.
Baya fought the urge to follow after him. She didn’t have time to stand around and worry about him. She forced herself to head south. But he didn’t have powers. He would be fine, he was strong and capable with his weapons, she tried to convince herself.
Baya studied her own bow with apprehension as she secured it over her shoulder. She doubted that she was strong enough to pull the string back. Hopefully she had the strength to explore the southern coast and use her powers if the need arose. She paused and took a deep breath.
“I can do this,” she whispered.
The tickle of many legs could be felt as Doba scurried around her own leg and his feet made their way up her body.
“Doba! Thank the Goddess you’re back!”
He secured himself in his usual place, resting on her shoulder with his head next to Baya’s.
“What did you see out there?”
Mostly trees, lots of trees … and grass.
“No terrible woman-eating beasts?”
Nope.
“No others like you?”
Nope. So did you finally ditch the boy?
“No! Doba, you two are going to have to learn to get along. We’re supposed to meet back at the campfire at dusk, if not before.”
Doba hissed his disappointment.
They made their way south along the coast.
Baya was glad she had someone to talk to. “Everything is strange in this place, the trees, the plants, even the air smells different.
I hate it. It’s cold, Doba said.
Hours passed and Baya’s pace slowed. She was weak and malnourished from the long boat voyage. They saw nothing but shore and grass and trees. There was nothing that could be used as a shelter. She didn’t recognize any plants as edible. On the positive side there were also no giant animals trying to eat them.
She sat by a small stream and they both drank their fill.
“I hope Vicaroy is having better luck than we are.” All Baya wanted to do was rest in the warm midday sun, but she had to keep going…
Baya woke with a start. The suns were getting low in the sky. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been dozing but she would be lucky to make it back to Vicaroy before dark. She struggled to her feet and headed north, back up the coastline. As she walked, she nibbled on some bread, which she shared with Doba.
The night was almost fully upon them when she saw a faint light ahead. Baya ran to close the distance. She was eager to get to safety and the delicious smell that came from the fire ahead.
Vicaroy paced by the large fire. When Baya stepped into the light his shoulders slumped with relief. “I was about to head out after you.”
Baya’s legs ached and her lungs stung from her short jog. “We’re fine.” She sucked in some air. “Sorry to worry you. I …” she lowered her chin to her chest.
“What is it? Are you okay?”
“Yes. I fell asleep, that’s all. I’m sorry.” She felt like a complete failure. “I hope you had better luck than we did.”
Vicaroy gave her a broad smile. “This land is fruitful. I was able to kill two birds and I found many plants. Here …” He gestured for Baya to sit by the warmth of the fire. “Try this.”
Baya took the steaming bowl from him and the delicious fragrance was almost more than her senses could handle. It took all the restraint she could muster not to devour the scalding-hot stew. She stirred the contents of the bowl and blew on it.
Her mouth salivated in anticipation of a much-needed fresh meal. When she was confident that it was cool enough to eat she took a mouthful. The juicy taste of fresh meat and veggies caused her mouth to water even more. A moan escaped her lips.
“I found several different roots.” Vicaroy’s eyes shone with pride. “Not to mention some herbs to help flavor the meal. The plants are not quite like the ones I’m used to, yet they’re similar enough that with some digging and searching I found what I was looking for.”
Baya could feel the strength flow into her body as the stew went to work restoring her health. “This is the best food I’ve ever tasted.” Baya spoke with a mouth full. In no time her bowl was empty.
Vicaroy puffed his chest out. Nothing made him feel more like a man than being able to provide for Baya. He filled her bowl again and she didn’t object. It was a luxury to have seconds. They’d had to go long enough without eating their fill.
“I didn’t find any shelter, though. And you said you didn’t have any luck?”
He posed this as a question and Baya felt as useless as a rock. “Well … no. We didn’t find anything.” She sighed and couldn’t bring herself to tell him that it was not just a short nap she had taken but rather most of the afternoon she’d wasted away in a slumber.
Yet Vicaroy had accomplished so much. He’d hunted and found food, then prepared it and managed to salvage more stuff, including the cookware, from the wreckage of that dreaded boat — all while Baya slept.
“It’s okay,” Vicaroy said. “We can look for shelter tomorrow. The sky is clear tonight so hopefully it won’t rain.”
“I suppose we don’t have a choice anyway, rain or not we’re stuck outside,” Baya said. “We’ll have to rely on the fire to keep us safe.”
“We need the heat anyway.”
“Let’s pray our luck holds out and there are no wild animals lurking about in search of an easy meal.”
She hated feeling weak and useless. Her strength would come back if Vicaroy was able to find plenty of food, and then she could be of more help. She didn’t think she had the strength to set a protection spell yet.
Baya’s face lit up. Lots of rest and a belly full of warm stew had her feeling more energized than she had in a long time. She collected four long branches and pulled strips of tree bark from some nearby trees. She wrapped one end of a branch with the tree bark.
“Torches?” Vicaroy asked.
“They can be placed around our camp while we sleep.”
“Good idea.”
“Hopefully they will help keep us alive through the night. Now, you get some rest. You’ve had a full day. I’ll stay up on first watch.” At least she wasn’t utterly worthless. Baya smiled to herself.
A full stomach had the opposite effect on Vicaroy — while Baya was more energized, he was content to crawl under the covers. His breathing soon grew heavy.
Chapter 48
After a large breakfast of leftovers Baya and Vicaroy decided to split up again but this time they would stay within earshot of each other.
“We want to head south to warmer lands so —”
“And to find the path to Merth,” Baya interrupted.
“There’s a path?”
“I doubt it’s a wide cobblestone street like we had in Una Sitka but I think one of the parchments left clues to get back to Merth.” Baya looked to the sky in deep thought. “It was titled, ‘A way back’ …
* * *
To return to the abandoned civilization
The key
is to follow the unmoving star
Let these clues be your guide
The secret lies with the snake
Nestled in its belly
You will find what you seek
Yet the problem remains
How to find the elusive creature
One mighty obstacle will change your course
The birds of stone will show you the way
But first you must seek the sentinels who carry the morning sun
Then you know you are on the right path
* * *
There was a brightness in Baya’s sunburst eyes that Vicaroy hadn’t seen in a long time. “What in the name of Ameris does that mean?”
“It could be a map, of sorts, that will guide us to other people.”
Vicaroy frowned. “Or it could be just an old poem. We have no idea who wrote that. There is no telling what they meant by all that nonsense.”
“I think it means that the secret is Merth and to find it we have to find a snake and stone birds … and two sentinels. Only in reverse.”
Vicaroy made no attempt to hide his confusion. He only stared at Baya with raised eyebrows.
“Okay look, the scroll also had symbols.” She drew in the dirt with a stick, two finger shapes with a sun rising between them. Underneath she drew a circle.
“That doesn’t look familiar.”
“Of course it doesn’t, we’ve never been here before. It’s a landmark that we have to find, the sun rising between two sentinels. See…” she pointed to the two finger-like figures.
“And the circle underneath? What’s that?”
“I don’t know. But if we had sailed directly east then it may have been easier to find. The scroll said that the most direct route to land was east, yet we were blown off course. So we need to head south in order to find the first clue that will lead us to Merth.”
“And that vague drawing and a cryptic poem are our only clues?” Vicaroy shook his head, not fully following what she was saying. “It doesn’t matter why we make our way south, as long as we head toward warmer weather as soon as we can.”
“Fine.” Baya said. She didn’t like the skepticism in his voice. “At least we’re in agreement about that.” Baya grabbed her bow and quiver throwing them over her shoulder.
She had already explored some of the southern beach so they both moved inland before making their way southward through the forest. They stayed within earshot of each other, yet out of sight.
This way they could cover more land and increase their odds of finding a cave or a rock overhang that could be used as shelter from the weather and wild animals.
Baya had a sinking feeling that it was only a matter of time before they came upon the dangers of these lands, the ones promised to them by the old texts.
She scoured the foreign plants in search of ones that would lead to edible roots. Vicaroy had shown her what leaves to look for. They seemed to be the only vegetables in season this close to the cold months of equal darkness and light.
“Baya!” Vicaroy’s voice boomed.
Her heart leapt. Sure that he was in terrible trouble she took off at a full run in the direction of his voice. Her legs protested but she forced them to move faster. She really needed to get back in shape.
“What’s wrong?” she tried to yell but couldn’t find the breath to get the words out.
She came up over a hill to find Vicaroy standing in front of a pile of huge rocks. He held his arm out. “Do you think this will work?”
Baya bent over, lungs heaving and sucking in air, before she even tried to figure out what he was talking about. He’s okay, he’s okay… her, on the other hand … she was not so great. She gulped in another deep breath and stood to examine what he had found.
Several rocks were piled on top of each other. One large slab had fallen across other stones to form a triangle. The space beneath it was open. It wasn’t a cave, per se, but it would provide shelter enough for two to sleep comfortably.
“It’s perfect!” Baya threw her arms around Vicaroy. “It will make a great home while we gather food for our journey south.”
So the work began. Vicaroy left to hunt and Baya headed back for their supplies. She found a large plank that had washed up on shore by the camp. It had been part of their boat and it was about the size of a door. Tying all the supplies she thought they may need to the plank she dragged it through the forest. Her arms shook from the effort and her legs screamed at her.
She was tempted to use her powers to float the supplies but that would drain her even quicker. Plus, Baya needed to make her body strong again. It was terrible to not be as strong as she had once been.
Baya glared at Doba who sat on top of the belongings like a sentry. “You could help, you know? Or at least carry yourself.”
Doba only replied with a short click and hiss.
Covered in sweat she eventually collapsed in front of the fallen stones — their new shelter.
They spent their days hunting and searching for useful plants. Vicaroy grew skilled at hunting birds and they both learned more about the local plants. They used the panel from the former boat as a door to their triangular room.
Each day that passed seemed colder than the last. In the evenings, Vicaroy sewed them jackets and pants out of two of the thickest blankets. Using cured hides from their supplies, he made them leather boots. The extra pieces of blanket material were used to line the makeshift footwear, which they wore over their stockings and shoes.
Vicaroy smoked thin strips of poultry. The resulting jerky would make good travel food.
He was glad to see the dark circles disappear from under Baya’s eyes and her cheeks slowly filled out. At least he could once again keep the woman he loved well fed.
As Baya regained her strength she was able to start using her powers again. She set a protection spell around them every night.
“You know I could get used to this,” Vicaroy said over the campfire one night.
Baya smiled in answer. It was peaceful.
The following morning they woke to find a solid white landscape. The snow was up to Baya’s knees and still coming down. None of them had been in snow before. They had only heard about it. It didn’t take Baya or Doba long to decide they didn’t like it.
Supplies were rolled up in blankets that fastened to their backs. Their time had run out and the journey south began.
Chapter 49
For days on end staying warm was their greatest challenge. Vicaroy was sure his hands were going to freeze solid and fall completely off, so he sewed mittens for Baya and himself. With their new heavy clothing they were warm enough as long as they kept moving. At night Baya would use her powers to help keep them warm.
Any plant life had frozen, making the edible roots impossible to find. Small game was also scarce. They ate largely from their supply of roots and dried meat. It was not nearly as satisfying as Vicaroy’s hot stews but it kept them healthy. Baya dreamed of a day when she would never have to eat smoked meat again, or feel the bite of the bitter cold on her face.
They made their way south down the coast. It took a week before they were out of the snow and several more weeks passed before the weather grew noticeably warmer. Supplies were getting dangerously low. So they decided to stop at a rock overhang along the beach. They had to take some time to dry more meat and gather what little plant-based food they could find.
Baya plopped down under the overhang, taking the opportunity to rub her sore feet. “Hopefully we have finally escaped the rainy season.” Baya frowned at the foot she was massaging. “The blisters have turned into calluses,” she mindlessly observed. “What is it?” she asked when she noticed the concerned look on Vicaroy’s face.
“The nights are growing shorter. We are heading into the warm season.”
“The Time of Daylight. Yes, that’s a good thing.” Baya longed for the hot sun on her skin.
“But, I’ve been thinking ... There seem to be more small animals in the south …”
>
“And?” Baya still didn’t see the problem. “That means more food for us.”
“Yet, what if predators follow the prey as well, and we’re headed right for them. That could be why we didn’t see any large animals in the north.”
“It’s definitely possible. We don’t have a choice do we? We can’t survive in the cold and the snow. Let’s hope that my protection spell is enough to keep us hidden from predators at night.”
“We’ve been lucky so far … too lucky. I’m worried that …” He left the thought hanging.
“That ... our luck will run out and that there are likely to be more threats the farther south we go,” Baya finished his sentence.
“Yeah. That’s it.” He admired how she could always find the words to sum things up nicely. Expressing his thoughts and feelings was not one of Vicaroy’s strengths.
“It’s wise to be worried,” Baya admitted.
Thus their journey went. They crossed the strange and lovely land that grew greener as they traveled. They stopped to re-supply as needed. Like life on the boat, before the monsoons, they fell into a monotonous routine. But instead of taking turns sailing, their life consisted mostly of walking … endlessly walking.
One warm morning Baya woke to an amazing sight. She had to rub her eyes to make sure she was actually seeing what was in front of her.
Vicaroy woke to her scream. He’d been dreaming of a large beast. It moved gracefully around him on three powerful legs. Her scream came as the beast leapt for him. The next thing he knew, he was awake and on his feet, his spear in his hand. The spear was always by his side, never out of arms reach.
“Look!” Baya pointed.
Doba scampered around Baya’s feet hissing and clicking. He’d been rudely startled by the sudden awakening as well.
There was a lake in the distance. The morning rays glistened off the crystal blue water in waves of white light. But that was not what had provoked her outcry. On the other side of the lake stood two tall stone structures. Between the thin rocks rose the first sun of the day.
A Woman's World Page 20