"You are not a god. The others with you are not gods. We are the Zarno; we destroy. We guard the house of the gods till they return."
Another of the silicate creatures pushed forward. "Do you not know this being, Kharn? Eight ystods ago he came here with another like him. Do you remember?"
Kharn nodded slowly. "That is true. We did not slay them then, for we thought they were messengers from the gods. They pretended to be—we were not sure. This one escaped. The other went into the Darkness."
The other? Doc Willard? Garth felt his throat tighten.
"The—Darkness? What is that?"
"The place from which only the gods return," Kharn said slowly.
Did he mean—death? Before Garth could ask, the second Zarno spoke.
"They must be taken and sacrificed, Kharn."
Garth took out his gun. "Wait," he said sharply, as the Zarno moved forward. "We have weapons. We can destroy you."
"You do not speak the truth. Only the gods can destroy us. Ages ago they came here and built their temple and taught us to be wise. When they left us, we stayed on, to guard the sacred places."