"The Keeper of Oblivion (part one)" by Julia W. Harme

            Walking down a dark corridor she opened the black door with ancient text on it. She knew she shouldn’t, but she had to. Something inside her told her to, even though of the warning above the door. Stepping in, she felt a rush of cold air and she noticed that the round room was empty apart of a small crystal ball in the middle. Stepping closer, she felt something drag her nearer. She tried to resist, but no use. The invisible power drew her closer and closer, until she was almost touching the crystal ball. The power lifted her arm high enough to touch the crystals smooth and round surface. Then, a bright light engulfed the crystal. It was so bright that she had to look away in order not to be blinded. Suddenly the crystal went out, and she was left blinking away the white spots in her eyes in utter darkness. A hollow voice whispered her name. It sounded otherworldly as if from the deepest pits of Oblivion. A mirror appeared in front of her with lights that ate the darkness and let her see herself. Pretty, with long golden red hair which hung in curls over her shoulder, big blue eyes which seemed like ponds, big enough to drown any man, full lips curved slightly at the ends, she was quite young, maybe somewhere in her twenties, and had a perfect body shape. The woman stood there looking at herself. Almost admiring herself. She was wearing a wine red dress, embroidered with black on her bodice, and a wide black ribbon under her bosom.

“Say good bye to your beautiful eyes” a voice in the dark said and the woman watched in terror as small knives approached her eyes. A stab of anguishing pain in her right eye made her scream,

“NOO—“                                                    

            “—OOOO” Nayane woke up screaming in her room, sweating. Her bodice clung to her pale skin and her hair was wet. Her woollen sheet lay on the floor and her pillow was ripped in two. The white curtains fluttered and Nayane noticed that the window was opened. That’s strange, I swear I closed the window, she thought and sat up from her bed. She barley stifled a scream when she looked into the mirror: a red tear was slowly falling down her white skin. Leaping up, she ran to the door, opening it and halted. She saw five dark figures walking up the winding staircase, all wearing a sword or a bow and arrow. Slowly, Nayane backed off and saw what she was looking for:  her washing stand. She lifted her washing basin onto the floor and picking up the washing stand. Nayane crept to the corridor and jumped a foot into the air. She flung the washing stand at the towering man in front of her. Before she could hit him there was a sound of metal hitting steal and Nayane dropped the stand. The man sighed and lowered his hood,

“Mistress, I am sorry for causing you such a fright. But me and my men would need a place to stay in for a few days, and our horses need tending after a long journey” he said in a deep, rich voice that made Nayane’s toes tingle.

“No you don’t need to apologize, but I am sorry my lord. For attacking you without cause I mean. I think you would want the mistress of this inn. Mistress Riella. I shall go and wake her up” Nayane said and curtsied. She hurried off to Riella’s room and knocked twice. Mistress Riella stepped out drowsily and planted her hands on her hips,

“Nayane, why are you waking me at this hour? No matter, go back to bed” mistress Riella was a short woman, she was more handsome that beautiful and she was almost thirty years older than Nayane.

“There are five hungry men who want rooms and their horses need to be tended. As the mistress of this inn, you should be the one to see that they get the rooms they deserve” Nayane told the older woman. Riella frowned and went back to her room. Nayane stood there her mouth set stubbornly, ready to drag the woman out of the room, but there was no need to do that. For her disappointment. Riella came back wearing a woollen dress and stout shoes,

“It seems to be quite early. I would think six. And today is the great harvest feast. So much to do yet so little time” she told Nayane, “and I hope you didn’t meet these men in your shift. You can almost see through it” Nayane jumped into the air and dashed into her room cursing all the way, leaving mistress Riella chuckling.

            “About time you came” Riella said over her shoulder when Nayane walked in, wearing a woollen skirt and a white blouse that revealed her shoulders. Her hair was tied up into a bun and she had a few pins keeping it in place.

“Go and ask the men what they want to eat. Go on girl!” she snapped, “and ask them do they want a private dining room” she said absently and turned back to her work. Muttering under her breath. Nayane walked to the room where the men were, knocked and walked in. The men were sitting down, two were on the only chairs in the room, the other two on the bed and the same man that had talked to her, and seen me in a shift! was sitting on the floor leaning against a closet. The men stopped talking and began to grin. The man leaning on the closet turned around frowning but when he saw that it was Nayane, he smiled slightly. Nayane felt her stomach flutter when he smiled and she smoothed her skirt. Clearing her voice she opened her mouth but nothing came out. Fool woman! He is only a man! She thought furiously, a handsome one, a small voice in her voice said,

“Hm. Mistress Riella wants to know what you want to eat, and do you want to have a private dining room” yes much better. Her voice was not too breathless nor too slurry. The men looked at the man on the floor,

“We would have anything you have from salty to sweet. And we would appreciate if we would get a private dining room” he said, he seemed to thing for a while before adding, “am I mistaken or is there a harvest party today? Mistress…?” he let his words die and Nayane knew he wanted her name,

“Nayane, my lord. I am called Nayane. Pardon my lord, but can you give me your name? Or is it too bold to ask?”

“No not at all. I am Lucien. But could you answer the question I asked? About the harvest party”

Nayane took a deep breath. Lucien. His eyes seemed fixed on her. Those dark eyes seemed to study her thoroughly, “yes my lord Lucien. The great harvest party is today when the sun begins to set. We have a lot to do before that, and I would appreciate it if you and your men could help a bit later on, with the more heavy work” 

Lucien gave a small nod and then gave a small secretive smile, “then Nayane, I would like to dance with you tonight”

Nayane gave a start and then gave a tight smile, then turned on her heel and left them staring at her.

                        Lucien was staring at the door Nayane had just left and gave a small sigh, “there, I did it. But I don’t know was that the answer I wanted. I gave her my best smile like you told me to and I only get a small tight smile” throwing his hands in the air he stood up and began to walk in circles. The men chuckled,

“She is very pretty you know, no not pretty, she is beautiful. One of the most gorgeous living things I’ve seen on this planet” one of them said, “don’t you find her beautiful Lucien?”

Lucien shook his head, “no Mark. She is satisfactory, but not enough to tempt me”

“Not even a little?” Mark said, “you must know an even beautiful woman if she is only satisfactory or then you are just mad”. That earned Mark a cold stare from Lucien before he answered,

“Yes, in fact I do know a woman more beautiful than Nayane. She is Telila from house golden lily. She has long blond hair and green eyes. She is as beautiful as the sun set. You should see her before you die. But moving on. Mark you where saying”

“Ah yes. I think that if we ride south we would reach—“mark began telling his idea. Half listening, Lucien looked back at the door and sighed, women had bad habits of listening at doors. Her own fault if she heard. Not mine fault that she had fouls hopes. I think. Though she is quite—no, now I have to concentrate,

“So you mean we have to find the gates of oblivion?”  He said stretching. They talked until they had to go help with the preparations.

            Nayane came up to them smiling when the festival had started. This time she was wearing a rich blue shirt that showed her whole thin belly and a skirt quite tight at the bottom, with jingles and bronze coin like things, on the waist, that made a sound when Nayane walked. Her curly golden red hair was in a high ponytail with blue flowers attached to it. Her feet were bare and she had a bracelet on each ankle. The men stared at her, their eyes almost popping out,

“Umm… gentlemen? My eyes are here” she said frowning. The men blushed and bowed,

“We are sorry mistress. It’s just that—wow” Mark said and looked at Lucien, who wasn’t looking like he really cared what Nayane, was wearing. Mark looked stunned, but he turned around with two other men and went to the ale tables.

“I want to thank you for your help today. I appreciate it. Come, the party is about to start by the bonfire. Oh, and im glad you don’t look at me like I am a piece of well cooked meat” Nayane gave a small laugh and turned around.

            Lucien followed Nayane thinking. There was a pat on his shoulder and he turned,

“Lucien, come on!  The women are going to dance! And what I hear, the dance is spectacular” one of his companions, George, said with a wink and ran to meet with the other men. Lucien grinned and ran to join George and the rest. Suddenly a huge flame exploded right in front of everyone, and music began to play. The women jumped out from the crowed and began doing a wavy dance, their hips moving side to side and their hands moving along with the music in an elegant way and the coin like things making a jingly sound at every sway. The feet moved in a complicated way but the women where smiling and dancing, that made the men stare at them with their mouths ajar. As the music stopped the women through a bundle of flowers into the fire and curtsied. There was a round of applause, as the women of the village went into the inn.

“Whoa. That was…amazing” Mark said after the dance, “Nayane was very good, but not as good as the one next to her. I think I talked to her before. Her name was something like Balia. She was really pretty, eh Lucien?”

“What?” he said absently staring and Nayane, who was laughing with her friend, Balia. A man came behind Nayane and whispered something in her ear. She turned around her arms crossed glaring at the man, saying something. Balia looked scared as she looked at the man and her friend helplessly. When Nayane shook her head the man produced a knife from his pocket threatening her with it. Lucien’s eyes opened wider as the strange man placed the knife’s tip on Nayane’s throat. Lucien began to walk to the scene silently and un-sheathed his sword and placed in on the man’s throat. The man gave a shriek,

“If I ever see you doing that again, I swear, I will cut your throat open” Lucien said in a voice loud enough for anyone close by to hear it. The man nodded and ran away rubbing his throat. Nayane beamed at Lucien, “Thank you!” she said gratefully,

“Doesn’t matter. It was nothing” Lucien replied, “What did he ask you?”

“Oh, nothing you should know” Nayane said in a mysterious voice. Lucien frowned,

“Well if you think so. May I have this next dance? I did promise you I would dance with you” he said with a small smile. Taking her hand they went to the bonfire, where there was dancing going on. Lucien looked at mark, who was laughing with his friends. They think I like her! Oh my god! He thought to himself, don’t you? a small voice in his head said. He did not like Nayane! She was pretty but he already had a fiancée. Or Telila was hopefully going to be his fiancée when he saw her again. Nayane had stopped dancing and was staring into nothing. Lucien noticed that there where people screaming and finding a hiding place. Lucien looked down at Nayane, who was clutching her side. She had an arrow suck onto her. Lucien placed Nayane on the ground gently and turned around taking out his sword.

“Damn the keeper of hell!” mark screamed as he lunged into the large beasts, killing as many as he could with his sword. Lucien looked at Nayane, who was lying there still as a statue but still breathing. He ran towards the beasts cutting of their heads, but then he remembered the arrow Nayane had. There were more than the keepers pets.

“Mark! Can you see anything behind these things? Nayane was shot by an arrow and I swear it looks like the arrow of a Shadow Eater!” he yelled as he killed the Shadow Eaters rides.

“Lucien! There is one behind you!” George yelled and killing his own Shadow Eater. Lucien span around his sword ahead of him and pierced the Eaters chest. There was silence as the men panted in the night. ,

“It’s all right folk. You can come out and continue your party” Lucien said breathlessly. He looked at Nayane and dropped his sword on the ground as he ran to Nayane dropping on his knees.

“Nayane, listen to me. You are not dead! You can’t be.” He trailed of. He looked at the arrow that stuck out from her side,

“Mark, I need your help. You need to pull this out of her. I cannot do it because I might break something inside her”

Mark came trotting to them and bent down, “she is lucky. This arrow is not deep inside her. The only thing she needs, is some cream and a bandage”.

The night went on as the men threw the corpses into the fire.

            As dawn came, Lucien and his men were mounting on their horses.

“We need to go to the rose palace immediately. To tell that oblivion has opened itself, yet again” Lucien said, thinking about Telila more that the gates or oblivion opening. As the five men turned their horses towards the rising sun, they heard foot steps from behind them. Lucien turned his horse and drew his sword ready to attack the stalker,

“Don’t point that sword at me, you fool” a woman’s voice snapped at Lucien. Lucien blushed and sheathed his sword,

“Nayane, what are you doing here? You where shot by an arrow yesterday!” he said.

“Wow big deal! Im coming with you, want it or not”

There was a murmur from the men and they rounded on Lucien,

“Come on mate. It would be fun to have a lady with us! Maybe she could sing to us and cook good food and—“Mark was cut off by Nayane,

“Don’t wish for too much” was all she said and she went to get her horse,

“Nayane! Wait! Im coming too!” Balia called out, running to the stables,

“Balia! What on earth—?”  Nayane began but decided to keep quiet. When she came back she had two horses, one for her and one for Balia.

Lucien turned his horse muttering curses at Nayane and her friend.