Unkarra Gate (1st draft)

Chapter 15.1

Most said their goodbyes to Geberra without knowing it. For some it would be the last they saw of their birthland.

They filed trepidly through the dim entrance hall, feeling as a group somewhat relieved once they made it to the tunnel that was the bridge across the chasm. Though the simple window openings were plentiful, they were high up and short, and offered no chance for a view. Enough light came in to keep the tunnel from looking dark, but not enough to make it feel bright.

The birds nesting in the windows had calmed since the day before when the door opened, but the arrival of the group startled them again. The calls of the birds echoed off of the walls and made it anything but a quiet entrance.

"What is that smell?" asked Sara, to which no one would answer.

It was the nearly the extent of their conversation for most of the day. Marching ahead into a never ending tunnel, crossing the impossibly deep chasm; it was enough to unnerve each of them. It seemed unchanging, but for the number of birds nesting in the windows. On and on they went, up the slight uphill of the passage.

And it was unchanging, until they had gone several hours. Finally there was a break in the walls; small cracks at many intervals, like the bridge was suddenly put together like so many slices of a puzzle. The kids flocked to the cracks, which provided not only fresh air, but a view of lay beneath them.

Ezara was not immune to the curiosity, nor was Bogrel. They both picked their spots to look down.

The drop was immense; larger than any of them could have ever imagined. Below them fell into black shadows, and that encompassed most of everything they could see. The walls of grey rock were not exactly smooth, they moved in and out as the chasm went deeper and deeper.

The sides on either side could barely be seen; the gaps simply didn't allow a good look at where they were going. The nervous quiet of the group was lifted as they marveled. Marik was not alone in being scared by the immense height, refusing to look down. Bogrel himself was unsettled by the height.

After a time he cajoled the group into continuing, though not without having to feed them first. Of course Dara helped as she always did. Their spirits seemed lighter, having felt that they had finally left the terrors of the past few weeks behind. They had left everything behind, and there was a sense that adventure loomed before them.

They judged the time of day by the brightness coming from the high windows, and they walked on until it had become nearly dark. They approached what seemed like the end, simply because it didn't look the same up ahead as it had all day long. There were birds nesting in the windows here as well, making a huge noise as they approached. They were weary from walking and very relieved to find that there was something at the end after all.

But as they came near, they saw that the way was blocked with the black stone door, just as the entrance had been blocked back at the start. Bogrel took Ezrik with him to look closer at the doors, while the others hung back. Ezara followed them.

"Do you see anything similar to what you used to open the other side?" Bogrel asked.

Ezrik shook his head, still confused as to whether it was really he who had opened the gate back at the border of Geberra.

"He was calling into these holes," Ezara offered. They hadn't much talked about what had happened in the dark tunnels, mostly because they had spoken so little amongst each other for so long. "It looks different over here, we'll have to figure it out," she said. "I wonder if there are doors at the side like before..." she said to herself, walking away from them, to the corners of the end of the bridge corridor.

She found the doors she sought, and quite easily opened one with her initial test of pressing against it. It swung wide open, and there was only darkness to be seen. Bogrel came over at this, even as she was already cautiously entering. The children who kept back were busy with chatter, while Dara quizzed them to tell her what was happening.

The darkness did not persist as Ezara and Bogrel walked further into the corridor. Their eyes adjusted to the even lower level of light, and small amounts of light entered from outside ahead. However, it was coming up upon night outside and they couldn't count on much more daylight.

The corridor was rather wide, and it went for a ways, and then bent, going upon an angle, and again and again the way turned and went up. Spider webs hung thick in the corners of the way winding corridor.

"Ezara," Bogrel called out, trying to catch the girl from going so far ahead, taking him with her in pursuit. She ignored him and continued on.

They reached the top, where small window openings were, letting in the last of the dying light. The top was a simple landing, with nothing more than a row of holes in the wall.

"What's this?" Bogrel asked aloud. Ezara ignored the question as she went back and forth.

Careful of spiders, she went up to one, and called into it.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a sound was heard echoing back from where she had called into. It was of a similar tone, but very pure and clear.

"What was that?" Bogrel asked.

"This is like what Ezrik did at the other side to open it," she said. "He went from hole to hole, I don't know how he knew which one, that cat seemed to be leading him, as crazy as that sounds."

"Well, I'll believe it. I can't believe that cat is still with us."

"But which one is next?" she wondered aloud. The light was noticeably fading as she stood and pondered.

Bogrel came over to help look, or listen, into each hole. "Wait, there's a faint sound in this one, a bit like a river, but quiet as a whisper."

Ezara came over and practically pushed Bogrel out of the way. She put her ear to it, then she called into it. Again, afer a moment, there was a returned tone.

"Is it working?" Bogrel asked. Ezara shrugged and continued to go between the different holes.

They called into the holes over and over, not sure of what they were doing, well until it was dark outside and in the room. But at one point, after making a call into a hole and hearing the return sound, there was a rumble beneath their feet.

"We did it!" Ezara said, turning to go back down. However, it was pitch black, and the way down was not at all visible.

"Careful Ezara," Bogrel interjected. "You wouldn't want to fall all the way down. Let's go slow, come on."

Their going was indeed slow, but their recent memories helped them get back down, and to the group. They were excited to see them.

"You opened the door!" Ezrik said.

Indeed they had. The great door at the end of the bridge over the chasm yawned open before them, into pitch darkness, deeper than that in which they stood now. The air from beyond rushed at them; refreshing and different.

"Well, let's see where we've come to," Bogrel said. He took the reigns of the aurochs and led the group straight into the darkness.