It was somewhere between the fifth mark and sixth, and their stomachs were reminding them that it was getting past the zenith and they hadn’t taken time to eat anything. So once they had left that last shelter they looked around for any shade that they could find, finally settling on a shelter that had a small overhang. Here they leaned back against its wall, taking off their packs and digging out travel rations and a container of water. Their day was divided into ten marks as was the night. They were running out of time for this trip. And on the morrow they would have to make a quick trip back to the base camp in the grasslands. They had entered the desolation heavy, but would be returning light, and since they wouldn’t be trying to locate the way to go, the return trip should be faster. They were quiet as they ate, not really tasting what it was that they ate as their eyes roamed these strange silent shelters. What had it been like when there were the living here? Yet, as it had been since they entered the desolation, they still felt as if they were watched, that this dead land, this dead lair was filled with spirits that watched everything that they did. But all that moved in this silent world was the winds, a bit of dust, and debris that the winds picked up. It was like they were the last of the living.
Jura shuddered saying, “I don’t know about you but I’ve not been comfortable since we’ve entered the desolation, and once we came in here it’s been worse. I feel like I want to panic, to run away screaming, from, oh I don’t know what, but whatever. This place depresses me greatly, and I can’t even tell you why.” She fell silent not knowing what to add to what she had just said, yet she felt as there was more that needed to be said. “It’s like, again, I don’t know if I can even find the words …” Here she trailed off and just shrugged.
Quietly Kal responded, “I know. This place feels like death. Yet, when you look at the shelters, what is here, none of it reflects that – none of it at all. Okay, let’s go through a couple of the ones we think that people probably lived in, and really our day will be close to over and we can leave this haunted land. And once we’re back in our camp in the grasslands we can decide what we want to reveal later. But we will at least need to bring our writings up to date as to what we found here, and update our personal maps – especially if we ever want to come back … Although, truthfully, if I want to admit it, I really can’t figure out why I would want to do that. Like you, I feel that this place, these lands, seem almost alive in the sense that it doesn’t want us here and is letting us know. Making us feel uncomfortable, making us feel like we are being followed, watched. Yet, everywhere we look, every place that we’ve been, everything that we’ve touched shows no sign of the living – just us.”
What could she say? It was exactly like this, and it made no sense, no sense at all. They got up from their zenith meal and randomly picked one of the larger shelters that appeared to be a place where one would live. One of the signs that they took for this was the doors. These doors were similar to what they were familiar with – none of the type that disappeared into the walls. Most of these shelters had small overhangs to project shade, and many of these areas had chairs made out of an unknown substance, furthering the illusion that the owners were away, and would be soon back. As had been the case of the large central shelters, many of the doors were open and the one that they had chosen was one of these. Before entering, they looked through the dirty windows that were located on either side of the entrance, but couldn’t really see anything. So quietly they entered not knowing what they would find. Again, like when they had left that previous shelter, their eyes had to adjust to dim interior. So they waited a moment before continuing. The first thing they noticed was an odor that spoke of age. This room appeared to be a place for whoever had lived here to gather. There appeared to be something soft on the floor, and it covered the whole room. It kind of reminded them of rugs, but there never had been any of this size, or texture. It begged them to take their shoes off and walk barefoot across it. But it was also covered in dirt and sand that had blown in through the open door.
Now that their eyes had adjusted they went from room to room looking at what was here finally reaching what had to be the sleeping areas. Many of the rooms in this shelter had doors, which were a surprise, and one of the biggest surprises was upon opening one they found what they thought had to be the room where one took care of nature calls. This was something that was rarely part of the main shelter, but usually a small shelter close by. Plus there was a place to bathe, and clean up. There was a small frosted window which didn’t admit much light, so most of what they saw was in heavy shadows. Yet, they felt that their conclusions had to be right. Thinking about it they didn’t remember seeing any of those out-shelters when they had come into this place. Neither spoke as they searched and explored this shelter. It seemed that silence was appropriate. So they moved on to the next closed door.
Upon opening it they both stood shocked at what they saw. This had to be the sleeping area and on, well it wasn’t a sleeping mat since it was much taller than that, were two bodies, more skeletal, although there still was skin attached. And it was obvious from the dark stains that surrounded them that they had been killed here and their blood had stained what had covered them. From what they could determine the two remains appeared to be male and female. They closed that door, went to the other side of the one that they had inspected before opening this one and opened another closed door. Here they found another room like the sleeping room, and in it were smaller versions of what the two had slept on, including one that had to be an infant sleeping mat. And like that other room, there were bodies here – obviously children. Both of them entered the room just far enough to be able to see the whole grisly scene. Jura picked up what had to be a child’s toy and idly turned in her hands as she looked at the bodies.
Kal turned facing Jura and saw tears forming in her eyes, and a couple beginning to run down her cheeks. He could understand her feelings. Taking her into his arms, he gently led her back out of the room and quietly closed the door. The urge to explore more of this shelter was now gone, and he led her back outside where they sat on the chairs under the overhang feeling the warm breeze. He didn’t say anything but let her cry it out. It was so different to have read it in the writings. Now facing the reality of what their ancestors had done shocked him, and he knew her. When the writings said that they had killed all that lived within this evil lair, it never dawned on either of them that this meant literally everyone – males, females, and all the young ones. How could they not have realized that? Breathing out quietly he asked, “Should we look through any of the others, or should we just leave and call it enough?”
Jura had finally quit crying and looking at him through her red rimmed eyes and dirt streaked face from where the tears had run she said, “I’m done. Let’s just leave and let this place return to the ones who died here so very long ago.” So quietly both of them got out of the chairs and headed back out through the doorway in that wall, back to their camp by the clan like ruins and shelters, packed everything that they were not going to need for this night and watched as the suns set, ending their time here in the desolation, even though they wouldn’t exit until the morrow.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
VALLEY OR NO VALLEY
They had all of the Season of Cold in which to bring their notes and thoughts up to date. Both had begun to realize the hard work that went into these searches, and to be prepared for anything when they discovered what they were searching for. Who’d thought that once those ruins were located in the desolation, with the passage of this much time, that there would still be evidence of what had transpired there – not either of them, that was for sure. Both learned that experiencing it had a much greater impact on them personally then reading it in the old writings. It seemed so much more impersonal. So much so that it was easy to separate one from the idea that real people had died, and from what evidence they had gathered with their brief time in those ruins, it became obvious to them that these people had no weapons. Yes, they had argu
ed, their ancestors may have taken whatever weapons that these people had, but there was nothing in the writings suggesting such a thing, nor was there any proof on the ground that such existed. This meant, their people had attacked, and wiped out, a clan that had no way of defending themselves, resulting in the slaughter that they had discovered at that site, after all this time.
They had yet to come to any conclusion as to what they were going to reveal about their time in the desolation. After all, their main objective had been to locate the hunter’s camp to demonstrate the range that their ancestors roamed. The trip into and the attempt to locate that first, again what was it these people had called it, oh yes, city, was just that. So that portion of their research writings and field notes they kept separately. Instead they wrote detailed notes covering the camp, from its layout and the finding of broken spear points and other artifacts. While all of this was true, it reflected more time than they actually spent, yet it gave the appearance that they had, thusly covering their time in the desolation. Those ruins felt haunted, felt as unseen, unknown eyes were watching them during their whole time there. And, the ruin spoke of a difference, and a knowledge that was well beyond them even now. So, they felt that it would remain unknown to the world as it had until it was rediscovered sometime in the future. Later they might change their minds, but for now that place would remain vacant with its ghosts and spirits and be left alone by any from this time and world.
Once all of this had been written, discussed, edited, and finished to their satisfaction, it was time to prepare for the next season. They had plans on locating the mythological place, the Valley of the Gods. Until that incident recorded in the writings of not only K’jor’s clan, but of many of the tribes and clans that had become part of the alliance, this valley had simply been the place of meetings and gatherings of the alliance. The place where they planned and carried out their attacks on what they called sorcerers and magicians and their hidden lairs in the desolation. From their talk with that, well they still didn’t know who he was or what to call him, so they settled on wild man, they knew that the area they needed to search was north of where they lived in High Trail, and south of that hunting camp. And again, it had been located on the west side of the grasslands and had bordered the desolation with at least two ways directly into the desolation from it, but only one entrance from the grasslands itself. The description given in the writings suggested that it was located in an area of much broken land, with many dead end trails and canyons, and among all of this was the valley, a hidden oasis with grass, trees, and water, while much of the area was drier than the grasslands themselves.
Again, with their conversation with the wild man, they had gotten a better idea of what they faced, since he had stated that at one time he had actually been in that valley, but had never been able to find his way back. Suggesting that the entrance was well hidden and even if found could easily be lost again. Also, from the writings they had studied, they learned that the entrances, or at least one of them on the desolation side, was open and was very easy to travel. Although if one was looking at the entrance from the desolation, this one held no promise of going anywhere at all, looking like so many of the other dead ends. So if one didn’t know, then with little promise of going anywhere it would be passed up and ignored. But both of them admitted that they had enough of the desolation and decided to try and locate the entrance from the grasslands, leaving the desolation entrance, if it still existed, until later if need be. But, again, it stated that when the gods had made their appearance that the two exits into the desolation had been destroyed, so these probably were not options anyway. Still they wouldn’t know until they were actually in that valley.
Both had spent a lot of time in each other’s arms after their grisly discoveries, making them realize that there was much on the outside that could influence their lives, and nothing was promised or guaranteed. What they had discovered there had changed both of them forever. Again what had started out as wanting to discover their true past, but not really being too serious, had turned to just that, and with the discovery this further changed their personal views of their world, their lives, and just how fleeting all of it was. Not that they weren’t close, because they were, but these discoveries brought them even closer together, trying to live and accept every moment, knowing that they could end up being like those dead. Through the Season of the Cold, they spent time with their families, worked the business, and talked long and many times deep into the night. Family now meant everything to both of them, and both knew that someday they would have children, and raise the next generation who would continue in the ways of their families. This was the way it had always been, at least after the times of the clans and tribes, and should continue long into the future.
* * *
The Season of Green had been well along when they began this cycle of the seasons search. There still had been no word on the fate of Sabohl. His body had never been found, so this was still an unknown. With him out of the picture the others had replaced him in the hierarchy and new ideas were being put forth. With the discovery of the ancient clan site and the discoveries made there, some of what had been considered myth had been shown to be fact, requiring a reexamining of their history. Most of these new discoveries, because of those ancient writings that had remained within Kal’s family from the time of the ending of the clans and tribes, were the maps, in words and drawings that led them to these places lost in time. Some of the discoveries included tools, long knives, and to their surprise some ancient bow strings – although, the bows themselves, hadn’t survived the passage of time. And that left them with another mystery – who had created these items?
While the condition of these discoveries were poor, it was obvious that even with the abilities that they had now to forge knives and braid bow strings that gave the strings strength and longevity, these were far superior to what they produced. It was suspected that these were trade items from the travelers, who had stated, as quoted from the writings, “They lived in a cold wet place requiring their people to come up with solutions to prevent their bow strings from stretching when wet, and for the knives to hold an edge and not rust.” Whoever these travelers were, they had been lost in time. Their home never located, and whatever methods they had used to create these items had been lost with them. So the tribes and clans coveted the few that had remained when the travelers came no more. And as it was the first time they had disappeared it was the last. There was no tapering off but a sudden and instant end, with no explanation or reason as to why, and thusly why these travelers had ended up as myth in the present time.
Still with the travelers being mentioned quite prominently in the writings, to both Kal and Jura, they had to be real. But that was for another time. They were out to locate the Valley of the Gods, again another location placed as myth. Because of what was known it would have been impossible for the incident described by so many of the clans and tribes to actually have happened – it just did not make any sense. Especially now, since they were aware of many of the laws of nature – not all by any means, but discoveries were being made all the time. So what had been witnessed by them, in that time, was tied to something they may have eaten that caused mass hallucinations. Yet with the consistency of what was reported, none could explain it away – so another mystery. And there seemed to be so many more of those mysteries than hard facts. Why was this so? Both of them wondered, since their ancestors had lived during that time, had recorded what they had witnessed. Of course it was interpreted by the way they viewed the world in their time. Still, even looking at it that way, no one could solve this riddle. This led to the theory that what had been witnessed in that valley was something that had changed over time and had become the myth that they now knew – but no one really knew.
So they had two and half seasons this cycle to attempt to locate the hidden valley. Fortunately, that accidental contact with the loner who roamed the outback had given them hints as to where to look. They remembered com
ing out of the desolation hot and tired, seeing the heat waves move across the landscape and what seemed to be a very large male standing there. He appeared to be twice the height of the normal male and they could see that he was watching them. So they approached cautiously not sure what they were going to face. And to find, as they got closer, his size began to shrink, and once nearly out of the desolation, they could recognize who it was. They didn’t know why, but for some reason he had attached himself to them, showing up now and then to see what they had learned or found. It must have been something to do with his curiosity, his liking of puzzles. It was the only explanation that they had. Still that brief time with him, before once again he tired of being around people and disappeared, they had learned the general area where the hidden valley was located. So it was here that they would concentrate their exploring. Who knew, maybe this time it wouldn’t take a couple of cycles of the seasons to locate this place.
Yet the word from the ones who had been in that area spoke of a broken land, a smaller version of the Sacred Mountains, some said. That led them to believe that it was probably the same forces that had formed both of these areas – although it was only a guess on their part. He, after all, was just a baker, and she a farmer. They headed out early in the morning on the eighth 9-day of the Season of Green, and headed north and west since High Trail was located on the eastern edge of the grasslands up against a number of low lying foothills. It was in these foothills that Jura and her family had farmed for generations. This trip would probably require at least two 9-days to reach the beginnings of the area that they wanted to search. Then from the description they had been given, they knew that they probably could spend the next several seasons there and not locate all the canyons, valleys, and hidden areas. There didn’t appear to be any one person who knew the whole area. So over the time that they had spent back in High Trail, they had gathered what information was available and had a rough, albeit, inaccurate map of the area. Even with this, there were many blank areas and lots of conflicting information. They truly had their work set out before them. Still, with high hopes and copies of those ancient writings, they headed out.
A Taste of History Past Page 30