The Keepers



The night had just begun to take hold of the hills as she rode on through the driving rain. Her black mare was growing tired but even the weary mount knew the urgency of this mission and so continued to slosh through the marshy foothills. The hilltops were laden with large boulders and loose gravel and the valleys between was waterlogged slush. The sun had long disappeared behind the mountains but a dim light still shone illuminating the rocky crags of the mountains ahead of the pair. The tallest peak, almost directly ahead, was called Black Mountain, although in times past it had been known as Monduhaber, the Mountain of Hope. This was her destination. Her ancestral home. As the mountain grew nearer and larger on the horizon her memories began to flood back to her.

The earliest of these was of her mother. She could remember sitting near the fireplace on her mother’s lap with her twin brother. She would tell them stories of the Keepers who had come before them. She would teach them how to control their abilities. She would explain to them their destiny and what their duty was in this world.

Millennia before a group of mystics left the world of men behind. They had grown disillusioned with the greed and brutality of mankind. Deep in the mountains they made a home for themselves. In this place they studied and learned from each other and from the earth itself. In time they reached a higher level of understanding and their offspring were born with certain gifts. Gifts they presumed had been bestowed upon them by the earth. It was these offspring that began to call themselves the Keepers. They decided to use their abilities to help mankind. Throughout history there are countless tales of the Keepers coming to quell conflicts or to help the needy or to simply listen to the cries of the unheard. They became a beacon of hope. Their home in the mountain became known as the Mountain of Hope or Monduhaber, in the native tongue of the people.

For thousands of years the generations of Keepers kept their pact to protect, aid, and guide mankind on a path of peace in hopes that one day all mankind could reach the same level of enlightenment as the Keepers had achieved. This was not to be. The last generation turned away from this upon the death of her father. Her twin brother became the leader of the Keepers at the age of seventeen. Despite the best efforts of their mother he began to stray from the path. He saw the luxury and wealth that some humans acquired and wanted the same for himself and his siblings. In all there were nine of them. Her and her fraternal twin brother, as well as three sisters and four brothers, two of which were identical twins. One by one her siblings began to turn away from the path and fall in line behind her brother. They continued to serve mankind but in return they would demand payment for their services. Eventually it reached the point where they would purposely cause problems only to turn around and charge the people to fix it. She would not and continued to defy this corruption of the Keepers code. When their mother suddenly died she knew she could no longer stay there. Without her mothers support she would certainly be forced into following the new corrupted path. By this time the Monduhaber had been renamed Black Mountain.

On the night of her twentieth birthday she quietly slipped out of her chambers and disappeared into the darkness. She did not know where she would go, she only knew that she could not remain there. Her siblings did not make leaving easy for her. Almost immediately they began hounding her. Only a week after she left she was bathing in a stream far south of Black Mountain. One of her brothers, Ortrix, appeared and ordered her to return to the mountain. She drew her sword and the two fought fiercely. He was shocked that she would raise her weapon to her own kin. After being wounded he retreated and told his siblings what had happened. His story only steeled their resolve to bring her back into the fold. Ortrix was a good warrior and they decided it was too dangerous for them to have her out there on her own. She would most certainly foil their plans.

She eventually came to a small village on the banks of the Morin, the largest river of the land. She found work as a bar-maid and tried to live as normal a life as possible but this would be short lived. Only a couple of months later her siblings discovered her whereabouts. Ortrix and their sister, Andris, arrived in the village. They told the villagers that there was a great evil in their town which would cause a flood if they did not turn the bar-maid over to them. The people of the river town were quite fond of her and, being disinclined to believe the Keepers, they refused to turn her over. In retribution for their defiance Ortrix traveled upstream and destroyed a dam. The village was swallowed in the deluge. Dozens of people lost their lives. She escaped but the shame of what had happened tortured her. She vowed to avoid human habitations after that. Only journeying into a town or village long enough to purchase food and supplies.

This was not good enough for her siblings. For years they dogged her every move. They would show up suddenly and engage her in battle. They would sabotage her path, they would ruin villages that were ahead of her to keep her from being able to resupply. She continued to run. Farther and farther east she went. Farther and farther from Black Mountain. She began to think that nowhere was far enough.

On the eve of her twenty-fifth birthday she sat on a rock in the forest shaping arrows to sell in the next village she came to. It was here she met a man named Peter. He was a hunter and had been stalking prey when he stopped for a drink at a nearby spring. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen with her blue eyes and long brown hair cascading over he shoulders and framing her perfect breasts although hidden under her leather tunic. From the moment he saw her he fell deeply in love. She had never allowed herself to indulge in her own emotions. To stay alive and to keep her sanity she had kept her emotions in check, but Peter stirred feelings in her that she had long kept buried. She knew that it could not be. She fled from Peter and continued on her eastern route in hopes of reaching a place out of her siblings grasp. Peter had been entranced by her and followed. Several times he would come to her camp to try and speak with her but she would flee. He did not relent and the more they traveled the more he fell for her. She too grew fonder of him admiring his dedication and fortitude. Even when she crossed into the great eastern desert he followed.

The desert was formidable and, in fact, no one in the north knew what lay beyond it as none had ever managed to cross. After several weeks in the heat of the dunes she had begun to regret her choice to cross the arid vastness. Not regret for herself but for the mortal life she had placed in danger, knowing full well that he would follow her, but she continued anyway. Ultimately it was she who needed rescuing. The heat and thirst became to much for her and she collapsed. Peter was not far behind and found her roasting in the sand under the blazing midday sun. He removed his tunic and draped it around her to protect her from being burned further. He lifter her into his arms and resumed the trek to the east. For three days her carried her until finally they reached some dry grasslands. There was no shade but he was able to find water and began to nurse her back to health.

Despite this she continued to reject his advances. Even as they traveled farther east he kept up his pursuit and his devotion began to wear down her defenses. Eventually she began to leave less distance between them. She would let him camp within sight of her camp. Months went by after leaving the desert. She had seen no sign of her siblings since long before entering the desert. One night he came to her camp. No words were said. They still did not even know each others names. He offered her some of the rabbit that he had cooked. She enjoyed it heartily. That night she relented and gave herself to him. From that moment they traveled side by side and became inseparable. She still did not tell him about her past. All he would ever know was that she was a bar-maid from a town along the Morin river and had fled after the flood in search of a new start.

They found a dilapidated cabin and he convinced her that it was time to settle down. She was apprehensive but gave in to her love. They repaired the old cabin and made it a home. There was a village a half days ride to the south where they could engage in commerce. She became content and for the first time in her life let her body relax. It was then that she found herself with child. Over the next couple years they would have two daughters. She was happy for the first time since she was a child on her mothers lap. Now it was she who would sit by the fire and tell stories to her children. Teaching them how to be good people. Explaining to them how people should treat each other.

It had been years since her last conflict with one of her siblings, her sister Prixa. She had almost forgotten about them altogether and embraced her new life with her husband and children. The day after the first full moon of every month her husband went to the village to sell furs and hides while she stayed home with their daughters. The day following the new moon it was her turn to travel to the village and sell her arrows and the jewelry she had taught herself to make. On one of these mornings, after the new moon, she kissed her husband and gave her daughters hugs before mounting her black mare and heading to the village. She did well that day having sold all of her arrows and much of her jewelry. She bought food and supplies and two small dolls for her daughters. The sun was just beginning to set as she made her way back home. Even before she arrived she knew something was wrong. There was no smoke coming from the chimney. There was no laughter coming from the house. In fact, everything was deathly silent. As she neared the house it seemed to her to grow even more silent. The wind and birds were drowned out by the sound of her own heart beating loud in her chest.

The next morning she knelt by the nearby stream in front of the three stones which she had placed to mark the graves of her husband and daughters. She placed her hands in the soft loam and began to pant. She knew who had done this. She rose from the graves and returned to the house. She gathered her weapons and loaded her black mare with supplies and headed west, in the direction she had come from. She crossed the grasslands where she had finally given in to Peter’s advances. She crossed the desert where he had rescued her and then at last crossed back into the western plains and the land of her birth. She never stopped at any town or village. She would not endanger any more lives. She rode straight towards Black Mountain.

She had only been in the western lands for a few days when her brother Ortrix appeared to her. She was riding her black mare through a small grove of sycamore trees. Ortrix leapt down from a high branch and landed in her path. Immediately he began swinging his massive war hammer. She drew her sword as she dismounted. Giving her horse a slap on the hindquarters, she brandished her sword and the pair began to circle each other. Not a word was said as the battle ensued. Their ancient and enchanted weapons impacted against one another sending shockwaves in all directions causing the leaves of the trees to break from their nodes and fall to the ground around them giving the scene an eerie autumnal quality. As the battle raged a few of the old mighty sycamores even began to bow to one side from the force of their strikes. She knew this was not like the battle before. Ortrix was not trying to subdue her this time in order to take her home. He was trying to kill her. His previous defeat at her hands had filled him with contempt. So great was his ego that he thought himself the greatest fighter ever. The mere thought that anyone could defeat him, especially a woman, was sickening to him. The pair was nearly exhausted and she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Ortrix took the opportunity to swing his hammer down hard. He missed and the hammer slammed into the ground, uprooting trees and dislodging boulders from the earth. Deftly she spun around and swung her sword downward. Ortrix’s right hand remained tight around his hammer’s handle even as he stumbled backwards clutching the bleeding stump with his left hand. He looked straight at her with wide eyes and then there was a sound like a crack of thunder and Ortrix vanished.

She whistled out to the black mare and was pleased to see that it had not been caught in the battle’s collateral damage. She pried her brothers fingers open and stuffed the severed hand into one of her empty saddle bags. She secured the hammer to the saddle and mounted up again to continue her journey. She knew now that it would not be an easy pilgrimage. Her siblings were no longer trying to subdue her and drag her back to the mountain. Their orders had changed. Her twin brother had decided that he wanted her dead.

She passed several villages but stayed away as she had promised herself. She mostly traveled at night choosing during the day to hunt and forage for food allowing her horse to rest. She had grown quite fond of the mare. She had been concerned about crossing the desert on horseback, having barely made it through on her own, but the mare had no problem with the challenge. Any other horse would have taken off during the battle against Ortrix, probably never to be seen again, but this mare stood it’s ground. She felt bad that she had never given the mare a name.

A week after the encounter with Ortrix she stopped at a small lake near the edge of the forest. She finished her lunch of roasted squirrel and walked over to the small pond where the mare was drinking. She gently stroked it’s mane and neck marveling at how smooth and shiny her coat was even after all the traveling they had done. The mare raised it’s head from the water, turned to her and nuzzled it’s nose against her shoulder. She smiled and gently stroked it’s muzzle and forehead. The mare snorted and licked her cheek. She decided to name the mare Alliona, after her grandmother.

She hadn’t realized just how far she had gotten from Black Mountain. Her escape had been broken up into sections but the return was one long trek and still the mountains were not even in sight. She hoped that in a few days they would appear on the horizon. She didn’t know she still had another battle ahead of her. She stopped for the day and untacked Alliona before beginning her usual hunt for food. She heard rustling behind a pile of boulders and thought it may be a deer. She crept quietly and peered around the stand of large rocks. Her sister Andris was certainly no deer. She stood in her full battle armor with her javelin in hand. Andris had been waiting and immediately made eye contact with her sister.

She set her bow down and removed her quiver before she stepped out from behind the rocks and drew her sword. Andris did not waste time on pleasantries and launched the javelin at her sister with deadly accuracy. She dodged out of the way just in time but she was intimately familiar with Andris’ weapon and continued to roll until she knew she was in the clear. Andris pulled at the chain attached to her wrist and the javelin jerked back to her. The razor sharp speartip was deadly but so were the reverse facing barbs directly behind the spearhead designed to do just as much damage upon retrieval. Andris gripped her javelin tight and swung it like a sword at her sister who, again, managed to dodge out of the way just in time. She was loathe to hurt her siblings but she knew that it was now going to be either her or them. She chose the latter.

Rolling to the left in order to avoid Andris’ previous javelin swing she flicked out her sword in a quick slicing motion and cut open a wide gash in the back of Andris’ calf. Andris cried out in pain but the wound only goaded her on and renewed her determination. Andris’ blows came so quickly and furiously that she was rarely able to find her feet and simply kept rolling around her sister to avoid being skewered on the end of the javelin. Andris’ relentlessness grew while at the same time her patience was wearing thin. She flung the javelin one last time and it planted itself firmly in one of the large boulders. She took advantage and used her sword to sever the chain so Andris’ could not retrieve her weapon. Andris stepped back in shock as her sister pressed her sword to her neck. They stared at each other hard as they both panted trying to catch their breath. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t kill Andris. She lowered her sword and the thunder clap returned when Andris vanished.

She retrieved the javelin from the stone as well as her bow and arrows and returned to Alliona. The black mare was ready to be tacked up. After her battle with Andris she decided that stopping during the day was no long an option. She tacked up Alliona with the saddle and bags. She now had Andris’ javelin mounted on the opposite side of the saddle from her brothers war hammer. She was amassing a nice collection she thought as she continued her journey to Black Mountain.

Two days later the mountains finally came in to view on the horizon. It would only be a week or so now she knew. She stopped only long enough to allow Alliona to drink. She ate on horseback as Alliona would forage for food and then they would continue. For four days in a row her feet never touched the ground. The mountains had grown larger and the daylight was now determined by when the sun would disappear behind the looming silhouette. Before she had even entered the foot hills she encountered another stumbling block.

She saw him in the distance waiting for her. His thin frame dissembled his prowess as a warrior. Poxer’s sword was already raised and ready for battle. As she drew near he stomped his foot and leapt high into the air in her direction. She spurred Alliona forward and then leapt off her back drawing her own sword in the process. Alliona continued to run in order to get clear of the impending battle. As the pair flew through the air it seemed as if time stood still for her. She could see her brothers face clearly. There was a pale ashen quality that had not been there before. He had been the last to give in and turn to the path of her twin brother. Clearly the years of serving the corruption had taken it’s toll on him.

Their swords met with a clash so powerful that the shockwave formed a massive crater underneath them. They both rolled when they landed and Poxer quickly found his footing and rushed towards her with a mighty roar. It was not like Poxer to be so reckless in battle. He had always been the thinker among her siblings, the strategist. She dodged out of the way and slashed at his legs. She missed, having misjudged his speed, but she noticed that he had made no attempt to dodge the attack. It was not difficult for her to discern what he was doing. The years of corruption truly had taken a dire toll on him. He would rather die than continue on that path but to defy his brother would most certainly be suicide. She knew that he only had one way out. She hated to be the one who would do it but knew that it would give him release.

Their battled continued to rage. Stabbing, slashing, parrying, dodging. He was putting on a good show knowing full well that being this close to the mountains there was no doubt that his brother was watching. It was then that he suddenly stopped. They were both panting hard and stared at each other. She gripped her sword at the ready prepared for a sudden charge. That’s exactly what he did. He took a deep breath and raised his sword high over his head as he roared and charged straight at her. She knew this was his suicide charge. She took a deep breath as she stood her ground. As he grew near she moved slightly to the left and buried her sword to the hilt through his torso. His sword fell to the ground and he leaned against her shoulder gripping her arm. She didn’t look at him. She didn’t want to see his face at that moment. She remained stone faced trying not to cry. He turned his head slowly and gently kissed her cheek. She heard him take one last breath and then his body went limp.

She retrieved her sword and Poxer fell to the ground. In her mind the entire crater filled with his blood. She planted her sword in the ground and knelt down on one knee. She looked up at the visage of Black Mountain and cursed her twin for causing this to happen. She had killed another Keeper, she was now no better than her twin and it made her hate him even more. Climbing to the edge of the crater she knelt down on her knees and pressed both hands firmly onto the ground palms down. She focused all of her strength and energy and the loose earth that had been blasted from the crater slowly began to roll back to it’s original place. The crater began to fill itself back up. She was helping the earth heal and in the end it would serve as the burial place for her brother Poxer. The first Keeper to die since their mother.

She rose to her feet and took a deep breath as she stared at the mountain. She took a few steps forward and held out her arm with her palm facing down again. The earth vibrated and Poxer’s sword emerged from the soil and levitated to her hand. She wrapped her hand around the handle and brought both swords together. There was a crash of thunder and a bolt of lightning flashed down from the sky striking the swords and merging them into one. A thousand years ago the Sword of Vengeance had been deemed unnecessary by her ancestors and split it into three parts. Now two of those pieces had been reunited.

She whistled and Alliona quickly returned to her having already drank and ate while the battle was happening so the loyal mare was ready to go. She mounted up and continued her journey. She had only just crossed into the foothills when the rain began. By the time the sun set behind the mountains the rain had become a downpour. The hillsides became slick and dangerous and the valleys between were filling with water and turning into soggy marshes. Reaching the crest of a hill she dismounted and untacked Alliona. She would have to continue on foot. The terrain was becoming to dangerous for Alliona to navigate. She took the horses muzzle in her hand and pressed her forehead to Alliona’s. No words needed to be said. The pair stared at each other for a long moment as the rain fell and matted both their hair. Alliona snorted and a gentle cloud of breath escaped her nostrils. The horse nodded it’s head and then turned to the south and started a gentle gait to get out of the hills and quickly as possible. With nothing left to lose now she turned back to the mountains and continued her journey. She could tell by then that the falling rain was unnatural. Her brother was trying to stop her from reaching the mountain enclave. She found it ironic after all the years he tried to force her to return that he was now trying to stop her.

The grassy rain soaked hills finally gave way to the rocky landscape of the mountains. The deviant rainfall continuing to plague her path. The narrow mountain trails were being consumed by landslides and the valleys had been transformed into torrential rivers. One misstep and she would find herself submerged beneath their rushing waters. Her entire body ached and the cold of the mountains made the joints in her very fingers throb in pain as she clung to small notches in the mountainside and her sore feet sought purchase among the fallen stones.

She rounded one final bend along the thin trail she had been following she leapt down onto a large landing. There were seven large stones in a circle representing the original seven Keepers who came to this place thousands of years before. Directly in front of her was the round obsidian slap that blocked the entrance to the cave which would lead her to the enclave. She raised her hands into the air and began to chant. At nearly the same moment she felt the earth begin to shake. Her brother was attempting once more to stop her. Quickly but clearly she chanted the incantation even as stones from the mountainsides began to rain down around her. The seven standing stones began to shift off their bases as the earthquake continued. The obsidian door began to hum and then slowly rolled to one side. When there was just enough space she dove through just barely missing being crushed by a falling boulder. Upon landing inside the cavern she immediately recited the incantation to close the door and the obsidian stone stopped and then reversed direction to roll back into place. There would be no more tricks. Now inside the mountain they would not be able to use any magics.

She rose to her feet and flung her wet hair back behind her head. Her clothes were drenched but she could do nothing about that. She began her long spelunk into the heart of the mountain. Sometimes as a child she had played in the caves. Catching blind fish that lived in small pools or laying on her back to watch the glow worms on the ceiling as if they were stars. She was glad that they were in season right now and their light gave the cave a supernatural glow which aided her in her arduous trek deeper and deeper into the mountain. Then a light up ahead caused her to pause a moment. She drew her sword and resumed her trek.

The mouth of the cave opened into the main hall of the enclave. There was a large fire burning in the double sided hearth in the center of the room with a stone chimney that led straight into the ceiling and eventually released the smoke from the side of the mountain. There was a narrow walkway with an intricately designed metal railing which encircled the main room with doors to various room and hallways evenly distributed around the room. A metal spiral staircase in each corner led down to the main floor. She turned to the left and went downstairs.

There was no sound except for the crackle of the fireplace. Torches were lit and set in their sconces around the room. There was a large table on one side of the fireplace. On the long sides of the table were benches and on either end were intricately carved wooden chairs with satin padding. She turned and looked to the fireplace and in her minds eye she could see her mother sitting there with her and her brother on her lap. Her memory was cut short by her brothers voice echoing in the large room.

“Glad to see you made it home safe.” He said. She looked around trying to find him gripping her sword tightly.

“That surprises me considering all you did to keep me from getting here.” She shouted back into the open space.

“I was simply testing your abilities. I wanted to find out if you had gotten rusty after all these years.” He said with a chuckle that chilled her.

“Forcing me to fight my siblings was just a test?” She shouted angrily. “Forcing me to kill Poxer was just a test?”

“Poxer was a fool! He never fully resigned himself to the new way. He deserved what he got and I thank you for taking care of it for me.” His voice booms.

“You can keep your thanks and take my blades edge instead. Show yourself. Now!” She shouted.

“Tsk. Tsk sister. You didn’t think it would be that easy did you?” he says laughing.

She hears a chain rattle behind her and instinctively ducks. She felt the air rush past her from the passing iron flail. After rolling out of the way she leapt up onto the table. Prixa swung the ball and chain expertly. She jumped up to avoid one pass and then laid prone on the table to dodge the second. Rolling off the table as Prixa brought the heavy iron ball down and cleaved the ancient oaken table in two. Rushing to the left she careened off the wall with blinding speed and barreled into her sister underneath the chain of the swinging flail. Prixa was ready and kicked at her with a heavy iron boot. She flew backwards against the wall and recovered just in time to avoid being crushed by the flail. She leapt up onto the chain and almost floated up it’s length. Prixa was shocked at this ability and froze long enough for her to reach the end of the chain and with a hard kick Prixa’s head rolled onto the floor near the fireplace. She landed in a kneeling position and heard the chain behind her fall to the floor followed by the thud of Prixa’s headless corpse collapsing under the weight of the iron armor she had always favored. She looked over at the severed head and leaned over to close the eyes.

“So is this how it’s going to be?” She shouts as she stands up. “Am I to kill all our siblings before I face you? Are you that much of a coward?”

There was no response from her twin but from the walkway about came the clang of another chain. Only one other sibling had a weapon like that. She looked up to see Andris had armed herself with a new javelin. She matched her steps as Andris stalked along the walkway. Andris stopped and let out a shrill war cry as she expertly threw her javelin. She leapt up into the air and kicked off of the side of the hearth catapulting herself onto the walkway and slashing her sword across Andris’ chest. Andris staggered back and clutched her chest for a moment and then simply ripped off the leather armor that had been sliced apart. Andris retrieved her javelin and thrust it at her. She parried the blow and stabbed at Andris but Andris jerked the chain attached to her javelin and wrapped it around her blade. At their previous battle that would have been enough but the sword had changed since then. She jerks her sword upwards and it slices through the chain. Andris kicks, knocking her backward long enough for her to get a good grip on her javelin. She no longer had to ability to throw it making her position on the walkway a disadvantage. She was not as dextrous as her sister but getting to a staircase would be impossible. Andris lunges to the right and leaps off the walkway in hopes of landing on the broken table and not the stone floor. She achieves her goal but shatters her foot in the process raising up the handle of her javelin just in time to stop the downward strike of her sister leaping after. The handle splits in two and the end with the blade skitters across the floor.

“Do It! Finish me.” Andris says as her sister holds the sword to her chestt.

“It didn’t have to be like this sister.” She said hoping to sway Andris.

“You never understood. We were slaves to the mortals. We wanted more.” Andris tells her spouting out the same words their brother had used to sway them. She knew then there was no turning Andris.

“I loved you sister.” She says as she leans forward driving the sword through Andris’ chest, stopping her heart.

She watches as Andris’ eyes go blank and then close as her head slumps to the side. She removes her sword and flings the blood across the floor as she stands up looking around the room. “Alright. Who’s next?” she shouts now understanding that there will be no avoiding this. He twin brother clearly determined to break her spirit.

“That would be us.” Comes the twin response of Anix and Arix. They enter from doors on opposite sides of the room both brandishing their dual sai weapons and clanging them together. She took a deep breath and rushed toward Anix but stopped short when Arix threw one of his sai and it passed just in front of her and stuck into the wall. She glanced at him for a split second and in that second Anix lunged and slashed her thigh. She swung her sword around as she cried out in pain and slashed down and Anix watched as his arm bounced across the floor still clutching the sai that had wounded her. She retrieved Arix’s sai from the wall and now used both sai and sword to fight the twins who were now both only armed with one sai. They both lunged at her and she brought her weapons up to meet them and she locked metal with both of them. They leaned in hard and their hulking bodies began forcing her to her knees. She suddenly cried out and strained upwards and knocked them both back a few paces. She spun around and flung the sai at Arix. It lodged in the center of her chest and he stumbled back and clutched the handle. Looking down at it he slowly pulled it out and it clattered to the floor as he collapsed. Anix was nothing without his twin. They had always trained together and most of their battle strategies were designed around each other. Anix stood motionless as she lunged and plunged, driving her sword to the hilt through his chest. He stood still and nodded to her. She could tell that he was glad for death as he would not have been able to live without his twin. Pulling her sword from his torso he slumped to the floor next to his brother.

Without an interlude there was a shrill scream as Nixia leapt from the walkway and kicked off of the fireplace careening towards her brandishing her twin katar daggers. She dove out of the way but as soon as Nixia landed she leapt again towards her but she managed to dodge again. They repeated this several times. If any of her could be her equal in battle it was Nixia. As she rolled and dodged and lunged she drew on all the memories of her practice sparring with her sister. Rolling out of the way one more time she rolled through the fireplace taking a handful of hot ash with her. She turned and flung the ashes as Nixia was diving towards her again. Nixia fell back in agony as the hot ash burned her eyes. She wiped her dirty face and recovered quickly but the hot ashes had blinded her. She gnashed her daggers together dancing from left to right listening for her sister.

“You’re defeated little sister. Don’t make me do this.” She says to the blinded Nixia.

“And then what? We go off into the sunset side by side and live happily ever after. You’re a fool. Our brother has done more for us than our parents ever did. You were always soft like them. So trusting. Mother made it so easy to poison her wine.” Nixia snarls.

Hearing Nixia admit what she had done enrages her. Nothing more was said. She cried out loud as she charged and swung her sword decapitating her sister. She knelt down to catch her breath for a moment as Nixia’s body slumped to the floor. For a moment she thought her brothers plan was beginning to work. Only one remained and as she rose back to her feet she shouted loudly.

“Ortrix! Let’s finish this massacre.”

“So much bloodshed. If you had never left in the first place this never would have happened.” Ortrix said stepping from the main door at the far end of the room brandishing a two headed battle ax with the one hand he had left.

“How dare you blame me for this. It was our brother who caused all of this. He is the one who corrupted the rest of you. He is the one who turned away from the old ways. He is the one who wouldn’t let me leave. He is the one who murdered my family!” She said slowly increasing in volume as she spoke. Ortrix laughs and swings his ax.

“I’m hurt that you think it was him who murdered your mortal family.” Ortrix said.

Her eyes grew wide at his confession and she grit her teeth as every muscle in her body was suddenly electrified and she felt her blood surging with a fire she had never felt before. She charged straight at Ortrix. This was something he had not expected. He swung his ax but it was too late. His ax fell to the floor as he looked down at the handle of her sword sticking out from his stomach. She was already standing behind him but she wasn’t done with him yet. A stomach would wouldn’t be enough to kill Ortrix just slow him down. She retrieved his own battle ax and with one swing removed his head from his shoulders sending it flying across the room. His body falls backwards and the sword impaling his stomach is forced out and pops up into the air. She catches it and immediately shouts into the room now littered with the bodies of her own siblings.

“Now! We finish this!” she shouts.

For a long moment there was no sound except the crackle of the fire. She clutched her sword tightly as she paced and looked around the room waiting for her twin to appear. She began to think that he may have lost his nerve now that he had no one to protect him. Perhaps all the years of wealth and luxury had made him fat and lazy. She was wrong.

“So much destruction. So much death. And all because you couldn’t see the light.” He says as he has suddenly appears near the body of Ortrix looking down at him. His sword still in it’s sheath as he walks over towards Andris.

“It is your fault Axilon. You could have just let me leave.” She said calmly as she kept the span of the room between them as he walked to survey the carnage moving from body to body as if touring a museum.

“And have you out there foiling our plans at every turn? That would have gained us nothing. Without all of us together my plan was doomed to fail. I always knew that. And now here we are. Only you and I are left of the Keepers.” He said as he came to Nixia’s headless body. “Ah poor Nixia. She never was as good as you in battle.” He said looking down at her and then back up towards his twin sister. “Well I suppose we should finish this, Axila” He said as he drew his sword and it began to glow with a pale yellowish light. Axila’s eyes grew wide in shock.

“You activated the medallion?!” she cried out.

“The Medallion of Might?” he asked with a smirk and looked at his sword. “Oh yes. I suppose I did.” He said and then almost seemed to look through her as his eyes grew dark. As he shifted his feet she caught a glimpse of the medallion melded onto his chest behind his loose tunic. As the medallion interacted with the sword the heat in the room began to rise and Axila began to sweat. The pair began to circle each other. She knew now that her brother was already gone. The man she saw before her was no longer Axilon. He had been corrupted by the medallion.

Finally the pacing stopped as Axilon charged. His glowing sword swung with a force so hard that the air itself knocked her off her feet. She leapt up just in time to escape a second blow. She swung her sword at his legs but he jumped up to avoid the attack and landed on her blade pinning it to the ground. He swung his sword again but she jerked her weapon and he stumbled backwards. She found her footing and lunged at him before he could recover and the tip of her sword made contact with the medallion adhered to his chest. There was a loud clang and her sword bounced off and vibrated in her hand.

Axilon laughed and lunged at her again and the two began a dance around the room exchanging blows with each other. He slashed at her leg but missed. She slashed at his arm but missed. None of their blows managed to make contact until finally she was able to slip past his defenses and cut a slash in the side of his torso. He clutched the wound in shock.

“You wounded me. That’s impossible.” He said thinking the medallion had made him invincible. Axila didn’t respond. She just charged again encouraged by wounding him. He parried her attack but she knew he would. She immediately leapt against the side wall and pushed off launching her up to the walkway on the opposite side of the room. He ran to the chair where he usually sat at the head of the now broken table and used it as a springboard to launch himself into the air. She leapt into the air towards him with a somersault and their swords clashed in midair. The shockwave from the collision released a shockwave that not only dislodge many of the looser stones from the walls and fireplace but shifted all of their siblings bodies to the edges of the room. The pair of twins both landed on their feet about ten yards apart facing away from each other.

“Nice to see you haven’t gotten rusty.” Axilon said catching his breath.

“I didn’t have much choice. Did I?” She said her voice dripping with animosity.

“Indeed. Fortunately, I didn’t allow myself to get rusty either.” He said as he backflipped and flung a dagger which planted itself in her thigh. She cried out and gripped the hilt as she pulled the knife from her leg and flung it back at him. As the weapon flew she quickly whispered an old incantation. The dagger struck Axilon in the shoulder. He grabbed the handle to pull it out but the small dagger snapped and the blade remained lodged in his shoulder. He looked at the hilt in his hand and then threw it to the ground with a clang as he glared at Axila.

“Witch!” he says in anger and shock. Axila just glares at him.

“You should have paid more attention to mother’s teachings rather than plotting her death.” She growls out at him.

He bares his teeth as he charges her once again. The pain in his shoulder was excruciating but he had no choice but to ignore it. She again dodged his attack and slashed at his legs. This time her blade made contact and severed her right foot at the ankle. In his shock he froze and she slashed at his sword arm dislocating his hand at the wrist sending the sword flying into the air. She caught it and pressed it to her own. There was a crash of thunder as a bolt of lighting hit the swords melding them together. Axilon lay on the floor bleeding and looking up at his sister joining the third piece of the Sword of Vengeance.

“I’m sorry Axilon. You brought this on yourself.” She said as she held the sword high.

“Not finished yet dear sister.” He said as he held out his good hand and drew a flame from the hearth to him. A ball of fire formed in his hand and he flung it at her. She deflected it with the enchanted sword and it bounced back at him. His tunic caught on fire and he threw it off as he stood and hovered a few inches off the ground. “The medallion does more than simply infuse weapons. It infused me with it’s power as well.” He said as he shoved his open hand out towards her and she was knocked back by a gust of wind. She manages to keep senses as she flies backwards through the air. As she nears the far wall she puts her feet back and lunges off the wall towards Axilon. He draws flame from one of the torches and launches it at her. She uses the sword to deflect it and lands a few feet in front of him. She spins around to avoid another fireball and slashes with her sword making contact with Axilon’s neck. His head launches through the air as his body remains hovering still being powered by the medallion. As the headless body continues to launch fireballs at her she runs to Axilon’s severed head. She grabs it by his long brown hair and holds it up as his body launches another ball of fire. The fireball strikes the head and there is a loud crack and a bright flash of light that sends her flying backwards and slams her against the fireplace knocking the wind out of her and she collapses to the floor.

Axila’s eyes slowly blink open as he rubs her head. She sits up and coughs a few times as she rests her back against the side of the fireplace. Half the torches had been extinguished during the final battle but there was still enough light to see around the room. She groans as she slowly rises to her feet. She retrieves her sword and slides it back into it’s sheath. She says a brief prayer to her ancestors seeking forgiveness for what she had been forced to do. Leaving the great hall of the enclave she returns to the tunnel that had brought her there. She struggles along the way as the glow worms had gone and the cave was dark again.

At last reaching the obsidian stone she whispers the incantation and it rolls away and she steps out of the cave leaving behind the enclave for the last time. Once outside she returns the stone to it’s place, sealing the cavern. Black Mountain had not been her home for a long time and now it was only a grave. The final resting place of The Keepers.

She makes her way out of the mountains and returns to the foothills. As she sits by a small lake and tends to her wounds Alliona comes to her and snorts as she nuzzles her. Axila cries upon seeing her horse again and stands to stroke the beasts muzzle. She mounts up and the pair leaves the foothills with a new purpose. Axila was now the last of The Keepers and she was determined to right the wrongs that had been done by her siblings.