The Keeper
Death Visits
My body hummed with so much power that it made my head spin. I was only just able to keep the man in front of me in focus. He grinned lazily with one arm resting on the doorframe and the other on his sword. "I'm Alucar and I'm here to help you."
Sira came up beside me and her eyes flashed as she eyes Alucar. "Livilia," she began softly, "Listen to me very carefully. That is Alucar- God of Death. He will kill you in a heartbeat if you make a wrong move. You have to get out of here- now." A voice sounded in my mind and I was able to identify it as Sira though I was unsure of how she had done it. "And take your father with you."
So now it was okay to bring father. Alucar seemed unfazed by what Sira had said and instead laughed. "Oh you aren't going anywhere little girl. You see, either you give me the Object of Power or," he pointed his sword at father. "He dies."
Father shook his head at me… but I couldn’t let him die. A moment's silence passed. Slowly, but deliberately, Sira took a few steps towards Alucar. The debris and dust from what Alucar had already broken rose around her. It didn’t seem to take any effort as she glared coolly at Alucar, ignoring father and I. She wasn’t just a woman who claimed to be Sira, she was a goddess- powerful and almighty. She seemed to emit a faint golden glow. The debris was brought together to form a wooden bow in Sira's hand, and an arrow in her other. She notched the arrow and pointed it at Alucar. Though this happened in a fraction of a second, Sira was now a completely different person. "Kill him and I shoot," she said calmly.
Alucar laughed again. "You really think that can hurt me? Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to play with adults things? Now child, give me the Object." When I made no move he shrugged. "If that's how it's going to be." A black tendril flowed from his sword and hit father in chest. Father gasped and went painfully thin before falling to the ground. The tendril drew back and gave Alucar a small orb of light before returning to the sword.
"Father!"
At that moment the arrow hit its mark, burying itself deep in Alucar's head. "That arrow is dipped in my blood, Alucar." The words didn't mean anything to me but there was a clear warning in Sira's tone. "The blood of a God or Goddess is poisonous on touch to any other immortal." She explained to me. "He'll have to leave to take the antidote before it kills him."
He coughed up blood but still seemed to have the energy to grin maliciously at me. "I will have that Object child, Sira can't protect you forever." The tendril from his sword came out again and I fought to not shy away. Instead of coming towards me the tendril became a circle underneath Alucar's feet. "Until we meet again little Keeper." He then disappeared into the darkness.
Sira rushed to my father's side. Her hands hovered over his chest, and she had her eyes closed. She whispered something incomprehensible, before curling her hands into fists and leaning back with a groan. "He's gone," she said quietly.
I stood in shock; this wasn’t possible, it couldn’t be. However before my eyes his body changed to that of a blue jay, the final proof that he was dead. Tears threatened to fall from my eyes but I held them back. "You did this."
Sira stood up next to me and met my glare. "I cannot protect everyone. My job is only to protect the Keeper."
"Cannot or will not? No matter what you say this is your fault."
Sira was still for a moment, before turning away and bowing her head. "Very well. I suppose I cannot force you to be the keeper. I… I will..." she exhaled sharply and knelt on the ground with her head bent. She chuckled grimly.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to find a reason to exist, I guess."
Though I knew that she deserved unhappiness after what she had done, I couldn’t stand to see her so broken. I knelt down in front of her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You're reason for existence is to protect the world by helping the Keeper. Now get up, it's below a Goddess to act like this."
She looked up at me, a hopeful look in her eyes. "Does this mean you'll do it?"
"Well there's nothing left for me here so I don’t see why not."
Sira glanced at father's limp body with regret in her eyes. "Don't you want to give him a funeral?"
"Of course. I hope that you understand that you can't be with me though? This is something only for shifters." There was nothing more sacred than a burial, there were absolutely no outsiders allowed.
"I'll be here," she pointed to my head. "Call me when you're ready."
I wasn’t sure how to call her but I still I nodded and shifted. Though father was a bigger and heavier blue jay than me I still picked him up and slowly flew off. Thankfully no one else was out so I was able to journey to the centre of the village alone with my memories. Tears fell from my eyes as I remembered every story he read to me, every winter training session and every lazy afternoon spent in the sun. I arrived at the Great Tree all too soon and flew to the highest branch. Every shifter was born inside this Tree and every shifter was returned once they died, it was the cycle of life. That didn’t make this any easier though. I placed Father into a small hollow in the tree and twittered sadly. With a final tear I flew home. Just before the door I shifted back and entered.
Sira came up beside me and her eyes flashed as she eyes Alucar. "Livilia," she began softly, "Listen to me very carefully. That is Alucar- God of Death. He will kill you in a heartbeat if you make a wrong move. You have to get out of here- now." A voice sounded in my mind and I was able to identify it as Sira though I was unsure of how she had done it. "And take your father with you."
So now it was okay to bring father. Alucar seemed unfazed by what Sira had said and instead laughed. "Oh you aren't going anywhere little girl. You see, either you give me the Object of Power or," he pointed his sword at father. "He dies."
Father shook his head at me… but I couldn’t let him die. A moment's silence passed. Slowly, but deliberately, Sira took a few steps towards Alucar. The debris and dust from what Alucar had already broken rose around her. It didn’t seem to take any effort as she glared coolly at Alucar, ignoring father and I. She wasn’t just a woman who claimed to be Sira, she was a goddess- powerful and almighty. She seemed to emit a faint golden glow. The debris was brought together to form a wooden bow in Sira's hand, and an arrow in her other. She notched the arrow and pointed it at Alucar. Though this happened in a fraction of a second, Sira was now a completely different person. "Kill him and I shoot," she said calmly.
Alucar laughed again. "You really think that can hurt me? Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to play with adults things? Now child, give me the Object." When I made no move he shrugged. "If that's how it's going to be." A black tendril flowed from his sword and hit father in chest. Father gasped and went painfully thin before falling to the ground. The tendril drew back and gave Alucar a small orb of light before returning to the sword.
"Father!"
At that moment the arrow hit its mark, burying itself deep in Alucar's head. "That arrow is dipped in my blood, Alucar." The words didn't mean anything to me but there was a clear warning in Sira's tone. "The blood of a God or Goddess is poisonous on touch to any other immortal." She explained to me. "He'll have to leave to take the antidote before it kills him."
He coughed up blood but still seemed to have the energy to grin maliciously at me. "I will have that Object child, Sira can't protect you forever." The tendril from his sword came out again and I fought to not shy away. Instead of coming towards me the tendril became a circle underneath Alucar's feet. "Until we meet again little Keeper." He then disappeared into the darkness.
Sira rushed to my father's side. Her hands hovered over his chest, and she had her eyes closed. She whispered something incomprehensible, before curling her hands into fists and leaning back with a groan. "He's gone," she said quietly.
I stood in shock; this wasn’t possible, it couldn’t be. However before my eyes his body changed to that of a blue jay, the final proof that he was dead. Tears threatened to fall from my eyes but I held them back. "You did this."
Sira stood up next to me and met my glare. "I cannot protect everyone. My job is only to protect the Keeper."
"Cannot or will not? No matter what you say this is your fault."
Sira was still for a moment, before turning away and bowing her head. "Very well. I suppose I cannot force you to be the keeper. I… I will..." she exhaled sharply and knelt on the ground with her head bent. She chuckled grimly.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to find a reason to exist, I guess."
Though I knew that she deserved unhappiness after what she had done, I couldn’t stand to see her so broken. I knelt down in front of her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You're reason for existence is to protect the world by helping the Keeper. Now get up, it's below a Goddess to act like this."
She looked up at me, a hopeful look in her eyes. "Does this mean you'll do it?"
"Well there's nothing left for me here so I don’t see why not."
Sira glanced at father's limp body with regret in her eyes. "Don't you want to give him a funeral?"
"Of course. I hope that you understand that you can't be with me though? This is something only for shifters." There was nothing more sacred than a burial, there were absolutely no outsiders allowed.
"I'll be here," she pointed to my head. "Call me when you're ready."
I wasn’t sure how to call her but I still I nodded and shifted. Though father was a bigger and heavier blue jay than me I still picked him up and slowly flew off. Thankfully no one else was out so I was able to journey to the centre of the village alone with my memories. Tears fell from my eyes as I remembered every story he read to me, every winter training session and every lazy afternoon spent in the sun. I arrived at the Great Tree all too soon and flew to the highest branch. Every shifter was born inside this Tree and every shifter was returned once they died, it was the cycle of life. That didn’t make this any easier though. I placed Father into a small hollow in the tree and twittered sadly. With a final tear I flew home. Just before the door I shifted back and entered.