Chapter 1

Moon and the ocean, whispers of the wind and the tide that covered the sandy beach under the rolling waves…

No matter how high the water rose, it never managed to fully submerge the ancient structure that stuck proudly from the sea. It remained untouched by the passage of time and the salty water that slowly crumbled the cliff overlooking the sea.

It was old; older than the barbaric kings who had once tried to invoke its magic and call on the gods by offering them sacrifices. Performed on the shores, they tainted the wet sand with the blood of their victims. But the gods were dead, consumed by the dragon’s fire that burnt our world. Even the Dragonborn lords that came before them, with all the magic they had at their command, couldn’t open the portal and escape this desolate world.

It was a sad tale that not many knew, and those who did regretted it deeply, for it brought a heavy sorrow to their hearts to know what had been lost.

Yet I knew it very well, even if I was still too young to be considered a woman and marry. It came with the curse that flowed through my veins, marking me as a Keeper of our tribe. It had forced me to leave my family before I was old enough to understand what it meant, and instead, I had come to live with Niar, who was the high Keeper. He had taken the role upon himself as a punishment for the crimes he committed when he was young, but even he was more accepted than I was. Deep scars marked his cheeks, proving to everyone that he was pure, while my clean face marked me as cursed, showing to everyone that the blood of a dragon flowed in my veins.

Many times I had tried to scar my face with the sharpest of knives, but every time my wounds healed as soon as the red blood touched the blade. As I grew older and understood how much fear it brought to Niar’s heart seeing my acts, I stopped trying. I didn't want him to fear me more than he already did. He was good to me even if we were not related by blood.

I spent my days on the beach, far away from the village, listening to the sound of waves crashing against the shore. There, I collected mussels and seaweed that we would use for our meals and set fish traps that would lie ready when the tide was high. Niar was old, and I preferred him to stay in our cave by the cliffs, protecting him from the cold wind that blew from the sea.

I didn’t mind it, and could spend hours prowling through the shallow water, unaffected by the cold or the sharp rocks that tried to cut my feet. Apart from setting traps, I searched for metal and the colourful glass that the sea sometimes washed onto the shore from the ancient city. According to the tales Niar told me, it lay half-buried beneath the sea, where the deep blue water crashed against the sharp rocks that pierced the surface.

I didn’t share any of my findings with the village elders as Niar did, since I did not see any reason to do so. We never received anything from them except a little food, which was barely enough for the two of us. I knew how much they gained by trading the glass and metal with outsiders, as I was the one who conducted this trade, following our custom that only the Keeper was allowed to interact with strangers.

Niar never commented on my collection, even when he found a pile of my treasures hidden in one of the caves. I never asked why, despite his age, he still searched for metal and glass in the shallow waters, only to give it away without getting anything in return.

He had once taken a long shard of the star steel from my pile and, using hard driftwood and lizard skin, turned it into a knife that could cut through a crab’s shell with ease and never needed to be sharpened. It became my most precious possession, and I carried it with me all the time.

I was in our cave when I heard the sound of a bell ringing in the air, announcing to everyone that strangers had been spotted on the path leading to the village. I took the Keepers' staff, carved from a single bone of a long-extinct animal that once swam in the sea, and climbed down the stony path that led into the village.

Niar tried to object to my going alone, but the path was narrow, and the steps carved into the stone were slippery even on the finest of days. I didn’t want him to stumble and hurt himself in the fall.

The village looked empty, and if I hadn't known better, I would have thought that the guards who stood on the walls were its only inhabitants. They didn’t even glance at me as I picked up the heavy basket and walked through the wooden gate that immediately closed behind me.

I could see the strangers waiting in the distance, standing around a large cart pulled by sturdy animals covered in grey scales. One of the strangers raised his hand, and I walked the road towards them, counting my steps as they carefully watched me. I took the fifty steps required of me, walking further than the villagers could throw a spear, and sat on the road, laying my staff in front of me. I watched one of the strangers pick a large wooden crate from the cart and walk towards me. He also took fifty steps and sat in front of me, putting the short baton he took from his belt next to my staff.

We traded in silence, placing our goods in front of us and lifting our staff when we were satisfied with the price offered. If both of them were raised, trade was made, and we pushed our goods to the other side.

I was curious about these strangers - who they were, where they came from and why they gave us good metal tools and fishing nets for a few pieces of star steel and some colourful glass. But it was against our custom to speak with strangers, even for the Keepers, so every time they came, I was left with a growing mountain of unanswered questions.

When all my goods were gone, I packed my basket and left without a word, walking towards the wooden gate that opened slightly as I approached. It was just enough to let me in before it shut tight again, cutting the village from the outside world and its evils.