~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"This is it?" Raven asked as he got out of the car, his many doubts written on his face and unveiled contempt dripping from his words. Normally such contempt from anyone would have been enough to stir up LeShana's considerable capacity for dislike, but she knew without a word being exchanged that he did not mean his words the way they might sound, so she could forgive him. Three days after departing his family’s home, with many long and empty roads behind them, they were deep in the unspoiled Canadian wilderness. Raven had calmed considerably as those days and distance had passed behind them, which was a relief to all of them. As much as LeShana had disliked his dark brooding as they left behind the city, his personal storm cloud on the fifth day after leaving his mother's house had very much more disturbing to her own thoughts and feelings. Finally, he had calmed and it seemed, with a much lighter heart, he had even started asking about the worlds that would soon be a part of his new home. It likely helped that their first destination was so far away from everything that was troubling him, a place almost unreachable in bad weather as it was far removed from anything else, and the nearest town was a hundred miles away. Located up a twisting gravel road and deep in an old growth pine forest, a simple brick house was the only structure for miles and even it was unimpressive.
"What were you expecting?" Destin asked, getting out behind him.
"Something more grandiose." Raven replied softly, not even sure what he had been expecting himself. "I meanm this is supposed to be the gateway to thousands of worlds."
"Good things come in small packages." Sarath commented as she got out of the drivers seat.
"A hundred thousand years ago, there was a great temple surrounding the gate, but it has been a long time, and much of it has been destroyed by the passing of eons." LeShana added, smiling over at him. "Maybe when Earth has been reconnected to the hallways, they might build something more befitting to the importance of this place. But right now, it would only serve to draw attention here. We don’t want the Earth governments to know about this place until they're ready, and right now they only see this place as just the simple home of a bizarre hermit."
"The gatekeeper also likes it that way." Solair commented to him. "Why else would he choose to live on a planet with no magic of its' own, and forgotten in all but a few ancient texts?"
"I guess it makes sense." Raven finally replied, shouldering his bags even though he clearly still felt under-whelmed by the setting.
"You don't sound convinced." Destin commented, chuckling softly as he clapped Raven on the back.
"Because I'm not." Raven replied with a cool smile. It was then that the gatekeeper emerged from his small house and walked over to greet them. He exchanged a few words in a language that Raven did not understand with LeShana, to which she shook her head and replied with another bout of words. The gatekeeper added something, and gestured for them to follow him into the woods. "What did he just ask?" Raven asked Destin in a low voice.
"Just wondering if we were going to stay the night." Destin replied.
"He must get lonely." Raven added sympathetically.
"Actually I don't." The gatekeeper replied, turning his head to look at Raven, who gave him an embarrassed look. "It's all right." He added taking in Raven's expression. "I enjoy the solitude, for the most part. You've had a long trip, I was just wondering if you would like to wait, at the Center it is late at night."
"Ah." Raven replied with a weak smile.
"So you are Raven Sinclair." The gatekeeper added with a smile. "I have read all of your books, I enjoy them a great deal."
"Well thank you." Raven replied, feeling a little more heartened by the compliment, but he had admitted to LeShana that it always felt awkward when he met one of his fans face to face.
"I hope you don't stop writing. I want to read the end of the Stones series."
"If I had the time, I could tell you what happens. But an Earth publisher has the last two books, they should be coming out over the next couple of months." Raven told him softly. "That, and Sarath says she knows some publishers, perhaps I will still be writing in the Salak'patan."
"If you can find the time and energy with your training going on." The gatekeeper commented.
"Well, that will pass in time, and I have half a dozen novels in my bag that I would like to see in print." Raven added for the sake of his conscious. The gatekeeper nodded with a smile and let the conversation drop.