The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head, The Sequel: The Buried Ship at the End of the World

By Lorinda J Taylor

While many of the participants in the Quest for the Golden Fungus have been lost, the Quest continues under the leadership of Is’a’pai’a Gold-Seeker. Di’fa’kro’mi’s Scribe Chi’mo’a’tu, with the help of wandering Remembrancers and the Star-Brings, undertakes to compose the tale of the final adventures, with the Seer Da’sask’ni’a as the principal narrator.
As the remaining Companions set forth on the last leg of their voyage, new additions to the company lead to both jubilation and tragedy. Then they must dare the dangerous Wandering Rocks and the Closing Gate before sailing to the End of the World to find the Fungus. After planting the reptile’s teeth and dealing with the results, Is’a’pai’a finally returns home to Hwai’ran’chet, bringing along a surprise addition to the company – a Sorcerer and Seer who may be far more dangerous than she appears.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lorinda J Taylor
• Release date: Jan 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310563447

Lorinda J Taylor

A former catalogue librarian, Lorinda J. Taylor was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and worked in several different academic libraries before returning to the place of her birth, where she now lives. She has written fantasy and science fiction for years but has only recently begun to publish. Her main goal is to write entertaining and compelling fiction that leaves her readers with something to think about at the end of each story.

Book preview

THE LABORS OF KI’SHTO’BA HUGE-HEAD

THE SEQUEL

THE BURIED SHIP

AT THE END OF THE WORLD

by

Lorinda J. Taylor

This is a work of fiction. All characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Similarities to certain mythological subjects and events are intentional.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles and reviews.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return toSmashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

The person responsible for the existence of this book in the 21st century wishes to acknowledge her debt to two sources:

First, to Robert Graves and his impressive compilation entitled The Greek Myths. The points of view and the comprehensive information contained therein helped to make this series possible.

Second, to Dr. Timothy G. Myles, whose amazing website taught me most of what I know about termites.

L. J. T.

Cover illustration (The White Bird leads Mor’gwai through the Wandering Rocks) drawn by Lorinda J. Taylor.

Copyright © 2016 by Lorinda J. Taylor

Note to the Smashwords Edition

The print edition of this tale includes two black and white maps. Partly because the small e-reader format would most likely render this map illegible, the 21st-century presenter has omitted them here. They can be found online at http://termitespeaker.blogspot.com and the reader is welcome to print or download them from that source. The print edition also includes a cladogram of Xenoisoptera (G. Gwidian).

Because of difficulties in linking the footnotes in both directions, the presenter decided to distribute them throughout the text rather than placing them at the end of the book. A double dagger [‡] marks each note, which is then placed at the end of the paragraph. This seems to be the lesser of several evils, ensuring that readers have an opportunity to view the note without overly disrupting the flow of the reading.

L.J.T.

Table of Contents

Note to the Smashwords Edition

Facsimile of 31st Century Title Page

List of Characters

Epigraph: Bu’gan’zei’s Final Poem

Translator’s Foreword

Chapter 1: Chi’mo’a’tu the Scribe Sets Out to Write a Tale

Voyage to the End of the World

Chapter 2: Becalmed

Chapter 3: A Second Set of Twins

Chapter 4: The Bag of Reptile Teeth

Chapter 5: A Castaway

Chapter 6: Reunion

Chapter 7: Captive of a Motley Crew

Chapter 8: Hum’yak

Chapter 9: A White Surprise

Chapter 10: Two, Four, and One

Chapter 11: The Wandering Rocks and the Closing Gate

Chapter 12: The Final Voyage

The Buried Ship

Chapter 13: Ta’tun’ga’zei

Chapter 14: Bargaining

Chapter 15: Planting the Warriors

Chapter 16: The Golden Fungus, at Last

Chapter 17: The Fortress of the Buried Ship

Chapter 18: A New Ship and a New Voyage

Homecoming

Chapter 19: Retracing the Outward Voyage

Chapter 20: Bu’gan’zei’s Head

Chapter 21: Arrival at Hwai’ran’chet

Chapter 22: The Truth Will Out

Chapter 23: Zav’a’ti’zi’s Fate

Chapter 24: Wei’thel’a’han’s Fate

Chapter 25: The Proving of Lo’swai’pai’zei

Chapter 26: Ta’tun’ga’zei’s Fate

Chapter 27: Atonement

Chapter 28: In Fire above the Buried Ship

Afterword, by Prf. Whitfield

Appendices

Glossary of Shshi Words

Appendix A: Taxonomy, Phylogeny …

Appendix B: Outline of Taxonomy …

Facsimile

of 31st Century

Title Page

The Labors of Ki’shto’ba Huge-Head

A Series

The Sequel

The Buried Ship at the

End of the World

as composed by

Chi’mo’a’tu the Scribe

after the tales of various

wandering Remembrancers

and the investigations of

the Star-Beings

Translated by

Prf. Kaitrin Oliva

with supplementary material by

Prf. Oliva and Prf. Allen Whitfield

Published through

the InterQuad DataBase

11 November 255 (old cal. 3010)

Planet Earth

List of Characters

The Principal mor’gwai’zei|:

Is’a’pai’a, of Hwai’ran’chet, a Warrior Champion, Captain of the ship Mor’gwai and Leader of the Quest for the Golden Fungus

Krai’zei, of Zan’tet, a Yo’sho’zei Worker, aide to Is’a’pai’a

Ti’a’toig’a, of Yon’twei’chet, Warrior Champion, one of the Shin’ki’no’hna, twin of Ti’a’gwol’a

Ti’a’gwol’a, of Yon’twei’chet, Warrior Champion, one of the Shin’ki’no’hna, twin of Ti’a’toig’a

Sis’vei, of Yon’twei’chet, Worker, aide to the Shin’ki’no’hna

Thel’tav’a, of Ra’ki’wiv’u, a female At’ein’zei Intercaste Warrior

Mo’wiv (Y/G: Mro’de’vwi’tze’uh’tzi), of Vok’seit’chet, Worker, a shipbuilder and First Mate of Mor’gwai

Bu’gan’zei, of Chi’chi’gwai’u, a male At’ein’zei Alate

Da’sask’ni’a (The Doubly Cursed), of Zan’tet, male Yo’sho’zei Alate, Seer, originally named Tei’kail’a’kwai

Wei’tu, of Lo’ro’ra, surnamed The Founder, a Shum’za Worker of the Builder Subcaste

Members of Mor’gwai’s Crew Mentioned in This Volume:

Swai’fol’zei, male Alate, of Vok’seit’chet, Chief Navigator

Tro’tei’a, female Alate, of Vu’vu’kwai’chet, Ship’s Eye

Ao’gwai, Worker, of Vok’seit’chet, Master Steerer

Gesh’lin, Worker, of Rim’ro’chet, Rigging Master’s Mate

Ma’valt’a’nam, male Alate, of Vok’seit’chet, Second Shipwright

Za’swai’zei, Intercaste, of Gwai’grin’chet, Supply Master

Ma’tuk’yak’a, male Yus’thaim’zei Alate, Healer

The Mother, Her King, Nymphs, and Helpers:

Nei’ga’ta’tzi, of Thai’no’no’gwai, Yus’thaim’zei, Mother of the ship’s Holy Chamber

Mor’gwai’hma’no’tzi, of Hwai’ran’chet, Nei’ga’ta’tzi’s King

Swai (imago Warrior name: Lo’swai’pai’zei) first nymph hatched aboard ship

Tib (imago Alate name: Ta’tib’kai’zei) second nymph hatched

Ziv (imago Worker name: Ziv’bag) third nymph hatched

Thu’dal (imago Alate name: Laf’a’thu’dal) fourth nymph hatched

Yus’tri, rescued from Kwi’thaim’chet, Worker, Mother Tender and Nursery Helper

Za’vu’yak’a, of Kwi’thaim’chet, female Alate, Chief of the Nursery, later Keeper of the Holy Chamber

The Second Set of Twins:

Ki’ta’kwai’a, of Min’kwai’za’chet, Warrior Champion, one of the Shin’no’no’gwai’zei

Hai’tof’il’a, of Min’kwai’za’chet, Warrior Champion, one of the Shin’no’no’gwai’zei

Ul’reig, of Min’kwai’za’chet, Worker, helper to Ki’ta’kwai’a and Hai’tof’il’a

Six Warriors Recruited during the Quest Voyage:

Var’a’toi’zei, of Thel’kei’tei’chet

Bor’a’kwai’a, of Thel’kei’tei’chet

Bam’a’rak’vit, of Kai’dan’chet

Ok’a’pan’shto, of Krin’shka’chet

Pil’um’pai’a, of Krin’shka’chet

Pri’pol’choi’zei, of Krin’shka’chet

Citizens of Li’akh’chet:

A’oin’no’tuk Lo’lo’zei, Warrior, Commander of Li’akh’chet

Ta’tun’ga’zei, female Alate, Seer, Sorcerer and Healer

Gri’pul’zei, Warrior, Captain of Li’akh’chet’s fleet and later Commander of the fortress

In Hwai’ran’chet:

Wei’thel’a’han, Warrior, Master Commander

Kru’moi, Worker, Aide to Wei’thel’a’han

Ti’gan’ta’tzi, Mother of Hwai’ran’chet

Fet’ro’hma’no’tze, late King of Hwai’ran’chet

Thel’ut’sho’pai, Warrior, Cohort Chief

Zav’a’ti’zi, female Alate, Chief Healer

Reig’nom, Worker, aide in the Healers’ Quarters

Tei’mo’pei’zei, male, Chief Alate

Miscellaneous Characters:

Chi’mo’a’tu the Scribe, male Alate, author of the tale

Prf. Allen Whitfield, a Star-Being, called Ko’a’lat’akh (White Growing-Ground) by the Shshi

Ru’a’ma’na’ta, the Star-Mother, known on her own world as Kaitrin Oliva

Ko’vok’zei, the White Bird

Rin’dog’zei, first reptile to ever be tamed and taught to pull a wheeled vehicle

Wei’pan’zei, second reptile to ever be tamed and taught to pull a wheeled vehicle

Gwai’tas, Worker, Captain of the trade ship Lo’chei’zei

Vak’a’shum’a, Warrior, Captain of a pirate ship

Ek’mat’zid, Warrior, High Chieftain of the pirates

Mat’hak’tei’a, of Fo’kat’akh’chet, female Alate, a mad Seer

Fa’and’a’bu, of Mor’gwai’chet, male Alate, maker of images

Fi’frum’zei, female Alate, Remembrancer of Ra’ki’wiv’u

Ma’hai’twa, male, former Chief Alate of Ra’ki’wiv’u

Hum’raiv’zei, of Gri’fum’at’u, female Alate, Seer

Ji’kei’so, of Gri’fum’at’u, High Chief

Characters of Legend and Myth:

Ek’dai’daim’a, legendary Warrior, first Champion to ever bring back a spore capsule of the Golden Fungus

Pai’grin’a, mythical Warrior, original possessor of the reptile teeth

Guoi’me’uh’hma’no’tze, the Sea King (Y/G name)

ta’ta’wa’tze|: Y/G designation for the Highest Mother Who Has No Name

Epigraph:

Bu’gan’zei’s last word-crafting

I am the River That Speaks to the Sea Mother,

Who flows on the waves of her unending ocean.

I am the River That Speaks to the Cave Mother,

Who flows through the waves of her unceasing groundquakes.

I am the River That Speaks to the Star Mother,

Who flows on the waves of her star-seeking lightning.

I am the River who crafts words from oceans,

From groundquakes, from lightning, from stars.

I am the Guide who carries us onward

Into worlds of wonder and joy.

Translator’s Foreword

It is difficult to believe that 29 years have passed since I discovered Ki’shto’ba Huge-Head and Di’fa’kro’mi the Remembrancer marooned on that desolate island in the Southern Sea of the termite planet and took them home to Lo’ro’ra in my flying house. It has been 11 years since I published my translation of the final volume of Di’fa’kro’mi’s memoirs, The Labors of Ki’shto’ba Huge-Head. However, it is incorrect to say final volume because one more tale must be told. There was much outrage when v. 6 appeared because it did not cover the end of the story. What became of the Companions who remained behind on the ship Mor’gwai? Did they all lose their lives in the storm, or did Is’a’pai’a the Gold Seeker finish the Quest for the Golden Fungus and return home triumphant to Hwai’ran’chet? Did Za’dut survive the pirate attack? And how did Bu’gan’zei the Word-Crafter lose his head?

I’m pleased to be able to satisfy everyone at last! I will allow Chi’mo’a’tu the Scribe to relate how the rest of the story was revealed; I will say only that Di’fa’kro’mi was not far off the mark when he said near the end of v. 6, I always hoped a wandering Remembrancer would bring some tale of Is’a’pai’a, but none ever has. In this New Time that has descended so precipitously upon the World of the Shshi, it seems that very thing did come to pass – and those meddling Star-Beings also played a part in the revelations.

My own life has taken many twists and turns (not all for the good) since v. 6 was published, and I have not returned to G. Gwidian since my 10th visit in the year 241, when Chi’mo’a’tu gave me Di’fa’kro’mi’s manuscripts. I spent the next four years translating and publishing them, an intensive labor of pure love. Then in 245, when I was 57 years old, I led an expedition during which Earthers made first contact with a people called the Kal. There is no need to dwell on the disastrous consequences of that meeting because it was so highly publicized; surely there is no one in the known galaxy who doesn’t know what happened.

It is enough to say that after that horror I withdrew from off-world work for a considerable period of time. Prf. Allen Whitfield, a linguistic anthropologist who had been one of my most brilliant students, took over the Shshi project. In 254 he mounted his fourth expedition to the Shshi and when he returned, he brought me the manuscript of the present story. I have entitled it The Buried Ship at the End of the World. Chi’mo’a’tu the Scribe took it upon himself to write the tale, an ambitious and innovative undertaking in which he makes use of everything he learned from Di’fa’kro’mi concerning the methodology of composing stories. Clearly, the callow young Alate who first appeared at the beginning of The War of the Stolen Mother has mellowed into a mature and insightful imago.

This work presented certain editorial challenges. Chi’mo’a’tu lacked the vast experience that Di’fa’kro’mi accrued during his journeys. He has never traveled beyond the neighborhood of his home fortress and he has never seen the sea, which figures so prominently in the story he set about writing. Therefore, he sometimes misuses words or concocts circumlocutions to convey what he means. This is especially true in the case of nautical terms, so I felt the need to correct his terminology as far as I can determine it.

For example, early in his narrative he writes, No wind was blowing, so the ship called Mor’gwai was sitting motionless on the ocean. I have changed this to Our ship Mor’gwai was becalmed. I have taken many such liberties in order to make the story flow. The reader will find Chi’mo’a’tu’s style to be a bit stiffer, more impersonal, and less detailed than Di’fa’kro’mi’s, but I felt it was imperative to preserve the Scribe’s individual voice and not put too much of my own preferences into the tale.

At the time of publication, I am 67 years old and in poor health. I expect I have made my last off-world venture and I daresay this will be my last publication. Taken all together, I could not have asked for a more fulfilling life, in spite of the fact that it was touched by tragedy too many times. My accomplishments include composing the Ethical Imperatives Governing Contact with Off-World Cultures and presenting them to the Confederation Council on the planet Krisí’i’aid, where they were adopted. I also served for a year as a Special Envoy to the planet Quornam and was privileged to spend extended time on both Krisí’i’aid and Pozúa. I published many seminal studies of off-world cultures and languages, including compiling new, more accurate transliterations of the avian languages spoken on the planet Krisí’i’aid, and I mentored more talented xenolinguists and xenoanthropologists than I could possibly name. Still, I consider my real legacy to be the work with the Shshi on G. Gwidian and I hope the pleasure that can be derived from the wonderful tales I have presented to the world will spread across the galaxy and continue for centuries to come.

Prf. Kaitrin Oliva (Prof. Spec. Xenoanth. and Ling.)

Shiras-Peders University of Xenological Studies

11 November 255 (old cal. 3010)

Editorial note (20 December 258):

The Buried Ship at the End of the World was indeed Prf. Oliva’s last publication, but it was not her last off-world venture. She disappeared under mysterious circumstances on the planet 1 Hasta on 15 October of this year at the age of 70. She is presumed to have died, although her body was never found.

Chapter 1

Chi’mo’a’tu the Scribe Sets Out to Write a Tale

At the time of Holy Di’fa’kro’mi’s death, I, Chi’mo’a’tu his Scribe, was six season-cycles old. Fifteen cycles have passed since that time, so I am now 21 and – thanks to the Highest-Mother-Who-Has-No-Name – still hale. I hope to live as long as my teacher did, but of course nothing is certain.

I am amazed at how much our world has changed since my mentor returned from his great adventure. We the Shshi people have learned to look wider and deeper than ourselves and our own small fortress – it is all part of this New Time. We have become more conscious of numbers and of the movement of time. In the very year of Ki’shto’ba’s burial at Thu’dal’mi’cha, we erected a stone near its cyst and began to keep a year-record similar to the one the Companions encountered at Li’ei’mi, cutting a line at the start of each Wet Time to mark the passing of the year-cycles. And we now speak in terms of the antennae count plus 8 or 13 or whatever is needed. This can get awkward if we want to speak of even larger amounts of time or large tallies of trade goods. Some new system is needed for counting. It is not something I am good at, but some Alates and many Builders spend much time contemplating the problem.

We have also begun to scrape out roads and build bridges (no taming of reptiles to pull the scrapers, but people are actually talking about it!) and we exchange information and trade goods with Shum’za fortresses as far south as the Ul’gwai’sti River and west to Li’ei’mi and even beyond. We receive news of the Marchers and even the Desert Shshi and we regularly visit Ki’shto’ba’s people and also our Northern Nasute friends, although they are much involved in their struggle against the dominance of New Hope Fortress. However, the Sta’ein’zei remain stubborn in their isolation, inhibiting easy access to the South. The southern lands where the Ul’gwai’sti is called Lo’krin’zei remain a distant mystery, as does the sea into which that river feeds. We get only distorted glimpses into what is happening on the borders of that sea, but even that situation is beginning to change. Wandering Remembrancers have become much more common over the last few years and they are ranging farther from their native lands.

And it is for that very reason that this tale of mine has come to exist.

Holy Di’fa’kro’mi and I were both disappointed that we could not know what had happened to the remaining Companions after the Mighty Champion Ki’shto’ba Huge-Head entered the World Beyond. Then, seven years after Di’fa’kro’mi’s death, the first Remembrancer came who hailed from far down the Ul’gwai’sti River, and she had taken tales of the Quest for the Golden Fungus. This was only the first of a succession of visitors who excited all of us in Lo’ro’ra and Thu’dal’mi’cha with bits and pieces of what took place after Mor’gwai sailed away from the Island of the Spirits.

By that time Ru’a’ma’na’ta, the Star-Being who was our Comforting Mother, had grown old (who knew Star-Beings could grow old?) and stopped coming to visit us, alas! However, a male Star-Being (I do not know if he is a King or simply a wingless Alate or even an Intercaste) assumed her duties and has made several visits to our world. He says to call him Ko’a’lat’akh,‡ which, he said, approximates the meaning of his name in the mysterious language spoken by the Star-Beings. (It is this name which leads me to believe he is some kind of wingless Alate, since it has four parts to it.) Ko’a’lat’akh was much interested in the tales told by the visiting Remembrancers, but the stories contained so many inconsistencies and contradictions that five years ago he offered to fly to the sea and to the Islands of the West and determine if he could learn anything first hand.

***

‡[White Field; literally, White Growing-Ground. My colleague Allen Whitfield is fortunate to have a name that translates handily into Shshi.]

***

And he exceeded expectations! He brought back quantities of information and imparted it all to me, and he challenged me to compose a well-spoken story, even as Di’fa’kro’mi had done, and complete the tale! I asked him why he should not do that himself, but he said if he did it, it would come out like a piece of knowledge-writing and nobody except other knowledge people would ever want to read it. (Why this should be so, I have no idea. Perhaps Star-Beings have little talent as Remembrancers. However, Ru’a’ma’na’ta is reputed to have been an expert Tale-Teller.) He said if I wrote it, he would give the scrolls to Ru’a’ma’na’ta and she would translate it into the Star language as she had done with Holy Di’fa’kro’mi’s writings.

Di’fa’kro’mi told me once that even though I had started my life training to be a Remembrancer, I knew very little about tale-telling. That was in the early days of our relationship, but I think by the end of my mentor’s life I had learned a great deal, so I did not feel entirely unqualified to take on the task suggested to me. In fact, I quickly became fascinated by the idea of composing my own tale, and I pondered Di’fa’kro’mi’s advice on how to tell a good story (the subject of so many spirited discussions during his dictation to me). Finally, three years ago, I audaciously set out to make the attempt.

At first I had no idea how to proceed. I had not taken part in the story I was about to tell, so it could not be a personal reminiscence like Di’fa’kro’mi’s tale. Then I thought of how Di’fa’kro’mi would change his method of narration when the event was one in which he had not participated. In, for example, the humorous section where Za’dut and A’zhu’lo steal the stone image, or the great and tragic tale of The Valley of Thorns, or Ki’shto’ba’s amazing journey into the World Beyond – or alas! the disastrous conversation between Ra’fa’kat’wei and the dying No’tuk’a’nei – Di’fa’kro’mi spoke as if he were present as a spectator, observing what happened and picking and choosing the details that would make the most effective narration. I fully understand now how that is not a lie. It is simply a way of interpreting the facts, and so I decided to proceed according to this method.

However, that did not work out well, either, because I seemed to be simply making up words that the participants in the tale might have said and for some reason it would not come to life. And so I considered attributing the story to one of the participants as the teller – and that seemed to work! Much of the information that Ko’a’lat’akh brought back had originated with Da’sask’ni’a, the Doubly-Cursed Seer. And when I thought about it, that made sense, because no one could have known the whole story better than the one who had seen it all but could remember it only as it came to pass. Therefore, I adopted Da’sask’ni’a as the teller of most of the tale, although some parts still required that other method – the remote observer.

There was also the problem that all my information came to me across a great distance of time and space, from places I knew nothing about, and even with Ko’a’lat’akh’s emendations, there still remained many gaps and rough spots. Then I thought of how Di’fa’kro’mi had said it is possible to make up a tale that has no basis in fact at all but is entirely the product of the imagination. Di’fa’kro’mi could not fabricate an ending to his own story because it was something that actually happened in a certain way, but I decided I could fabricate transitions and elaborate on events as long as they were consistent with what was truly known.

Di’fa’kro’mi’s very words were It is all metaphor, you know – even the most factual tale is shaped into an image, if it has any claim to be a tale at all and not history. And metaphor leads to a higher truth or a deeper understanding. So there is no reason whatsoever that a completely fabricated tale could not lead to a higher truth.

He went on to say that this might be a new idea in our world. He said we might call the result a ziv’galt’zi| – something novel, in effect. He died before he had time to try it himself, and so now I, Chi’mo’a’tu the Scribe, have done so. I present here the first tale composed among the Shshi that can be called a novel – and the first tale ever written directly on the scroll before it was recited. Perhaps I can dare to claim that I, the humble Scribe Chi’mo’a’tu, have also played a role in the coming of the New Time!

Voyage to the End of the World

Chapter 2

Becalmed

I am Tei’kail’a’kwai, a Seer, once known as Da’sask’ni’a – He Who Was Doubly Cursed – and I am very old now. As I approach the end of my life, I am passing along the tale of the conclusion of the Quest for the Golden Fungus to the Remembrancers of Mor’gwai’chet – the Fortress of the Buried Ship – where I have lived for the last twelve years of my life. My hope is that somehow this tale will reach the northern flatlands where Di’fa’kro’mi the Remembrancer’s people live – the people of Twa’sei and of Wei’tu and of Ra’fa’kat’wei, and of the heroes Ki’shto’ba Huge-Head and A’zhu’lo Beloved of Champions as well, for they deserve to learn how the tale of their illustrious forebears ended.

I and I alone can tell this tale in its entirety, because while I did not personally live through all that happened, I saw it all as my curse was being lifted.

*****

And so I will begin one day after Mor’gwai fled from I’kei’on’mi, sailing into the jaws of the storm. I spent the following day and night below deck, in the Holy Chamber of our floating fortress’s Mother Holy Nei’ga’tat’zi and her devoted King Mor’gwai’hma’no’tzi. When I had seen what was to happen on the Island of the Spirit Path, I was devastated, because I knew I could not change what was to be, so I took refuge in comforting our Holy One and her King, and in helping to care for her nymphs and her eggs so they would not be damaged in the tossing of the ship.

When the tossing ceased at last, the storm had driven the ship westward, southward, northward – everywhere except eastward. Now our ship Mor’gwai was becalmed. The sea became flat as the surface of the deck, with the two moons reflected within it – the eyes of the Sea Mother. As night descended, the ship stood still, rocking not at all, so that when one of the crew walked along the deck, it staggered as if it had stepped onto dry land. The sail was hoisted, but it hung slackly on its yard, not even flapping.

The Captain of Mor’gwai stood in the bow of its ship and grieved. Is’a’pai’a the Gold-Seeker, the Heir of Shi’kwi’thu, the One Who Traveled the Path of Ek’dai’daim’a, sprawled half across the rail of the foredeck, its long and mighty jaws drooping dejectedly toward the sea. Ti’a’toig’a and Ti’a’gwol’a the Twin Champions stood at the opposite rail, murmuring together. The Intercaste Warrior Thel’tav’a hung on the reptile-headed stem post, staring eastward across the empty sea. First Chief Mo’wiv was planted alongside Is’a’pai’a, muttering savagely to itself, while Wei’tu huddled against the gunwale, clutching its head and keening, Oh, Di’fa’kro’mi. Oh, Ki’shto’ba. Oh, Di’fa’kro’mi.

And Bu’gan’zei the Word-Crafter kept declaiming lines of words …

Our friends have moved on to the place where my Or’the’tas dwells … ai-i-i …

Nevermore shall the Champion enter the life of our world … ai-i-i …

Di’fa’kro’mi is speaking his tale for the King of the Dead even now … ai-i-i …

Wei’tu rose up on its claws, its setae bristling angrily. Stifle those ‘ai-i-i’s,’ Bu’gan’zei, for the sake of the Nameless! You think we do not feel bad enough, so that you have to constantly remind us of what we have lost?

In fact, it is not your best work, remarked Krai’zei from where it was also sticking to Is’a’pai’a’s side.

Bu’gan’zei shot back, "I am composing