“Nyunga Ro Chaga,
O Guardian of the Spirit.
Not long now, not long.
When the sun sets and rises again,
then will it be time for the birthing.”
The creature swam and swirled around him joyfully. Many more Yona Ro Gai gathered, rising from deep beneath him in all directions. They beat their webbed hands on the water’s surface, spraying drops that shimmered against the transparent ground of Sagu.
✦ ✦ ✦
“O egg embraced by Nyunga Ro Chaga!
Become Nyunga Ro Im.
Breathe clouds and make the sweet rain fall
on this land and that other land.”
They continued to circle around Chagum until the sun set and the river was wrapped in darkness. When the night deepened, he lay down on the thick ferns beneath a great tree. Lights rose like fireflies from the depths, drifting to the water’s surface, clustering together and suddenly scattering. He watched them dance, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
That night, his dreams merged with those of Nyunga Ro Im as the egg dozed, waiting to be born. This was Nyunga Ro Im’s only gift for the one in whom its egg resided: the dream of the cloud spirit, which none but its Guardian could ever hope to see. In the dream, Chagum was an enormous shellfish, larger than the palace in the capital, lying on his belly at the bottom of the great river. He watched the world from a hard shell that radiated seven colors of light. The earth’s energy seeped inside him, circulated warmly through his stomach, and filled his entire being.
Myriad lives — all life on the peninsula — flowed like a shining, swirling river in and out of his dream. Strong lives, weak lives, from both Sagu and Nayugu: Some were fortunate, protected by many others, while some wandered into blind creeks, petered out, and vanished soon after they were born. His body nestled into this great flowing river. Ahhh. Like a great sigh, he exhaled the energy flowing inside him and let his mind ride that breath as it rushed to the surface, burst from the water, and climbed up, up to the heavens….
In the blue sky, his breath became a cloud, and he gazed from a dazzling height upon the clear blue river and the world through which it wound. The wind pushed against him, passing out the other side, and birds glided gently through him. He merged with clouds that drifted toward him from far away, smelled the scents of different lands, whirled and swelled…. Light was born within him, and with a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder, he became a drop of rain and fell once again to the bottom of the river.
Sensing the pale blue dawn, Chagum awoke and knew that all was ready. The egg within his breast ached. It was time to be born.
The morning sun shone through the green canopy covering the sky and cast a dappled light on the ferns and bamboo grass beneath.
“Wait.”
Balsa, who had been rushing ahead, stopped at the sound of Jin’s voice behind her. He was crouching down, staring at the ferns at the foot of a huge tree. “What is it?”
Jin raised his head. “It looks like Tanda was right. Someone seems to have slept here. From the state of these ferns, whoever it was left about dawn.”
Zen was standing beside him. He pointed to the ground and said quietly, “It was the prince. There’s no mistake. Look — a footprint.”
Balsa pushed her way back through the underbrush and looked at the ground where he was pointing. The imprint of a small straw sandal was faintly visible, and the marks of two thin ropes across the sole stood out particularly clearly. She felt her heart constrict. “Yes, that’s Chagum’s footprint all right. I can see the marks from the straw ropes I added to keep him from slipping.” She stood up and looked at Tanda. “How far is it to the spring?”
“About two hours at our pace.”
“If he left at dawn, he’ll reach the spring at least half an hour ahead of us. If we add how long it will take to make torches, we don’t have a moment to spare.” Balsa looked at Jin and Zen and smiled challengingly. “Now’s your chance to prove what you’re worth.”
The Hunters just grinned back.