Chapter 168
Getting out of the small walkway between the cliffs took much longer than Dron had anticipated, and once they got out, he realized that there was another problem.
In order to fully extricate everyone, they would have to jump down a small ledge, meaning they wouldn’t be able to get back up.
He didn’t want to go back the way that they came, as he wasn’t sure if there were any more enemies coming from that way.
Still after the jump down, he realized that the cliffs he’d just used as protection wrapped all the way around, and the only way to get back to his plotted out path to Tempest would be to walk around.
It would add time to his journey. Not what he wanted in the least.
Once everyone calmed down from the small attack, they began walking again. No one dared ask him for a break; he was sure it was because they thought he was upset.
He wasn’t. Dron knew that there was a chance they would meet some opposition. He was just happy that no one had gotten seriously hurt.
If everyone they came in contact with was as untrained as those men were, he didn’t have to worry very much about the fighting.
Mikael rushed to get by Dron’s side again. He was a little dirtier than before, but besides that, nothing out of the ordinary.
Dron looked down at the kid and realized there was a small tremor to him. The boy was shaking.
"Are you injured?" Dron asked, praying that there was a wound on him that he couldn’t see.
"No. I’m fine." Mikael answered right away.
"Then what’s wrong with you?" Dron questioned but didn’t stop moving forward.
"Nothing."
"If you feel the need to lie to me you can go back with the others." Dron dismissed the young kid.
Mikael sighed, "I’ve never... I never had to shoot my slingshot at a person before. I used it for hunting. But never to hurt anyone. My father drilled it into my mind that I should never use a weapon on another unless I intend on killing them. I intended to kill that man."
Dron could understand that. He couldn’t recall the first time he was in battle, but he was sure he was just as shaken as Mikael was.
"You are right. Only fight if you need to for survival. With that said, there is a great chance that if you hadn’t used your weapon when you had, I might not be here. So you saved my life. You used the appropriate force. You shouldn’t feel bad about that."
"I don’t feel bad." Mikael shrugged his shoulders once before he looked up at Dron. "It’s exciting. I want to do more. Want to help."
"Don’t let that feeling overtake you. It’s easy to fall into a trap where everything has to lead to death, but all those deaths come at a toll. Trust me. I know." Dron raised his eyebrow at Mikael, hoping the young boy understood what he was talking about.
"Mark Chief." Krex rushed over to where the two of them were walking.
Dron turned his head in Krex’s direction but never stopped moving. "What is it? Are there any injuries?"
"No, a couple of scraps and bruises, but nothing fatal. There’s a problem."
Dron didn’t want to hear about any problems. They’d just finished with a problem; how could there be another problem already.
"Is it going to stop our motion or can we continue."
Krex tilted his head slightly. "We can continue, but I don’t think you’re going to want to keep going in that direction."
"Why not?"
"Because we are about to head into what is known as the deep."
"The deep?" The name was one I was sure meant to strike fear. For me, it only struck confusion. We were on a flat surface minus the cliffs, how can something be considered the deep.
"Yes, deep underground caves and crevices hidden by sand. They link to the cliffs and form a boundary. Unfortunately, there’s no real way for any of us to know for sure where they are. We could be walking right into a deadly fall and won’t know it until it’s too late."
Dron dipped his head.
There wasn’t much that he could do. They didn’t have enough supplies to build a way back up the cliff, and when they did, it would take them that much longer to get through the narrow space and back on the path.
If they continued on the path they were on now, not only would it take him that much longer to get to Tempest, but they would also have to take it extra slow because there was a chance that the ground could give out from under their feet.
He had no choice, they had to move forward. "We’ll stay by the cliff’s edge. Hopefully there we’d at least be able to see the breaks in the ground before we come up on it. Get everyone in single file. Use the rope to connect people. It’s the best we can do right now."
Krex sighed, it was clear that he wasn’t happy with this plan, but it was an order he would have to follow. Dron was still the leader.
"Right away." Krex shrugged his shoulders and rushed back to the group.
This time when Dron turned to look at the people following him, he realized that they weren’t as upbeat as before. Nearly being killed will change the atmosphere.
Dron looked up at the blazing sun. He was double guessing everything. Trying to figure out if he were doing right by these people. If his need to get to Tempest was clouding his vision. He didn’t want to be responsible for anyone’s death.
It wasn’t his fault, and that was what was pissing him off. He didn’t ask for any of this.
"Let’s keep going. We have time to make up." Dron pulled up his device and checked Tempest’s location. She was still on the move, but he couldn’t figure out where she was going. According to the map, there was nothing but open space in the direction she was headed.
"Krex, come." He called for the man again.
Krex rushed back over to where Dron was.
Dron showed Krex his locator device. "What is over here? Are there any more settlements?"
"Not that I know of." Krex shrugged his shoulders hard twice but then shook his head no. He was picking up some of Dron’s mannerisms. In fact, Dron had noticed a few of the people in the small group doing similar things. He even saw one man attempt to smile.
Even without being here, Tempest had influenced these people.
"You should ask Ureny." Mikael spoke from the side. He was still walking next to Dron.
"Ureny?" Dron questioned.
"Yeah, he’s a scout. He goes out to check the land and see if there are any supplies that we can use. If there are any enemies on their way to our settlement. I don’t know him that well, but the people seem to think he’s very good." Mikael shrugged one shoulder.
"He’s here? Where?" Dron turned to look at the people who had already started to form their single line.
"Him, there." Mikael pointed to a man standing in the middle of everyone else. He was pale and had simple markings only on his hands and forearms. He was an alpha but not very strong based on what Dron could sense.
"Ureny!" Dron barked out, and the man jumped at the sound of his name. His eyes went wide, and he pressed a hand to his chest as if he couldn’t believe that he was being called out.
"Yes, you. Come." Dron ordered. He realized that he was being short and remembered the talk he’d had earlier with Mikael about people being willing to protect others more if they liked them. Dron continued, "Please. Just for a moment." He softened his words, hopefully to put Ureny at ease.
The man did seem to relax a little as he rushed over to where Mikael, Krex, and Dron were standing.
"How can I help?" Ureny asked before he was even fully standing in front of Dron.
Dron lifted his wrist to show the location of Tempest. "Mikael says you are a very talented scout. Have you been in this area before?" Dron pointed to where Tempest was walking.
"Ah, yes. I’ve been in that area before. It’s..." Ureny gasped and snapped his mouth shut before he could finish what he was saying.
"It’s what? Where is my mate going?" Dron asked, his muscles tensing.
"I’m not sure if I should say. We aren’t supposed to speak of it."
A growl rumbled in Krex’s chest, "You will speak of it now or I’ll make sure you never speak again."
Dron put his hand up to stop Krex. Dron knew this wasn’t the way to get the information out of the man. There were protocols that were followed at the settlement, and Dron knew they were followed to keep everyone safe. If there was a reason Ureny didn’t want to say what was in that location, he was sure that he had good reason.
He was hoping his newfound trust with the group would be enough to convince Ureny that it was safe for him to leak this information. If Dron couldn’t convince him, then he knew he’d allow Krex to do what he wanted. No one was going to keep Dron from getting to Tempest, he just wanted to know what he was about to walk into.
"It’s best if you tell them." Dron was surprised to hear Mikael speak up. "We’re all headed in that direction anyway. He’s going to find out eventually. I’m sure if he has to wait, though, he’ll make sure you’re watched every step of the way. Don’t become the outsider in your own group of people."
Dron snapped his mouth shut. There was nothing else for him to say.
Ureny looked at Mikael, sighed before he looked back up at Dron.
"I haven’t made it all the way through to where I think she is going, so I don’t know if there are any other settlements between where she is going and where she is now, but from her direction, it seems like she’s going to the alien lands."
Dron scoffed, these people really had a lot of opinions and beliefs in aliens. "You mean to tell me you think some beings from another planet flew on a ship and landed here on the other side of Skoq."
"According to what I was told, they didn’t fly themselves here. The original ones were brought here against their will and left to die in the wilderness. They didn’t. They survived, and they don’t trust us."
Dron gasped and blinked a few times.
He knew of another alien that had been brought here against her will.
Tempest.
She was going to the human settlement.
It all made sense to Dron as to why she would leave the stronghold. She was going looking for answers. He only hoped that what she found wasn’t the end of somebody’s blade.
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⏸ PAUSE■ STOP