despite the influx of a slender waterfall that spilled over the crags, sparkling in the sunlight. Ahead of us, Eyahue’s canoe was making landfall on the rocks at the base of the cliff.
Instead of following him, Bao turned us sideways to the rapids behind us, idling on the water and watching to make sure the other six vessels made it safely through the dangerous passage.
The first four made it through without incident, canoes bucking and plunging like wild horses, shooting through the final gap into the calm bay.
The fifth was not so lucky.
The fellow in the prow, an Eisandine fighter named Gaston Courtois, misjudged the angle of his approach. There was a sharp, splintering crack as the canoe struck the rocks on the starboard side. The force of its momentum carried it into the calm waters, where it drifted slowly into two pieces, the entire hull split in half. Dazed men clung to the pieces of their broken vessel while four sets of armor sank slowly to the floor of the river.
And behind them, the sixth canoe was making its inexorable way through the rapids, unable to slow its progress.
“Get out of the way!” Bao cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. “Get out of the way!”
Gaston Courtois and the fellow behind him heard Bao and kicked frantically, propelling their half of the broken vessel clear of the gap.
The other half floundered, one man barely able to cling to the splintered wood, the other helping him keep his head above water, neither able to get out of the path of the oncoming final vessel.
“It’s Jean,” Brice said in anguish. “He’s too weak!”
Bao stood with care, our narrow canoe rocking as he balanced on the balls of his feet. “Hold steady,” he cautioned us before diving into the water, setting the canoe to rocking further.
Once again, it was a near thing. But this time, luck and the gods favored us.
Swimming strongly, Bao reached the shattered half of the canoe. Swearing and cajoling, one arm draped over the splintered marupa wood, his legs kicking, he did his best to drag it out of the collision path as the last vessel shot through the gap, daylight showing between its hull and the water.
And for a mercy, the very capable Septimus Rousse was at the helm in the prow of that vessel, anchoring our lineup along the course of the river with his expertise.
“Starboard!” he roared, digging in with his paddle and suiting actions to words. “Starboard!”
There was no collision.
Exhausted and weary, we dragged ourselves to shore one way or another. Most of us paddled our canoes.
Some swam.
Some drifted, clinging to spars. In time, all of us fetched up along the shore. The sick men were as sick as ever or worse. Jean Grenville shivered incessantly after his dunking, muttering incoherent apologies.
Balthasar regarded me with his uncanny yellow-and-blue eyes. “You should have left me. Now that we’re down another canoe, you have no choice.”
I shook my head. “No.”
“There aren’t enough to carry all of us, Moirin.”
I gazed up at the moss-covered cliffs. “We’ll deal with that problem later. We’re not done here, my lord.”
FIFTY-ONE
They’re up there?” I asked Eyahue. “The trees with the bark we need?”
The old pochteca grunted in assent. “Maybe. But like I said, there are hostiles, too. I make no promises.”
A sense of calm settled over me. “I’m going with you.”
He shook his head. “No point. You’ll only give them another target.”
“I can conceal us,” I said to him. “You wanted to know how I’m able to catch more fish than anyone else? They can’t see me. That’s the gift of my mother’s folk. We’re able to conceal ourselves.”
Eyahue eyed me uncertainly. “Are you mad?”
“No.” I led him some distance away until no one was watching, and bade him close his eyes. When he reluctantly obeyed, I summoned the twilight and wrapped it around us both. “Open your eyes.”
He let out a sharp cry at finding the vivid green daylit jungle turned dim and silvery in the twilight. “What is this? Can you turn day into night?”
“No, no.” I considered my words. “Our elders say it is a way of taking half a step into the spirit world, where eyes in the mortal world cannot see us. We are a peaceful folk. This is a gift our goddess gave us to protect us from our enemies.”
Ignoring me for the moment, Eyahue returned to our landing site. He planted himself in front of Temilotzin, waving his arms at the spotted warrior.