Warden’s Rest

Amelia drifted down to the keep’s roof. When her feet touched the tiles, she grabbed the stone chimney. Her fingertips whitened around the narrow structure as she stared at the mountain range ringing the keep and its valley. When the storm blew out, the remaining raindrops clung to her like armor.

They ran from her head, tracing the hard line of her jaw, and dropped to the broken stones below her boots. Behind her, the crashing waves heralded the salt-laden air whipping past her face. Her eyes drifted up to the clouds as they retreated across the sky like torn gray sheets.

She withdrew a map from her satchel and unfolded it. The title of Warden’s Rest etched upon the parchment headed a rendition of the keep. With a coy smile, her gaze flowed toward the nearest town she’d just passed through. “This keep’s valley and forest paths were once familiar territory for that fishing village. Without using knowledge, a single generation can squander it.”

She folded the map, shoved it back into her satchel, and walked across the broken shingles and exposed stones of the keep. When she neared the edge, she peered down below. She stepped off the building and fell, like a feather twirling to the ground. As she drifted, she reached out and traced the moss-covered stone, digging a furrow in the patchy field of green. The instant her feet touched the land, she circled the structure until she came to the ancient trail connecting this sanctuary to the outside world.

The path was littered with trees jutting out in every direction. Shaking her head, Amelia turned around and stared at the deteriorating entrance. More moss clung to the stones, obscuring the sigils and carvings. She stepped forward and removed the thinnest patch of growth, revealing the sigil promising safety.

“I never expected to find another storm warden.”

Amelia’s fingers tensed as her eyes narrowed to slits. She drew in deep breaths as her fists clenched, her nails biting into her palms, drawing blood. She turned toward the voice, her jaw tightening. “Didn’t we agree never to cross paths again?”

His hair was silver, his face lined by age and sea wind, yet his eyes held steady. He raised his hands to the sky as he shrugged. “I believe you mandated that. If you recall our previous conversation, I wasn’t able to present my position. In fact, you were too busy floundering under the rubble of several roofs.”

Amelia’s eyes hardened. “And you consider that restraint?”

“Compared to your actions, I do.”

The air snapped as a thread of lightning crawled over Amelia’s knuckles.

The man glanced at the pulsing energy and sighed. His smile thinned as he nodded toward the buried trail. “Every favored student mistakes inheritance for virtue. Tell me, Amelia, did your master ever reveal why the villagers feared this path?”

Her hand closed. Rainwater dripped from her sleeve and struck the stone like scattered beads. “Why did you intrude upon me?”

He lifted a twitching finger as he crept toward her. “You have that backwards, Amelia. You’ve intruded on my tranquility.”

Amelia’s eyes narrowed as she inched forward and opened her left hand. Her gaze flicked to the clearing sky as she snarled. He laughed as he shook his head. “Your previous storm has dissipated. Should you conjure another tempest, don’t mistake weather for advantage. We’re the last two storm wardens. Must we come to blows?”

“I’m the last!”

“Didn’t we come to an understanding in our last confrontation?” The man walked toward the keep and tore more moss from the wall. With a wide grin, he tapped another sigil. “Despite the differences in our masters’ philosophies, this gives my lineage as much legitimacy as yours. We are both storm wardens.”

“Both of you bent the oath until it broke.”

“The two of you chained yourselves to the oaths and called it purity.”

Amelia stepped forward. “We protected the villages that sheltered us.”

“Then where are they?” His gaze shifted toward the abandoned trail. After a tense silence had stretched out, he grinned. “They’re gone.”

“Because you taught them to fear our kind.”

“No.” His voice lost its amusement. “They feared us for different reasons.”

“I warned you not to cross paths with me.”

“During our previous fight, we laid waste to an entire village.” He proceeded to the opposite side, striking the sigil Amelia had revealed. “It would be a pity to eliminate this precious refuge. This location offers the last storm wardens solace.”

“You and your master abandoned your oaths. Now the world detests our kind because of your willful actions.” Amelia’s nails dug into her palm, forcing more blood to seep past her fingers until several drops collided with the keep’s stones. “As a result, there is only one storm warden. Don’t presume the promised safety will extend to you.”

Laughter filled the valley as the man circled Amelia, the mirth reaching the corners of his eyes. “In addition to laying waste to that town, your injuries should have been your end. The few survivors of our fight found you and kept your wounds from claiming you. Given our current surroundings, are you sure you want to risk death just to renew a useless confrontation?”

With a snarl, Amelia lashed out with her fingertips, which sharpened like blades. However, the man stepped away, a smirk plastered upon his face as the strike whipped past him. He tsked as he smiled and rose from the ground. “While you might not be willing to honor the core of the promise with these keeps, I refuse to follow your antics.”

“How dare you?!”

He shot into the sky, giving her a mock salute. “You should remember your limitations when it comes to our skills, Amelia.”

As the man darted off into the distance, she arched her back and howled. When the last echo rebounded off the forest, Amelia struck the stone walls and stormed inside. “Kain, you won’t survive our next battle.”