CHAPTER 146: URFA

The car ride from Adana to Şanlıurfa took eight hours through changing landscapes.

Tom pressed his face to the window like a child, marveling at everything. The farmlands stretching to the horizon. The mountains rising in the distance, their peaks touched with snow. The ancient cities glimpsed through valleys, minarets pointing skyward.

"The air here," Tom said in Valdrian. "It is much more like Valdris."

Marcus understood what he meant. There was something about this land. The dryness. The ancient feeling. Like history had soaked into the very dirt.

On the ride Numan and Kevin bombarded Marcus with questions about Valdris. Things he would never have given a second thought to. How did people dispose of waste? What did they eat for breakfast? Were there any sports? Did they have theater?

When they started asking about sewage systems Marcus cut them off.

"Kevin my turn with the questions. As military personnel how did you find the Keepers and join them?" Marcus asked.

Kevin raised his finger asking for a moment. He was navigating a tricky intersection. They passed the Urfa sign and took a left following the Göbeklitepe signs. Since it had become a tourist attraction the government had put signs leading up to the site.

"Through a tail," Kevin finally answered.

"What? A tail?" Marcus asked, puzzled.

"Yeah." Kevin adjusted his rearview mirror. "My commanding officer wanted me to tail Numan's late parents. Alim Gurbanov and Hediye Gurbanov."

"When they visited Turkey?" Numan asked. His voice was sharp with surprise.

"Correct. Apparently your grandpa is on a CIA watch list. They are kind of aware of the Keepers but consider us history nutjobs." He shrugged. "I got an order from above to just tail your parents."

He took a sip from his water cup before continuing. "But they noticed me and approached me. Alim introduced himself and we talked about his discoveries and theories. He explained they weren't doing anything harmful to the world or historic remnants."

"He recruited you then?" Marcus asked.

"Kind of." Kevin smiled at the memory. "At first I thought, such a brilliant mind, how could he believe in aliens and many conspiracy theories? But..." He pointed at Tom and Marcus. "He was right. The Keepers were right all along."

Numan took the lead in the conversation. "I wonder. Are you the first person to travel between planets?"

The question hit Marcus hard. He could be the first person. Not counting Celestine since she wasn't even human. But then he remembered what that meant. It lowered the chances of traveling back to his planet significantly. If no one had done it before there was no roadmap to follow.

"Could be," Marcus answered, lost in thought.

As their conversation deepened Kevin gave notice about entering the area. He passed by the main Göbeklitepe site and turned down a smaller road. Then stopped at a collection of local houses.

The complex rose from the dusty landscape like something out of an old photograph. Red adobe houses clustered together around a central courtyard. Each dwelling had its own entrance facing the shared space. Stone walls weathered by centuries of sun and wind. Wooden doors painted in faded blues and greens. Grape vines climbed trellises providing shade. The architecture was simple but elegant. Built for the heat.

"The Keepers have been here since the beginning," Numan said quietly. "Some families claim their ancestors helped build Göbeklitepe itself."

"This house complex was donated by the Yıldız family to the Keepers," Kevin explained as he got out of the car. "There are currently five other families aside from the Yıldız family residing here."

He started unloading their bags from the trunk.

Marcus and Tom got out and grabbed their belongings. The heat was immediate. Pressing. But also clean somehow.

As they approached the main building an older man emerged to greet them. He was wheat-skinned with a greying moustache and sharp eyes that seemed to miss nothing. His smile revealed crooked teeth.

"Welcome to my home! Welcome Kevin!" His English was crooked but enthusiastic. He gestured to Numan and opened his arms for a hug.

Numan seemed reluctant but allowed himself to be embraced.

"My boy Numan look how you have grown up! Your parents would be proud of you."

When he released the hug he finally returned to Marcus and Tom. His eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"And you must be Tom and Marcus. Welcome again!" He put one arm around Marcus and one around Tom. Even reaching Tom required him to stretch. "Come inside. Everyone is talking about you. If you convinced Alexi you must be real."

He turned to Marcus without pausing. "Are you hungry?"

Before Marcus could answer he was already talking to Tom. "You hungry my big boy?"

Marcus tried to intervene. "He doesn't speak Eng..."

But Tom cut him off. "Yes. Uncle. Hunger. I am very."

"Ho ho ho!" The old man's laugh was genuine and warm. He turned to Marcus. "Look! Your brother is hungry! Hunger cannot hide behind languages. Not even to other planets! Get inside get inside!"

Before getting inside Hasan didn't let go of Marcus's arm while everyone else entered. He held him back for a moment.

Hasan Yıldız examined Marcus carefully with those sharp eyes. His grip was surprisingly strong for an old man.

"Another two-worlder," he said finally. "After all these centuries they still come."

"You've seen others?" Marcus asked.

Hasan smiled. The wrinkles around his eyes deepened. "Boy, my great-great-grandmother was one. The blood remembers even when the minds forget."

Then he continued in a language that Marcus kind of understood. The words were unfamiliar but the structure... He picked up some of it. "We help .... to .. in need."

Hasan's smile widened. "She left notes for us to say that. In case two-worlders ever came here for help."

Marcus smiled back. "I think it is from the planet where I came. I didn't understand fully but does it mean something like 'we help when help is needed'?"

Hasan's grin grew wider still. His eyes sparkled with delight. "Yesss." He patted Marcus on the back hard enough to make him stumble. "Come come! I prepared such food you won't believe!"

He welcomed Marcus inside with an arm around his shoulder.

Apparently Marcus had passed another test. Lucky for him it was from an Ephus language.

The interior of the house was cool despite the heat outside. Thick stone walls. High ceilings. The smell of cooking meat and spices drifted from somewhere deeper in the building.

Tom was already seated at a long wooden table, helping himself to flatbread and some kind of dip.

Marcus sat across from his cousin. Around them the other Keepers were gathering. Curious faces. Skeptical eyes. Excited whispers.

Tomorrow would bring questions. Challenges. Proof demanded.

But for now there was food and shelter and hope.

It would have to be enough.