They made their way back to the main trail, if it could be called that, and continued southeast into the Forsaken Swamp. The going was slow since they wanted to stay on dry land. In some spots, they had to leap from island to island. They had to wade occasionally but only where they could see weeds and vegetation sticking out of the water. They avoided the sections of water without any visible growth.

Soon the land, trees, and vegetation mostly disappeared. Small islands were scattered to the east and south but with no land connection from where they were. The islands had structures on them resembling beaver dams on stilts. Some islands had trees and bushes, and others were bare other than the structures.

“Well, crap,” Caleb said. “Can everyone swim?”

Spence’s heart leaped into his throat. He remembered a week of swimming lessons when he was twelve years old in the hell that was 4-H camp. But he spent more time trying to avoid being held underwater and flipped with wet-tipped towels than learning to swim. He had never really tried since then. “I can’t,” he croaked.

“And that’s a shock,” Morgan said.

“Like you can?” Spence retorted, his face getting warm.

“Well, most Goth girls don’t spend a lot of time at the pool. They’d burn their fair skin. I can’t use that excuse, but I guess I just never got into it,” she said, grinning weakly. “I could possibly tread water for a few minutes.”

“Great. Now what?” Caleb asked.

Before Spence could respond, they saw some disturbances in the water just before them. The three turned and readied their weapons. Instead of a giant worm, three creatures emerged from the water. They were man-shaped but green and covered with scales. Spence, Morgan, and Caleb retreated to give the creatures room and to determine if they were monsters or the Draconians.

The creatures slowly climbed to their feet. They were at least six and a half feet tall. Their heads resembled lizards, with large green eyes with thin, vertical pupils and two slits for nostrils. They had small ears on the sides of their heads and a ridge on the top disappearing behind. They wore tight-fitting black sleeveless shirts and black pants coming to their knees. Their clothes were slick and shining with water, resembling spandex swimming suits. Exposed arms and calves were muscular, like those of the Nephilim. Their hands ended in long, bony fingers, and their feet were flat and wide, ending in short, webbed toes. Long, thick tails somehow extended through their clothing and nearly touched the ground behind them.

“Welcome, questers,” one of them spoke. His voice was raspy and hissed on the esses.

“You must be the Draconians,” Spence said, stepping up beside Caleb. He marveled at the lizard men. These were the best and most realistic of all the gods’ creations—half-human, half-lizard. They appeared stronger and sturdier than any of the other races too. He wondered if they had to stay close to water, though.

“We are,” the first one replied. “I am Sinnashi. Welcome to the Forsaken Swamp.”

“We are supposed to meet Qishti. Can you take us to him?” Spence asked.

“He is expecting you.” The three Draconians turned around to face the water. “Enter the water and straddle our backs,” Sinnashi said.

The Draconians waded into the water until only shoulders and heads were above the surface. Caleb glanced at the other two, shrugged, and waded in. He straddled his legs over the back of Sinnashi, and the Draconian submerged beneath the surface and swam rapidly through the water. His arms, legs, and tail didn’t break the surface or splash. It appeared Caleb magically skimmed across the surface. Spence couldn’t tell whether Sinnashi’s tail aided in swimming or functioned as a rudder to steer. Morgan followed, mounted the second one, and soon sped through the water behind Caleb. Spence nervously strode into the water and clumsily climbed onto his escort. He leaned forward, grabbed the creature’s shoulders, and instantly sped across the water like riding on a submerged jet ski.

Spence grinned despite having just survived the battle with the giant worm and losing their newfound companion. He was amazed at how effortlessly the Draconian sliced through the water. It felt like he imagined riding a dolphin or giant seal would. Spence studied the small islands they rushed past. The mounds of sticks were indeed wooden huts, raised at least six feet above the islands on stilts. Draconians occupied most of the islands, either inside or outside the huts. They saw other Draconians swimming through the water, too, heading here and there.

The islands and lizard people became more numerous the further they traveled. Then after five minutes of swimming, the small isles disappeared, and they were in an open patch of water. A massive island lay in the center, covered with numerous wooden structures, some towering three stories high. Smaller islands ringed the three visible sides with wooden bridges connecting them to the main island. Large wooden structures and walkways also covered the smaller islands.

Caleb and Morgan already stood with their escorts on the edge of the closest island. Spence’s escort angled toward them, and they soon joined the others.

“We will cross the bridge to Abzu, where we will find Qishti. Swimming directly to it is forbidden. Follow me,” Sinnashi said. He led them onto a wooden walkway that ascended several feet above the ground. The other two Draconians trailed behind. Spence realized all the wooden structures on this island were also elevated on posts. The walkway branched several times, leading to various buildings on either side. They passed other Draconians; some nodded, and others ignored them.

Spence observed most of the Draconians had long, curved daggers hanging from their belts. Others stood guard at various locations, armed with spears and tridents. The walkway skirted around the largest round building in the island's center and continued on the other side. It then descended to the shore and intersected the bridge spanning a hundred feet of water to the main island.

Many more heavily armed, guard-looking Draconians were on the other side of the bridge. Sinnashi led them past more significant buildings on this main island and finally to the center's largest, three-story square building. Two guards flanked the double doors, holding tridents. They opened the doors and ushered the party through.

The lighting inside the huge room was dim, with only a few lamps and lanterns augmenting the gray light spilling in from windows spaced along two walls. The room contained many wooden tables and chairs and appeared to serve as a dining hall. It was currently devoid of Draconians.

Sinnashi led them across the room and through a door in the far wall. The room beyond was small and square, with no windows. Shelves lined the two sidewalls, and two small tables with lanterns on them sat in each of the near corners. Four chairs sat in front of a large desk straight in front of them. On the other side of the desk was an oversized, high-backed chair occupied by the largest Draconian they had seen.

The Draconian glanced up from studying some type of paper on the desk. “Welcome, questers. I am Qishti. Please be seated.” Qishti nodded to their escorts, and they disappeared through the door and shut it behind them. “I have heard you defeated the swamp beast. Very impressive.” Qishti had a slight lisp, but not as bad as Sinnashi.

The four sat in the chairs in front of the desk. “We did. And that was the last part of our quest. So, we should be able to return home,” Caleb said, leaning forward in his chair.

“Ah. You are the first to complete the quest. Well done.”

“Then where are the gods to return us to Earth?” Caleb continued.

“No one can summon the gods,” Qishti said, staring at Caleb. “They will appear if and when they are ready. We do not question their ways.”

“We can summon them,” Caleb retorted, returning Qishti’s stare.

“What do you mean, human?”

Spence wanted to catch Caleb’s attention and stop him from doing what he was about to do. They should at least wait and hear what Qishti could tell them. But Caleb reached inside his mail shirt and retrieved his amulet.

“We each have one of these and can summon a god with them,” Caleb said.

Qishti’s eyes widened as he stared at the amulet. Spence and Morgan pulled theirs out too. “Why did they give you those?”

“Caleb,” Spence hissed.

Caleb ignored him. “No, Spence, I’m tired of playing games. We can summon them or transport ourselves to their peoples and lead them to war.”

“A war?” Qishti leaned forward in his chair now. “Then it is true....”

“You know about this war?” Spence asked.

“I have heard rumors. I did not think it would be this soon, though.”

“Is that the reason for the armed guards?” Spence said.

“Yes. We have been preparing just in case the rumors were true.” Qishti replied. “Which one of you has Enki’s amulet?”

Spence’s heart began racing, and his palm sweated on the stone in his hand. He cleared his throat. “Umm…I do.”

“So, you can summon him now?”

“Uh…yeah…I guess.”

“Do it, Spence. Let’s have a chat with Enki about where the doorway leading home is,” Caleb said.

“I don’t know,” Morgan said softly.

“Why the heck not? We at least need to know the options, right?”

“Qishti?” Spence asked.

“I am unsure,” Qishti said, sitting back in his chair.

“He told you to do it anytime, right?” Caleb persisted.

“At least when I was ready to lead the Draconians,” Spence said.

“Well, he shouldn’t have given it to you if he didn’t want you to use it. Try it.”

Spence looked at Qishti again. Qishti’s face was unreadable. But the scaly lizard face would be impossible to read at any time. Spence thought it odd that none of them found it strange talking to lizard people as if they were regular humans. But in this world, strange was relative.

Spence stood and walked to the door. He then turned and faced the others. Caleb and Morgan twisted in their chairs, watching him intently. The stone was unnaturally warm in Spence’s moist hand. He cleared his throat and inhaled deeply. He squeezed the pendant and said, “Enki, please appear.”