Waterborne (Wanderlust 3)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Tall, unfamiliar cliffs stood on either side of the river's entrance, almost like guards standing at attention. It would have been an awe-inspiring sight, if Tanden hadn't been distracted by a single fact.

It wasn't the same river.

Really, he should have known. They had been travelling for a day or two too many. He had tried to make sense of the discrepancy, thinking that he and Jale were simply slower paddlers than the men who had brought them to Zaxali.

Before he could voice the thought, Jale did. "So... where are we?"

"Kuiavadox?" Tanden said sharply.

Between them, the young man had dozed off. He sat up suddenly and looked around. Then, with a smile, gestured at the river's entrance and started to speak.

Tanden sighed. "Stop. This river—" He pointed and shook his head. "It isn't the right one."

Kuiavadox frowned. He pointed emphatically at the river. "Ocean." He said firmly. It was one of the few Teltish words he had picked up.

Jale carefully turned around at the front of the boat. She had an open pack on her lap, and she pulled some strips of dried meat from it. They were getting good at this. Carefully, keeping her weight balanced, she stretched across the packs in the middle of the boat to hand the bag to Kuiavadox. He took out a few pieces, and gave the bag to Tanden.

They ate in silence as the boat bobbed gently in the waves. Tanden kept his paddle in the water so he could keep the boat steady, with the waves hitting them from behind instead of broadside.

"I guess it doesn't matter how we get back to the ocean," Tanden said between bites.

Jale nodded. Neither of them had said it out loud, but Tanden knew she was thinking the same thing. They had been gone too long to hope that Ara was still alive. They didn't need to go back to Alvan Bay, because he wouldn't be there waiting to be rescued.

She looked up at the sun. "How far North do you think we are?"

Tanden pulled the paddle to the side of the boat, turning them slightly. "Hmm?"

"If we follow this West to the ocean, we'll have to pass through a country," Jale said. "How far North do you think we are?"

"Oh." He glanced up. "Staedin, maybe."

Jale nodded thoughtfully. "All right. Let's go to Staedin, then."

***

The river's current carried them along. They almost didn't need to paddle, other than occasionally course correcting with a stroke or two. When the sun started to sink ahead of them, they began looking for places to pull out and spend the night. The foliage coated cliffs didn't look promising, so it was a relief when they found an area where part of the cliffs had long ago crumbled. Soil and plants had collected onto the point, making a relatively flat place to spend the night. Tanden steered the boat towards it.

Jale climbed out first, stepping directly onto the land. She held the end of the boat while Tanden paddled to swivel the end towards the land. He wedged his paddle against a rock to help hold the boat steady while Kuiavadox stepped out. When Tanden tried to follow, he slipped, going down to his knees in the water.

Grumbling he stepped out of the water. Dirt stuck to his feet, and he reached down to attempt to wipe it away. Almost everything wiped away, except—

Tanden yelped and nearly fell back into the water. Kuiavadox reached out to grab his arm.

"What is this?" Tanden shook his foot, hoping the wiggling thing would fall off his foot. After his initial panic passed, he reached down and grabbed the end, trying to yank it free.