Chapter 2

During the months following Wahleia's meeting with her grandfather, no uncertainty ensued in the valley as everyone knew Wahleia had planned to move into the old shaman's house once he left to walk with the spirits. The knowledge there was a new shaman ready to take possession of the shaman's house and continue in his place once the current shaman departed to the spirit world had the villagers in the valley content.

Now their contentment from knowing there was to be a new shaman living in the valley had been shattered. The villagers were concerned there would no longer be a shaman living in the valley who had the knowledge of their customs and ceremonies. Her knowledge of healing plants and rumors she knew spirit magic the same as the old shaman Lobok, simply added prestige to the village. Her leaving had just the opposite effect if not more, as those living in other villages that relied on the shaman now blamed the host village for her departure.

Now her time to depart was upon her as the first river trader of the year had arrived two days before and was ready to head downstream. Looking around her sleeping area one last time to make sure she had everything she wanted to take, Wahleia decided she could not wait any longer and stepped out of the curtained area that she had known as her home her entire life. Stepping into the living area she could see her mother waiting for her, standing tall and brave for her daughter but tears were close by for both women.

Stepping up to her mother, the dam holding back their tears broke and the two women hugged, crying together but saying nothing until the tears stopped. Stepping back to pick up her pack, Wahleia asked, "Are you coming down to the docks with me?"

"Yes, I could not forgive myself if I didn't see you off and you never returned."

Picking up her pack, she headed for the door saying, "Promise me once I'm on the boat, you will not watch the boat leave as I have heard sailors talk that to watch someone leave is to jinx them that they will never return."

Following her daughter outside, she agreed saying she too had heard of the jinx. Picking up her spear and shield, Wahleia walked next to her mother down to the river and the boat that even then was making preparations to get underway. If Wahleia was expecting a big send off from the village, she was disappointed. The only people down by the docks who did not belong there normally were the two other people she expected to see, her father and her mentor, Lobok with his ever present guardian, Ferrot.

Stopping in front of the two men she loved the most, she looked around knowing no one else had come to see her leave on her journey. Her father was first to speak, saying, "I am sorry no one came to see you off. After the last meeting I thought there might be a few but as you can see I was wrong."

"Father, do not worry, grandfather has spoken with me and my feelings are not hurt. Even more I understand their anger. They have their lives and their desires to keep the village the same forever. A noble desire but like the changing of the seasons nothing stays the same. The same goes for me, now is my time to change. My regret is leaving my family behind for I will miss you all."

Handing her a pouch that clinked when he handed it over, her father gave her a hug saying, "Do not forget us."

Letting go he stepped aside letting his wife step up and she too, had a package for her daughter, but instead of the sound of metal, hers smelled like food. Letting go of her, she repeated her husband's injunction to not forget them. Nothing else was said as Wahleia's parents walked away never looking back at their daughter. She too looked away instead concentrating on her mentor. Stepping forward to give him a hug; he accepted the hug but did not return it. Stepping back when she did not feel his arms around her, he smiled at her confusion, offered, "I do not intend to give you a hug at this time as I also have passage on this boat at least as far as Pyre."

Surprised, Wahleia stated, indignantly, "I do not need you to hold my hand; I can make this trip myself."

Smiling at her statement, he added, "I know you can and I would not presume to interfere in your business but I too have business in Pyre, so for the next couple of days we will travel together. Once there, I will conduct my business while you look for another boat to take you down river."

"You're not going to change your mind after this and keep following me?"

"Wahleia as much as I would love to travel once again, I have grown accustom to a warm bed, Ferrot too as we are both too old to go very far. I give you my word once in Pyre we will part ways."

Accepting his word, the two travelers boarded the small river boat already sitting low in the water after visiting other settlements up stream. The only one not to board was Ferrot who simply watched from shore as his master and protégé found places to sit for the voyage, it would be several days before they arrived in Pyre. The last Wahleia saw of the wolf was it walking back towards Lobok's home.

Wahleia had been on the river before with her father as well as Lobok. Pyre had been their destination each time and the voyage this time was no different other than she knew every moment they continued downstream she was moving farther from her family. Lobok did what he could to keep Wahleia from sinking into a funk as they traveled by talking to her about some of the places he had seen when he had been young himself.

Their first night they slept onboard the boat, moored out in the river as there were always rumors of creatures attacking people along the banks during the night. For the travelers they nodded as they more than most knew what lived along the river. The creatures had been hunted but, like coyotes they were resilient, refusing to die out as the villagers wished. The night passed quietly with the crew keeping a watch while everyone else slept.

Sleeping on deck, Wahleia was surprised the boat was already moving when she awoke in the morning with the captain saying he wanted to be past the swamp before nightfall, as there were too many bugs seeking flesh to dine upon if they stayed too close once the sun set. The captain's plan was a good one, until they reached the junction to the second river. Instead of the river being open for boats to move freely; trees that had washed down from up river had built up, creating a jam that required all the men on the boat to take a turn cutting away at various pieces in order to get the jam to clear. All told, the making of a passage large enough for the boat to get through took the crew into the evening, to the point that the captain was forced to change his plan of clearing the swamp and instead moor the boat out in the river again.

Having traveled the river before, everyone knew what was coming as far as the swamp was concerned. Even this early in the season, with the land still thawing out from winter, the insects were out, and they only grew worse the closer the boat was to the swamp. By noon the only person who would come up on deck was the captain, as he would check where the boat was in the river. Then if there was not a problem he would retreat back below deck with everyone else allowing to boat to drift downstream. Even with those precautions by late afternoon the captain was covered by bite marks from the insects that saw him as food.

Unfortunately for everyone onboard, the captain announced, to no one's surprise, the delay from clearing the passage meant they would be stopping along the swamp for the night and there would be guards out all night as he just saw smoke rising in the swamp.

Grumbling about having to be outside one of the boatmen asked, pointing to Wahleia and Lobok, "What about them, I was talking to one of the men on the dock and he said both of them were shaman. Can't they do something about these bugs since we have to be out there protecting them too?"

"They are travelers and they have paid a fair price for the trip down to Pyre. Also, you knew the risks of the swamp and what those hazards mean. If you do not like the way I run my boat then you are welcome to get off, the bank is no more than two hundred yards away. You can swim or if you're lucky, you might be able to wade across, either way I don't care but I run my boat the way I want."

The grumbling of the men continued while the first shift was on deck and grew worse when after a short time both men retreated into the cabin saying the bugs were worse now, they were not only stinging but biting too. As evidence, one of the watch pulled his sleeve up revealing what looked like a bite mark with fresh blood still oozing from the wound. The crew of course complained and the captain did what he could for his man but in the end both men went up again.

The captain came over, taking a seat where his two passengers were sitting. Looking around to see if anyone else was listening, the captain asked, "The rumor among the men is that you're a shaman, is that true?"