Page 75 of Guardian's Legacy
"About us?" Xyrek asked, sitting down as well, while Zaarek positioned himself between them and the forest. Making sure nothing else would come at them.
"Yes." Narvale nodded, "We've never seen other Darlams before. My friends and I have been combing through the old ruins since we were kids. We have plans to explore the entire continent next year to see if we can find any others."
"Nobody has ever done that before?" Xyrek asked.
"From time to time, but the gods always made them return before they could explore everything."
"What do you mean, the gods?" Xyrek gave words to the question running through my head.
"The gods still come here from time to time to check on us," Narvale pointed up at the sky.
"Do they come on ships?"
"Flying machines, yes," Narvale confirmed.
"Do they look like these?" Xyrek pulled up images on his comm, but I couldn't see them, so I moved the drone, then belatedly remembered to check on the one I had sent into the forest. I’d gotten so invested in their conversation that I wasn’t being a very good backup. The other drone hadn't found anything suspicious, so I focused on the first, realizing that Xyrek was showing the young Darlam images of Ohrur ships.
"Like this," the kid nodded, pointing at a transporter.
"Do you know where they go? Do they fly around or always go to the same spot?"
"Same spot." Narvale's finger moved to point behind the mountains.
"Do you know what's there?"
"I haven't seen it, but the ones who have been there said there are buildings. Large white buildings that look nothing like the ruins, not even like before they crumbled. They said it’s where the gods reside now. It's forbidden to go there."
My spine crawled. That had to be the spot for the shields.
"Where did you come from?" Narvale asked, unaware of the significant intel he had just given us. It seemed only fair to entertain the young male for a while by explaining who we were and how we got here. I hoped he would take our tale back to their town. The information might help others learn to trust us.
* * *
In the morning, Noodar and Tharaax picked up Xyrek and Zaarek. Both looked tired from their long talk with the Darlam youth, who hadn't left until three o'clock in the morning—or the space version of 3 am based on our ship’s clock. But they looked downright lively compared to Noodar and Tharaax. The two Space Guardians had found their place of significance and regained their memories. For all of them, the period between when theydiedand when they started working for the Ohrurs remained black—that kind of made sense. But the thought of a big fat black nothingness after death had shudders of dread run down my spine despite the knowledge of rebirth, which was still somewhat abstract to me. The evidence was there, but my logical mind still had a hard time wrapping itself around it.
Hannah was the best proof that it did exist. She started to remember more and more. Xyrek said it was because she used to be the High Priestess, the keeper of secrets none of the other Darlams ever knew. It would have been nice, though, to catch a glimpse of my life as Allisaahn. That, more than anything, would have helped dispel my worries and fears.
The men only remembered bits and pieces of their training and initial work as security for the higher-up Ohrurs, which must have been part of the training. That made sense, given what Tharaax and Hannah had encountered on Ohrur.
In the gleaming morning light, the Ohrur's compound on Darlam came into view—an array of shiny buildings that looked like a cluster of silos and warehouses. A large landing field offered plenty of space for them to set down, and four Ohrur ships already parked there left no doubt that we would encounter some of them soon.
"Do not leave the ship," Sloane warned. They would stand out like the proverbial sore thumb if the Ohrurs were watching them, and there was no reason to believe they weren't.
"Get some drones out; make it look like you're just loading and unloading cargo," Sloane ordered. “Are our guests still good?”
None of the three Ohrur prisoners interested me. Still, it was good to hear Noodar answer, “All accounted for. Unhappy and locked in one of the rooms. They finally stopped trying to kill each other and are now conspiring on how to get out.”
“Put them to sleep if you have to,” Sloane said without much emotion. She was focused on the cameras as she set them to zoom in on the buildings. "What do you think?"
That question was directed at Tucker, who sat in the other captain's chair on the bridge.
"There and there," Tucker pointed at the screens.
I squinted and made out what could have been camera-shaped black bulbs.
"Do you think they're surveillance cameras?" I asked.
"No, they're weapons," Tucker said, making my stomach sink.
