Page 51 of Guardian's Destiny

"You are a Darlam," a fourth Ohrur exclaimed as he came down the wall, climbing it with an agility that spoke of years of experience. "What are you doing here withthem?" He pointed at our hostages. "And who is she?"

"Too many questions, Ohrur. Who are you?" Vraax demanded.

The Ohrur, who seemed to be in charge of the others, indicated for them to lower their blasters, and hesitantly, Vraax and I followed suit. My arm was still tense, though; it would only take a fraction of a second to raise it and blast the Ohrur to hell.

"I'm Craygh, Commander of the Ohrur Forces." He introduced himself.

Vraax raised an eyebrow. "Since when do the Ohrurs haveForces? That's what they use us Space Guardians for."

"The ones above do," Craygh responded, shutting Vraax up and any questions I might have asked.

"You've lived here all this time?" Moddekdum's voice was loud in the ensuing silence.

Craygh regarded him with a dismissive downtown curve of his mostly nonexistent lips. "And what are you doing here?"

"They're our hostages," Vraax filled him in. "I'm Vraax. This is Sloane, a human." He introduced me.

"I think we have lots to talk about. Follow me," Craygh ordered, and when none of us moved, he sighed, "Please, as my guests."

Vraax looked questioningly at me, and I shrugged my shoulders. Giving him athis might be interesting, look with my eyes.

"Lead the way," Vraax relented.

Leading the way, turned out that first we had to scale the wall he and his men had just descended, while his men assisted our hostages, and then turned into quite a hike through more tunnels, until we reached a place that looked like a valley.

Sun filtered in from holes in the high above ceiling, and walls had been removed to clear a large area filled with houses, where countless Ohrurs mingled.

Craygh led us to the largest house. Its two stories had a palatial air about them—high columns and plants lining a long road leading to the main entrance added to that impression. I noticed Moddekdum taking our surroundings in with an expression of disbelief and condescension, while Paddekah appeared astounded and a little scared.

"I can't believe you brought them here, Commander," a loud voice boomed, stronger than I would have expected from the Ohrurs. An Ohrur moved through the large hall we had entered, which was lined with armed men. He was taller than the others, with broader shoulders. Like Craygh, he looked different from the other Ohrurs, like Moddekdum and Possedion. These Ohrurs' muscles were more defined; their necks didn't look as if they would break under their oversized heads' weight. They still had green eyes, but their color looked more washed out. This was the same as their skin color, which might have resulted from living underground.

"Lord Hyugh," Craygh bowed. "I think talking with this Space Guardian might be beneficial for us."

He turned to Vraax, "This is Lord Hyugh of the House of Massalion."

Moddekdum hissed between his teeth.

"What about them?" Hyugh sneered at Moddekdum and Paddekah. His gaze eased some at the sight of her.

"They are our hostages," Vraax interjected.

"Hostages?" The plates on Hyugh's forehead rose to his hairline. He turned to Craygh. "You might be right; let's talk."

He turned on his heels, not giving us any time to object, and shrugging, Vraax placed his palm to the small of my back, directing me to follow Lord Hyugh. I was sure our Ohrur hostages would follow us as well and didn't look back.

Hyugh led us into a smaller room with a table and several chairs surrounding it. "Can I offer you some refreshments?" He asked.

I was afraid the food might be the same kind of mush Vraax had been serving me aboard his ship, but after only eating two energy bars for a couple of days and marching nearly nonstop, I was starving. Plus, I wasn't sure how much food and liquid pouches Vraax had brought, and I figured the more we could eat here, the better off we would be for the rest of our journey. However long that would take.

I took him up on his offer. "Refreshments would be great."

I still wasn't sure if letting Craygh bring us here was a good idea. We were more vulnerable and outnumbered; on the other hand, I figured if Craygh had any ill will toward us, he could have easily brought more soldiers when he intercepted us. Or, he would have simply shot us down while we fumbled through the tunnels. Still, all my senses were on high alert.

We took a seat around the oddly shaped table, which was zigzagged, with each spot for a chair, giving me a little closed-in feeling that didn't help my already tense nerves.

"You are a Space Guardian?" Hyugh asked Vraax for confirmation.

"I am." Vraax verified.

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