The Path to Greatness/Chapter 15

"If you are well enough to travel, Terul'sith, then it is perhaps best that we continue together. I would not wish anything to happen to you without me around to aid you, and your knowledge of the Silari ruins will be valuable."

"I will survive, Thorne Lorin. I survived the crash and I will survive this. However, once we find Kendrel and Culak, I think it is perhaps time we disregard the ruins," Terul'sith responded.

"Disregard?" I replied, curious. "What do you mean?"

"My companions will have already moved on. Several of us were seriously injured. When I sensed your presence, I was dispatched to find you immediately. They would not have waited for long here, not with the other Drakel skulking about."

We began pushing through and eventually were able to make it through the same narrow passageway from which Kendrel and Culak had exited our cave-in. To my delight, after a very short distance it dropped into a narrow but very much open passageway. The signs of recent travel clearly indicated that Kendrel and Culak had continued in this direction.

"What do you mean injured? What is this crash? What events are so severe that you invoked the Sigma Directive? And these other Drakel.... I thought you were with them. What makes you and your companions different?"

"Not all of us are created the same, Thorne Lorin. The answers you seek are detailed and will take much time. For now, suffice I shall say this. The majority of my companions are not Drakel at all. Not all Drakel, even those local to this area, serve the same purpose or goals. There are some, even after the great strife that the Devourer caused them, that would seek to turn to his service in hopes of gaining his favor. Some of these latter move about actively. It is they that concern me. If Culak and Kendrel were captured by such Drakel, their fates could be most dire. As for me... I am different because I was not even born on this world.... though my distant ancestors were."

"Wait, what?"

"It will have to wait, Lorin," a voice said, and I turned and to my immense relief saw Kendrel with Culak standing stiffly at his side.

"What happened? Why did you take so long?"

"We found strange Shara-naga's friends," Culak said. "They go back to the site."

"Site?" I asked

"When we came back through with equipment to aid you," Kendrel continued heedless of my question, hoisting a shovel, "we almost immediately encountered movement of the Drakel forces. They were far less than happy to see us. Culak and I had to kill off one of their foot patrols and then spent the better part of three hours avoiding them and weaving our way back to you. I am relieved to see that we do not have to dig you out ourselves."

"No time." Culak nodded. "Shara-naga army is hot on our heels."

"On your heels?" I responded. "Then we had best decide what to do and fast."