Convergence

Calida stood at the foot of the large rock. She ran her hand along the smooth face. It had been far too long since she'd been there, centuries. There was no reason to, until now.

Her hand stilled and she closed her eyes. She opened the gates to her core, invoking the harbinger's essence residing inside her. Tremors shook the ground from the force that ensued, rumbling in protest yet incapable of resisting the earth keeper's call. The hard rock bended to her will. It parted, as though sliced in half and pulled open, revealing an ancient passageway that lead to a tunnel deep within the earth.

She let go, shutting off the control her essence had over the earth before any damage could ensue. She had once been afraid of the destruction her essence could cause. The devastating trait had won her the name 'earthbreaker' and even though most knew her as the harbinger's chosen or immortal one, the name haunted her still. As centuries passed however, her control increased and she learned to accept it as part of her. Now, she could focus with utmost precision, on one singular thing as she did with the rock, leaving others intact and unharmed.

Anahita walked toward the entrance to stand beside Calida. She handed her bag to her.

"The sky has brightened, dawn approaches. We should leave now if we do not wish to be seen." her soft voice bounced on the walls of the cave-like structure before coming to a hush.

She walked inside and drew a torch from the wall to light it. The scraping of stone against stone sounded from behind her as Calida closed the opening. The torch in Ana's hand illuminated the dark passage. The walls reflected the flickering light as the orange flames danced from the little air that passed through minute cracks. She waited for Calida to catch up to her before walking further.

The cave sloped deeper and deeper into the earth until finally, it evened out. They reached the bottom where the cave met with the tunnel. Another torch hung on the wall, Calida retrieved it and put it against the one in Ana's hand. It came alit immediately lighting their way through the dark tunnel.

The wide underground passage stretched before them further than they could see. It would lead them straight to the borders between the Gaur mountain range and the forests of Drakh.

The passage was built long before even Calida was born, whether by a keeper or the harbinger herself, they did not know. Unlike most, it did not extend in a straight line. Instead, it stretched for miles and had bends allowing it to bypass maynis and the Nomad lands into the Gaur. Though faster than any other route, they still had a long way to walk and it would take them days if not more, to reach the end of the tunnel. It was a good thing, Calida thought, that they'd accepted the extra supplies Hadrian had insisted on before leaving the inn.

With only the harbinger's summons as cause, they stepped into the tunnel and began their journey toward what was soon to become the battle for the end.

*****

The fog covered mountain range of Gaur extended over miles of rocky terrain and frozen tundra to the North, where it abruptly ended meeting the vastly different and much drier K'raish desert. In contrast, the lands to the west were grass covered savannahs that extended farther south-west beyond the entrance to the Drakh forest and into the southern plains.

The weather was not yet cold enough for snow and ice to form but, it was windy and the temperatures dipped lower than normal at night and in the early mornings.

The night was exceptionally cold when Anahita and Calida finally made their way out of the tunnel. It ended in the mouth of a cave that shot out from the ground at the foot of the largest mountain of Gaur. The onslaught of cold wind was a great contrast to the stale and hot air in the tunnel. After days inside it, they scrambled to light a fire as soon as they'd reached the end.

They sat by the fire and shared between themselves, their last meal. It was a good thing indeed that Hadrian had insisted on it. They would have to start hunting for food the next day but, that would not be too difficult seeing as they were not far from greenlands. When the air grew colder, they huddled closer to the fire to keep warm and it was not long before they fell asleep.

As night wore on and the keepers slept, the fog grew thicker obscuring from view, the blood red eyes and inky black feathers of the ominous bird. Perched on a small ledge high in the mountain, the raven watched them as they slept peacefully, oblivious of its scrutinizing gaze.

The bird remained in place until the sun began to peak, burning away most of the fog. With a sharp caw, it spread its wings and took to the air, flapping hard and strong. Soon, it became a mere speck in the vast sky.

Calida's eyes fluttered open as the bird flew off the ledge. She had never been a heavy sleeper and the sharp caw of the bird echoed in the silent valley, rousing her from slumber. She watched it soaring with furrowed brows. A raven in the Gaur was an unusual sight. They were scavengers not birds of prey. It was unusual to see them so far into dry lands were food was not so easy to obtain. Centuries in the world had taught her to not disregard strange occurrences no matter how small yet, there was truly nothing she could do about it seeing as the bird was gone.

The rumbling of her stomach brought her back to the now. They had eaten their last meal the night before and besides a few water satchels, they had nothing left to swallow. With a sigh, she stood up and stretched her taut muscles then bent to pick up her hunting bow. Anahita slept on. She contemplated waking her up but decided against it then, she turned around and walked toward the treeline.

The grassy plains just beyond the rock covered gaur were a good grazing site for the forest animals. An hour after leaving the campsite Calida came across a young deer. She went down on one knee and silently nocked her arrow. From the looks it was barely old enough to bear children. This was a recently expelled nomad, it would do.

Calida was still as a rock as she pulled back the arrow, stretching the string of the bow as far back as it could go. With both eyes locked onto her target she inhaled deeply. A few seconds passed before she exhaled. she released the wooden shaft simultaneously. A dull thump rang in the silence of morning. Her aim was true. The deer fell to the ground, the end of her arrow protruding from its head. Calida rose from her position and walked to it. She bent down and pulled her arrow out.

"Go in peace" she whispered. Taking its hind legs in her arms she pulled it onto her shoulder. It would've been a difficult feat if she wasn't a keeper, one of the earth nevertheless. The deer secured over her shoulder, she walked began her walk back.

The keeper of sea was awake by the time Calida returned to the campsite. She had stoked the fire and added wood to it. A makeshift spit lay beside it, ready for use. Calida dropped her prize, an adolescent male white-tailed deer, near the spit.

"You chose well" Anahita remarked. "Though skinning it would be a pain" she added, a playful grin on her face. It widened as Calida sighed deeply. She had been a keeper for centuries and half that time she'd had to hunt for her own food. Yet, she still hated having to skin the beasts.

"I suppose you find this amusing" she replied, shooting a mock glare at her partner. She brought out her knives and started on the hide.

"I do. I would find it much more humorous if i wasn't starved myself. This time I will help you" She moved to sit opposite calida,her hand extended to take a knife from her.

They worked together for a while before Ana stood to prepare the spit. It wasn't long before the deer was put up to roast over the fire. They sat together and waited for the meat to cook.

"I never could understand how Eirik ever found this place habitable" Anahita spoke after a little while, breaking the silence that ensued. "It's far too lonely" she said looking around the rocky land.

"I thought the same about your island" Calida replied, a smile on her face. "It's very small, Ana".

"To each their own then" Ana said with a chuckle.

"Let's eat, we want to get to the tree line by sundown."

The two keepers filled their bellies and packed up the rest of the meal. The immortal one slung her bow and quiver of arrows over her shoulder and bag in hand, she set off, her wavecaller by her side.