Kavio
"Zavaedi, since we're walking, mind if we start talking?" asked the Olani man. His voice was song-like, with the rolling, musical accent of the far north coast.
Kavio gave a polite nod while trying to remember the man's name. Svego.
"Of course, Tavaedi Svego."
Svego stopped walking for a moment and tossed his long black hair over his shoulder. He moved and spoke like many Olani Kavio had met—playful and teasing—but Kavio sensed a carefulness beneath the surface.
"Oh no, sweetling, I'm not a Tavaedi," said Svego with a grin. "I'm just a slave."
"I thought all Olani were Tavaedi," said Kavio, surprised.
"Not in our tribe, sugarloaf."
"But War Chief Nargano sent you as his envoy?" That confused Kavio even more. Usually, a tribe sent someone important to carry messages—like a Tavaedi, or a family member.
"Fa, don't you worry," Svego said with a wink. He held up two fingers close together. "I'm this close to the War Chief. Closer than a thong on a foot-long dong."
Kavio winced. "Thank you for that… image. But to be clear—are you saying you and Nargano…? I thought he had a wife."
"Oh, he does," Svego said cheerfully. "He also has slave girls. And me. I'm like one of the girls, only much prettier."
"But… then…"
Svego laughed. "Sweetling, Nargano bumps his rump to anything that thumps."
Kavio nodded slowly. Still, it bothered him. Sending a slave as envoy felt disrespectful. And how could an Olani not be a Tavaedi?
"Did you want to talk about something in particular?" Kavio asked. He could tell Svego was holding something back.
Svego hesitated. "Zavaedi, it's not my place to tell another man how to humiliate his slave. But if you plan to bring that one, maybe try a different punishment. He's slowing us all down."
It took Kavio a moment to understand. He glanced behind them. Sure enough, Gremo was far behind, still dragging the massive boulder.
"Gremo is not my slave," said Kavio. "He asked to come. I allowed it."
Svego looked doubtful. "He's very handsome under all that wild hair. Is he your lover? Is he trying to prove himself by pulling the rock?"
Kavio laughed. "Gremo? Handsome? Maybe to an Olani. My tastes go another way." He was careful not to glance toward Dindi. Svego seemed like the kind of person who would notice.
"Still," Svego said, "the rock is a problem."
"You have no idea," Kavio said with a sigh. "I'll speak with him after we make camp."
"If you don't mind," Svego said brightly, "I'd like to help him."
"You want to help him pull the rock?" Kavio asked, surprised.
"No, I want to fix his hair. And the stink! Fa! I like a big, sweaty man, but there's good sweat and then there's old sweat. He smells like he's rotting from the inside out."
"If you can convince him, be my guest."
They kept walking along the edge of the river. Sometimes the path curved away from the water or crossed little creeks on rope bridges. Trees like birch and pine often blocked the view, but the sound of the river—whooshing and rushing—never went away. Other times, they walked past meadows where the water showed again, wide and shining like a mirror under the sky.
Because it was only the first day of the journey, they didn't stop for a big meal. Instead, they ate dry cornbread while walking and sipped river water as they moved. Kavio wanted to stop near a place called the Dam.
But when they reached it, Kavio almost didn't recognize it. He had seen it once as a child and had expected something like a beaver dam. But it was not that at all.
A bridge of land seemed to block the river. But it wasn't real land—it was a floating island. Long ago, a giant sequoia tree had fallen. Smaller logs, rocks, branches, and plants had piled up against it. Over time, soil had formed. Weeds, flowers, and even trees now grew there. It stretched across the whole river. The water flowed underneath, but the main current pooled on the far side.
Just north of the Dam, the river split in two. The part they had followed was called the South Branch. The part they would take next was called the North Branch.
Kavio decided they shouldn't camp on the Dam itself. The ground was too wet. It smelled of rot. He remembered the hill beside the river from his childhood visit and thought it would be a better place.
Vultho grumbled that it would be easier to camp on the soft flat Dam than on the rocky slope, but Kavio overruled him.
They had a few hours of daylight left, so Kavio told the group to hunt or look for berries and fruit. Brena wanted to take Gwenika to gather healing herbs.
It was clear Brena didn't want Dindi to come with them. That worked out just fine for Kavio.