“Are those turnfins their pets?” Eva looked back as one of the Halcyonus untied the cords and placed the birds in round woven cages.

“No, they are fishing.” Rovender led them along the boardwalk as it spiraled around the colossal piling. Eva could see more fishermen below her, down near the waterline. One of them was holding a bright glowing round lantern just above the water. Several more drew the turnfins in by their leashes as the birds paddled about on the inky surface.

Rovender pointed to the next tower with his walking stick. “My friend resides at this next rookery. Let us continue.” He led Eva and Muthr onto another low, swaying bridge. They left the first tower behind and made their way toward a much larger one. As lightning twisted through the clouds, Eva could see that the second tower was top-heavy with numerous rounded huts, even more so than the first.

Nearby, a lone fisherman stood at the lowest dip of the sagging bridge, centimeters above the water’s surface. A large turnfin hopped up onto the bridge and squawked. Eva could see that there was something large stuck in the bird’s throat just above the tight knot around its neck. The fisherman reached into the turnfin’s mouth. He pulled out a brown fish with spidery legs and threw it into a bucket.

“Good evening,” Rovender said as they passed him.

The fisherman looked up, blinked at the strange trio, and nodded in salutation. He fed the turnfin a small slender fish, and the bird jumped back into the water.

“The Halcyonus have gathered their food from the water in this way for more than a millennium,” Rovender explained. “They have a unique relationship with the turnfin.”

Lilting music wafted from high atop the second tower and mixed with the melancholy rumble of distant thunder as it settled down upon Eva. She found that the combination of sounds soothed her nerves as she crossed the lengthy footbridge over the open water. It almost sounded as if someone were calling to her. Beckoning her.

They entered the base of the tower through a high archway with stairs spiraling up through it. Rovender pointed to one of the many colored lanterns illuminating the passageway.

“Oeeah! Look, there are green lights. That means there are vacancies, should my friend not be able to accommodate us. Come.” Rovender led them on.