Awenasa snorts at Anno's questions. "You think I want to be here? I no wish to leave home. I no want to be here but I have no choice. If I not keep going, my people die."
She frowns as she thinks, "And why matter if happy?"
The Shoanti feels like screaming at the sky in frustration but the spirits obviously didn't care if she was happy or not. "If you refuse, I can't make you." She reconsiders, "I could but I won't."
She fixes her gaze on Anno. "But you said you like me. If you don't lead me through swamp, someone else takes me who doesn't keep word and then I die lost in swamp and my people die. I told you only honourable guide to take me through. If you suggest someone else you trust then acceptable to me."
'Death is not the worst thing." Anno opines, voice quiet in the dark. He drops the hook and shortly hauls up another struggling fish. It plunks in the bucket with a loud clunk.
He laughs when Awenasa says she could make him. "You think so?" His dark outline turned toward her, face a blank mask in the night. "Maybe...maybe."
More silence and then, "Honor. What does it get a person? Honor does not fill your purse, it does not fill your belly and it doesn't fill your dreams. A hollow promise, Awenasa. That is what honor is. A chain, strung around your neck, for others to pull and prod."
Then, without warning the waterman straightens, grabbing his full bucket.
"Very well, I will take you Awenasa Windkeeper. We shall go where the chains of honor have bound us. Maybe we will find their ends, eh?" he looks up at the night sky, unmarred by moon or cloud. The stars dance above, bright and gleaming, sure as ever.
"We leave tonight. The swamp is best started at night. Let's hope your friends are not yet asleep."
Awenasa gives a small nod in the dark. Under her breath, almost a whisper, she adds, "No, death not worst thing...for me. But can't let it happen to my quah while I live."
"Honour gets trust. Rare commodity in lowlands. But you right, no riches, no food. And usually makes life hard. But I sleep well at night knowing I do right thing."
The Shoanti's face shows mild surprise when Anno agrees to take them. "Maybe. Find ends or break them."
Surprise turns to doubt when Anno mentions leaving at night. But the doubt is only temporary. If she is trusting in his expertise then she needs to trust him fully. "If they asleep then I wake them up." She pauses briefly before adding, "Thank you. I will pay however you see fit, within my ability."
Anno shakes his head, "Money. We were talking of honor, death and chains, Awenasa Windkeeper. What is coin compared to that? Save such talk for the landsmen. The swamp has no desire for gold or shells. And neither do we that venture into it."
Happily, Perey and Thak are not asleep. Awenasa finds them playing some sort of card game, a small orb of lit apparently lit by Perey's magic. They look up with surprise when Awenasa and Anno approach together.
"We go." Anno says shortly, without breaking stride. He enters his 'house', vanishing inside.
Thak blinks, eyes visible in the dim mage light. "So, you convinced them? What did it take? Did we make some promise?"
Only a moment later Anno re-emerges, carrying a small sack. He tosses it into his boat with a soft clunk. Without a word he follows it with a nimble hop. The small canoe-like boat sways under him slightly, rippling the moonlit water. The waterman pauses, standing tall in the prow. All seems quiet and still as he takes a deep, audible breath.
Then he waves at them. "Come, moon light is best for swamp travel. We can make good distance tonight yet, before the sun comes up."
Awenasa nods at Anno, grateful that he understands. "Coin no compare. But other ways to pay than coin." And she leaves it at that.
There is a small part of her that is proud to find her companions alert and awake when she returns. Even though she would have understood if she had found them asleep, she is happy to see that they weren't.
She shrugs at Thak's questions. "I offer truth and Anno is honourable. No promise, no payment. But if find secret of breaking chains of honour then share with him."
Awenasa watches Anno's agile movements in the boat and realizes that there are still things for her to learn. Being on water in a smaller vessel uses a different bodily awareness than she usually had. However, she quickly follows and then turns to help Thak and Perey should they need it.
[b]"Whatever you need, I help. Tell me what need."
The man gives her a star shining smile, "Good."
That first night's travel is a strange one. Awenasa finds herself afloat in a bizarre world she knows little of. First off is the inky blackness, lit only by stars and two very faint moons that shed nothing like the light of the ones she knew. The darkness itself holds no terror for her, a warrior of the Plateau, but is still unsettling, hiding so many unknowns. Black on black, shadows in shadows.
It is a water world, of course, although Awenasa catches few of the details. Sometimes it seems they are moving through open water, like that of a vast lake. Other times they are pushing from pool to pool, each locked by banks of heavy reeds or clinging vines. Still other times, Awenasa notes a current pushing them, here and there, like a river suddenly appeared in the black water. Yet no matter what, everything seems wet, damp...alive.
Noises are strange, echoing weirdly off the water. A frog call sounds as loud as a battle horn but her own voice sometimes needs muffled by rank plant growth, trailing off to a whisper. Bugs abound of course, buzzing past her ears. Bats follow them, ghost-like shades that are barely visible. Larger, strange shapes dance in the distance, flitting among the fallen trees, heaps of growth and trailing vines.
Their guide though, seems unbothered by all of this. Anno is silent for most of it, poling the boat from amidships. It does not take Awenasa long to realize he is a master waterman. He guides the small ship through and around obstacles she isn't even aware of, navigating an unseen maze through pure blackness. A few times he tasks his passengers to row, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Black water slopping off dark oars make the only sound.
Then, finally, the sky grows pale gray in the east. The stars retreat and the bugs, mercifully, retreat. The world around them brightens somewhat as a great chorus of birdsong, more complicated then Awenasa has ever heard, starts to sing. Colors start to seep in as Awenasa finds herself afloat in a shifting world of reed beds, tangled trees, mud piles and open standing water. It is utterly alien to her, a labyrinth with no escape.
"We will rest as the sun rises." Anno says, breaking a silence of many hours. Despite the hours of poling and guiding, the stump-like man seems fresh as ever, eyes bright in the dawning sun. "And continue at noon. The faster we move through, the better."
He turns to Awenasa, "And what did you think of your first night, eh?"
Awenasa contemplates Anno's question in stoic silence. Just as it seems like she was ignoring the man, she says, "Different. I prefer solid ground but it not unpleasant."
She begins to ask questions as she tries to understand and process her experiences the night before. "How you know which path to take? How you know there hidden obstacles in water? I would be at loss if I had had to find way. You made it look easy but I know it not."
The Shoanti shifts her body slightly to get more comfortable as rest is suggested. "You mention few times about moving fast through swamp. Is there threat to be concerned of? Maybe we take turns resting so someone warns of trouble?"
Anno chuckles a bit at her question about how to find the way. Around them the world slowly grows brighter and brighter, the sky turning shades of faint pink and blue. Other colors seep into the world, as trees become green, floating logs turn brown and yellow flowers peek out. The water however is still a deep blackish abyss, seemingly a hungry void.
"Find the way?" The waterman finally says, idlily poling the boat between two half-fallen trees. Some straggling vines trail across the boat like fingers, rustling harmlessly.
'Close your eyes." Anno says and Awenasa does so. 'Now, touch your nose." Feeling like a child (and knowing Perey is probably grinning) Awenasa does so.
"How did you know where your nose was?" Anno says simply, "It is like that. It is just...the way."
In short order they have drawn up besides a hump of grassy soil, dotted with trees. Thak, who seems keen to leave the boat is about ready to jump onto it when Anno stops him. 'Watch. The swamp holds many dangers."
He pokes the little mound with his pole, and to their astonishment, the entire landmass bobs in the water. It is merely a floating island, a tangle of weeds, mud and roots. Anno laughs and poles them to another one, which proves to be actual solid land.
As they scramble out of the boat, Anno answers Awenasa's concerns, "Many threats in the swamp, some more obvious then others. Sucking sand, deep water, grasping roots. And others, of course. There are hunting creatures in here. Dawn and dusk are the prime hours." This is not unfamiliar to Awenasa, even the great predators of her own land were most active at such times.
"No need to take turns." Anno says, "I will not sleep until we reach the other side." He gives a small smile, "I will wake you if needed. You are a great fighter, yes? We might need that before the other side."
Awenasa cracks her eye a bit to look at Perey after Anno tells her to touch her nose and sure enough, his smile is larger than she's seen in a while.
She nods slightly when he says it is just the way. "I feel that way at home. I never get lost on Plateau in dark but this so different." She gazes down into the endless black of the water as the faces of mentors from back home flash through her mind, "Who taught you the way?"
Once on solid ground, she continues her questions as she catalogues his list of threats in the swamp, "What kind of creatures here that hunt us?"
Awenasa feels a momentary flash of concern when Anno tells her there's no need to set up a watch. Could she rest easily putting her life and the lives of her friends in Anno's ability to stay awake and alert? But then again, she is doing that very thing by trusting him to lead them safely through the swamp. After a few moments of internal struggle, she decides that her being rested is better than her worrying about what ifs. She settles herself down to sleep with a nod to Anno.
Anno looks surprised at Awenasa's question, the waterman clearly taken aback. Apparently this is not a common question. The man ponders her for along moment, then looks out over the same waters, eyes distant. The morning chorus of birds is very loud now, a hundred different calls greeting the rising dawn.
"It was my mother. She was a great water guide, the greatest according to some. I was actually born out here, among the reeds and trees. It was supposed to be a quick fishing trip but bad weather kept them out here for days and well.." Anno chuckled, "She said I was eager to start helping, so I was born a bit early."
"She taught me everything she knew. The ways of the swamp, things villagers never understand. How looking at a single plant can tell you so much." Anno reaches down and plucks a small brown reed at the water's edge. He rolls it in his finger. "Silverman's Lace." he says, indicating it. Awenasa looks and can see tiny silver threads among the dried flowers. "Only grows in still, calm waters. The deeper the water, the taller the grows. The stronger the current, the richer the flowers color. You can make tea out of it, in the right season. So much from one plant." He lets it fall to the water.
"She was a good woman, and I miss her. She lived well though, and long. In the end it was time that claimed her, not the swamp. No crabs or fish disturb her bones." He shook his head, shaking off old memories. "Get some sleep Awenasa, we will need it."
Awenasa falls asleep quickly, worn out by the day before. Rowing was hard work, even in a still swamp.
A gentle touch from Anno woke her. The sun was fully overhead now, a blazing disc. The world was hot and humid, and her skin stuck together with sweat and salt.
"It is time." Anno said quietly, "But before you rise, look." The gnarled man pointed out over the water. There Awenasa saw two tall birds wading in the water. Stately and proud, they looked nearly big enough for a child to ride, with bright blue feathers and fierce red eyes.
"Hunting Great Cranes." Anno breathed, "A good omen, doubly so this time of year. They are usually roosting in the southern end by now. It will be a long dry season if they are still out." He stood up and woke Thak and Perey.
The cranes noticed and, with grace, flew off, wings beating loudly. All else was quiet and still, the swamp waiting and watching.
"We travel till dusk." Anno said, "The next stage is a dangerous one, hunting grounds for several creatures." He looked at Awenasa and smiles softly, "We do not speak their names so close to their homes, bad luck. But I expect we may need your fists and strength. I have a feeling we may be hunted."
Awenasa listens to Anno speak of his mother, understanding how family often shapes the person one becomes. Makayda may not have trained Awenasa but she definitely shaped the person she had become and the choices she makes. "You honour your mother's spirit in continuing in the ways she taught you."
Strangely at peace in an unfamiliar world, Awenasa quickly falls asleep when given the opportunity.
She is immediately on alert when she feels someone or something touch her. She makes to get to her feet but realizes she isn't awoken because of danger when Anno points towards the water.
Her eyes open in wonder as she observes the magnificent birds before her. She had never seen such creatures on the Plateau and so she quietly watched them and took in every detail. Once they flew away she turns to Perey and says, "The stories you will tell our people when we finally get home will be remembered for generations."
Refreshed in both body and spirit, Awenasa nods at Anno and prepares herself for the next leg of the journey.
The noon sun is hot overhead, amplifying by the draining humidity. The only relief is the occasional shade of overhanging trees, but their shadows are infested with biting insects of every variety. Thak, despairing, asks Anno if there is anyway to stop the hungry creatures.
'Run out of blood."
Still, otherwise, the journey goes well otherwise. Anno punts them through with skill and obvious logic, even if Awenasa can't see it. As far as she can tell, it is an endless maze of trees, weeds and pools of dark water. But he guide seems undaunted, and leads them without doubt.
Awenasa wonders how much she is missing. A few times she spots large shapes moving in the murk below, vague outlines shifting. When Perey shouts Anno just chuckles, "Turtles."
A turtle as big as a carthouse?
But then they come to a wide open pool of water and Anno stops, looking concerned for the first time. Dead ahead is a leaning tree like hundreds of other deadfalls they have passed. The only different is, this one seems...burned. Scarred with flames.
"I was afraid of this." Anno says finally, and points ahead, "That is the best way, but it seems the Shienmo are on the hunt." Seeing their faces he adds, "Lizardmen that live in the swamp. Very dangerous. They often eat their victims."
The waterman looks at the tree, and then looks at Awenasa, "Three choices. We risk the Shienmo and go the fastest path. We probably get eaten. Second, we go the long way around, spend an extra three days in the swamp. or third," he points to the south, "We risk the festrog but I would advise against that unless you have a silver weapon in your baggage." he laughs at this, as if the idea is unthinkable.
Seeing Anno's concern immediately puts Awenasa on guard. When the guide sees reason to be alarmed then one needs to pay attention.
The Shoanti weighs all of Anno's choices. As usual, if it was just her then she would take the risk but she had others to think of. She doesn't like the idea of taking longer but she needs more information in order to make a final decision.
"Tell more of this festrog. What is festrog? You mention silver." She glances down at her hands and then over at Perey and Thak. "What of magic?"
Anno shrugs, "It is a monster whose lair lives down that. It is not a normal beast though. The crocodile, the piranha, even the froghemoth all hunt for food. To fill their bellies, like we all do. I do not begurdge them their lives, simply learn how to avoid them."
The crooked waterman shakes his head, "The festrog is not like that. It is an...undead creature. Where it came from I do not know, but it has lingered in this part of the swamp for a long time, before my own time. It does not need to eat, it merely kills out of some enjoyment. It reveals in the hunt."
He eyes lock on Awenasa's, a mixture of surprise and confusion, "You would suggest fighting such a beast? It is something like a troll, it exudes illness and corruption. Rumor says it has spread plague in the town before, when it has drawn near the homes. It is greatly feared because many weapons cannot even harm it." A pause as he gazes into the swmap, which seems the same as ever to Awenasa, a riot of life and activity.
"You are so formidable a warrior?"
”If go that way, we have to fight festrog? Can we avoid? I not say I looking to fight it, only that it possible to. I fought many odd creatures. Does it go to town often? If enjoys hunt, what keeps it out here?”
She looked at her friends to see if they had any opinion. ”I am formidable but won’t put everyone in danger. Then we go long way even though every day is closer to death for my people.”