Chapter 577 – Sawa Ohamae

Every single one of these elves were extremely fit, larger than the ones on the mainland. They ranged from lean to muscular, and there wasn't a single heavy weight in sight. Only a handful were as tall as Petyr, but she was sort of an anomaly to begin with. A varied manner of feather and bone ornaments were woven into their curly hair, and some of the women had it draping all the way down to their knees.

The tall elven woman, who seemed to be their leader, extended a hand forward with her palm facing up. It didn't look like she was asking to be given something, but Kanae couldn't be sure.

"My name is Sawa Ohamae, the Chief of Hota'ree." Sawa noted Kanae's confusion over her hand and smiled. "In Nu-hauta tradition, we do not shake hands. Because we are seafarers across the countless islands of the archipelago, it is customary to rest one another's palms against the other in passing out at sea to avoid pulling us into the waters."

Kanae placed her palm face down over Sawa's. The chief offered the slightest nod of recognition.

Sawa continued with a little giggle, "And to introduce yourself as well."

However, Gretchen put an arm between them.

"It is also Nu-hauta tradition that its people serve the king. Do you? Or are you Chief of Hota'ree by rebellion?" Gretchen asked.

Tensions flared up from the elves as they squeezed their weapons. Petyr and Vestrid were expectedly unfazed, and Hilde's normally slit-thin eyes parted open just a little.

"Wait! We're not here to start troubling. We come from Radevic under orders to find Bocchiri Ruu and provide evacuation relief from your sinking islands," Kanae said.

"You seek the Iceweaver? Hmm. Our goals may be aligned after all. I invite you to Masakam. It is where my people make our home. I promise safe passage to you and your ships. Maybe we can come to an understanding with a full stomach?" Sawa suggested.

"The ships are staying put, but we gladly accept your invitation." She breathed a sigh of relief as the elven islanders stood down.

Sawa shouted to the elves, and they disappeared into the foliage to return seconds later, pulling familiar long rowboats out.

"Kanae, those boats…" Gretchen whispered.

"I know. I recognize them, too. But let's keep our cards close to our chest for now," Kanae replied just as quietly.

They pushed the rowboats into the water, wading in deep before climbing in. Sawa beckoned them over to the one she was pushing across the shore. Kanae and the others hopped into the long craft as soon as it began to float. The chief sat at the very front, reached down, and handed them oars.

"Can you row?" Sawa asked.

"How hard can it be?" Kanae shrugged.

"Alright! When in Ortesia, do as the Ortesians." Vestrid looked the most excited about this.

"Listen to the beat of the drum. Dong! means row left. Bong! means row right. You'll catch on eventually!" she exclaimed.

What?

Someone in the back pounded the drum, and the rowboat lurched forward as elves carved their oars into the ocean. Kanae, unable to discern the different drum beats, hesitated to row out of fear of going against their unified direction.

Soon, the rowboat was gliding across the ocean at incredible speeds. They cut through as if there was no resistance at all. It was a much different feeling than flying. Being on the surface of the ocean showered her in somewhat cool mists. Well, as cool as it could be with a gargantuan volcano nearby pumping an extreme amount of lava into the water.

They traveled along the coast of Hota'ree until The Seductress and Rown ships were out of sight. Eventually, Kanae got into the rhythm of rowing. It helped to take cues from Sawa's arms. However, her own arms quickly grew tired after rowing for only a short while.

"I'm impressed by their discipline. Rowing with this intensity for a sustained length of time is very taxing. I can tell the people of Nu-hauta are very strong," Petyr said.

Coming from the Empire of Ortesia's greatest knight, that was high praise.

Kanae eyed Sawa's right wrist, trying to catch a glimpse of whether or not she was crowned. Bead bracelets and other adornments made it hard to see, and not to mention the full sleeve tattoos that covered both arms.

Another flotilla of rowboats were going the opposite way, putting the two groups in a collision course. Or so it seemed. Everyone slowed down. Oars dipped into the water, equally split on either side, to bring their rowboats to a gentle cruise. As they passed, rowers extended their hands out the same way Sawa had earlier.

Kanae followed their example, making contact with each others' palms in passing. A particularly excited young child leaned off the rowboat, his mother holding him on by a belt, shot his hand out to high-five her. She smiled and waved back. As soon as both groups passed, it was back to rowing.

"There it is, mainlanders. Masakam!" Sawa shouted.

Kanae feasted her eyes on a beautiful and picturesque city right out of a tropical resort magazine. Round wooden huts built out on the water, connected to each other by winding walkways and bridges. The buildings stood on lumber staked into the seafloor. Others drifted to the whims of the current, anchored by being connected to nearby foundations.

Residents occasionally hopped into a smaller rowboat on the side of their home to row into Masakam or out to sea. Trade also took place on their small crafts, filled to the brim with either fruits, shellfish, fresh catches, toys, and many other goods. Out in the open waters, a group of people were playing ball on their one-man rowboat. They used their double-sided oars to knock a ball into the air, and others paddled quickly to punt it back up before hitting the water.

While sailing into the city through channels between neighborhoods, Kanae heard frequent little bumps against the rowboat. She looked over into the water, which teemed with dead fish that had floated to the surface. Flies swarmed particularly rancid pools. People on the walkways used long nets to scoop the rotting fish carcasses out of the water.

"What happened?" Kanae asked.

"Cursed against our will," Sawa answered cryptically.

Their rowboat stopped underneath a large cabin. Sawa stood up and used a hook at the end of her oar to pull down a ladder, then secured her rowboat to it with rope.

"Set your oars down and follow me," Sawa said, climbing the ladder.

Gretchen volunteered to go up first. Kanae followed right after. They climbed into a spacious round house with wide open windows along the walls. Seashells dangled from strings on the ceiling. The trophy of a shark's jaw had been displayed on the front door. Fishing nets hung from the wall awaiting use. Sawa ignited a firepit in the center of the room and opened the large palm leaf curtains to let in fresh air.

"Your journey here must have been long. Make yourselves at home. I'll prepare you all something to eat," Sawa said.

"There's no need. We brought our own provisions," Kanae declined.

"The seas will swallow me whole if I don't introduce you to Nu-hautan cooking. Sit!" The elf insisted.

Some of them found a place to plop down as Sawa went upstairs to the second floor. Kanae, Gretchen, Hilde, and Vestrid stayed cozy by the smoldering firepit, but Petyr elected to remain standing.

"You're awfully carefree being in the middle of what could be enemy territory. This might even be a trap," Petyr said.

"The way I see it, Sawa isn't interested in a fight. She's contending with Bocchiri and King Toro. The last thing Hota'ree needs is a mainland force bearing down on them. We'll figure out what exactly is going on before making a decision," Kanae explained.

Half an hour later, Petyr was getting antsy. She paced around the room, expecting something to happen even as the savory smell of fish wafted down to them. Their gracious host finally returned with plates upon plates of food. The scent lured even Petyr into a sense of complacency as her eyes lingered on the meals.

Sawa sat down an array of fish prepared in different ways. Smoked, roasted, seared, and more. One plate was laden with pieces of raw fish, diced tomatoes, beans, and seasoned in a multitude of spices. But fish wasn't all. Plenty of fruits with the same flavor and texture profile as mango and pineapples reminded Kanae of Japan. Tiny pieces of chewy candy were meant to be eaten by the mouthful exploded with incredibly sour and sweet flavors.

"Oh, bliss." Hilde expelled a delighted sigh after stuffing her mouth with a spoonful of fish and rice.

"This tastes like home," Kanae muttered in a trance.

"Home? I don't recall Ehmvier having cuisines like this," Gretchen said.

"Er, no! I mean… uhm… Thank you for the hospitality, Sawa! This is all amazing!" She quickly changed the conversation.

"I'm glad these are to your tastes. And you almost declined." Sawa grinned.

As Kanae ate, she couldn't help but recall the dead fish in and around Masakam.

"Say, what's been happening in the water? I saw a lot of people scooping up fish as we came in," Kanae said.

The elven woman's expression hardened.

"All those dead fish you saw are the result of the volcano. It's been happening ever since the damn thing appeared and continues to worsen by the week. The average temperature in the ocean around these parts has risen nearly ten degrees. Fish and aquatic life have grown sluggish. Schools of them are outright dying. We're in the middle of spawning season for yellowfish, and if this heat keeps them from mating, that delicious meal on your plate won't be around next year. It's not happening just in Hota'ree either. Tau'we, Azor… every island on the archipelago," Sawa explained.

"What say King Toro say about the situation?" Gretchen asked, rubbing her chin.

"Nothing. Toro has no solution for anything other than saving the islands." She growled.

Kanae and Vestrid exchanged glances. The Saint Priest knew well that a divided country was going to make evacuating anyone later a big problem.

"There's something we want to make sense of. We set sail from Flotsam a few days ago. Nu-hauta raiders on the same rowboats as yours attacked the city. Bocchiri was with them. That wasn't you, was it?" Kanae asked.

"We did not raid Flotsam. If you saw the Iceweaver, then that is all the proof you need. Bocchiri Ruu and Toro Squa are imbeciles. We would sooner execute them for crimes against Nu-hauta," Sawa snarled.

"Ah. Then you truly are at odds with King Toro," Gretchen said

"Because their plan to restore the islands is damaging it even further. I've declared Hota'ree's independence from Toro's rule to save our own people," she explained.

Vestrid nodded to Kanae to bring it up.

"If you care about your people's lives, would you consider evacuating them to the mainland? There's no guarantee Toro's plan works. Soon, there might not even be any fish left to catch," Kanae explained.

Sawa got up and walked over to the window. She ran a hand against the sill, gazing out to the open sea.

"I will die here. So will many who lived in Hota'ree for generations. But if you grant passage to those willing to leave, you have my deepest gratitude. That is more of a choice than Toro has given any of them," Sawa said.

Also according to Nu-hautan tradition, if a host had fed their guests, then they were also beholden to grant them shelter for the night. Petyr opted to rent a room at an inn somewhere in the city. She still didn't fully trust Chief Sawa.

Kanae couldn't sleep and wandered out of the house. She sat down on the edge of the walking, letting her feet dangle over water. The moon and stars were shining so brightly that fishermen rowed out to catch nocturnal fish. Her stomach growled, and she rubbed her rumbling belly in hopes of quieting it down.

"You've been quiet ever since we landed. Figured you would bother me at least five times today about getting it on with the elves," Kanae said, pulling Isabella out.

"Do you feel it? This place gives my pages goosebumps, and not the sexy kind. The devil Satine's influence festers in Nu-hauta…" Isabella muttered.

"That might be the Cult of Lust and Depravity temple in Tau'we that you're feeling. Bocchiri said there's one on his home island," she explained.

"Worse, my mistress! I feel one of her chosen is here. In Nu-hauta! They might know about the temple, too!"

Kanae's jaw dropped.

"God fucking damn it!" Kanae groaned.