easy to see, easy to walk. They’ll take it.”
“You’re sure they won’t worry about us following them?”
Oghi shrugged. “They’ve never been afraid of us before.”
“Can we catch them?” asked Shonan.
“No doubt,” said the sea turtle man. “Carrying a litter, it’s more than a quarter moon’s journey. We can run.”
“Damn right,” said Shonan.
They all studied the map, thinking separate thoughts.
“We have two days after they get back?” said Aku.
“The stories say the sacrifice is made like that, yes, in a ceremonial way.”
“That ceremony will never start,” said Shonan.
His eyes on Aku’s felt like a strong grip. How? Aku wondered. How, with two men against a dozen or a score? Shonan the Red Chief was sure of everything. Aku was sure of nothing.
Oghi said, “Why not get ahead of them? Use the coastal route and beat them to the junction of the two trails?”
They looked at him. His eyes were jumping and hallooing now.
“I like surprises,” said the sea turtle man.
“You said we’d get lost,” said Shonan.
“Not if you have a very good guide. Such as me.”
8
S alya was gone, gone, gone. Shonan let that single word be the mark of his rhythm as he loped along the sand behind Oghi. As far as he was concerned, the sea turtle man didn’t run hard enough. On the other hand, Oghi was small, and at least he never stopped. He trotted step after step over the dunes, through the marshes, and across the creeks. He waded into the river without even slowing down. Their dog Tagu, with elk blankets and deer hides wrapped around dried meat, stayed at Oghi’s heels, as if following a new master. At the rear Aku kept up, relieved that they didn’t have to go faster.
When they came to the first creek, the turtle and dog swam the same way, head up and legs waggling below. The father and son swam like most Galayi men, on their sides. Oghi got to the other bank first.
The sea turtle man called a food break, brooking no disagreement. While the warriors munched their deer meat, he waded into the tide pools, popped shelled creatures off the rocks, and scooped out the meat. When he sat back down with them, he smiled and said, “Mother sea.”
When they came to a big river marked on their map, they faced a high palisade on the far bank. “We can’t land over there,” Oghi pointed out.
“Let’s swim upstream,” said Shonan. He was leery of the sea.
“Can’t,” said Oghi. “The tide’s going out. Formidable current.” Aku was tickled by the formal way the sea turtle man talked. “The only way is the ocean,” Oghi said cheerfully.
Without waiting for a response, Oghi plunged into the salt water and led them, swimming, parallel to the shore. Gradually, the palisade became a hill, a slope, then just some dunes. The sea was calm and glassy. The sea turtle angled toward the beach.
Just then he rocked in the water and called out, “Riptide!” Bizarrely, he started sailing out to sea.
In a moment Tagu was bobbing along behind Oghi, Shonan behind both of them, and Aku last. It was an odd sensation. Aku felt like he was flying above the sea floor, riding some sort of water-air to a destination.
What the hell was happening? He turned and swam as hard as he could toward the shore.
“Keep …! Don’t ….!” Oghi yelled, but his words were garbled.
Aku yelled, “What?!”
“Swim,” yelled Shonan. He waited for a moment while the sea sloshed over his head. “Don’t …”
Aku stopped swimming for a moment. He felt as if he were sailing as fast as an eagle that launches off a rocky point and soars on firm wings. Except that he was soaring out to sea, and to death.
He aimed straight toward the shore and kicked hard again. After a furious effort, he stopped, turned, and saw that he was much further from the beach than anyone else, and not as far past the mouth of the river. Tagu issued one ferocious bark. Aku felt himself flying backward into the infinite ocean.
He looked
“You’re sure they won’t worry about us following them?”
Oghi shrugged. “They’ve never been afraid of us before.”
“Can we catch them?” asked Shonan.
“No doubt,” said the sea turtle man. “Carrying a litter, it’s more than a quarter moon’s journey. We can run.”
“Damn right,” said Shonan.
They all studied the map, thinking separate thoughts.
“We have two days after they get back?” said Aku.
“The stories say the sacrifice is made like that, yes, in a ceremonial way.”
“That ceremony will never start,” said Shonan.
His eyes on Aku’s felt like a strong grip. How? Aku wondered. How, with two men against a dozen or a score? Shonan the Red Chief was sure of everything. Aku was sure of nothing.
Oghi said, “Why not get ahead of them? Use the coastal route and beat them to the junction of the two trails?”
They looked at him. His eyes were jumping and hallooing now.
“I like surprises,” said the sea turtle man.
“You said we’d get lost,” said Shonan.
“Not if you have a very good guide. Such as me.”
8
S alya was gone, gone, gone. Shonan let that single word be the mark of his rhythm as he loped along the sand behind Oghi. As far as he was concerned, the sea turtle man didn’t run hard enough. On the other hand, Oghi was small, and at least he never stopped. He trotted step after step over the dunes, through the marshes, and across the creeks. He waded into the river without even slowing down. Their dog Tagu, with elk blankets and deer hides wrapped around dried meat, stayed at Oghi’s heels, as if following a new master. At the rear Aku kept up, relieved that they didn’t have to go faster.
When they came to the first creek, the turtle and dog swam the same way, head up and legs waggling below. The father and son swam like most Galayi men, on their sides. Oghi got to the other bank first.
The sea turtle man called a food break, brooking no disagreement. While the warriors munched their deer meat, he waded into the tide pools, popped shelled creatures off the rocks, and scooped out the meat. When he sat back down with them, he smiled and said, “Mother sea.”
When they came to a big river marked on their map, they faced a high palisade on the far bank. “We can’t land over there,” Oghi pointed out.
“Let’s swim upstream,” said Shonan. He was leery of the sea.
“Can’t,” said Oghi. “The tide’s going out. Formidable current.” Aku was tickled by the formal way the sea turtle man talked. “The only way is the ocean,” Oghi said cheerfully.
Without waiting for a response, Oghi plunged into the salt water and led them, swimming, parallel to the shore. Gradually, the palisade became a hill, a slope, then just some dunes. The sea was calm and glassy. The sea turtle angled toward the beach.
Just then he rocked in the water and called out, “Riptide!” Bizarrely, he started sailing out to sea.
In a moment Tagu was bobbing along behind Oghi, Shonan behind both of them, and Aku last. It was an odd sensation. Aku felt like he was flying above the sea floor, riding some sort of water-air to a destination.
What the hell was happening? He turned and swam as hard as he could toward the shore.
“Keep …! Don’t ….!” Oghi yelled, but his words were garbled.
Aku yelled, “What?!”
“Swim,” yelled Shonan. He waited for a moment while the sea sloshed over his head. “Don’t …”
Aku stopped swimming for a moment. He felt as if he were sailing as fast as an eagle that launches off a rocky point and soars on firm wings. Except that he was soaring out to sea, and to death.
He aimed straight toward the shore and kicked hard again. After a furious effort, he stopped, turned, and saw that he was much further from the beach than anyone else, and not as far past the mouth of the river. Tagu issued one ferocious bark. Aku felt himself flying backward into the infinite ocean.
He looked
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