A Taste of History Past

by Forrest Brant

  Jura and Kal looked once again at each other and then at this stranger, with Kal stating. “You say you were watching us, and those others, and nobody saw you at all – that’s hard to believe.”

  Again he laughed. “Did ya’ see the ones who were following you all the time you were searching? And to think that not only were they watching you but another group were watching both you and this other. All I could do was shake my head, and you were none the wiser about any of this. And both of those groups were clumsy, thinking that they were good at what they were doing. By the gods I could have come into both of their camps and stole them blind and they’d been none the wiser. Thought about going in and shifting things around a bit, just to mess with their minds, but it was more fun to watch all of you stumble about thinking that you were alone and were good at living out here.” He again leaned forward and said, “Look, I don’t know about you, but my stomach thinks my throat has been cut and I have a few items I can add to the meal so let’s continue our conversation after we eat something. Besides I need to take care of her, my beast. Mind of I stake her over by yours. That way they’ll have a little companionship. After all they originally were from those wild herd beasts and are used to company, other than you and me.”

  Silent for a moment after this one relayed to them what they had been doing for the last cycle of the seasons, Kal had to admit that they had thought the two of them were alone, but it had proven otherwise, and here was someone who thought it was a joke watching all three groups move through the wilderness. “Sure,” Kal said, “It’s okay, and what you just said is true. I know our beasts originally were of the wild herds, but that was a very long time ago. And … yes I guess you can join us, since you’ve almost invited yourself anyway. Besides it is a very miserable night and some additional company can’t hurt.”

  Again this stranger laughed, “Okay then, it’s settled. I’ll go take care of the ol’ female and be back before you can get the pot on the coals.” At this point he jumped up and was out of sight into the darkness almost instantly.

  Jura turned to Kal and whispered, “He really moves fast and is very quiet. I’ve the feeling that if he had wanted to do us harm that it would have been very easy, and we’d be none the wiser.”

  What could he say, she stated it so well. “Yeah, but maybe this is a good thing. At least with another in camp it would be less likely that we’d be attacked by bandits or such.”

  With a large smile on his face the stranger reentered their camp saying, “Ah talking about me are we. Not that I can blame you. But you have nothing to worry about me. In fact before you move out in the morning I’ll be gone and you’ll wonder if I was ever here. Mark my words, I rarely reveal myself to anyone, but I have to admit you’ve left me curious, and I felt that this was a good chance to maybe get that curiosity answered.”

  “Why would you be curious? We were just out and about searching for some ancient site, that’s all, and we aren’t the only ones to have done that.” Kal paused, looked over at Jura and then back at the stranger, “Nothing unusual about that.”

  “True, true, and if it had continued to be just the two of you I probably would have watched a while, and got bored and then moved on. But when these others were out there too and everybody following everybody it becomes more of a puzzle. Now I like puzzles and solving them. This wild world is full of them and they change all the time keeping me on my toes. Make a mistake out here and you’re dead, just that simple.”

  “That’s probably true. And I guarantee that we were quite unaware of the others until we saw them following us when we were higher than they were and we caught them in the open.” Here he paused again wondering if he should say more, and decided while he was beginning to like this stranger he really didn’t know anything about him and it was still important to keep it quiet. Even though there was a possibility that Sabohl was dead, knowing him, there was just as much of a chance that he was still alive and biding his time. And, who knew, this stranger could easily be an agent of Sabohl’s who used different tactics to get information. “I really don’t know why. I just know that after we discovered them that they became more of a problem, and then that other one showed up and offered to help, and that’s really it.”

  Waving an index finger at them the stranger again smiled and said, “Say what you want, but just from what I observed I know better. But stick to your story if you want. Besides what was so important about that place anyway? I’ve been there a few times – found some old pottery and places where fires had been built. Felt that this had been a place where some of our oldsters had lived temporarily. Nothing important though. Found other places with much the same stuff. Although, different stuff in the desolation. Tough dangerous area – no water, no game, no nothing but heat, dust and a land that looks the same no matter which way you enter; easy to get lost, easy to die, and none the wiser.”

  Suddenly interested both Kal and Jura leaned forward with Kal asking, “You’ve been to the desolation? It’s a place that is shunned even today.”

  “Yeah, it’s one of those puzzles. Yah see I haven’t always been the wonderer that I’ve become. I went to the learning centers; I know our history, and the myths surrounding the desolation. And it was a puzzle …”

  “And you like puzzles!” Jura blurted out.

  Laughing and slapping his leg with his hand the stranger said, “Yup, you’re learning, you’re learning. So I’ve been working the edges, been deep into the Sacred Mountains too – mighty strange stuff up there, mighty strange. Did you know that there are caves everywhere, and that there are a few where no beasts will enter? Not only that but they seem to have their own heat, and once you’re inside they seem both to glow with a soft light, and remain warm. Strange. Now I would have considered it something that didn’t need second thoughts if there had been only one of them. If we want to be honest we have no idea what this place can create and it could just have been a freak, some peculiar combination that created it, but I found many of them. Still there was nothing, no other sign, so maybe they are from some of our ancient ancestors.” He shrugged, “Who knows, not me. After all it’s another …”

  Again Jura interrupted saying, “Yes we know, it’s another puzzle and you like puzzles.”

  Taking the plate of food that she handed to him he laughed again. “Yeah, and this one is probably one of the many I’ll never solve – too cold up there for me. So those caves were welcome. But they are located high, nowhere close to the bottom. Nobody goes there – no reason really – just rock and trees and water and such. Nothing to keep one alive other than the herd beasts, but even most of them keep to the lower areas. Did you know that there are places where there’s boilin’ water, and at times this hot water is blown high into the air – quite a sight, but dangerous so very dangerous.” He leaned forward and pointed to a massive scar on his left arm. “Learned the hard way, I did. That’s from that hot water. Hurt like the dickens it did. So now I stay away from any of those things I find. My mom didn’t raise any fools, and I learn quick. Of course, if one doesn’t out here they aren’t around very long – become food for the beasts.”

  Kal and Jura looked at each other and both thought what a strange person he was, but he had been to many of the places that they wanted to travel, but it was obvious that while he liked to talk that there was very little chance of getting his help, but would it be wrong not to ask? Kal taking a deep breath as they ate; actually needed to finish eating before the food got cold as it did in such weather. “Look you really seem to know a lot about the outback and we could use help. We are trying to locate a number of places that our ancestors frequented, and we only have vague clues.”

  Shaking his head the stranger said, “No, no not interested at all. Can’t abide by people very long before I go crazy and have to be out on my own. And on that note, did you know that the Valley of the Gods is real and not a myth like they taught us in the learning centers?”

  This got both of their attention immediately. �
��It’s real?” Jura asked.

  “Quite, but don’t ask me where it is because I don’t know.”

  “But you just said that it’s a real place and the only way you could know that would be if you had gone there.” Kal looked at him questioningly. “So which is it? Myth or real?”

  “Oh it’s real, but I found it accidental like. I was following my supper, trailing it and had gotten a shot off with my bow – thought I had hit it, but off it went so I continued to follow.” Staring out in the distance as if remembering he continued, “A very remote place, close to the desolation, very hilly, very rough, and again like the mountains a lot of caves in the hillsides. I seen it duck into this crack and wasn’t sure if I wanted to follow or not, but I don’t leave no wounded beast so I followed it into that crack and to my surprise there was a trail that twisted and turned through a very narrow canyon with the mountains, or foothills probably is more accurate, holding tight. Looking up I could see no way one could get atop these things other than the fliers, so didn’t worry about something coming after me. After a while I finally emerged in what could be called a hidden oasis. Meadows, herd beasts, even a small lake and a waterfall. Many trees and from that lake a stream ran all the way across the area. It was shallow and easy to cross. I was frozen in awe for a few as I drank in what was here.

  “Then things began to click in my mind. I mean I’m pretty good a remembering my learning. First off even though it was a peaceful place, it felt haunted. I felt like I was watched and continued to look around, but really there was very few places one could face danger. So carefully I explored, and like outside this place there were caves everywhere in the faces of the cliffs. And then I found it.” He stopped to grab more food from his plate.

  “Found what?” Jura asked.

  After taking a few more bites and wiping his mouth with his sleeve he smiled and gave the look of conspiracy, lowering his voice he said, “The altar to the gods that was described in the myth. It was right there exactly where it said it was, and at the moment I knew I had to leave. I know that we don’t believe in those gods anymore, but it explained the strangeness I was feeling and I got out there as fast as I could, and no I never saw that beast that I had targeted. It was like it just disappeared once it got inside that valley. Anyway, later, much later really, I decided that maybe I should go back and make sure I was right. But was never able to find that entrance, and I tried a number of times. Suspect that the valley keeps its secrets and knows who is close and who isn’t. So if it doesn’t want anybody to find it, the valley confuses the mind, changes the trails, makes one go in circles. After a while and too many attempts I gave up and haven’t gone back, and I don’t plan on it. After all the valley allowed me to see that it wasn’t myth, but decided not to allow me back, and as such I decided that it could be dangerous if I continued to search.

  “Look, like I said, I’ll be gone before you are moving in the morning, but if you plan on pursuing these places then I might drop in on yah now and then, maybe point you in a particular direction, and don’t ask me my name, I feel that when I’m out here that I have none as the beasts that live here. So when I’m here I’m nameless and prefer it that way. But don’t you worry if you are out here, somewhere along the line, I’ll know it, and be watchin’.” He stood up handed his empty plate to Kal, stretched, and said, “Haven’t done so much jawin’ in a very long time, and I’m jawed out. So I’ll be sayin’ good night to the two of you. I’ll be with my beast. We kind of protect each other, and thanks for the eatin’ it was good, but I’m already feelin’ a little crowded. Thanks for everything.” And with that he faded into the darkness and was gone – leaving only the dirty plate as a sign that he had even been in their camp.

  In the short time that he had been here he had passed on more information than they had before, and sat in awe and silence as they absorbed it all. “What do you think?” Kal asked.

  “I really don’t know. Almost feel he’s kind of crazy. But there surely is a ring of truth to what he said. So maybe it’s a smart kind of crazy. Guess we better clean up our camp and head for the sack. With all the time we’ve been on the road and trails I’m exhausted and could use a good night’s sleep before we head out again.’ She paused a moment and stared out into the night in the direction that the stranger had disappeared. “I wonder … I wonder if we’ll see him again.”

  “It’s obvious that he goes where he wants and is good at this life he has chosen, so I suspect that if he wants us to see him we will. He did say that he’d show up at our fires now and then, and I believe he will.”

  As he had so stated, when they rose in the morning he was gone, and no sign that he had ever been there. Both wondered it maybe they had dreamed him up. The night before had been miserable, wet, cold, and they had been very tired. Maybe the fire had hypnotized them, or they had drifted off to that twilight place where you’re neither awake nor asleep but somewhere in-between. But when they looked they found their fire had been built back up and was burning brightly and a fresh pile of wood was stacked nearby. “How’d he pull that off without us hearing him?” Kal asked. He felt, while not the best of being outback, that the time that they had been doing this, his skills had sharpened, and even Jura had mentioned that he was much better at living in the outback. But this stranger had entered their camp while they were sleeping, brought new firewood in and stoked their campfire with them being none the wiser.

  “Well, I guess we aren’t as good as we thought, or we were so tired last night that we just didn’t hear anything.” Jura paused as she thought a little, “And that isn’t a good thing.” She took a deep breath and said, “I guess we might as well get something to eat, break our camp, and get down the trail. We still are a very long way away from where we need to go.”

  * * *

  They had been back at least one 9-day and were still catching up on the news of what had happened. They found that the business had been lucky, far luckier than others who had lost everything in that conflagration. They had gone out to where the storage and supply shelters were located, and while much cleanup had been done it was still quite obvious from the complete destruction how hot this fire had been. One would have thought with the rain falling as hard as it was that the fire wouldn’t have been able to do this, but it had. And the information they had received stated that the area remained hot for at least two 9-days, and it had rained most of that time. It had turned out that their supply shelter had been almost empty. The load of new supplies was late in arriving because of the rains. Had the supplies arrived on time then the shelter would have been filled to the top. Since, under the guidance and hard work of their foreman, Sara, the bakery continued to grow, and thusly why the use of one of these isolated shelters instead of the one that they had used in the past. That one was still being used but to keep what they needed daily on hand and close by.

  They had asked, of the group who had been keeping tabs on Sabohl, how’d he get up here, since he had been living and working in the learning center back in Cross Trails. It was then relayed to them that after a cycle of the seasons Sabohl took a leave of absence stating he needed some time to refresh and had moved up here to High Trail, and maybe teach as a guest learned in High Trail. Because he did have a shelter here it would be no issue. And after he had refreshed his mind and spirit he would return. One of them stated, “We knew that the real reason was to be closer to the action, to be able to watch the two of you, and to be able to get his underground moving much faster … since it would take quite a while for a message from here to reach him down in Cross Trails, with the returning message doubling the time; much too much time as far as he was concerned. And we figured that had to be the reason, since immediately upon arriving he made contact with his network.”

  They then learned of that tragic night when the shelters burned, and how this team had followed him and once the fire had started, had to divide up with one staying with the fire to alert the village, and the other following Sabohl, the rejection,
the bad choice of direction, the subsequent fight, the collapse of that old dock, and the disappearance of all who had been on that dock at the time it entered the swollen river. “So we have no proof as to whether Sabohl survived that plunge or not. With the waters flowing as strongly as they were, his body would have been carried far downstream and maybe all the way out to the ocean, since this one empties into it. Plus the one who had watched it all transpire swore that Sabohl had been stabbed at least once. But in that uncertain light he couldn’t be sure.”

  “And there’s been no sign of him?” Kal asked.

  The others just shook their heads with one saying, “No, none at all. A few of the bodies washed up on the banks much further down, but none were Sabohl. So what happened is truly a mystery.”

  * * *

  They remained throughout the remainder of the Season of Cold, and helped the village wherever they could. Nobody knew how it had happened, and again the secret team that had been keeping track of Sabohl had no direct proof that he was responsible so couldn’t say anything. Because that storm that had been pummeling them at the time of the start of the fire, it was the reason for the lack of on-hand supplies. The storm had come out of the north, and the same storm had been responsible for the supply caravan delaying and finding shelter to wait it out. So the bakery was almost completely out of the necessities when the fire began. Yes there had been a number of sacks of different flours and grains, but most of what was there had been unusable, giving the appearance to any who happened to be inside that there was more there than there truthfully was.