Free The Guardians' Pendants (The Zor Chronicles Part I) by A. Elford Page A

miner – as he was only now coming to realize – was a
thing of the past. There would be no more walks up the familiar
roadways to the mine entrances; there would be no more long days of
mining iron ore or of sneaking off the job with Niru to explore. As
he clasped the Pendant that hung around his neck tightly once more,
and as he placed his newly acquired Fireblade in its holster on his
back, Ikani became more aware than ever that the life which he had
left behind in this village would not returning to him any time
soon. It was for that reason that he realized there was nothing
else he could do but move forward. And so he left his dwelling,
setting out into the Village streets.
    Gazing around at the
desolate stone streets, dotted on either side by small, mostly
one-room dwellings of the Zor One, Ikani appreciated for the first
time the true serenity of Af’One village when it was not bustling
with hundreds of Zor on their way to the mines and the steel
factories. The skies above may have been hazier than those
elsewhere, and the soot from the mines did seem to linger wherever
the Zor might travel, but – at least for Ikani – that did not
change a thing. He began to think of Niru, wondering how he was
faring down in the mines today. Then his mind wandered to Hari, the
guard who operated the mine’s elevators. Ikani had always looked up
to Hari and admired his work ethic and kind spirit, and the thought
of perhaps being able to approach him as an equal certainly piqued
his interest. At that, he hurried along the usual route that lead
him towards the mine entrances. Stumbling through the entrance to
Mine A now, Ikani stopped suddenly, taken aback by Hari’s absence.
In his place stood a tall Hub Zor, wearing a sandy-colored cape and
wielding a sword. At either side of him stood a single Siren,
unmistakable by their tall, slender figures and dark cloaks that
hung over their faces.
    “Halt!” the guard
commanded. “What business have you here?” he questioned
harshly.
    Ikani froze. What
should he say. Thinking on the spot, he attempted to form a viable
excuse. “I… I do believe that I am running a tad late for work,
sir,” he replied nervously. “My apologies; I’ll be headed down to
the mines now… sector 7 to be exact,” he added
abruptly.
    The guard eyed him
suspiciously and did not movie.
    “You work here, you
say?” the guard asked skeptically. “I see no miner’s attire. By the
looks of you, I get the impression that your time would be better
spent out protecting our homeland, wouldn’t you
say?”
    “Well, you see…” Ikani
hesitated.
    The guard snickered.
“Oh, I am terribly sorry. I seemed to have forgotten about the
little mishap of which I was recently informed, but I’m sure you
know all about that. Aren’t you a little too beaten up after
falling to that Stone Golem to be heading down to the mines
today,
hero
?” he
sneered.
    “What business is it
to you?” Ikani snapped defensively, his hand instinctively reaching
for his sword.
    “Oh, but it’s all of
my business,” the guard replied condescendingly, feeling for his
sword as well. “After all, while you may be under the impression
that the safety of the Zor rests in your hands,” he continued,
“Chief Remula seems to think otherwise.”
    Ikani frowned at the
sound of Remula’s name. “Remula is corrupt and a deceiver; he
always was! Why else would Havea have banished him from the
Authority eighteen years ago? And besides, what business have you
here anyways? Satellite security is left to the individual Islands
to -”
    Ikani stopped
mid-sentence at the sound of the guard’s arrogant laugh ringing
through the air anew.
    “I really do hope you
were in attendance during the Tavar’s Induction Ceremony two nights
past,
hero
. Did you happen to
miss the part where it was announced that Satellite Security has
been put in the hands of the Sirens? That’s the Hub’s business,
which means it’s my business as well. And for the