Abject in the Dust

Chapter 15 - The Power of Prayer

"There are three routes we can take to the Sea of Asov." Sam paused to belch. The copious amounts of food which had been taken from the cabin in the mountains ensured full bellies and the grumbles of empty stomachs had been replaced with other bodily noises. "The first is South."

"South?" Lykke interrupted, almost emptying her mouth of food in her haste.

"Yes, South." Sam replied with obvious annoyance. "But it is not a route I would recommend."

"Why is that Sam?" Rize asked more diplomatically; keen to ensure that Sam's willingness to utter more than two words - let alone share her thinking - was not halted. There was a time when he would have shot Lykke a disapproving glance for her unhelpful interruption; he hoped that time would come again soon. But her wounds were still fresh.

"Aside from the obvious time it will take." Sam shot a withering glance at Lykke. "I have absolutely no knowledge of anything much further South than here."

"Then there is probably little advantage in considering South." Rize nodded in agreement.

"Except that the weather will be much kinder." Sam interjected quickly.

"The weather?" Lykke questioned more gently.

"Yes, the weather." Sam replied with an unnecessary sigh. "We will be travelling in the dead of Winter. At least South, we can hope for better conditions for at least part of the journey."

"Then perhaps we can revisit South once we have heard your thoughts on the other two routes?" Rize said as he sought to defuse any potential escalation of conflict.

"The obvious route is to head North East." Sam pointed to their location on the map and traced her finger up and to the right. "And pick up the River Danube and then use that as a route to the Black Sea." She completed the journey of her finger to the East. "From there, we can follow the coastline of the Black Sea, or perhaps even pick up a boat and travel by water. It would be the easiest route." She held a small smile for Rize. "Physically, I mean."

"But it is not the route you would recommend?" Rize asked as he returned Sam's smile.

"No."

"Why?" Lykke interrupted.

This time there was no sigh from Sam or any hint of frustration in her voice. "I know that the River Danube is blocked further to the North-West." She pointed to the appropriate region on the map with a stab of her finger. "It is part of the reason why this whole basin is flooded." She circled a wide area between mountain ranges. "It may also be blocked further to the East."

"But it is unlikely to be blocked all of the way and the potential for us to pick up a boat and travel down the river must be high?" Rize asked.

"That's true." Sam replied thoughtfully. "But the river presents another problem."

"What is that?" Lykke asked with interest.

"People."

"People?" Lykke and Rize asked in almost near unison.

"Yes, you know. Other people."

"Why would that present a problem?" Rize asked.

Sam stared in utter disbelief before answering. "Well." She started sarcastically. "Contact with other people hasn't exactly worked out well for you so far, has it?"

"We can't judge everybody we might meet based upon our experiences of the last few days." Rize laughed.

"And how many exactly set off with you, when you left the safety of your home in Sweden?"