“Did Grand-mere teach you to shoot?” Malichai asked.

Wyatt nodded. “With guns, knives and a bow and arrow. We all had chores. Once a year we collected the moss from the cypress trees and laid it all out to dry. It was a big job. There were five of us and we used the moss to stuff our mattresses. We needed a lot of it. That’s what we slept on.”

“I noticed a lot of the furniture was thick and sturdy and carved out of wood,” Malichai said. “Whoever did the furniture making was good.”

Wyatt smiled at him. “We got good. After a few chairs collapsed and we broke the sofa once, we learned if we wanted a chair to sit in, or a table to eat at, we’d better do a good job. We offered to buy Nonny all new furniture after we were grown and a little more successful, but she loves the things we made. She’s very sentimental.”

“I wouldn’t give it up either,” Ezekiel said. “I thought the table and chairs were unique and quite comfortable. Did you carve those chests in the hall by the stairs?”

“Each of us carved one. They’re marriage chests. Nonny wanted us to have them for our brides. Gator took his, and Flame was particularly happy about it. She didn’t have a family and I think the chest and things inside it made her feel connected, really part of our family – which she is.”

“Did Grand-mere make those quilts?” Malichai asked.

Wyatt glanced at him and then away. There was a note of longing in Malichai’s voice, one Wyatt was certain he wouldn’t want anyone to notice. Growing up poor in the bayou had been a struggle, but they hadn’t realized they were poor. Nonny made them feel lucky and very loved. He knew his brothers felt the same as he did about their home.

“Yours was a good childhood,” Ezekiel commented.

“Yeah,” Wyatt agreed. “The best. We worked hard but we played just as hard.” He held up his hand for silence and indicated for Malichai to put his pole down.

Sound travels on these waters like you wouldn’t believe. No noise. Ezekiel, can you do your thing with the insects? If they go silent, the guards are goin’ to know. We want the alligators to bellow and the frogs to croak.

Ezekiel, even as a boy, could manipulate the insects, calling them to him, sending them away. None of the team knew how he did it, but the ability was an asset unlike any other. He could move without detection through any type of terrain and protect his entire team while doing it. Since his enhancement, Ezekiel’s ability had grown into a powerful instrument. He could flood the entire compound with swarms of insects, snakes and frogs should he want to do such a thing.

No problem. Give me a minute to connect. Ezekiel was all business. Once on the hunt, he wasn’t a man who joked around like some of the other members on the team – Wyatt included.

We’re close then? Malichai asked.

We’ve got a little tramp through the swamp. It’s dangerous. There’re a few spongy places in this direction.

Wyatt used the pole carefully, each movement slow and easy, so that even the pole moving through the water made no splash as he used it to push off the bottom and propel them forward through the shallow water toward the shore. The pirogue easily ran onto the ground and all three stepped off.

Gator slide right at your feet, Malichai. Move to your left. You don’ want to meet that big boy tonight. He’s been around for a long while and he’s a wily one. He’s eaten more than one huntin’ dog for dinner.

That’s why you have all those dogs at your place. You use them for hunting, Malichai said.

We also like Nonny to have them around when all of us are gone.

Malichai slid his knife from his boot and stepped away from the muddy slide where clearly a large alligator moved from land to water on a regular basis. The moment they stepped onto land, all three changed subtly, lifting their faces to the air for information.

The five o’clock shadow on their faces along with the small hair on their bodies acted like sonar, a radar to give them precise information on their surroundings. They could tell if a small space was enough to slide their bodies through or if the branches of a tree could support their weight. They knew the location of every animal close to them. They each had allowed their hair to grow longer, believing it aided them in gathering more information as well as keeping them in tune to their surroundings and danger.

Can we use the trees? Malichai asked.

Once we’re closer to the compound. We can move fairly quickly through here. There’re only a few spots that are dangerous. Watch for snakes.

I’ll keep the snakes away, Ezekiel assured.

Wyatt led the way. On land, they made no noise, slipping through the thick brush and reeds easily, their bodies fluid, the roped muscles and flexible spines giving them an advantage as they made their way toward the part of the swamp Nonny had spent years transplanting her medicinal herbs and plants in.

We’re right at the edge of Grand-mere’s field. The local traiteur has used Nonny’s concoctions for years. Wyatt didn’t bother to try to keep the pride from his voice.

He remembered as a little boy, coming to this part of the swamp with his grandmother. She carried plants, carefully wrapped to transplant. One by one. She found them in other places throughout the vast swamp land, dug them up in the heat and humidity with mosquitos biting her and tramped through dangerous swamp to transfer them to this section.

Why? Ezekiel asked, surveying the acre of plants.

She told me that we all get old and havin’ them in one spot where we could watch over them and take care of them would ensure our families would always have medicine if they couldn’t afford modern medicine. Remember she’s in her eighties. She was the local pharmacist for years. When the traiteur needed a medicine, she would experiment with plants and herbs until she found the best one that worked. That’s what all this is. It’s the bayou’s pharmacy.