Chapter 8

“About a day due west, the path forks towards the south and towards the north,” Izeh said. “Up in the rocks is a fire pit. The north path continues for a few hours and ends at a crevasse with water running at the bottom. If you have a bucket, the water is clear and sweet.”

“We’ve got water skins,” Leniz said.

“The south trail splits fairly quick,” Izeh said. “I’ve taken the left of the left trails and found nothing. I’ve had no time to explore the others. No one has passed along any other information. The previous homesteader told me there are ten or fifteen souls further out on the Plain, but he didn’t know where they were or if they were alive still. We had one young woman about three months back come up the stairs and she told us she was taking the south trail. She had a yellow coat.”

“We will look for them,” Leniz said. “You’ve provided us richly and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

“I wish you fair skies and safe trails,” Baraze said. With a wave, they left the property and turned west again.

The day was uneventful as the terrain continued a gentle uphill rise. Most of the time, the only way to realize the land was rising was to look behind and seek out the tapering in the distance. Leniz remarked on the great variety of succulents and the dispersion of stunted trees over the breadth of the landscape.

They must have walked quickly because they arrived at the outcropping where the trail split by mid-afternoon. After a quick conversation in which both men admitted their calves were aching some, they climbed the rocks searching for the firepit. They found it almost at the top only to realize they had no wood to burn. They decided to drop their packs and climb to the top for a looksee.

The view on the other side was a breathtaking expanse of undulating land. The trees were still dispersed but larger, and the rest of the flora was thicker. Other outcroppings poked out from the brush at varying distances. Zuri watched a raptor circle overhead looking for prey.

“What’s that far out to your left?” Leniz asked. “Follow my arm about two-thirds out to the horizon.”

Zuri squinted as he sought out Leniz’s target. “I think we’re looking at something manmade. Whatever the object is, the side of it is too straight to be natural, I would think. How far away is it?”

“I can’t see a trail,” Leniz said. “The terrain rolls a bit much to guess how deep the downside of the hills are in any case. I could say a day and we could find ourselves walking for three.”

“How do we get there?” Zuri asked.

“We pick out three geographic features that stand out whenever we are at the top of a hill. We take a measurement now. Every time we reach another top of a rise or an outcrop, we take another measurement to orient ourselves. I like to record the measurement with henna on the inside of my forearm.”

“What’s henna?” Zuri asked.

“It’s a prepared sap that you etch into your skin like a tattoo,” Leniz said. “The tattoo stays for about three weeks, if you let it dry properly. The bride you married off had them up and down her arms. It’s an old shepherd’s trick though for wandering far during high summer.”

Leniz went to retrieve his supplies while Zuri climbed down to the bottom to seek out anything to burn for a fire. The wolves were on his mind as he collected anything burnable. They met back in the middle. Leniz made marks on his arm and then helped carry the twigs, brambles, and dried leaf debris back to the firepit. By the time they had sorted out everything, the shadows were growing longer as light began to fade. Leniz showed Zuri how to spark a fire, which quickly took to the dried mass.

Zuri felt downright civilized as they sipped a cup of tea and chewed the whole fruit of one of the local trees. The flesh was sweet. Leniz explained how they were to carry the pits off the rocks and fling them into the wild where another tree might take root.

“While you traveled the government road between Kaosa and Premia, there are many other roads the Old Folk use that are lined with fruit trees, grains and vegetables from seeds our forefathers and foremothers tossed to the side of the road. There may not be mountains of extra food in Qirin, but no one needs to go hungry. If people ache with hunger, then something else is preventing them from eating.”

“The people of Kaosa looked desperate,” Zuri said.

“Much ‘something else’ is steeping in the Capital,” Leniz said. “Most of us avoid the place unless absolutely necessary. People who come from other provinces never go further than Kaosa, which we prefer.”

“What about the drugs,” Zuri said.

“We can cultivate anything we put our minds to, to grow,” Leniz said. “We are not immune to greed, lust, and the allure of power, Gura. Many have lost their way, which is one reason why I am here with you today.”

The scream of a creature carried across the Plain as the stars appeared overhead. Zuri agreed to take the first watch. He settled upon some rocks above with his staff nestled between his hands. With Leniz softly snoring, Zuri felt he was alone enough to practice with his staff, a circumstance he had lacked for in many days.

First, he took stock of his own aura, which glowed with a new effervescence he had not witnessed before. The source beneath was stronger and brighter. When he pushed, the aura expanded further from his body, but not with the colors that were always present, but with a golden glow.

He held his staff in front of him, gripping the shaft with both hands and holding it horizontal to the ground. With a push of will, the staff came alive with color as well. His personal signature was easy to read. He pushed harder and the soft glow spread down the shaft in an even flow. Daring to push himself further, he urged the glow to extend beyond the head of the shaft.

The glow conformed to his pushing, extending several fingers’ length. Zuri stood with his heart beating fast. He began moving the staff using the arcane movements that he loved. The glow remained steady, maybe even solidifying as he practiced.

“M’zzt,” Zuri heard as the extended tip encountered a moth attracted to the light. The moth became instant ash and Zuri felt a slight vibration in the aura as it emanated from the staff. Another moth lit upon the glow and then another flying creature that Zuri could not identify.

He lowered the staff and looked out upon the Plain. He saw life; the sight took his breath away. He could not see the creatures, but he could see their auras. The insects, yes, but also creepy-crawlies in the bushes and even bats in the sky, swooping every which way to snap up tiny auras suspended in the air. The night was alive with life.

He pulled back his aura to himself as the staff became heavy in his outstretched arms. He opened his ears to the world, listening to the locals go about their business. Those who labeled this land the Forsaken Plain must have been deaf and blind, he concluded.