The Keeper

Livilia

I took off at a sprint for the audience room. Ida may not have given me the warmest welcome but no one deserved the High Priest's cruelty. As I was about to round the corner to the audience room I was pulled back. Senalyn placed his hands firmly on my shoulder and looked me in the eye. "What do you think you're doing?" he hissed. "You can't just go charging in there! This place is swarming with guards!"

"I have to save her!" I replied in an angry whisper.

"I agree! But let me help you!"

"You're being a hindrance."

"And you're being unreasonable! Did you see the guards standing at the door? They're two out of the five elite guards that the High Priest has personally trained. It's going to take more than a punch to overcome them! If you want to save your friend, you need to think."

I took a deep breath and I struggled not to charge the guards. If I'd had my weapons I wouldn’t have been so helpless. "What do you propose?"

"I am a guard - I have their trust. I can distract them long enough for you to take them by surprise. We overpower them together."

"Or they'll tell you to leave because you aren't of their status."

"You obviously do not know how many bloodthirsty guards come down here. They will take the bait."

I resisted the urge to twitter nervously as I would have at home. "Fine."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay. When I ask them what's it like to be an elite, we attack together."

"Only if I don't see an opportunity beforehand."

"Please don't do that. It'll only work if we both attack at the same time."

"I shall do as I see fit, now go."

"No Lilivia! I know how these guards will react. They are faster than you can imagine. Attacking them together will be the only way we can overcome them. I don't want to see your friend die either, but if you don't let me help, her death is certainty."

"Just go! You're wasting time."

"Promise me you'll wait."

"Fine, I promise. Now just go!"

He strode around the corner in a very un-Senalyn manner - managing to appear proud and ignorant. "Is he doing the sacrifice yet?" I heard him ask the guards in an eager voice.

"Yes." was the reply. I crept out from the corner and was glad of the darkness as it enabled me to get behind one of the guards and wait.

"Let me in - I want to see why everyone becomes so quiet whenever the sacrifices are mentioned!"

"No-one can enter while the High Priest conducts the sacrifice."

"Taurus said that all new guards get to witness the sacrifice. I'm new - let me through!"

"You'll see what happens to the sacrifices soon enough."

"What does that mean?" There wasn't a response. "… What's it like, being an elite guard?" I sprung into action by jabbing the closest soldier in the back with my elbow before kicking the back of his knees. He fell to the ground and I put my arms around his throat, cutting off his breath.

As I fought to kept up the pressure on his wind pipe I looked up at Senalyn. He'd slit the throat of the other guard and now stood with a bloody knife in his hand. As he grinned at me I noticed a pool of blood collecting at his feet, there was a dagger in his side. My own guard stopped struggling and I let him fall to the ground. "Senalyn!" His grin faded and he slowly looked down at his side. His face grew pale. He fell against the wall and slid to the ground. "I'm fine," he said between painful breaths. "Save your friend. I'll still be here when you come back."

I looked to the audience room to Senalyn and back. I couldn’t leave either person. However Senalyn wasn’t being tortured by a fiend. I compromised by dragging him out of the moonlight into a dark alcove. "Don't make any noise or move. I'll be back soon."

"No problem," he responded quietly.

I pushed open the doors to the audience room. Ida was huddled in a corner; bruises covered her face and tears streamed down her cheeks. When she saw me, she whimpered. "Ila? What are you doing here?"

I ignored her and instead glared at the High Priest. "Let her go."

He grinned, taking a sip of wine. "Well well, this is an interesting turn of events." He offered the glass to me. "Would you care for some a la Ida?"

I sneered. "You're repulsive and deserve to die for everything you've done."

"And you aren't very good at speaking. Trust me, dog, your place is on that stage. If you don't leave now, you'll join Ida here."

"I am no dog and no I shan't. I'll be replacing her." A shapeshifter was surely a better sacrifice than a ladybird.

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh? And what crime have you done that could compensate for Ida's?"

"Having two forms." I extended my hand as I had done many times but this time a line of feathers trailed down my arm. I wished that I could stay like this, with my feathers covering my skin but it wasn’t possible. Shifting slowly was, but it took more effort. It would give me the dramatic effect I wanted though.

His glass smashed on the floor and there was panic in his eyes. "You're a..." he reached for his sword.

If I'd been human I would have smirked. I flapped once before delicately landing on my completely human toes. "Afraid of a bird are we?"

He pulled his sword from his sheath and in one clean movement sliced a shallow line in my stomach before I could react. Though it stung it wasn’t fatal so I tried to ignore it. "You'll make me a fortune, you little whore."

"Let Ida go and you will."

He sneered. "I know better than to trust the word of a shapeshifter." He lunged forward and I sidestepped the attack before sending him flying backwards with a kick to the stomach. I glanced at Ida and gestured to the door with my head whilst mouthing 'go'.

I then turned my attention back to the High Priest. "Where's your Alucar now?"

He wiped blood off his face from where he'd struck the ground on impact. He charged forward and threw the sword straight at me. As I dropped to the floor to avoid it he pinned my arms to the ground with his knees and began punching my face. I managed to push him off and wiped the blood from my nose. The world spun slightly, if he managed to do that again I'd surely be knocked out. I took a step back and my foot touched metal. The sword was heavier than the ones I'd briefly trained with but I managed to point it at his chest. "I'm going to give you one chance, leave this place or I will kill you where you stand."

He nodded. "Okay I'll go." I lowered the sword and he slowly stood. Suddenly he launched himself at me, aiming for my neck. He tackled me to the ground, choking me. I tugged at his fingers but they didn’t loosen. The edges of my vision began to blacken, if I didn’t get out I'd die. I shifted and slipped from his grip.

He cursed loudly and swat at me as though I was a fly. "Come down here and fight!" I easily kept out of his reach with the high ceiling and waited for the right moment to dive for the forgotten sword. He reared away and I took my opportunity. As my hand touched the hilt I drove the point into the High Priest's stomach.

He clutched at the sword in shock as he fell to his knees. After several deep breathes to settle myself I put my hand on his shoulder. "Give Alucar a message." I whispered in his ear as I pulled the sword from his flesh. "Game on."