U - Uci

“It’s a good hole, this one,” Yamibo said, his bulk filling what little space remained after Evern’s family crawled inside the lean-to Evern had built against a rock wall. Rebinne had her back against the stone, with their daughter Nucina between her and Yamibo. “I like it. It’s out of the wind a bit. Not like my last one at all. I had dust up my arse before I had a chance to scratch my nuggets.” He laughed, more like the barking of a dog than a man.

“Uci finds our spots for us,” Evern said. “Not me.”

“You have to set your shelter behind a rock, or a wall, Yam,” Rebinne said, filling a small pot with water.

“You set your shelter with the opening into the wind. Of course it will fill with sand.” When it was full, she set the pot over the small fire in the center of their tent.

“It shouldn’t though, should it?” Yamibo asked. “If this were a just world a man could sleep under the stars and lose himself in the constellations. He could really think about his place in the cosmos. Why. We. Are. Here.” He stabbed a thick finger into the sand with each word. “What. We. Are. Doing.”

“We are sitting in a tent on the floor of what used to be the Trythys Sea. And we’re here…” Evern poked the same hole that Yamibo had made…”mostly because we are reasonably lost,” Evern said. He looked at Nucina. He liked to take every opportunity to remind her of the stories he told while they walked. “We’re like the myth of Marrax and Marran, the brothers ill-fated to wander the sea for all eternity.”

“Are we lost?” Yamibo made a shocked face and leaned toward Nucina, who shrieked with laughter. “Am I Marrax? Uci! Are we lost in the sea?”

“For all eternity,” Nucina said, her face lit up with joy.

“I better make a boat!” Yamibo made noises like a ship going through waves. He picked up a squealing Nucina and passed her from side to side over his head, her small frame like a wisp in his meaty arms. “The waves are so huge! Aaaah!” He screamed and made crashing noises as he set Nucina back on her mat. She giggled as the huge man tickled her, her feet kicking in the sand. “Uci fell overboard!”

“Careful of the fire, Yam,” Rebinne said, pushing his arm away from getting singed.

“Bah,” Yamibo snorted. “I like the smell of burnt hair.”

“You will burn our house down,” Evern said. His tone was harsh, but he smiled. They were fortunate to have Yamibo with them out here. He had a strong back, was a surprisingly adept hunter, and loved little Nucina as if she were his own.

“Yam,” Rebinne said. “Is there meat?”

Yamibo stopped, and the air grew still except for the wind and the light crackle of Rebinne’s fire. He gave a quick glance at the young child still lying on her mat, her face now watching Yamibo. “Sure,” he said after an almost unnoticeable pause.

“Sure.” He reached into his tunic and removed a small cloth bundle. “If you boil it with the rag, you might make some gravy from the threads.”

Evern put a hand on Yamibo’s arm. “Thank you,” he said. He then dug through his pack and removed a leather flask. “This one is full,” he said, handing it to Yamibo. “We have extra tonight.”

Yamibo smiled, but hesitated. “I’m not taking away from, you know . . .” He tilted his head toward Nucina. “Our little snikky over there?”

“No. Oh, no. Of course not,” Evern said. “Just, thank you.”

“You always know how to find the water. I’m useless that way,” Yamibo said. “Without you, we would all have died long ago. It is just fair that I can share some old snake and bugs now and again.”

Rebinne opened the cloth. Inside were a few decent cubes of dried meat. She glanced at Yamibo, then dropped them one by one into the pot, where the water had just started to boil. With the meat, she added a few roots she had gathered that morning.

“I’m going to get out of here and get some sleep,” Yamibo said. Evern knew that he was leaving so that the family wouldn’t feel obligated to share. “Just a few hours before moonrise, and it will be the perfect time to hunt.”

“We’ll save you some,” Rebinne said. “There is enough.”

“Pfft,” Yamibo said. “I’m not hungry. And spare me the lies. Eat up while you can. I’ll catch more.”

“Don’t fill your pants with sand,” Evern said, his heart warming toward their friend.

“Don’t drown in the sea, skinny Marrax,” Yamibo said.

“I’m Marran. You’re Marrax,” Evern said, earning a smile.

“Mess yourself, Marran. Good night, pea pod,” Yamibo said to Nucina, tapping her on the nose, then disappeared from their tent.

“Sit up, Uci,” Evern said, helping his daughter up. “It’s almost time to eat.”

“Marran drowned in the sea, daddy,” Nucina said, her face scrunched up in concern.

“It’s good, then, that there’s no water.”

* * *

The soup was thin, but his small portion calmed Evern’s stomach. He tried to save a portion for Yamibo, but Nucina was still hungry. How was he to say no? After they ate, they talked of their path tomorrow. As the sun was setting and they found their camp, Rebinne had seen the peaks of mountains to their north, just over the horizon. They had a few days without storms. Another few, a little luck hunting, and they might reach the mountains by the start of the new week. If they found the Cermaliynes, Hatra or Draille would be close behind. It didn’t matter which. A city meant food, water, and medicine. A city meant life.

Evern waited, his arm around Rebinne until her breathing grew long and regular, and Uci’s light snores were the only sound. Then he untangled himself from their blankets and left the tent. Yamibo would be up soon, and he wanted to meet him. Join him for the hunt. Maybe they would be lucky to scare up a wild hog, or a nest of whallets. He sat on a rock near Yamibo’s tent and waited. Above him, the stars were bright. It was the first clear night in weeks, a good omen. He searched for the constellations he knew, though those were few.

When Yamibo rose and found him a few hours later, he had been deep in thought. “What do the stars tell you?” Yamibo asked.

Evern smiled, and clapped his friend on the back and pointed to a corner of the sky. “Do you know that formation there, Yam?” Five stars formed a wavy line over four stars in a crooked square.

“Everyone knows that one. That is Avedi. The god of the hunt.”

“Avedi with his broken sword after he fought the sun and birthed the moon from her wound.”

Yamibo sniffed. “Sure,” he said, and held up his makeshift spear. “I think I have a piece of it right here.”

Evern laughed. “Avedi is also the god of the lost.”

“And his sword points the way to victory,” Yamibo said. “It is good to see it again.”

“It points the way to Hatra,” Evern said, smiling. “Let’s get to the hunt.” He drew his small knife. It was useful for rodents or snakes, not much bigger than that. “We have family to feed.” Together, the two men walked into the sands. Evern’s heart was full, though his stomach churned with hunger. They would be okay.

* * *

Hours later, Evern found Rebinne and young Uci loading their packs for the day’s journey, the sun just a couple of fingers above the horizon. Yamibo had gone a dozen meters around the stone to his camp, and to pack his own gear.

“Catch anything?” There was hope in her voice. Uci drew symbols in the sand with a sharp rock. Evern was pleased to see that she was practicing the runes he had taught her.

“A pair of field mice,” he shrugged. “I’m a terrible hunter. But they will make a cup of stew.”

Rebinne’s eyes fell. “And Yamibo?”

“Oh, our friend Marrax? Well, he’s a good hunter. Unlike me. I’m terrible. Marrax is a great hunter, and blessed by Avedi. He has a two-stone pig drying on his spear.”

Rebinne hugged him, and he could feel the relief in his wife’s arms. Relief that he also felt. But there was one more thing that they needed to do. He gathered up his daughter then, making sure that Yamibo was away at his tent, he brought her into their shelter.

“Water, dada?” Uci said, her big eyes wide.

“Yes, my love. It’s time for water.” With his fingers, he dug out a small hole in the sand.

Uci nodded and began to hum a song. Evern finished digging then turned his eyes outside of the tent, watching for Yamibo. He was a stout friend, but how would he react, knowing that the child he loved had the song? That he traveled with a sonii, even one so young?

A soft, blue light filled the darkened space, and Evern heard the gurgling of water while his daughter sang.

* * *

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