Fractured Earth

Chapter 1

Like a sheet of polished silver the Siashim lake stretched out from the quiet shore to the mountains in the distance. It was a quiet morning with no trace of wind to lick the waters into gentle waves and the surface stood still and glossy, reflecting an empty pale blue back up at the cloudless sky. 

Oleipha curled her toes into the damp sand and felt its sodden grains cool and smooth against her skin. She had risen early, long before the second sun had crested the horizon and bathed the land in its golden glow, and stood alone on the bank of the Siashim soaking in the solitude. Later her village would be a bustle of activity. The men would head to the quarry and begin the daily stream of clay-filled baskets back to the village. The women would gather around the lakeshore and gossip over laundry. The children would see to their chores, and when done, they would play and their laughter would touch everything.

She took a deep breath of cool air and felt the hairs along her arms prickle. She had not worn her shawl, had left it at home intentionally so that the chill morning would touch her skin unfettered. This is how she connected to Tassis, her beloved broken planet. When she felt the crisp wind nipping at her flesh and the icy waters of Siashim licking about her ankles, she knew that there was life in Tassis still, that a heart still pumped beneath her broken crust.

With a soft sigh Oleipha turned away from the lake and padded on bare feet back to the village. Nyis, nestled on the verge of a dense forest between Lake Siashim and the craggy hills that marked the border of Athl, was the easternmost village in the Denmor province and one that  arguably provided the largest contingent of pottery to the bigger towns further west. As for Athl, that once bustling country had been rendered a wasteland by the Shattering. Aside from some fringe settlements, Athl had barren and empty for years.

The village torches cast pinpricks of flickering light on the forest verge ahead of her and she gathered up her skirts, stepping from the beach onto the dirt path that skirted this side of the lake. A brief overnight rainfall had left the ground spongy and soft. with her thoughts on clouds now she turned her face skyward, but the vast blue blanket was still unmarred. A distant glow caught her attention as she turned her gaze back to the pathway. Beyond Nyis, somewhere in the Ochae forest, something was producing enough light to penetrate the canopy.

Oleipha’s dark eyes narrowed and she quickened her pace. The Commensurate weren’t in the area - once a week when the traders arrived from Tyst and Sayton Oleipha would quiz them intently on the whereabouts of Commensurate activity. They had not been in this part of Denmor for years, not since before her Coming of Age, and she was itching to have the opportunity to speak with them again now that her opinions would be considered those of a young woman and not of a fanciful child.

It was more difficult to track the movements of the Missionaries, though. Despite preaching salvation through honesty theirs was a devious path. They kept their movements quiet and their intentions moreso. Oleipha had heard rumours that a contingent had been despatched to the north, but the glow in the forest was too near. Perhaps they had wandered from their original site? Or perhaps they had never intended being that far north to begin with.

The snap of a twig to her right made her jump. She stood still and picked apart the blue-grey dawnlight until she saw his shape there, crouching in the undergrowth.

“Ranal, you scared me.”

He stood on his long, slim legs and came towards her.

“You weren’t scared, just startled. How be?”

“It be good. It is a still day; it will be hot later. How be?”

"Bored. Woke up early and followed your trail."

Oleipha resumed her walk to the village and Ranal kept pace at her side, occasionally dancing circles around her shorter form in energetic protest of her slower gait.