Brother Against Sister

The air in the cavern was thick with the scent of damp earth and the metallic tang of stale fear. My boots crunched on loose scree as I navigated the narrow passage, each step a deliberate act of defiance. Behind me, the muffled thrum of Fayeleen’s elven lute was a comforting counterpoint to the frantic beat of my own heart. Garun’s boisterous laughter, though muted by the stone, echoed his usual irrepressible spirit, a stark contrast to Harmon’s quiet, focused presence beside him. We had reached the heart of it, the final chamber, the very core of my mother’s reign.

But the path ahead, the one I had envisioned so clearly in my mind’s eye, was not as open as I’d hoped. A figure emerged from the shadows ahead, blocking our way. The torchlight glinted off the polished obsidian of his armor, illuminating the cruel curve of his smile. Juani.

“Sister,” he purred, his voice dripping with a faux concern that made my skin crawl. “Always running towards danger, aren’t you?”