Unkarra Gate (1st draft)

Chapter 26.1

Distant red towers of rock surrounded the two, so far away as to appear like figures standing watch, observers to the wanderings of tiny men. A dry wind blew in their faces, carrying dust, assaulting their faces relentlessly, giving them both a haggard dirty appearance. In Bogrel's case, it hid the marks from his fight with Matias.

They traveled apart, each lost in their own world that spun inside their own heads. They traveled light; most of what they carried was water, and only enough food to eat for a couple of days. It was almost midday when they reached the edge of a tiny escarpment: a flat rock which served as a platform to look out over a gently sloped desert expanse stretching out until features blurred into obscurity.  

Bogrel brought them to a stop here. They had stood here before; it was an excellent spot from which to survey a great distance. He put his packs down and sat upon the rock, his eyes searching far into the distance. The vastness of the landscape before them was rivaled only by the blue sky above it.

"Well, we've been here before," Leo said, breaking a silence between the two that had lasted most of the morning. Even Leo's knack for conversation had been worn down over time by Bogrel's perstistent, distant demeanor.

Eventually, Bogrel stood back up. "I'm sure you'll think I'm mad in a minute, but I don't care to talk about it. So keep practicing the art of biting your tongue," he said to Leo, in a tone that foul that Leo had no trouble complying.

He then turned back to the open desert, and called out with all his might. It was with the power of a voice that had rung across a hundred battlefields; that had paralyzed enemies and rallied friends. "Boots!" he cried. "Hey!"

Leo observed very curiously indeed, but had no intention to strike up any kind of conversation with the old Geberran.

Bogrel kept yelling at the open desert for a good while. His voice carried far into the distance, as there was virtually no impediment to the sound carrying across the ground. When Bogrel saw Leo pulilng out food, he ceased his primitive calls and came to join him. He managed to to disappoint Leo by not starting any conversation to break the silence, and found his own spot to sit afterwards, in as much shade as could be found in the desolate landscape. Leo did the same: finding as much shade as he could in shrubs that dotted the arid dirt.

Time crept by as the suns sank lower, entangled as they were together this year. They beat down upon the two men, drawing closer to the horizon slowly. As they made their final descent, they painted the sky with hues of red to match the ground below.

Just before the last light of the suns disappeared, Bogrel stood up, making something out in the distance. "Get ready to go," he told Leo. "Our guide has just arrived."

Bogrel grabbed his bag and set off down the incline into the desert. Leo stood and looked into the distance, searching for who had just arrived. There was no one there, but though he did notice something.

"Is that a cat?" He asked Bogrel, catching up to him. "Is that a cat named boots? Is that what you've been yelling for?" Bogrel offered no answers, which was as good as an affirmation.

They continued on, until after the suns had set entirely. Hours later they finally came across a break in the weary monotony of their travel; a sign of Bogrel's first passage across the desert. The wain which Bogrel had carried all the way from Geberra lay before them, along with all the things they couldn't continue with: tools, chicken cages, and even blankets. Dust and dirt covered much of it, but if it wasn't food, it had been left undisturbed.

"This is the way, then," Leo said, breaking the silence. "We really are discovering the road to Geberra."

Bogrel made an unimpressed grunt and rummaged through some of the things. As he did, he noticed something else. Pieces of leather clothing or armour, boots, and bones. Another man had died here, but little of his body remained.

"Who was that?" Leo questioned, joining in the investigation over Bogrel's shoulder.

"This was a Geberran. The iron accessories prove it. We were still being followed; but this man died some while ago."

"They were sending men to their deaths to follow you?" Leo asked in surprise.

"Maybe it was about me, maybe it was about claiming new land," he said, but the idea failed to convince even himself.

"What did you do?" Leo asked, with new concern and suspicion.

"Quite a lot, come to it," Bogrel responded, while poking through things buried in sand. He took a deep breath as though he might continue, but didn't, and continued searching around.

"Well, at any rate, I hope we're stopping here, no matter how much further the hidden one wants to lead us." Leo paused at the mention of the cat, who he was ready to recognize as one of the legendary spirits or gods of ancient Unkarra. He was not a religious person, nor had he ever secretly hoped to glimpse the holy world of mystery and legend, but there was no denying the supernatural when it was before him.

Bogrel put up no argument, being both satisfied with the discovery, and aware of the glimmer of the suns' rise approaching. He was also satisfied to discover some of what he had left behind; iron swords from Geberra that he had hauled this far, and left here, so long ago. They were a bit rusted, but had held up. With one in each hand, he offered one to Leo, who accepted with surprise.

"This is what drives Matias," Leo spoke aloud. He didn't try to talk to Bogrel any longer; he simply liked to talk aloud and imagine he was involved in conversation. "A simple weapon from your world, is the equal of a legendary blade in mine." He tested it, while Bogrel watched with a derisive expression at his lack of skill with a blade.

Leo was soon overtaken by self consciousness and put the sword down. "Well, hopefully this spot is going to give enough shade for a decent rest, come morning."

Bogrel walked away from Leo, who was making himself comfortable under some brush, and approached Boots the cat, stopping some distance away. The cat had patiently sat, its posture regal and unbending.

"We'll need to have some rest. Thank you for taking us this far. If only you could do something to get me out of this situation with these Unkarrans. They want iron, but certainly they're going to taste it rather than get their hands on it."

Whether he was done or not, the cat stood up and walked away casually, leaving Bogrel alone. He found his rest as well, troubled as it was.