Forgotten Ones

Finding What Awaits

Arvad gently pulled the door closed. He stood still listening for any sound that indicated Perry had woken up. As he stood there, the soft blue light from a crystal cast a calm glow over the kitchen. Slowly he took a deep breath in and just as slowly let it out. The feelings of home and comfort filled him.

The warmth of the kitchen was interrupted as a slight breeze came through the window. When Arvad walked over to close the shutters, he saw Albric sitting some distance outside. Leaving the window open, he went out to join the older man.

"Has sleep claimed him?" Albric asked.

"Yes, his leg was bothering him a bit tonight," Arvad answered. "And the sounds of the insects and night animals make it difficult for him to fall asleep. It's just so different here than on Earth. There were no insects or animals left. The harsh climate sent many into extinction. That and a starving man will eat anything he can find, even an insect. Anything that did survive soon became a meal." He studied the other man as Albric tilted his head, listening to the night creatures.

Albric was bigger than any man Arvad had ever known. Tall and round with extra flesh around his middle. He was also older than anyone Arvad had met. His grey beard still showed the red hair of his youth. His shoulders were still broad and straight. He used a cane for balance, but he enjoyed walks by the ocean's shore. His voice was more often than not gruff, but Arvad like the lyrical way that Albric spoke.

"The sounds of the night are the lullaby that Gliese sings," Albric replied.

Arvad listened. With Albric's words echoing in his head, he could hear the rhythm of the night song. Sighing deeply, he knew it was time to bring up the discussion he'd been avoiding. "Perry has healed sufficiently. We will move on in the morning."

"Move on?" Albric barked out harshly. "To where? You are weak. Too weak to go anywhere!"

Startled by the harshness of the man's voice and words, Arvad shook his head. In sharp contrast to the feelings of contentment and home earlier, he now felt frustrated and confused. He'd spent all his life just trying to survive. He didn't know what he was to do now. Except keep Perry safe. "I don't know. I don't know where we should go. I don't know why we are even here."

Albric grunted. "You, just like the others, are part dominant. Perry is submissive. Only those with the pull of the power exchange can survive on Gliese. The ancient texts from long ago Historians forecasted it."

"I don't even know what a dominant is supposed to do!" Arvad confessed.

Again, Albric grunted and then groused out, "You do what your instincts tell you. Just like you've always done. The power exchange is part of the star particles that make a person. You and Perry have always lived by the exchange. Only now you have a label to attach to who you are."

Arvad thought on the older man's words. They weren't only lyrical, but often held a touch of the mystic. He knew that it was partly due to living such a long time, but his wisdom came too from being a Historian. Albric had explained to them that this was a village of Historians. People who saw what was, what is, and what is yet to come. He sighed again. That was another reason he and Perry should leave. They didn't have visions or know what the future held.

"That's another reason we should leave. Perry and I aren't Historians," Arvad said.

"You belong here," Albric argued and then turned to look fully at Arvad. "The stars deemed it so. I argued against those who sought to save you. I was wrong."

Arvad marveled again at the strength of the older man. Strength in the physical but also the emotional. A man as Albric was held strength of character. "I understand why. It must have been hard to send someone you care about into a place that was so dangerous."