“Once again, my fellows, welcome one and all. This day marks an incredible occasion. And I don’t just mean that long ago dreadful battle that changed the history of humanity.” Argullas paused in theatrically dramatic fashion, “This celebration marks two thousand years since all the wickedest of things was eradicated from our magnificent world!” He drew his hands out from behind him and through them wide. A broad grin stretched across his face.

Dominique kept a blank face. She watched and listened to the Master of Ceremonies. As was to be expected, he made grand gestures and all the dramatics of an over zealous actor in his first play.

Nikkita, she knew, was focused on Caspius. A clear opportunity to catch the man alone had been elusive thus far. He was never truly alone. For a common common born man of his age he was surprising busy. Company over at his humble imitation of a wealthy manse. Attending a gathering some noble’s home. Out at some poor drinking parlor. Somehow, there were always too many witnesses to get to him.

If she thought about it too much, she got the feeling that he somehow knew he had a target on his back and was taking precautions. That was a remote possibility. Sometimes, her own mind would betray her and lead her in directions to believe that he not only knew someone was after him, but that he knew who had been given his name to eliminate. Those thoughts usually wormed their way into her mind late at night after a long day while she reviewed what she knew.

Now, as she listened to the old man preach about glory and honorable sacrifices she felt something like disgust twisting in her stomach.

“Today we will revel and indulge in all that we have now thanks to those seven heroes two millennia ago!” Now the master of ceremonies gestures broadly to the fountain on which Dominique and her sister stood. A few people turned and looked, but not many. Everyone already knew the fountain well and new that there would also be people standing on the edge to better see the other end. Indeed, Dominique felt a figure shift beside her as if the person was also persuaded to gaze at the statues.

“Those seven fought for so many years to free humanity from the enslavement of fae and daemons. Those wicked creatures of magic that we humans as powerless against. They fought and sometimes they lost, but they would only fight harder then. They knew that as long as something so vile as magic was in this world we always be dominated. ”

Dominique slowly drew in a breath through her nose until her lungs felt like they would burst. Magic. She exhaled just as slowly. Some people in the crowd were cheering their agreement. Almost all were at least nodding. Magic was filthy. It was unnatural. It was inhumane.

She couldn’t bring herself to agree. To hr, magic seemed as though it would be rather useful and could help all of humanity. If someone could manipulate water, then the droughts plaguing the land currently could be ended. Well, if magic worked that way. There are no records left from before the war that she could find. Least of all anything at all about magic other than it had supposedly once existed. Even the records of the war itself were mostly lost to the damages of time. Some people even argued over the names of the heroes because accounts were so difficult to read or completely destroyed.

No one really spoke of life before the war either beyond saying that humans were slaves and treated in the most atrocious ways. It was more like no one honestly knew the truth anymore.

“I swear to you that the accounts of those final days, that final battle, were a misery to read. The death tolls were uncountable. The heroes were exhausted, a few nearly dead from wounds. The enemy had pulled back to regroup and the humans were utterly outnumbered. Nearly a hundred to one. It was bleak and hopeless. Doom had come.”

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Dominique couldn’t completely hold in her slight grimace, or stop herself from folding her arms. He had paused again, his head slowly turning from side to side as his met the eyes of many people. His hands were clutched to his chest as if the words were painful to speak.

“As the sun began to set on the final day, they came at the humans again. Magic blasted into the front lines. Screams wracked the air. Only four of the heroes were still standing but through their own strength and and determination they held the humans together and charged once more at the enemy. They would all win or die fighting. Darkness fell fully on the battlefield. Star glittered on the destruction and the three moons all shared the sky, lighting the land up bright with silver light that dulled all color.

“We very nearly lost in those last few hours. Each moon set one at a time and each one seemed to take a few stars out with it. When the last moon, Birris, fell all was over. The deamons were vanquished or beaten and gone. The Heroes stood together leaning on each other. They had won.”

There. That was it. That was what had driven Dominique to search the records herself. She had driven Nikkita nearly insane with her madness to find anything about the world from that time. Any historical account of that battle, or even the war in general. The greatest majority of it was lost or hidden, and if it was hidden, it was hidden extremely well for her not to be able to find it.

But the past is simply that. What did it matter today?

The was what she always reminded herself with a shake of her head. It didn’t make her feel any better, but she couldn’t do anything about it.

The Master of Ceremonies prattled on some more. She wasn’t really listening anymore. She only wanted to here the story again to see if she could learn anything new. Always, she left with the same disappointment.

There were more important things to consider and think about. All those people vanishing struck Dominique as something to look into. Was there a sickness? Were the shifting powers between kingdoms stirring? Was it all just a bunch of rumors as Argullas had implied? Something was going on and it made her gut twist.

She looked towards Caspius. He was staring at the Master of Ceremonies still speaking. The speech had shifted into more of a lecture on the Daerune. She wondered what he was thinking about with that bored look on his face. He had seemed rather unperturbed about the rumors. Really, he didn’t act like he believed any of it.

The abrupt ring of applause jarred Dominique. She blinked her mismatched blue and green eyes and joined in clapping her hands. She saw Argullas bow slightly before dismounting the podium.

‘Caspius is leaving. I’m going to follow him. Do you want to come with me?’ Nikkita didn’t look at her as the thought entered Dominique’s mind.

‘I didn’t come prepared, I’ll return to the house and report,’ She replied. Nikkita didn’t need elaboration, and on a mission it was best to keep things short. Then she carefully dismounted from the edge of the fountain. Nikkita followed her and her sister’s motions sent dull aches radiating from her side. Hopefully, Nikkita wouldn’t be hindered too much from the injury.

Nikkita looked at her. As always, Dominique saw her reflection mirrored in her sister. The only difference being their hair. Nikkita was all long silver locks that nearly glittered. Dominique liked her onyx black hair kept short, almost spikey.

They nodded at each other before Nikkita turned and wove through the crowd of moving bodies with agility.

Dominique put her hand to her side and sighed. Now she wished she had worn her own gear and be there to assist her twin. She didn’t like to. She was best suited to watching and gathering information. Killing. Killing made her sick. She didn’t vomit at death anymore, but her heart ached from it. For Nikkita, though, she would do anything for her twin without hesitation or remorse. She’d kill anyone for Nikkita.

Nikkita would do the same, she knew, but Nikkita took some dark joy in killing. Her twin used death as tool and she used it well. Together they made a perfect team, and they never failed.

This task was only the latest for them. It had come as a great nuisance, though. Every time their master gave them a target, it meant that much more time away from their own projects. It had taken them years to earn themselves as much freedom as they had within their master’s control. Freedom they could exploit. Freedom to find a way out.

Each job was also another step in that direction. For fifteen years they had worked and suffered for their master. For fifteen years Dominique had watched her sister get beaten bloody and nearly killed more than once. For fifteen years, she herself had been beaten. Being forced to watch and feel her sister fight through all that pain had been worse than her own, however. And finally, Dominique had started working out some ideas.

Finally, Dominique could see a future where her and Nikkita controlled their own lives.