Back Home (Edited) Book 4 of the Guardians Saga

CH 3.2 Old Girlfriends

Rile was reluctant to have Alex fly him to Gaza's clan, but he felt it was his best chance for trading. He remembered that he and his brothers played in the meadows with Gaza's children when they were younger. With a pang, he also remembered how fondly Gaza had always looked on him and his brothers, especially Gabe.

Gabe and Cale had been rejected by all the nearby clans, but they still had one more hope—Gaza's clan, farther away. With Alex's flying ability, though, Alex and Rile could reach it with little difficulty, carrying deer carcasses for trade.

Unsure of his own welcome, Rile had Alex stay back on the hill, but within viewing distance. He hefted the two deer carcasses and strode into camp. Heads turned, conversations hushed, and suspicious eyes followed him as he walked through. Meanwhile, Alex stood on the outskirts, her shoulders tensed and fists balled up.

"Rile!" a female Agama squealed.

He was almost knocked off his feet by an enthusiastic embrace. The carcasses swayed dangerously, but he managed to re-balance.

The female Agama pulled away and gazed up into his face with excitement. "You're alive! You didn't die with your clan!" she squealed.

"What? No," Rile said, realizing that others would think they were dead had not occurred to him until now. He still couldn't explain why his brothers had received such a chilly reception, either as Guardians or as lost members of a clan presumed dead - they should have been welcomed. "We're Guardians now, Tida."

The female gave an appropriately respectful gasp. "You must see Father and tell him."

Rile shook his head. "Your father is not fond of me."

"See Clan Head Gaza then. You know he respects you and always hoped you would join our clan. And now you're a Guardian!" Tida clapped her hands in delight.

Tida sprinted ahead of Rile, her slender frame disappearing into the largest tent at the center of the camp. When Rile followed, the grizzled Clan Head Gaza was already standing there, his gaze piercing and somber.

Rile laid the two carcasses at the leader's feet. It hadn't been part of his plan, but he was always quick to improvise.

"Thank you," Gaza said as he nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Tida tells me you are a Guardian now. What of your brothers?"

The question made Rile pause for a moment before replying. "They too are Guardians, but didn't you see Gabe at the Clan Head Assembly?"

Gaza shifted his weight and let out a sigh. "There was an emergency and I could not attend. Now I'm left wondering at this odd coincidence. I'm glad the sons of Gideon escaped the slaughter of your clan." His voice trailed off momentarily before continuing more gravely. "I must warn you that being a Guardian does not hold the same meaning it once did." He paused, letting this sink in.

Rile bowed his head. "Please, honored leader, explain this to me. My brothers and I have been most perplexed by our chilly reception home."

The Clan Head moved to the campfire. With a deep breath, he lowered himself onto his cushion and signaled that a story was to be told. Rile remembered fondly how the clan would flock around the fire, eager for Gaza's tales. But now, he noticed that only two others had joined them: Tida, who sat close to Gaza with reverence in her eyes; and another elder at the back of the circle.

"The sons of Gideon being Called makes it clearer what happened to your clan. Once being Called was a great honor, and it was the pride of our world that so many of us were Called. But now," the grizzled face grew even more wizened with despair. "Those who answer the Call return to find their entire clan wiped out; slaughtered as yours were. Now, no one dares accept the Call. Who wants to save others when your own family is murdered in return?"