The Autumn Mage

Chapter Thirteen

     Minda shook her head when Aki asked the farmers where Rekes was last heard from and watched him wince when they replied the Suru Swamp. They made their way to the southernmost tip of Dahzbog where the land met the Thalassa Ocean on the Eastern coast. The land was hotter than the rest of the kingdom and muggy. Fog hung for most of the mornings and rain was common in the afternoons. It was hard to breathe from all the moisture, which made it difficult to know just how dehydrated one becomes as they get lost in the winding swamp land until it is too late. If the weather was not the killer than the things that lived within would. Everything hunts, even the insects. Some lost souls never left, instead adapting to the constant need to survive and resorting to cannibalism.

     As they made their way South the whole world seemed to change. The trees were older and thinner here, some more ancient than the oaks of the North. The harder soil became soft with grass being replaced with gravel and sand. The flowers and plants were more vibrant and had taller stalks. Tulips and Camassias were replaced with Hibiscus and Bird of Paradise. Minda stopped a few times to gather little souvenirs from them worried that she would never have an opportunity to do so again. The air tasted like salt and the whisper of the ocean could be heard if the warm breeze blew the right way. Neither of them had traveled this far before and they felt out of place among the spread out towns, each one further away from the one before.

     They were running low on supplies and sleep but finally stumbled upon the entrance to the Suru Swamp. The air was so thick that they would have sporadic fits of coughing. The place smelled of sulfur and the water smelled bitter. It was unclear how far down the trees that grew from the murky waters. Chartreuse moss covered the top of the water and everything extending above it. Aki reached out with his Mana to see if he could sense any other Magicians nearby and felt nothing but a vague sensation of being watched. He stopped sensing it when a mosquito bit his neck. He slapped where it was but by the time he struck back it had already flown off, leaving a red bump and a pink handprint on his flesh.

     "You take me to the loveliest of places," Minda said unamused. She slowly swatted a group of gnats that had gathered in front of her face.

     "Only the best for my favorite princess."

     "That is 'Lady', not 'princess'."

     "I know, but then it sounds like you're my favorite lady, and not the noble kind. 'Princess' sounds better."

     "Then take me away from here and find me a tall wealthy prince to marry," she said as she wiped her dripping face on her sleeve. "We have arrived; now what?"

     "We're going in, of course."

     "On what? Do you have a canoe in that bag of yours?" she began to snap.

     "No, but we'll find a boat."

     "Where are we to find a boat from? The rental stand?"

     "Just...trust me. I'll find us a boat." He of course could not find a boat as the last town was an hour away. He began to grasp at straws by holding his hand out and shouting "Subsidium Boat!" expecting one to appear. They spent the rest of the late morning gathering supplies to fashion a raft and fighting mosquitoes. Several of the plentiful dead logs were removed from the water, and Minda bemoaned the fresh stains on her silver robes. They tied the logs together with serpentine vines and the soft wood began to crumble. Aki instead pulled a Cypress tree out of the water and ripped it apart with Wind magic. Minda used her survival and crafting skills to hold it all together with mud, moss, and leaves. They gazed at their handiwork, unsure if it would be sturdy enough to support their weight. Minda held it against the water's edge and Aki carefully stepped on board.