Up The River Road 
Chapter I
He wasn't a heavy sleeper, and it took little to wake him. The sun had not risen but something was moving about in the cabin and he strained to identify it. Holding his breath, Onne at last found the source: it was his mother moving about quietly below him as he lay in the sleeping loft. Pulling his blanket around his shoulders, he padded over the cold floor to the ladder opening. There, lying on his stomach, he watched the tall stocky woman move around the lower room. Onne made no sound, but she must have sensed his presence, because Danu stopped and looked up into the ten year old face.
" I was going to let you sleep a little longer, but since you're awake, you might as well come down and eat your breakfast now. We have a long way to go and I want to start as early as possible." Onne descended the ladder without a word and, keeping the blanket around him, ambled to the table and sat down. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, Mother." "Good." She set a bowl of porridge in front of him, and put a spoon in his hand in one smooth motion. "Milk in a moment." She drew a shawl over her shoulders and slipped out of the door, letting in as little cold as possible.
Onne moved the spoon through the porridge watching the stream rise, as it was still too warm to eat. His mother was soon inside again, too quickly to have done the milking the goat, which meant it was from the evening before and would be cold from the chilly night. Towering over him Morge Danu bent to pour some milk into the bowl.
"Would you like a cup full too, or is this enough?"
" A cup, too, Mother, I'm very thirsty this morning."
Silently she fetched a cup down front of him and poured his milk. Returning to the table, Danu sat across from her son, placing the cup by his bowl. His hair fell to his shoulders, and several strands slipped forward, half covering his face as he ate. She reached across the table and brushed it back.
"Well, we start our trip today. Down to Leraf, then following the Waz northeast to the capitol, and from there into the mountains. A very long trip for a boy who's never been far from Elav."
"Even farther than Ande?"
"Leraf is about a third of the distance to Ande, a very easy journey down the coast. We will be going more than ten times that far: over the hills on the River Road until we reach the mountains, that is when things get difficult." She smiled. "By that time you will be a seasoned traveler, and quite ready for the challange."
Onne paused between mouthfuls of porridge, but didn't look at his mother.
"Are we going to visit your family?"
"We are going to live with them."
"When are we coming back?"
"We have discussed this before, Onne, we are going to live in Kotrab. I will not return to Elav." In a softer tone she added: "But you are still very young, maybe you will come back some day." She rose and turned back to the stove. "Now finish your breakfast."
He ate dutifully, if in a haze. They really were going all those miles to the mountains where his mother had been born, passing through the great capitol on the way, and never returning to their village. She had talked about it before, but the whole idea had seemed so fantastic he had never given it any real consideration. This is home, how could they leave? His mind was a blizzard of questions, but he couldn't bring himself to ask them.
If only it was his father who had been taken with this plan, then it would have been easier. Papa explained everything, often without your asking him. Papa couldn't explain anything though. An unexpected storm had caught him too far from shore while fishing, and only pieces of the boat had returned, leaving Onne, his mother, and the space between them.
Danu had been supporting them by weaving, not only the sort of cloth that everyone wore daily, but especially the colors and patterns of her Kotraban home, sought for special occasions and fetching a better price. It had meant long hours at the loom, but was enough to keep them both. In the first months after Ibbon's death she seemed always to be weaving. From early in the morning to late at night the thump of the pedals and the whoosh of the spool sliding across the threads filled the cottage. The methodical movements gave Danu something to keep her mind on, avoiding other realities as much as possible. It was a tether to sanity as well as a means to survive. Gradually, over the months she worked shorter hours. The sense of desperation drained from her work, drop by drop.
She sold the cloth to the nearby villages (which rarely saw Kotraban goods). On occasion, as they traveled the short distances between the little clusters of houses here and there, she would sing. At first just snatches, but in time, verses, then entire songs. It was a nice clear mezzo, and Onne loved to hear it, but he never asked her to sing, he just waited for those walks and the music.
Four months ago, and ten months after his father's death, his mother suddenly began to train him in the use of the long bow and the knife. Target practice was interrupted with instruction in the manufacture of arrows, and the proper handling of the long bladed fisherman's knife. An indispensable tool in the boat. The double edged blade was ten inches long, two inches wide, serrated on one side and smoothly razor sharp from tip to haft on the other. It looked to be a wicked piece of metal, especially in the hands of a small boy. He learned how to use and care for the weapons: to keep them close at hand, and to use them only when necessary.
"If you can keep your head, the scabbard can keep the sword," Danu said it over and over.
The boy wondered how did a weaver know so much about swords?
One night, a couple of months later, he had been lying awake when he heard a sort of swishing noise from outside. Cautiously he slipped out of his bed and climbed down from the loft. Although it wasn't very late, his mother was not at the loom, nor anywhere else in sight. He had grabbed the knife upon rising, and his hand tightened on it as he made his way silently to the front door which he slipped open to peer outside. The noise came from a two-handed broad sword which arched and swooped as though it had a life of its own. From the right hand to both hands to the left and back again it flew, accompanied by a chant in words he didn't know, over and over as though it were a ritual. Suddenly the swordsman swung to face him, the huge blade falling into a defensive position inches from his face. Onne gasped and jumped falling backwards.
Danu eased her stance in an instant, letting the sword relax to her side. To his greater surprise, if that was possible, she laughed. "That is a good way to lose your nose, creeping up like that. You are supposed to be in bed, not defending the hearth." She sheathed the sword in an easy motion, and walked over to help him to his feet, picking up the knife he had dropped.
"If you draw a weapon, hold on to it. Never give someone a chance to use it against you, not even your mother." She knelt and gave the boy a hug. "Now get back to bed. I will be inside in a moment." He hurried back to bed, his head in a muddle.
Now he understood all the practice and instruction; his mother's insistence on his being able to execute the movements without hesitation. On a long journey he would be important that he be able to watch out for himself.
"The best luck is preparation," Ibbon Epte had often told his son. Onne was beginning to understand.
They had been walking for several hours now. The ocean at their right, a hill rising on the left. The packs had received their final adjustments and the two of them had found a comfortable rhythm as they walked along the road. There were trails east from the village which would have taken them directly to the River Road, yet Danu had chosen to take the road south to Leraf where the Waz river and its parallel road terminated. This plan would mean a bit of back tracking, but it was an easier route, which was a more important consideration until they were used to the daily travel, and the weight of their loads.
Onne was trying to divide his attention between the scenery around him and the uneven road beneath him. If he looked around too much he was sure to trip over a stone in his path, but if he kept his eyes on the road he invariably missed the interesting things his mother would point out. He had never realized what a difficult task walking could be.
Finally they stopped to rest. Onne was more tired from his mental exercise than his physical efforts, but a chance to pause and look about without hazard to his toes was welcome. They sat and eased the pack straps to relieve their shoulders, rested leaning back into the hill. They both wore loose comfortable travel clothes and sturdy boots which came to the knees. The color of Danu's outfit seemed to shift and blend with the greens, browns, and grays of their surroundings. Her hair, which had always been (as far as he knew) in two long braids pulled across her head, was now cropped short above her collar. She was relaxed, though a bit flushed from the exercise, and seemed more like one of the village girls than the reserved woman that was his mother.
"We certainly have a fine day to begin our journey: dry cool and sunny. Before we are finished we will be into rain, snow and cold nights, so we had better enjoy this while we are able." Danu said, and adjusted the sword to a more comfortable position. She was also carrying a long bow and a quiver of arrows, full size versions of the ones she had taught Onne to use, and a sturdy belt knife.
Onne spoke tentatively, "You look like a soldier, Mother, with that sword and bow and knife."
She smiled at him and cocked her left eyebrow, "You're well armed yourself, pera. It's a good idea to be ready for anything. We might have to do some hunting before we are through, and we cannot be sure everyone we meet will have our best interests in mind. I prefer to avoid trouble, but one cannot always choose."
"Onne's eyes widened. "Do you think we might have to fight?"
"I hope not, but `The best luck..."
"`Is preparation.' I know." She smiled and reached over to brush the hair from his eyes.
"Yes, you do. You learn well and you remember what you have learned." Her voice became softer: "Your father would be proud of you." She brushed his cheek with the back of her fingers, then turned to look out to sea without another word.
Onne was startled. They had never discussed his father's death, and Danu rarely mentioned Ibbon. In the back of his mind the child had wondered if his mother missed the tough little fisherman as much as he did. Ibbon had been thin to the point of boniness, a head shorter than the sturdy Kotrabano he had married; but Ibbon Epte filled any space he occupied, no matter how large. Now the spaces seemed too large, even their little cottage. Onne felt at times as though he was standing on the edge of a huge canyon with his mother on the other side and no bridge between them. Watching her now, looking farther than the horizon, he sensed for the first time that even if the old crossing, Ibbon, was gone, it might not be as far around the chasm as he had thought.
His father had taught him of the ocean: what to look for when hunting shoals of fish; the best baits; warning signs of the changes in weather; who to mend nets; how to set lines; survival on the water. Now Onne began to learn about his mother's half of the world. Along the road, in the woods, she was showing him a sphere he never knew existed: how to recognize animal spoor when he saw it and to gage how long it had been there; where various species liked to bed down at night; what they ate and when they drank, all these things he began to learn as an explorer in a new land. He learned what and who to avoid on the road; how to hide himself if the need should arise; more things than he ever realized there were to know. He learned and began to master the lessons under the tutelage of the woman who had been a familiar stranger.
They had been making good progress, gradually increasing their pace and the length of their days on the road. The gain in altitude was still gentle, compared to what it would be after they left the capitol and began to climb into the Lower Kot range, but they were easing into the task and would be ready with it came. Danu had timed their trip so that the weather would be cool enough to hike in, but allow them to make the mountain passes before the heavy snows began.
So it was that the first two and a half weeks on the road passed, and they were within a few days `march' of Wazzo, where they were to visit with Danu's sister, and rest a few days before embarking in the second part of the journey. One night they camped in a small clearing in the underbrush, just out of sight and sound of the road. The fire was small, just large enough to provide heat and cook over without being visible from very far away. Dinner finished, the two of them sat silently and watched the fire. A mist had begun to crawl into the spaces between the trees and slide over the and around the bushes until all was enveloped. They were warmly wrapped and the fire's heat kept them comfortable. The occasional crack of the burning wood was the only audible sound, and that well muffled, until Onne's voice poked out of the quiet.
"Does your sister live in a big house?"
"It is about average for Wazzo, big compared to our cottage, there are about ten rooms all together, comfortable. I think you will like it."
"Does she weave too?"
"She can, but she works as a carpenter. The shop is attached to the house and your aunt, Ari, and Oge Tolu both work in the shop."
Danu looked into the fire as she spoke and Onne watched her face. "The Oge family lives in our village, we all played together as children. Ari and Tolu were always especially close, no one was surprised when they became riso*.
"Riso?" he queried.
She looked at her son. "Domularon. Sometimes I forget you do not speak Kotraban fluently, I suppose I think you will pick it up with physical proximity. From now on we will speak Kotraban during the day and Orathian in the evenings to give you practice. "
Onne let out a tiny sigh, something else to practice. Then he felt his mother lean closer and put her arm around him. "It is a long trip for both of us, in many ways. So we will have to work together to get through it."
Danu felt a small arm slip around her back, and let slip a quiet sigh of her own.
