The Keepers of Azera ( Book 1 of the Keepers Trilogy)

Chapter 24

Despite Poppa telling them they can practice their old religion, Amacus and Alexa come to sermon on Religion Day. "We will respect your gods," Alexa insisted.

"Yes, but you don't have to come if you don't want to," Poppa had said. "You are allowed to practice your own religion."

"We respect all gods in all religions," Alexa said. "We want to go. We looked into your history, and your gods did remarkable things. We will go."

So now Amacus sits sandwiched between Poppa and me, and Alexa on Poppa's other side. James doesn't seem too happy with this arrangement, but he doesn't say a word other than to recite prayers.

Vir wollen das Gottes haneren.

We will honor the gods.

Vir mechten whas haben dain geseint, unt vir mussen ir resten.

We understand what they did, and we must respect them

Leiver passen dain, der Lagazie tygt an.

Though they have passed, their legacy lives on.

Dain haben aur Zociety, unt aur Tygets geformt, unt vir danken ir fuer dass.

They formed our society, and our lives, and we thank them for that.

It doesn't take long for Amacus and Alexa to realize they're completely lost. They don't know the prayers, the traditions, and they're probably super hungry and thirsty, because we haven't had our cracker and glass of water yet. I smile to myself. I bet that's not something they planned for when they came to Azeroth. Every single kitchen on this planet is closed off. The only people eating today are the tribes, who honor the gods in their own way. For their insistence on "giving respect to everyone of authority, and to all who deserve it" (their words, not mine), they're paying the price. I actually feel a little bad for them.

Two hours pass. The twins seem so disciplined, I'm surprised to see Alexa fidgeting in her seat. Amacus seems more patient, but I can see on his face he's completely bored. They've left off the jumpsuits they arrived in and now wear robes that they were issued the night before. The color combination is the plainest yet- white with black trim. Alexa clearly doesn't like the way the sleeves hang; she keeps tugging on them and twisting the hanging bit around in her fingers. Amacus eventually reaches over and gently pulls it out of her fingers.

Finally sermon is over, and some people head straight to the bathrooms, while the rest go to their dorms. Amacus and Alexa make to follow us, but Poppa tells them gently that they're to go back to the dorm they were issued. Amacus grabs his sister's arm and tells her, "Let's go."

She nods and follows him. "I could've sworn they said they knew the traditions," Poppa says.

"They probably forgot," I say. "They're just teenagers on a foreign planet." It surprised me how different they were today. Yesterday they were take-charge, and today they were totally lost. I dimly realize they were relying on the adults to help them figure out what to do-don't I do that a lot, go to James for help on something I don't know?

"I'd cut them some slack," James says. "They're just trying to figure their way around. They're probably a little uncomfortable at the moment. Like Callie said, they are just kids."

Kids that you don't trust, James. Kids that seem shady to you. Unless you've changed your mind, James, and realized that they're two nervous siblings separated from their parents. Realized that they're just trying to adjust, James.

After we eat our crackers and drink our glass of water, we go into our rooms- Poppa stays in the living space-and pray to the gods. I wonder if Amacus and Alexa are doing the same thing. Probably not. They're probably feeling homesick.

I kneel down on the side of my bed and sit in silence for a good minute to think about what I'm going to say. I take a deep breath and begin.

"To the Elder Gods above, I pray to you. This war is the most terrible yet, and countless innocent lives are lost. I pray to you, as many others have, to put an end to these terrible times. I fear for my life, and my friends, too. The enemy wants me, and James is wanted dead." I pause and look at the ceiling, then bow my head again. "I do not trust everyone within these walls, least of all Matilda, Alexa, and Amacus. I fear that the Turamese aren't quite what they seem, and I have little faith in them. I believe there's a possibly of a traitor in this building, but I don't know who." I pause again. There's really nothing else for me to say. "I thank you for listening to these prayers in these times of need."

I rest my forehead on the edge of the mattress. I'm to wait in here until I hear a knock on the door. Then I go open it. If nobody's there, that means the Elder Gods have heard my prayer and will answer it. If someone is there-and it's always James- that means prayer's over, and we have to share what we prayed for. It's my least favorite part of Religion Day. I can sit for four hours, but I'd rather keep my prayers to myself. The only time I don't have to share is if I hear the knock and no one's there-and I can safely say that has not happened.

I hear the knock and I go open the door. Poppa stands on the other side. I let my shoulders slump and I walk out into the living room. "Were you expecting a knock from the Elders?" he asks.

I nod. "But I never get one. Have you?"

"Once. Shortly before you were conceived, I asked for a child. I heard the knock almost immediately. Sure enough, when I opened the bedroom door, nobody was there. Two weeks later, we found out your mother was pregnant."

"That must've been nice. Ever since the lock down stopped, I wished for the war to end, and I don't ever hear a knock. How do you know when to leave the room to knock on my door? I always have to wait until I hear a knock."

"Once the place has been silent for a minute, that's when we know when to knock on the door." Poppa sits on the couch, and I sit in an armchair next to James. "You say you prayed for the war to end."

"I prayed for more. I prayed for my safety, and my friends' safety, and..." I look down at my lap, then look up. "I express my distrust of the twins, and of Matilda."

"Twins?" James says blankly.

"Amacus and Alexa," Poppa explains quietly. "They're twins, they said so."

James sighs. "I did mention them, too. I prayed that I would have no reason to distrust them, and, well, I prayed for the same things that Callie did. The end of the war, my safety...I prayed that I make it out of this war alive."

Poppa bites his lip. "I prayed for the end of the war, but I do trust the Turamese in a way you don't understand yet. I think we all-and I mean every Azeran- prayed for the same thing that we did. Safety, peace... I know we did."