𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕳𝖆𝖑𝖋𝖇𝖗𝖊𝖊𝖉

Chapter 3: The End

Anastasia's POV

After that weird experience, I was set to work as usual with Raven. I desperately wanted to speak to her about what happened but I had no chance to talk to her without being caught and punished so I had to wait until we were taken back to our cage inside the dark mountain.
When we reached the cage we all said the same thing: "You will never guess what happened!"

"Okay one at a time," Saphire said the ghost of a smile on her lips.

"As the oldest, I should go first, " Raven quipped.

"Ugh fine, " I replied.

"Okay so after you were taken another one of them came to take me off. I was confused when I wasn't taken out of the mountain but taken to what seemed like a makeshift armoury. There was a slab with a bow and Adad's axe. The orc asked me to display my skills. I complied but not before having to convince myself not to split his skull open. After that, he told me that would be training for one half of the day and working the other. What happened with you guys?"

"The same thing really, " I replied. "I was taken to a similar room except it had my daggers and Amad's bow and then the orc gave me this weird sword. Same with you i suppose Saph?"

"Yes except I had my bow," Saphire said, "Do you know who this master is?"

Raven simply shrugged "I didn't care enough to ask,"

"Sauron. The master's name is Sauron," I said looking intently at the filth covered floor.

"Anastasia that is not something to joke about," Saphire admonished. I looked up to face then only then did they see how serious I was.

"Oh Mahal surely that cannot be true," Raven said sitting down.

"It is what the orc said and he has no reason to lie about such things there is nothing to gain from lying about that," I explained.

"Agreed," replied both Raven and Saphire in turn.

"What now," Saphire asked.

"We keep going never give in. We stay together. We look for a way out keep playing this weird game and see where it takes us," I say with all the confidence I can muster to try and give my sister some hope where I had extremely little.

A few weeks later

Weeks passed or so we think keeping track of time was the least of our worries. Things started getting better as much as they could given our circumstances. We continued to go to 'training' and worked after. The better we did the better the meals got. They didn't get better by much but it made life that little bit more manageable.

Somehow we have managed to get closer as siblings where we thought we were as close as we could possibly be. My skills had improved massively over the weeks or at least according to the orc that oversaw all the fighting I did. I saw no difference as after every fight I seemed to have just as many bruises and cuts as the last time. I continued to use all three weapons given to me. My mother's bow, my daggers and the weird and mysterious sword. I woke up at the same time I always did I hugged my sisters knowing I would see them at the end of the day.

I was taken by an orc the same room as always and was left only to be greeted by the same orc as always. " The master requests you stand before him," he proclaimed. That... that was different.

"Very well take me to the master," I said with no fear. I had no energy to waste on fear. The orc to me through a series of paths to a dimly lit red room.

"At last we meet" an eerie voice whispered on the wind.

"At last" I repeated trying to find where exactly the voice was coming from but failing.