The Female Ranger

Chapter Twelve

According to the information Crowley had received, the Kalkara's lair was thought to be somewhere on the Solitary Plain, beyond the Stone Flutes. Halt had decided they would scout around that area and see what they could find.

The Solitary Plain was a vast, depressing place. The ground was covered in tall, grey grass and stretched out for kilometres in every direction. The wind blew constantly and unvaryingly. It made Elizabeth feel nervous and small, how were they ever supposed to find the Kalkara in this wasteland? Despite seeming empty, she felt uneasy knowing what could be waiting for them somewhere in the Plain.

As they rode on, it felt as if they never made any progress. Their surroundings never changed, nothing on the horizon showed they were reaching the end. The only sign of progress was the constant sound of the Stone Flutes, an eerie, horrible sound which never stopped. But as they moved further into the Plain, it gradually became louder.

Elizabeth usually enjoyed watching the sunset, but this time she could not. The thought of travelling in the Plain in the dark, not knowing what could be hiding a few metres next to her scared her. At the same time, the thought of having to sleep here without a fire scared her just as much. Despite that, she was relieved when Halt signalled for them to stop.

They had been travelling at the Ranger's forced march pace - forty minutes in the saddle, riding at a steady canter, then twenty minutes on foot, leading the horses and allowing them to travel unburdened, while the Ranger's ran at a steady trot. Every four hours, they would pause for about an hour to eat and catch some sleep.

Tired from this hard pace, Elizabeth was glad they were going to stop for the night. They ate a cold meal, accompanied with cold water. Then Halt took the first watch as the others rolled themselves into their cloaks and slept.

—

They had travelled another full day, and once again set up camp in the Plain. At least they had passed the Stone Flutes, Elizabeth thought. The eerie sound was now behind them, and gradually decreasing in volume as they moved further away.

Halt had woken Elizabeth for the second watch, and had gone to sleep. She sat by the bush Halt had selected as a vantage point, her cowl over her head so she would merge with the bush's irregular shape. She constantly scanned from side to side, constantly changing focus but keeping her own movements as limited and imperceptible as possible.

The sound of the Stones and the hissing of the wind through the grass formed a constant background. But she heard other noises as well, the rustling of small animals in the grass and other sounds, ones she could not recognise. The first night she had been convinced that she could hear the breath of a heavy animal, only to realise it was her companions quietly breathing in her sleep. Will had told her he had experienced the exact same fear during his watch.

This night, she was slightly more at ease. She had started to recognise some of the sounds, or at least knew they were harmless. After glancing at the moon, she realised it was almost time to turn the watch to Will and go back to sleep.

But before she could do so, she heard a new sound. It was a high-pitched, bestial howl that ululated and climbed in pitch. The blood froze in her veins, and she had to use every ounce of self control to stop herself from spinning around immediately to face the sound. As she slowly turned around, she heard a second howl. Slightly deeper in pitch, it seemed to come from a different position.

Slowly, Elizabeth got up and moved towards Halt. As she reached over to wake him, she realised he was already awake, as were Gilan and Will. They waited in silence for the beasts to howl again. After they did, Halt confirmed their thoughts.

"It's the Kalkara," he said. "They have a new target and they're starting their hunt."

—

They spent a sleepless night as the hunting cries of the Kalkara dwindled to the north. Refusing to go after them in the dark, they waited for the first light to look for their tracks.