Page 70 of Guardian's Legacy
Nobody asked if I was sure this was where I died. They didn't need to. We all knew that this was the spot. I wouldn't make a mistake like that.
"Now what?" Noodar asked.
I suggested, "Take us to the Borrog Mountains, and then you two can go search for the forcefield’s source and your… places of memory."
"How will we know?" Noodar asked.
I thought back to when we had cruised over this town. "You will," I promised. You will feel it in your heart and gut."
I didn't like leaving them to their own destinies, but Zaarek and I had something else to do. Besides, there wouldn't be anything we could do to help them. They would have to go through their own agony, just like Zaarek had.
Frygging Arkhevari. I was almost grateful to him now for having spared me this pain. Although if it had meant keeping him out of my head, I would have taken the pain any day.
* * *
"What exactly are we looking for?" Zaarek asked after Noodar and Tharaax dropped us off on a mountain overlooking the vale.
"I don't know. Maybe ruins of a settlement?" I guessed. The frygging Arkhevari had been damn mysterious about this. "If I ever get my hands on Zapharos, I'll wring his neck."
"You and Vraax both," Zaarek chuckled. "He's not a big fan of him either."
"At least he wasn't inhishead," I muttered.
"No, but he stunned him. A close second would be my guess."
I used my comm to scan the horizons, the gorge below us, the river that ran between the mountains all the way down, its banks overgrown with trees, bushes, and plants. Blips indicated signs of life below, which was to be expected. This area had always teemed with wildlife. After twenty thousand years, I was sure the animals must have made a big comeback. Contrary to the Darlams, they hadn't been hunted down by the Ohrurs. They had only been collateral damage.
Zaarek did the same, scanning the mountains and zooming in on cliffs and rocks. "I see some caves," he offered.
Since I didn't have any better ideas, I agreed that we should go check them out.
"We should have kept Noodar around for a bit longer," Zaarek complained as we climbed down the mountain. He was right, too. Once we were down at ground level, we had to figure out how to cross the river and then climb up the other mountain.
"This could take days," I agreed, stopping to catch my breath.
It was a beautiful place. No other place in the universe compared to Darlam.
"Hold on," Zaarek's hand shot forward, hitting my chest to stop me in place.
"What?"
"There," he pointed at a spot where several boulders lay in the river, almost as if they had been placed there on purpose. I squinted. Something silver glinted from the tree line, and then… I stopped breathing.
"I'll be damned," I cursed.
"You guys seeing this?" Zaarek asked over the comm.
"Very clearly," Sloane replied.
"Oh my God, is that a Darlam?" Zoe cried.
"Nock, if I have to tell you one more time, I'm taking it away from you," Sloane yelled.
"He better not be streaming this," Zaarek muttered.
"Let's go down there and talk to him," I suggested, then stopped as more Darlams—females, males, and children — made their way to the river.
"Get Noodar back," I pressed out, telling Sloane.
