“What do you mean it’s been days?!” cried Bart. “We were only down there a few hours! Right, June?”

  “I don’t know, Bart,” replied June. “You do get yourself lost pretty easily. Could it be you weren’t looking where you were going and lost track of time?”

  “That’s not funny! This is a very serious turn of events!” Bart buried his face in his hands once again, mumbling to himself. “If it’s not one thing, then it’s another…”

  Things seemed to finally be looking up again as June had successfully managed to gaslight one of her captors and pay off the other. Despite the inherent dangers and Bartholomew’s constant whining, the four continued readying themselves to infiltrate the stronghold of one of their most powerful enemies. June had gotten curious and questioned the Scarlet Sister about the details of her apparent death, which is when a strange and startling revelation had come to light. The royal siblings had been informed by the bounty hunter Ashton that the day of the week was not the same as it was when they first entered the dark cathedral.

  “But how could that be…?” Tamsin #2 brought an armored finger to her chin, rubbing it contemplatively.

  “Sounds like it might be the work of some pesky dark artifacts to me,” commented Tamsin #1. “These guys are lousy with them, or so I’ve been told in my briefings on them. Tammy, you were down there with them. Do you feel any younger? Oh sweet madness, now I’ll always be known as the older one.”

  A look of awkward panic arose on June’s face. She hoped very strongly that the elf could recall nothing of her time as a corpse.

  “I don’t remember anything.” The second twin scoffed, crossing her arms in a huff. “And you’ve always been the older of us two. We are not exactly twins in the most technical sense of the term. I agree, however, that this reeks of cryptoarchaeological influences. It’s something that— unfortunately—these Knights are substantially well-versed in.”

  “Hold on, hold on,” interrupted Ash, punctuating himself with a clear of his throat. “Are you seriously implying these guys can control time? Who exactly did you say we were dealing with?”

  “The Lost Knights!” answered June, in a somewhat subtle attempt to impress her new elfwin companion. “There are many seemingly impossible things in this world, Mr. Huntsman. I am quite surprised you’ve been able to remain a skeptic in your line of work.”

  “Just ‘cause I surround myself with dumbasses who tell dumbass tales don’t mean I have to believe them. And please, just call me Ash. Err—Your Majesty.”

  “Well, you better start believing in dumbass stories, Ash,” said Tamsin. “Because you’re in one!”

  The second twin stifled a chuckle.

  “Do we really want to go up against a group with that much power?” added Bart.

  “If the Church could hear you now,” replied Tamsin, as she and her twin both glared at the prince. “We’re just lucky they don’t give the princes any semblance of power or respect in our country.”

  “Don’t listen to ‘em, bud.” Ash nudged Bart in the arm. “You already survived a tussle with those creeps, right? Just be a man and keep doing what you’re doing. Even If you gotta fight to the bitter end.”

  “I don’t even warrant a ‘Your Majesty’ like June got, huh?”

  “Yes, as the princess has stated,” declared the second twin, getting back on topic. “The Knights of the Lost Star believe they have the reigning monopoly on religious dogma, bringing them in direct conflict with the Scarlet Church. Lady Macha does not take too kindly to those who would undermine her. Especially militant groups who wish to put the world in danger for some preposterous belief. It is unknown where they acquire such powerful artifacts, but we must retrieve them at all costs.”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “Sounds exciting!” exclaimed June.

  “You got that right!” declared Tamsin #1 as she donned her helmet. “I’m glad one of you finally understands. Tonight, it’s do-or-die! I hope you three are ready.”

  Ash nodded while cocking his crossbow gun. He then turned to the two royal siblings. “By the way, I know you two mentioned taking down one of those weird figures. Or at least, semi-took one down until it almost snuck up on and massacred you, but do either of you actually know how to fight?”

  “I take fencing classes,” said Bart proudly. “I know my way around a sword and where the typical weak points are on an opponent. If only I had remembered to bring one along…”

  “Color me surprised,” replied Ash. “And Your Majesty? Can’t imagine a blind woman not being a liability in a fight—no offense, princess.”

  “I’ll have you know I’ve trained under the best! My Sacred Seven have taught me some very true and vaunted tactics that even a woman in my state can use to her advantage. Blindness has only made my other senses much stronger. I assure you, I am very capable of defending myself, Sir Ash.”

  “Sir Ash? Oh, well. That’s, uh… Good to hear. But wouldn’t you two feel more at ease with an actual weapon in hand?”

  Well, of course I would!” shouted Bart. He pulled out the dagger he had taken earlier. “This is all I’ve had to defend myself with at the moment. One of those things dropped it.”

  “Let me see that!” The second twin snatched the dagger from his hand, much to his ever-growing dismay. “So, this is what had a hand in killing me? Not very threatening if you ask me.” She scoffed, right before holding the blade at both ends and snapping it in half with minimal effort.

  “Hey! What am I supposed to defend myself with now?!”

  “Not my problem.”

  “Here.” Ash unlatched the large hunting knife strapped to his thigh and handed it to Bart. It was marginally bigger than the ritual dagger he had just lost. “This one’s brand new and state-of-the-art. Which means if you lose it, I’ve got a bolt saved up here just for you. It’s not a fancy fencing sword but it should do.”

  “Oh joy…” Bart eyed the dagger disappointedly. “You’re right. This is quite crude in comparison.”

  “And you, princess? I doubt a crossbow or a whip will do you much good. How exactly can you defend yourself without a weapon?”

  “I’m afraid I’ve never really used a weapon before.” June looked momentarily dejected. “When I trained with my personal guard, it was mostly to avoid detection by listening for their breathing and footsteps. I’m good at being stealthy, but I’m not much of a fighter to be quite frank. I should be fine with the three of you protecting me, however. Right?”

  “Amazing. We went from hunting her to protecting her.” Ashton sighed, as he took a good look at the princess. Despite her situation, there seemed to be a strangely confident air hiding behind the large sunglasses she wore on her face. The seemingly innocuous yet pretty face of a woman about the same age as he. But deeper than that, there was a hint of something he couldn’t quite place hiding within the milky white eyes hidden behind the shades and layers of bold innocence. A feeling of something deeply raw and primal that triggered the faint tingle of goosebumps on the back of his neck. Was it her position as the ruler of a country that made him feel this way? That wasn’t quite right. It stirred a slight feeling of unease that he couldn’t quite shake, completely disconnected from the pressuring fear he felt from the Scarlet Church. It was almost like being in the presence of something inhuman. He wasn’t exactly scared of her, but he would prefer to keep any interactions with her to a minimum. Because if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that she definitely was not his type. “I guess you’ll just have to stay behind us then.”

  “I would prefer not to have to protect the dead weight.” The second twin sneered.

  “I’m not! I promise! I’ll keep to direction! Just instruct me on what to do!”

  “Better than her brother here, I’m sure!” teased the first.

  “You know what? I’m tired of arguing with this woman. These women.” Bart stood tensed, before marching forward ahead of the others and walking right into the darkness beyond the doors.”

  “Bart? Bart, where are you going?!” June called as she listened anxiously to her brother take off ahead on his own. She stumbled off after him, keeping up with her sibling surprisingly well. “Don’t go off alone! Wait for me!”

  “Why are those idiots rushing off ahead?!” shouted the second Tamsin. “And so loudly to boot!”

  “Guess we better keep them from dying and spoiling all the fun.” The first Tamsin trotted in after them, heavy greaves sinking into the sand out front.

  “Sure, why make this night any easier than it has to be?” Ashton followed, his weapon at the ready. “At least we know these things can die.”

  alternate scenes. If you're interested in seeing some kissing between a certain soldier and a certain witch, some pics are up on the Patreon for tier 3's. And if you're interested in more of that kind of stuff, let me know and I might just keep doing it.