Obi sat upon the shore, watching the Neptune creeping through the sunset. Propelled by a bank of oars and neat square sails, the ship should have made swift progress against the river, but the massive fish lashed to the stern slowed it to a crawl. Obi sighed and stretched, his already sore body protesting the prospect of being used again. Butchering an Ancient was brutal work, and Obi couldn't help but feel that it was work better left for tomorrow. At least then, it would have still felt sacred, that there was meaning to the process, a completion of things, as each part of the great fish was removed and given place, purpose.

It was more than just harvesting, more than just compensation. It was a way to respect the life that had been taken. Of course, not everyone felt the same. Dessi and Akem would have said they appreciated the Ancients if Obi had asked them, but they were more focused on what price their meat could fetch back home. It was why they had signed onto the expedition. 

Obi looked to where Dessi sat, whipcord body curled over the knife she was sharpening, her eyes following the approaching ship. Catching his gaze, she motioned toward the Neptune. "You think she's satisfied?"

Before Obi could reply, Akem's voice floated from the branches above them. "What could she be dissatisfied with? We already caught one!"

"I would have said the same thing, but you should have seen her face." 

Swinging from the tree, Akem landed gently beside them. "You must be seeing things. None of the hunt-boats even took a scratch because of Obi here." He gave Obi a mischievous nudge. "What more could she want?" 

"Bigger Ancients." Obi was surprised by the sharpness in his own voice. He wanted to join Akem in his humor, to playfully accept his praise, but their discussion had renewed his concern that Veneri would not listen to him, that despite his hopes, she would be no different than Seers before. Conversation ceased after that. 

On the water, several of the Neptune's hunt-boats cut the dead Ancient free and started to pull it to shore. Obi and the others waded out to help when they were close, pulling the carcass onto the bank with the crew. Men and women hired in Bumasi. Most had been fishermen or sailors before the war; Obi found most of them eager, friendly workers, little like the guards the Seer had brought. Soldiers by their dress and manner. They kept far from the work as possible, leering in silent judgment as the Ancient’s chest was opened and its heart extracted.

Lieutenant Vol spoke only after Dessi had placed the heart in his hands. Sliding the heart into a leather sack, the officer said, "Stop harvesting. Seer Veneri wants us back on the water as quickly as possible." 

Several seconds of uneasy silence followed. Obi and Akem had already started peeling back more of the skin. The laborers who had remained to help quietly backed away. Dessi spoke first. "What do you mean, stop? Does the Seer mean not to pay us?"  

Lieutenant Vol smiled thinly. "That is hardly my concern. She's given her order, and we're packing up."

A dangerous glint settled in Dessi's eyes, the lines of her arm tensing. Setting his knife aside, Obi stepped forward. "Lieutenant, you're not understanding. Perhaps it is your words that are confused?" 

Anger squared the lieutenant's shoulders, a menacing motion that filled the whole of his powerful frame. "I speak your rutting language fine, and the order stands. Pack it up." 

 "We're not leaving this beach without something. You take the heart. We get the body. That was the deal." Dessi said. 

"And it still is." The Seer's voice was a calm wind. It rippled through the camp, full of diplomatic authority. Obi turned to watch her approach. Handsome after the Reshi fashion and bedecked in the many trappings of her office, she cut an imposing figure as she moved to Vol's side. "The lieutenant failed to say that you will be allowed to harvest the next Ancient."

 "And why not this one?” asked Akem. 

The Seer grinned. "Are you not eager to find bigger specimens?" Obi's heart sank. "You'll spend the rest of the evening harvesting this one when we could make it several more miles?" 

"To an Ancient we haven't caught?" Dessi asked.

The Seer looked at her. "To a better harvest." Her words hung there, the weight of foretelling heavy in the air. Had she seen something? A glimpse of their future? 

Obi wet his lips. He had hoped to approach Seer Veneri under better circumstances, to present his idea when she had time to think about it. But considering the speed that she wished to pursue larger ancients, now seemed as good a time as any. "Seer, it would be easier for us to find smaller Ancients." 

The Seer raised an incredulous brow. "Explain." 

"There are more of them. Breeders are rare, more so of late. They are also much harder to kill. By targeting smaller Ancients, we would find more and take more, making it easier for you to leave with a full hold."    

Veneri smiled. "Obi, correct?" He nodded. "You're the one that killed the Ancient?" 

"Yes." 

 "Tell me then, Obi, why are you afraid of a larger beast?" 

"Because it would be foolish not to be." 

The Seer's voice was icy. "Are you calling me a fool?"

Obi chose his following words with care. "Of course not. I only wish to highlight the hazards of pursuing Ancients of great size. When roused, they have been known to destroy entire villages. Alternatively, by targeting more modest Ancients, we can avert danger and increase your chances for a good harvest." 

"The only chances I want you to consider are those that lead us to the biggest specimens. Which I have every confidence that you will find. Now, I will compensate you for some of the meat, but pack it up. We're getting off this beach." 

The next day, Obi, Dessi, and Akem slipped out just before dawn. Paddling upriver in single canoes. They needed to decide which branch of the river to take, and despite her insinuation, the Seer had offered no hints, leading Obi to believe she'd had had no visions of the day. It was always a toss-up, guessing what a Seer knew. The rumor was that their dreams were not infallible, but he had no way of knowing for sure.

Regardless, he had to act. If he was going to get the expedition to target smaller Ancients, he needed to slow it down, to make them feel pressed for time. The day offered just such a chance. Down one of the river's many branches, a sandbar emerged, deep enough that it could go unnoticed, shallow enough that it would ground the Neptune. If the ship was stuck there for a couple of days, it might force Seer Veneri to reconsider her stance. Slaughtering the oldest and biggest of the Ancients just to leave the meat to rot was a sacrilege against nature, against tradition, and Obi wasn't going to accept his role in it. 

Assuring Dessi and Akem that the fork held Ancients, they crossed into its meandering channels. Baiting promising water, they watched for signs of the great fish. After an hour of searching, they found one. Dessi set the line, flinging the bait into the recess of a deep-cut bank. They waited, watching the line drift through the pool's feckless current. Then, in a lightning surge of teeth, the bait was gone. Dessi reeled in her empty line, and they retreated. 

Obi could feel the sharp thrill of conspiracy singing in his veins. They hadn't yet reached the shallows; it lay just a little further up the river, but his scheme could still work. As Akem and Dessi drew close, he said, "Akem, return to the Neptune. Guide them up this channel. Tell them to deploy the hunt-boats ahead of their arrival. They can row up and meet us, and then we'll engage an Ancient. While we do, the Neptune should continue upstream. There's a lagoon not far from here. They can prepare a beach for butchering. The hunt boats can bring the carcass there." 

Akem nodded. "How big should I tell Veneri this Ancient is?" 

Dessi shrugged. "Forty feet is only a slight exaggeration." 

Akem smiled. "Not huge, but at least bigger than what we've seen. The Seer will be happy with that." Then he departed. Obi and Dessi settled in to wait. It would be several hours before the Neptune arrived. They talked some, casting the occasional morsel to the Ancient to ensure it didn't move. Mainly, they sat in silence, enjoying the animal hum of the jungle. Around midday, the hunt boats appeared, Akem at the head of one. Obi and Dessi paddled out to join the other two. 

Giving his canoe to one of the laborers, Obi took his place at the head of the boat. Grabbing a harpoon, he motioned the rowers forward. Unhindered by transferring, Akem had moved his boat into position and swung his baited line into the current, its other end attached to an empty barrel by a heavy rope. They would only have a few minutes once this Ancient took the bait to sink another line in it before it chewed through the cable and disappeared. They waited for the Ancient to strike. 

Like before, it came in a mass of teeth and water, striking upward with unyielding force, but this time, as it resubmerged, its head was caught by the floating barrel. Obi's boat surged forward as the Ancient thrashed and rolled. Steadying himself against the sudden waves, he made his throw. The harpoon flew straight and bit into the Ancient's spinning flank. Obi's toss was quickly followed by Dessi's and Akem's so that as the Ancient came free of the hook, it found itself attached to other lines and empty barrels. It was trapped on the surface. 

The Ancient fled. Plowing past the hunt-boats, it swam down river toward the Neptune. Obi cursed. The ship hadn't reached the shallows. As they trailed in its frothing wake, he kept hoping that the Ancient would turn, that it would circle back on itself and race upriver. It never did. The Ancient raced past the Neptune until it came to a quiet bend where it stopped, slowly circling as it waited for the energy to make another run. 

Urging his crew in close, Obi intervened before the Ancient could, driving a well-placed harpoon behind the gill plate and ending the hunt. Shouts echoed across the water. Orders for the Neptune to turn around. Obi's heart sank further. Dessi and Akem's boats arrived, and the Ancient was collected and pulled to the nearby shore. As the butchering began, the Seer's boat landed. 

She stepped to shore, flanked by her guards. "You disappoint me. This one appears smaller than the last." 

Dessi answered. "It's got a heart, same as any. You'll still have your visions." 

 "But not as potent. I require the largest of the Ancients —the most sacred— if that was not clear."

"It’s clear. Might I suggest we try further up this branch? I have a feeling we may find larger prey." Obi said. 

Veneri's eyes narrowed as she considered him. Seconds crept by with Obi's blood singing in his ears. Finally, she said, "No, we shall return to the river. I have had a premonition where an Ancient of vast size and age might be found. Once you finish extracting this one's heart, we'll move. You'll be compensated for the meat."

Evening fell quickly. The Neptune had moored off the bank, and most crew and guards had come ashore to make their camps. Obi, Dessi, and Akem had made theirs together. As the night drew close, they discussed their plans.

"What good is Reshi gold?" 

Akem threw up his hands. "Better than not being paid at all." 

Dessi rolled her eyes in exasperation. "We didn't come for gold. We came for meat. The villages have no use for coins. We'd have to go all the way to Bumasi to spend it." 

"Would that be so bad? To at least see the city?" Dessi just looked at Akem, a poignant stare that made him squirm. He looked to Obi. "You'd go, right?" 

Obi sighed. Years ago, he had learned that it was best to not take sides when Dessi and Akem fought. No matter how diplomatic he tried to be, one always got their feelings hurt. "I'm more concerned that the Seer will keep hustling us around the river trying to find the biggest Ancients. She will lead us to one we cannot take, or should not!" 

Dessi and Akem contemplated his words for a moment. Obi had considered saying more. Considered telling them that what was in his heart was not just fear of the bigger fish, but fear that what the Seer wanted was wrong. The largest Ancients were the river's soul. Hunting them was more than irreverent. It was a sin. Dessi and Akem wouldn't see it that way, though. Their thoughts were on meat and money, as well as time and risk. 

Eventually, Akem spoke up. "Well, it's not like we're going to change her mind. The Seer wants bigger Ancients." 

"We might change her mind… if we slowed her down." Dessi and Akem caught the conspiratorial tenor in his voice and drew in close. 

"What do you mean?" Akem whispered. 

"I mean, if the expedition were delayed, just for a few days, Seer Veneri might be more receptive to suggestion." 

"She'll still need hearts." 

"Exactly, and when we approach her, we'll emphasize how much easier it is to find and kill smaller Ancients. We keep the meat. She keeps her gold, and everybody wins." 

Dessi frowned. "The only problem is that we don't have a way of slowing anything down. They'll be able to tell if we're shirking work. Besides, the Seer can see the future. How are we going to trick her?" 

"She doesn't know everything. This morning, she had no idea where we should go. Her sight is limited." 

"Then what are you suggesting?" asked Akem.

"We scuttle the ship. Nothing dire. Something they can fix, but it might slow them for a few days." 

They sat in contemplative silence for a few minutes before Dessi said,"If the tiller were damaged, it would snap when placed under strain. It's a little suspicious, but could also be due to normal wear, and it would take a day or two to fix." 

"That should work." 

Eagerness showing on his face, Akem said, "Most of the guards and crew are ashore as well. It wouldn't be hard to slip aboard, especially if Dessi and I distract them." Dessi raised an incredulous eyebrow. Sheepish but undaunted, Akem continued. "We've landed two. What would be the harm in a little celebration?" 

Obi winked at Dessi. "It seems wholly deserved. And if you explain my absence by telling them that I ate something that didn't agree with me, no one will come looking." 

Akem laughed. Even Dessi's serious mask broke into a swift smile before she said, "Wait for the party to really get going before you move." 

Obi grinned and patted her arm. "Don't worry, you might even have some fun." 

"I don't know about that," Dessi said as she followed Akem, who was already skipping toward the other camp.

 Obi settled down to wait. Dusk drifted close until it eventually swallowed up the dying day. Bats flitted past. The pale jewel of their bodies glinting in the firelight. At the other camp, Obi could just make out Akem's steady voice singing a bawdy tune. Gradually, other voices joined until the whole of the shore was ringing. Obi smiled. It was time. 

Slipping down the bank, he crept into the river. Liquid darkness swallowed him. He started to swim, silently making his way toward the Neptune. There was just enough moonlight and glare from the fires onshore that he had no trouble locating the anchor line. Catlike, he crawled up it and into the deck. 

The Neptune was arranged like most imperial galleys. There was a top deck, a rowing deck, and the hold. The rudder would be on the rowing deck at the stern. Obi took stock of his surroundings. He was at the bow, seemingly alone, but the ship would not be unattended. Sentries patrolled somewhere on board, and his mere presence would cause alarm. Obi had to do this quietly. 

Barefooted, he padded forward. He raised the hatch and crept down the ladder, making it below deck without seeing a soul. Deeper darkness greeted him. What little light there was shone through the rowing ports. Obi crept toward the stern, cautiously groping to the rudder. Once there, he slipped his knife from its sheath and started to carve. Little flakes that he caught in his hand. 

The noise echoed sharply through the deck, but he would stop and listen every couple of strokes. Only once did he hear footsteps. They came from above and were accompanied by the low grumblings of the Seer’s guards. They passed quickly, and Obi returned to work, assured he would hear them coming. Painful, sweaty minutes followed as he did his best to wear away the rudder and gauge his progress in the gloom. Obi felt and strained, digging his dulling knife into the hardened wood. That's when he heard it, the sound of running feet. Not on the deck above, but on his own. Obi turned just in time to take lieutenant Vol's shoulder to the chest, then his heel to his face.

A part of Obi was aware that he was bound and awaiting judgement, but his conscious mind had drifted. He was lulled into a restless sleep by the slap of the water and the creak of the oars. He didn’t fully regain consciousness until the door of the hold was opened and he was dragged into the deck. The Seer was there, Vol beside her. The bound and bloody forms of Akem and Dessi rested at their feet. Guilt tore through Obi, and he fumbled to his knees, scouring the foggy layers of brain for the words that would set them free. Veneri spoke before he could find them. "You surprised me, Obi. I thought you were the practical one." 

Landing upon a defense, Obi mumbled. "Let them go. They had nothing to do with this." 

The Seer sneered and glanced at Akem. "Don't think you can parlay them out of this. Your friend admitted to his crimes." Obi could see it now, the telltale signs of torture. Dessi bore fewer, and her eyes still glittered in fierce defiance. Likely they had found her a tougher nut to crack.

Obi struggled to his feet, his mind racing. "Yes, they helped, but only because I asked. It was not their idea. Punish me, not them." 

Veneri didn't meet his eyes. "Do you know how I caught you? I foresaw it. Glimpsing the future is not as easy as it sounds. There are many paths within the weave. Ancient hearts give my visions clarity and focus, and the older, more sacred of the creatures lend me greater certainty. In the same dream I saw you, I saw a place where rivers meet and an Ancient of immense size awaits us." 

The Neptune had slowed. Obi hadn't noticed before. They had come miles since their last camp to a branch in the river where three separate forks converged. Veneri continued. "This is the place. There is a beast beneath these waters whose heart would give me visions to rival the Seers of old. You will hunt this Ancient. You will collect its heart. Only then will your friends be safe."

Obi stared at the confluence. The swirling mixing lattice of different rivers. A fin raked the surface, larger than he dreamed possible. If the Ancient matched its outline, it would be nearly a match for the Neptune in size. Obi tore his eyes away. "Veneri, please, this can’t be done! That is no mortal creature. It is an embodiment of the river itself; we cannot hope to harm it!”  

The Seer shook her head. "I feared you might resist." She nodded to Vol, who drew his knife and slit Akem's throat in one motion. Dessi howled and threw herself at Vol. Even totally bound, she managed to slam her head into his stomach and nearly drive him to the ground. The lieutenant recovered and kicked her prostrate. The Seer locked eyes with Obi. "You will do as I command, or I will have her killed. Do you understand?"   

Obi wondered how much the laborers knew. They pulled away from the Neptune as silent as the grave. Surely, they were aware that something had happened. Only one of the hunt-boats had a guide; the other living guide was a bound captive. Coupled with the fact that Lieutenant Vol and two other guards were aboard had to be enough to arouse suspicion. For the umpteenth time, Obi wished he could say something. Warn them that they were being led to almost certain doom. But the thought of Dessi kept him quiet, that and Vol sitting close.

Grabbing the bait rope hard, he tried to shut himself off from the facts, tried to focus on his coming task. The other boats were hanging back. Manned by guards and laborers, they were relying on Obi to draw the Ancient out. His boat crept toward the confluence. When he came within range, he started to swing the baited line. He was already closer than he wanted to be. Bigger Ancients required bigger bait, and Obi could not throw it as far. The fear that the Ancient would simply see the hunt-boat as prey gnawed at his fragile calm. 

Eventually, after several attempts, he swung the line into position. He hardly had a chance to take his harpoon in hand when the water erupted in a dense mass of flashing scales. Obi threw by instinct alone, his conscious mind reeling at the Ancient's size. The harpoon glanced off its armored hide and disappeared into the water. Muscle memory kept him moving, cutting the line free and grabbing another spear. The Ancient had not yet chewed through the bait line, but it tore through the water, steering toward the boat, seemingly unencumbered by the barrel it dragged behind. 

As it neared, Obi stood transfixed. He never expected to face an Ancient of this size. It was truly more a force of the river than a creature of flesh and blood. As the rolling amber wave broke into a toothy maw, he held his throw. He had never expected death to be so beautiful. Surprisingly, it was Vol that broke him from his daze. Leaping to the head of the boat, he threw a hastily aimed spear that fell short of the charging Ancient. Remembering himself, Obi tossed his own harpoon. It found purchase inside the titan's jaws. Instantly, the Ancient closed its mouth and submerged, plowing beneath the hunt-boat and breaking the trailing barrel against its prow. 

Bedlam broke out on board as a host of waves smacked against the sides, and wooden splinters rained down. Obi threw himself on the floor, narrowly avoiding tipping overboard. By the time he found his feet, the Ancient had moved past and engaged the other boats. Obi watched as it broke one in half with a sweep of its tail and charged another in the same violent motion. The Neptune, meanwhile, had weighed anchor and moved toward the beast, a smattering of arrows falling from its deck. Undaunted, the Ancient raged, splintering another boat and turning toward the ship.

Vol was up, screaming at the laborers. "Turn this boat around! We must bring that beast down!" A few kicks from the other guards and some flashing of steel, and the laborers reluctantly started to obey. Gradually, the boat began to turn. Obi knew he had to act. Lieutenant Vol's course could not be changed. His duty would not allow him to abandon the Neptune. He would drive the laborers on the point of the sword into the very mouth of the Ancient. 

Obi whispered, "I'm sorry, Dessi." Then he was moving. A harpoon was too unwieldy for use in such tight quarters, and he had lost his knife in the scramble, so he charged Vol with nothing but his hands. Weaving between the rowers, he reached him in a bound, a second brought him to grips with the man. Vol barely had time to raise his sword as Obi wrapped himself around his opponent’s waist, and they tumbled into the river. 

Warm murk greeted them, the momentum of their fall bringing them below the thrashing surface. Vol writhed in Obi's grip. Having lost his sword in the confusion, Vol battered at Obi with his fists. Working his powerful fingers between Obi's arms, Vol quickly pried himself free. Then with ragged, panicked strokes, the lieutenant started toward the surface. Obi knew he was outmatched. He could not best the lieutenant in strength or skill. His only hope was a simple one. He could probably hold his breath longer.

Swimming after Vol, Obi clawed at his legs. Gripping whatever he could find, he pulled him down, trying to tangle him again in a tight embrace. Vol kicked out wildly. Obi managed to stay attached, inching upward until he could take hold of the lieutenant's arms. Vol abandoned swimming. Turning, he pummeled Obi. Blow after blow fell about his face and shoulders, the force only slightly diminished by the water. It was all Obi could do to cling to the man as Vol's urgent strikes threatened to batter him unconscious.

They sunk deeper, carried by the invisible fingers of current toward the river’s muddy bottom, daylight fading into the perpetual gloom. Vol's attack became increasingly desperate. He clawed at Obi's face and tried to gouge his eyes, but Obi could feel his strength waning. With every ferocious onslaught, he used up more and more of his oxygen. Burying his face against the lieutenant, Obi tried to keep himself from the worst damage, ignoring his own burning lungs.