Chapter One; 1000 years later

Silence. As the figure crept about in the dense waist high grass, it made not a sound to disturb the perfect silence. There was no wind, there were no birds or animals to call into the air to attract mates or warn of the person's approach. It barely disturbed the grass, scarcely shifting it it crawled on bent legs and hands, a prowling wolf. Its dark red hair, a shade so deep it looked black where the sun didn't hit it, was tightly bound into long, thick dread-locks with black cords. Its skin was pale, honey-touched and painted with blood colored runes, with long talon nails stained to match. Skin tight steel grey leather-like cloth clad its lean, taut body as it made its way towards the girl sleeping in the tree a few hundred feet away. 
The girl was shorter than her hunter by several inches at 5'2" or so, and was sleek, with black hair that was short in the back, long at the sides in front of her ears, and bangs that were just long enough to hide her ice blue eyes. She wore a set of loose pants, tunic, and leather jack. Her feet were bare and from her hand dangled a sword as large as she was. She lounged on one of the lowest branches of the tree, completely oblivious to the approaching figure. The hundred pound blade drifted effortlessly in her hand with the wind. The stalker eyed it warily as it quickened its invisible approach.
In her hands were two long blades, curved to fit snugly along the outside of her forearms. She clutched them tightly, using her knuckles like an ape to move closer and closer to the comatose girl. When she reached the base of the trunk, she stood and slowly reached for the excess cloth of the girl's pants. Immediately she jumped away with a back flip as the sword came swinging at her head, barely missing it. She narrowed her eyes at her now crouching, grinning prey. The girl hefted the sword across her shoulders nonchalantly, mocking her with a perfect smile with gleaming, even teeth. 
"So, decided to disturb my nap, huh?" she asked. The huntress hissed and rolled to the side as her adversary suddenly dove for her. She swung her arm up, her knife blocking the downswing of the giant sword just in time. The blow rocked her body, and she kicked out lightning fast. She connected with the girl's foot, displacing her. She jumped back as the girl whipped the blade with the intention of severing her head to compensate for lost balance. 
"Ah, you've gotten better. But not good enough," the girl laughed, impressed. The first female narrowed her eyes in confusion, then they instantly widened as the second was suddenly gone. The huntress whipped around in confusion, a growl erupting from her throat. But she didn't see her opponent. By the time she heard the sound of crunching grass, the blinding pain had already exploded through her back. Crying out, she collapsed onto her knees, where the other came walking calmly around to face her, with that mocking, beautiful face.
"See? I told you you weren't ready," she laughed. The huntress gritted her teeth, but let out a gravely snort of amusement.
"That's what you think," she said, before promptly disappearing in a poof of black smoke. The second girl stared at the tiny two foot long dragon that sat in the spot where the huntress had just been. Black as a starless night, with dazzling emerald green eyes, it curled its tiny wings around it as it stuck its tongue out at her in a taunt before quickly slipping away into the tall grass.
"What?!" the girl said in a curse. She heard the yowl, but not before the real huntress had come crashing down onto her back, dragging her to the ground in a painful heap. She kicked her away, and flipped herself onto her feet, swinging the cleaving sword around her head. The huntress ducked, diving for her unprotected belly. The power of the hit caused the girl to lose her grip on the hilt, just enough for the huntress to hook a foot on the guard and fling it away. Then they went tumbling across the padded expanse of grass. For a matter of minutes they tussled, hand to hand, kicks, punches, and scratches aimed at each other's faces just a few of the many assaults used. 
After a particularly stunning blow to the stomach, the huntress stumbled back in shock. Another quick punch to the jaw sent her flying backwards, blood spurting from a split lip. Then she lay on her back in the grass, gasping for breath. The girl watched her, bent over as she held her own bruised abdomen. A second or two passed, then she limped over to her fallen adversary. She watched the pain in her face for a moment, then laughed and extended a hand to help her up. The defeated glared at her in annoyance but accepted the help up, getting jerked roughly to her feet. Then they looked at each other, clothes torn, bruises flowering on exposed skin, noses and mouths bleeding, and started to laugh.
"I have to say, I'm surprised. You've gotten better, much better. Good job, Rene," the winner said with approval. The huntress chuckled and bent over, tensing to pop her back.
"Thanks. That means a lot, Gabriel. I've been training with Carson for the past couple of weeks," she sighed. Gabriel laughed.
"Well, she's done an excellent job. I was just about to collapse. It was only luck that I got that belly-blow in. You were murder," she said, flexing her sore arms. She whistled, and a moment later, a ruby red dragon, just like the black one before, came bounding along through the grass, the hilt of the huge sword in its mouth. Gabriel bent and took it from the dragon, petting its head tenderly. The black dragon reappeared from the thick grass forest and leapt onto Rene's shoulder with a single bound. It began purring as it rubbed its smooth head under Rene's jaw. The huntress stroked it absently.
"Hey, it's almost noon. Think we should go get some lunch?" Rene wondered. "Glain will be wondering where we are."
"Sure, although he's going to freak when he sees us," Gabriel said with a snort of amusement. Rene smiled and laid her arm across Gabriel's shoulder, while her shorter counterpart looped her arm around Rene's waist. They were perfectly sized, with Rene standing at almost 5'8" tall. Together, they turned towards the east, in the direction of the massive marble temple at the far end of the valley, over ten miles away, the red dragon bounding alongside them.

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"You were right, he's freaking out," Rene whispered to Gabriel. They both stood sheepishly in front of the giant man who, to anyone else, would have seemed perfectly calm. He was over six and a half feet tall, with long shaggy black hair. His dark green eyes glittered in annoyance and disapproval at the two girls' ragged appearance. The fact that he looked as if he was made of stone, with thick greyish skin with a cracked look to it, didn't help as he stared at them menacingly. Rene could feel the prickle of anticipation on the back of her neck. Glain wasn't by nature a mean person, in fact he was very quiet. But if he was agitated or extremely annoyed or ticked off, as he was now, he had a tendency to get very loud and very overbearing. 
"I wish he would say something. Why does he always just stare at us like that? It's creepy," Gabriel hissed in Rene's ear. She shivered in agreement. Glain was a good friend, but at times he seemed to be more of an over-expectant father who was constantly disappointed with his "daughters' " short-comings and screw-ups.
"Why," he stated, not asked, simply after more than a long moment of more visual torture. Rene swallowed.
"Well, I've been training with Carson lately, and she's taught me several good moves, and I wanted to see if I could beat Gabriel yet. I'm close, but I didn't quite make it there yet," Rene said slowly. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, and Gabriel nodded.
"It's true. She's doing very well. She's gotten a lot better," she reinforced Rene's testimony. Rene looked at her with a grateful glance. Another long moment passed, and finally Glain just blew out a great breath, one that mussed Gabriel's short hair.
"Guys, you have got to stop this. Rene, this is the third outfit you've destroyed this month. I don't know what to do with you. Whether it's play-fighting with Gabriel to trying to steal a peek at the Book of All, you are constantly getting in trouble. Why? Why must you keep trying to give me a coronary?" he complained in his deep, gravely voice. Rene sighed in irritation. 
she thought to herself.
"I'm sorry, it's just who I am, I guess," she said simply. He rolled his eyes.
"Get out of my face before I box your ears, like you rightly deserve. You act like you're twenty-five, instead of one hundred and five. Just go," he said, then turned away. His companion dragon, a deep sapphire blue dragon, shook its head at them disapprovingly just like its master, and followed him, swishing its tail haughtily, knowing it was beyond reproach. Rene's dragon stuck its tongue out at it, and Gabriel's hissed at it.
"Why does he always pick on me?" Rene complained once the giant was out of ear shot. Gabriel patted her back.
"It's only because he cares, and he wants you to see your flaws so you can fix them before they become your downfall," she comforted them as they moved up the steps of the giant temple.
"But I can't help being curious and ambitious. If anything, it's his fault. He acts like you, Carson, and Isis have absolutely no flaws whatsoever!" Rene whined. Gabriel shrugged.
"Well, compared to you, we don't, really," she said lowly. Rene gaped at her.
"What? You're siding with him?" she gasped in faux shock.
"No, no, no. I love your flaws, they're what make you, well, you. There are some I would alter a bit, but for the most part, I'm on your side. I only agree with him about the more sensitive subjects. Like, really, you've got to stop trying to peek at the Book. That, if anything, is going to be your downfall. You know it's forbidden for Sentinels to see it any time other than the Asking. And you've already seen one Asking. Don't be so eager. The next one will come in a few years. If you're patient, it will come much faster than if you try to force the issue like you are doing now. Right now, you're heading down a road of hurt," Gabriel soothed her. Rene wrinkled her nose.
"I guess you're right. But I don't get it. Why can't we even glimpse what we are protecting? Why all the hushity-hush? What are the Elders hiding from us, their loyal Sentinels?" she sighed in defeat. Gabriel laughed.
"That is for the Elders to know, and for us to never find out. Now, let's go change and get something to eat," she directed. Rene rolled her eyes but followed Gabriel up the rest of the steps into the temple.
As they entered the wide-open entrance doors, Rene couldn't help but awe at the spectacular palace like temple. It was round, a half-mile in diameter, with a huge dome top. It was decorated simply, no elaborate rugs on the floors, paintings on the walls, or chandeliers hanging from the ceilings, but rather with intricate designs carved into the moldings, doorways, floors, and everywhere imaginable. The entire building was made of stone, the walls several feet thick and reinforced with magical enchantments, There was an inner room, the Great Library, which took up most of the temple. It had a single entrance, a door across from the door into the entire temple. The exquisite black doors were always kept close, except for four hours; the hour before and after both midnight and noon. That was the time when the Five Elders would examine the book and dine together in the Library.
There was a hall that wrapped the outer wall of the Library, and lining the inside of the temple walls were all the other rooms, including kitchens, baths, and sleeping quarters for the Five Sentinels; Gabriel, Glain, Carson, Isis, and Rene. This temple was their home, had been since their births, and would be their resting place. When they died, their bodies would be carried into the mausoleum beneath the Great Library, so their spirits could add to the magical barriers protecting the Book. 
Gabriel eventually pushed open the cloth door into Rene's room and took a seat next to the door. None of the rooms, save for the Library, had actual doors. There were special enchantments in place that made it so only certain people could enter certain rooms, like how only females could enter the dwellings of other females, but all females could enter a male's room. Any trespassers would be put off by an invisible wall, and persistent offenders would receive a non-lethal but very painful shock. Each bedroom was identical, whether it was male or female; a plain bed on the left wall, a dresser on the right, a stool next to the door, and a basin for washing hands and faces in the mornings across from the door.
As Gabriel sat watching, Rene unabashedly stripped to her underclothes, tossing her torn garments into the bare corner, knowing servants would dispose of them later. She dug into her dresser for an identical outfit, albeit this one a light silver, which she quickly put on. Then both girls washed their hands in the basin and exited, heading further down the hall to the kitchens.
There they found it was empty of its usual servants, but not of its usual pile of food on the table in the center. Trays of sweets, plates of meats, and mounds of bread topped the island, and a jug of wine with two mugs. They each grabbed a half loaf of bread, an apple, and a chicken leg, and Gabriel grabbed the wine while Rene balanced a whole tray of sugar rolls on her head. Then they quickly snuck outside onto the wide platform at the top of the thousand step set of stairs leading up to the temple. Plopping down onto the edge, in the shade of the giant dome-topped palace, they wolfed down their spoils.
"You think Isis will get mad when she sees we've stolen her rolls?" Rene wondered, chomping down on the syrup-soaked, sugar-topped lump of bread. Gabriel shrugged.
"Who cares? What is she gonna do about it even if she knows its us?" she giggled. Rene nodded and together they finished the entire plate in just a few moments. Then they sat side-by-side against the temple walls, gazing at the ever cloudless sky above the valley. It rarely stormed in the protected basin in the mountains. As Rene looked up at the egg blue sky, she wondered what life outside was like. She'd never been out of the valley, no. It was forbidden for the Sentinels, one of the Three Sacred Rules;
1. Never disobey the Five Elders
2. Never disturb the Book of All
3. Never leave the valley.
They had to follow the rules. They didn't know the punishment for breaking them, as none of them ever had, but they did know the repercussions would be painful, and most likely fatal. But they had no reason to disobey the rules. They trusted the Elders, and wouldn't betray them for anything.
Dimly, Rene heard Gabriel start to hum the tune to the lullaby the Elders had sung to them as babes. In truth it was a prophecy, but rarely did they consider it such. It was a song of comfort to them, and would always remain so. Unconsciously, Rene found herself singing the words softly.
"Birthed in Fire,
Bathed in Ice,
Nursed with magick,
Star-born five.
Save the book,
Hear the call,
And make sure
The Hunters fall
Sought in war
Drowned in rite
Kept in silence
Reunite
Powers old
Powers new
Dragons' breath 
Here is blew," Rene murmured gently. She dropped off, and absently listened as Gabriel continued humming. Then, softly, lulled by Gabriel's angelic voice and the whispering of the valley breeze, Rene fell asleep on Gabriel's shoulder, not even noticing when the older Sentinel began to lovingly stroke her hair.