Guardians of the Broken Walls
I felt as though I could slice the tension in the air with a knife. My fourteen sisters-in-arms and I stood side-by-side as we heard the monster bash against the walls of our castle. My eyes moved down to the remains of the guards that arrived before us. They had gone out to meet the beast, to serve as a first line, to buy us time to prepare. The beast had cleaved them in half with its mighty jaws. The top halves had crawled back inside, struggling though they knew they would not survive, doing all they could to stop the creature, even going as far as to try to barricade the entryway with their bodies. They died as heroes. The creature slammed into the castle's entryway once more, its massive form straining to widen the door. The walls rattled with each strike, a tangible reminder of the beast's formidable power. "Hold steady, young one," my experienced sister, always calm in the face of danger, whispered low to me, her eyes never leaving the monster. I nodded to he...