The American Keepers

 

This book is the first in the

American Keepers Saga

It is the first and oldest testimony of the First Supreme Commander of the American Keepers in the Inkenos Codex

This testimony was originally written by 

Snow Ashe:

Founder of the Keepers of the Lost Stories.

First Supreme Commander and Founder of the American Keepers.

Creator of the Inkenos Codex,

And the Head and Founder of Camulod

 

 

There are others mentioned in this story,

Members of the American Keepers,

Other Keeper Divisions,

Members of the Ravens,

Members of the Chasers,

And Members of the Woodsmen

Among others

 

 

This testimony, the first of three, and the one to establish the American Keepers Saga, which has taken over a decade to compile,

Would never have been possible without the support of everyone who has been here over the years,

Whether they’ve been here since the beginning or just joined. 

Thank you

 

 

 Preface of the American Keepers Saga and Multiversal Expansion

 

Hundreds of years ago, the ancient Mayans made a prediction. That prediction was that the world would end in 2012. But their prediction was both right and wrong. The world did end, but not in the way they expected. On December 21st, 2012, the universe split into multiple pieces of itself. Those closest to the Universe Prime, the original universe, would be the closest in similarity and history. Those farther away would be far different and in some, history would have changed long before 2012. The history of the American Keepers Saga takes place in one of the universes closest to our own. Written primarily from the viewpoint of the Ashe Family starting with Snow Caspian Ashe in 2012, the story spans almost four thousand years until the last member of the Ashe family leaves Earth in the sixth millennium AD.

 

Or does it?

 

 

 

Chapter List:

Chapter 1: Genesis of the Keepers

Chapter 2: Little Rock

Chapter 3: The Birth of the Colonies

Chapter 4: The Reunion of the Keepers

Chapter 5: Meeting Sophie

Chapter 6: The Wedding

Chapter 7: The Negotiations

Chapter 8: The Outposts

Chapter 9: The Messenger

Chapter 10: Junction City

Chapter 11: The New Arrivals

Chapter 12: My Journey 

Chapter 13: My Return

Chapter 14: Shattered Peace

Chapter 15: The Shadows are Coming

Chapter 16: The Invasion

 

The Colony (Handdrawn)

 

 

 

Chapter 1: Genesis of the Keepers

Our story starts on a rather chilly snowy day in January of 2012. The birds were chirping, there was a slight breeze, and life was quiet, very, very quiet. On this day in particular, I was sitting on the floor of my best friend Angel Tyler's bedroom discussing plans for a new group. Angel and I had been best friends for four years by this point. We had already amassed a nice sized group over the past few years with around sixty or so members that was centered on a book series that we had both been reading for a long time. The name of the original group was the National Warriors Committee, and the main goal of the group was promoting the many different book series we all enjoyed at the time. Now, we were changing things up as most of the original group was dispersing into the world and their own ideologies were changing along with their book interests. Our new plan would center the new group around saving books, particularly historical books, and preserving them for future generations. We were concerned with the volume and pace that e-books were gaining popularity worldwide. This had led to the decline of paper books and therefore also the bankruptcy of bookstores. Libraries across the United States were also suffering. With our collections combined at the time, we had over four hundred books and that number was steadily growing. We enlisted several of our friends, including some who were in the original group which included three of my oldest friends, Theseus Taylor, Allen Taylor, and Odette Sallow. We named our new group the Keepers of the Lost Stories although most of the time we just called ourselves the Keepers.

Over the weeks following the creation of the new group, I found a building in Shreveport-Bossier City that we could use as our base that was owned by an old family friend who agreed with our mission and was willing to help us with any expenses. Though we were young, many of us being between the ages of 11-14, we were a very talented group. Although, looking back we really shouldn’t have had as much freedom as we did. Our parents all knew what was going on though, and some of them actually helped us with our projects and gave us rides around the city. Theseus, along with Angel’s sister Alice disguised the main entrance as an exposed brick wall in the old building. Angel and I worked together to design the interior layout of the base, assign positions and duties, among other administrative tasks. Then, as a group, we tackled the task of collecting bookshelves, computers, and notebooks for cataloging the books we collected and for working on homework as we were still students. We also decided to design ways to defend the base should the need arise. Within two months our base was completed. Gradually our numbers grew, and we had Keepers throughout the city looking for books to save and bring back to keep in our library.

Eventually Angel and I decided to split up our duties as co-Leaders. She took over the search parties, while I ran the base and made sure everything stayed organized. I also prepared assignments for all of the new and old members. Angel and the other searchers brought back hundreds of books on top of the collections each of us already had. Everything was going well until Angel suddenly left one day and didn’t return. My attempts to reach her proved unsuccessful, so I took on the full burden of leading the Keepers along with working on schoolwork. By this time, we had nineteen members in the Shreveport-Bossier area along with other members throughout the United States. We had also found ourselves an enemy. The Chasers. The Chasers were a corrupt United States government organization that were trying to destroy books that went against their beliefs. They had come to the belief that the true history of the world was wrong, and that history needed to be fixed, or as I put it, rewritten. Though their original mission was a bit different.

A few months after she had left, Angel came back to our base asking for forgiveness. Naturally, when she came back, the others didn’t trust her. Given the chance she explained that her parents and the rest of her family had been pressuring her to start focusing more on school and apologized for being gone so long. There was a vote to allow her to resume her post as a leader of the Keepers and surprisingly, most agreed that since she was a Founder, she should be allowed to lead once more but needed to be watched carefully. She remained by my side as a leader of the Keepers until the Winter of 2015. At this time, she betrayed my trust leaving to join the Chasers as their second in command. I should have seen it coming as she had been growing more and more distant towards the time of her betrayal.

For a little over a year, I was alone in my fight as everyone got busy with their own lives and started focusing more on school. I continued collecting books and every so often one of the Keepers would arrive at the base and bring books they’d found to add to our library. But it wasn’t the same as it once was. Then, in the summer of 2017, I started rebuilding and restructuring the group with the help of Theseus and Odette. I added a large number of members over the months following and even managed to have a few trusted friends and allies start up their own versions of the Keepers in other cities. Then, as April of 2018 rolled around, things started changing.

April 8th, 2018

The day started off quiet. It had been overcast for a few days and I knew in my bones something was about to happen. Most of my older Keepers were off running recruiting missions in other areas of the nation while the younger members were still in school. I knew that their parents wouldn’t appreciate me trying to get them to think about their duties as Keepers during the school week, so for the most part, I was alone during most of the day while I was at the Base while working on my own homework assignments during my second semester of college. I had a few members keeping an eye on things in our main surveillance room working different shifts and for the most part, things were normal in our home city. Then, one of my Keepers, Jay Stuart, noticed a gathering of people in the outer edges of Downtown Shreveport. It was too late for me to call back my primary forces from their missions. I only had nineteen Keepers available. Luckily though, they were some of the best in the organization. I sent out the rally cry and within an hour the group was assembled and gearing up for an attack. I had three snipers, thirteen fighters, two specialists in guerrilla warfare, and a medic up against close to two hundred Chasers. I knew we could hold our own though. I had plenty of faith in my people. The attack started late that afternoon and continued for two days straight. The Shreveport Police Department did what they could to help our side, but they could only do so much due to lack of funding from the city government over the past few years and not enough officers to help us and keep control of the other areas of the city. Barksdale Air Force Base, and the national guard also sent as many personnel as possible that they could spare while also protecting the other areas of the city. Even with the extra reinforcements most of the fighting was done by my forces as the military and police who were available were mainly trying to keep the fighting away from the main civilian population. By the time the battle was over there were losses on both ends. We had only lost a few of our members, and four city streets were littered with the bodies of the Chasers. As a result of the battle, the Keepers stood victorious and had earned their place as protectors of the Shreveport-Bossier area alongside the SPD and military. We also gained the respect of the police department, and of the military. Inevitably, like most things, this came at a cost. Three of our original Keeper Knights, Jay Stuart, Rose Evangel, and Donovan Price were all killed in the fighting. After all of the events that happened, Angel’s sister, Alice, who was our medic, decided to resign her post along with another of our Knights, Virginia Waters. Virginia had made plans to move to South Louisiana to be closer to her family and finish school which I could honestly understand. A lot was going on in the Shreveport-Bossier Area. With our numbers diminished I released the remaining Keepers from their positions in the organization and the Keepers disappeared as an active organization for the time being. However, before we disbanded, I held a meeting of every member who was still a part of the Keepers.

As we sat around the main conference room table, I looked around before saying, “My friends, our time together as members of this organization has not been in vain. And this will not be the last time we see each other. Someday I will rebuild the Keepers and we will be even more powerful. For the time being, take this next period of time to figure out where y’all want to go in life and try to be the best that y’all can be. Everyone sitting here will always be Keepers in my book. The Keepers of the Lost Stories will forever be alive through us. We are not defeated.”

Allen slammed his fist on the table “Hear hear.” Theseus, Odette, and a few others all said similar things.

Theseus also added “Snow, when you rebuild the Keepers, you know I will be there.”

I nodded in gratitude, “Thank you Theseus. I appreciate that. Now then, it’s getting late. Go forth and always remember who, and what we are.” And with that the meeting ended.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 2: Little Rock

Shortly after I disbanded the Keepers, I decided to leave Shreveport-Bossier in late June of 2018 for a few years to go to college for a history degree. I also decided on taking a few history and writing classes. I ended up getting accepted to one of the universities in Little Rock, Arkansas and in August of 2018 I packed some of my belongings, told my family and friends goodbye as they congratulated me and drove the almost three-hour long trip up to my new home. On the way there I spent most of the time listening to my Spotify playlist before I reached the college. The university was much larger than the college I had originally planned on going to after I had graduated. The University of Arkansas had a beautiful campus with plenty of trees and lots of room for the roughly fifteen thousand students to spread out comfortably. There were dorms on campus, but I elected to stay with an elderly lady by the name of Cassandra Stonewater, who lived close to the school.

Everything went pretty well the first couple of months I was living in Little Rock. I stayed to myself for the most part, helped Cassandra if she needed my help with something, and eventually got a job on campus working in the school library. During my third month there however, I made a few friends. I had been sitting beneath a tree working on an essay on my laptop when three people roughly my own age walked up. They introduced themselves as Viktor Ismrim, Victoria Storm (Vicky) who was Viktor’s girlfriend, and Seryoun Tahl. We got along right off the bat and became fast friends. Not long after, I met even more people. Geneva Reign, a girl who acted like she liked to be left alone, started hanging around me when I elected to talk to her, and she joined my fast-growing group not long after. By the end of the semester, we had added Alicia Welles, Zenneti Axton, Elijah Steele, Madison Stegall, and Georgia Meadows to our number.                           

Christmas was an interesting event as even though half of the students went home, the ones who stayed threw a massive Christmas party in the Student Life building. I was one of the few who stayed behind this year from my group, and I headed to the party around five thirty on December 20th, 2018. The weather was pretty nice for it being December so, unsurprisingly, most of the people who had stayed were at the party. I, being the wallflower I am at parties, ended up standing on a balcony overlooking the party. It wasn't long before I was joined by Zenneti and Elijah who weren’t huge fans of big gatherings.

We had been standing there for a few minutes before Elijah said, “Hey Snow, there’s someone looking at you down there.”

I followed his gaze and saw a girl watching me intently. I gave her a little wave and she waved back so I looked at the two guys standing beside me and said, “I’ll be back.”

Zenneti chuckled and said, “Sure you will.” I laughed knowing full well what he was trying to imply and left the two as I headed downstairs to the main floor. I found her still sitting in her spot by the massive Christmas tree. She looked up at me as I walked over, and I was surprised that her eyes were the same shade of gray as the storm clouds rolling in from the North. Her hair also surprised me as she had long hair that was a rich dark brown with a white streak going down the left side. She looked a bit nervous, so I smiled and said “Hello there. I’m Snow. Snow Ashe.”

She hesitated before saying “Hello. I’m Miranda Meadow. It’s nice to meet you.”

I nodded and said, “Likewise.” I looked around as the noise of the crowd got louder before turning back to her and saying, “Would you like to go somewhere quieter?” She nodded and as I led her through the crowd to the stairwell, she took my hand which surprised me, but I just kept leading her through the building until we reached the food court where it was pretty much empty except for a few small groups.

We sat down at a table away from the others and settled for a moment before I looked at her and asked, “So what’re you studying up here?”

She spoke softly as she said, “I’m majoring in communications. What about you?” I told her I was going into business, and she brightened up as she told me that she always wanted to open up a bookstore but didn’t have the social skills to lead a team.

I smiled and said, “Well maybe I’ll have to open one and you can come work with me.”

She smiled and said, “Maybe I will.”

Just then, Zenneti and Elijah came running up and Elijah said breathlessly, “Snow, you’ve got to come quick. A fight broke out between Geneva and another girl. You’ve got to break it up before they seriously injure each other.”

I turned to Miranda and said, “I’m sorry, I’ve got to go deal with this, but we’ll see each other again soon.”

The girl nodded and said with a smile, “See you later Snow.”

I smiled at her before following the other guys to the main party. There, I found Geneva pretty much screaming at another girl who was slightly older than us and I got between them and said, “Whoa! What’s going on here?! It’s Christmas!”

Geneva glared at the other girl and said, “She said that I was wasting my time at this school and that I should just give up now.”

I sighed and looked at the girl whose name was Trinity and asked, “Is this true?” She nodded and opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off as I said, “No excuses. I know I’m new here, but this is uncalled for. If you don’t like each other then don’t go near each other.”

The two girls nodded, though still glaring at each other, and I then said, “Trinity, you go to one side of the room and Geneva you go with the guys to the other. I’m going to let the teachers, who are undoubtedly coming to see what was going on, know that it’s sorted. I don’t want to have to break up another fight. This is the third one y’all have had this semester since I’ve been here.”

The girls huffed but listened and went their separate ways. I sighed and realized everyone was staring at me.  I turned and headed to the main doors and found two teachers heading inside. I told them what happened and that it was now sorted. They thanked me and told me if I ever needed anything to let them know. So that was my first semester at the University of Arkansas.

My second semester started off pretty smooth. I had met Miranda for the second time when I went to my job at the library and found her sitting at a table reading a book. We talked for a few minutes and exchanged numbers before I headed to go clock in. I was putting up some books when one of the teachers walked up and thanked me again for breaking up the fight at the Christmas party. We talked for a few more minutes and then she left me to continue my work. A few days later a heavy snowstorm blew in from the north while I was stuck at school so I couldn’t drive back to Cassandra’s house, so I ended up staying at the school for a couple days. Miranda, who was staying in her dorm alone for the moment, invited me to stay with her in her dorm as it was just her for the moment. I gladly accepted despite the snickering from Viktor and Seryoun. So, for two days I stayed with Miranda during which we talked for hours on end just getting to know each other. She was particularly interested in my time leading the Keepers, so I told her all about it.

When I was finally able to go back to the house, I found the lights off and no one home. After I had been there for a few hours alone, I decided to go next door and find out where Cassandra had gone. I was shocked when I discovered that she had been taken to the hospital. At 93 years old she had still been pretty active, and I had grown awfully fond of her. She had frequently brought me snacks while I was working on homework, and we’d sit and talk while watching reruns of “Jeopardy” and other old shows like “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Bewitched.” She was one of the best people I knew. I was in the hospital with her when she passed peacefully away in her sleep. I sent an email to my teachers letting them know what had happened and that I’d miss school for a couple days. They were surprisingly understanding and just told me to make sure I was okay. My friends were also very compassionate, and I received several texts and calls from my circle. As far as I knew, I was the closest person she had to family, and I learned that was true when I was contacted by Cassandra’s attorney about her will. According to him, I had been named the sole beneficiary without my knowledge and would be inheriting a sizable chunk of money and stocks along with Cassandra’s house and possessions. This all came to a shock to me, as she had never given any hints that she was planning on doing this.

Over the next few months, Miranda and I grew closer and closer. It got to the point where we were rarely seen without each other, and my group took her in like she’d been a member the entire time. People started pushing us to date and eventually, on March 1st we made it official that we were dating. The members of my group were excited, and Geneva exclaimed, “Well it’s about time!”

Miranda was a bit nervous due to all the attention she was getting now that she was my girlfriend but as the rest of the semester wore on, people started focusing more on their exams which gave us plenty of time to be by ourselves.

When summer vacation hit in 2019, Miranda and I ended up staying at what was now my house. I had let my parents know what happened and they were surprisingly okay with me living up there. In mid-June, my group found out that I was the leader of the Keepers and discovered that I had fought in the Battle of Shreveport as they called it. I wasn’t sure how they found out until I discovered that someone had posted something on my Facebook page about it being over a year since the battle. When they inquired whether or not I’d be recruiting again for the Keepers, I told them eventually I would be, and they all wanted to join even though they knew virtually nothing about the group. So, me, being the melodramatic person I am, told them I would have to Knight them. They were all for it though, so I grabbed my old sword as they knelt on the floor of my living room. After I had lightly tapped each of them on the shoulders I said, “Arise Keeper Knights and go forth. Our holy mission is to preserve our history and our books. The day is coming when our great nation will need the Keepers to rise again and lead them into a new age. Good luck.”

The rest of the summer went by fairly quickly. My third semester began with the addition of John Lee, Conner Lee, Colin Howard, Aiden Merrill, Ben Cartwright, Alicia Welles, and Walker Davis to our ranks. Word had started spreading through the school that a new group by the name of the Keepers was forming and that the leader was the hero of the Battle of Shreveport. I became extremely popular in a very short amount of time, and it wasn’t long before the whole school knew exactly who I was. Miranda and I ended up spending most of our time outside of classes at the house where we could be alone and focus on our homework and relationship.

Christmas of 2019 was even more interesting than the previous one. With half the school now involved in the Keepers, a massive party was thrown once again the day after finals. The newly redesigned Keepers Flag hung alongside the school banner and the American flag in the biggest room in the student life building, the basketball court, which was where we held most of the parties and events at the college. Miranda and I were named the King and Queen of the school and a massive round table had been built by members of the performing arts group. When asked to give a speech, I didn’t know what to say so I just ran with it. I stood and looked at everyone seated at the table and said, “My fellow students, Keepers, and friends, this semester has been wonderful thanks to all of you. I am glad to know everyone here and I hope to have y’all as members of my organization for many years to come. The Keepers are very much alive here in Arkansas and once I finish here, I will return to Louisiana to reunite the Keepers there. The time is coming for the Keepers to claim their place in world history.” After I had finished, one of our number cheered and the rest followed suit.

Most of the Keepers at the UofA were Knights with their career choice as their future role in the Keepers. Our numbers continued to grow over the next year and eventually I named John Lee, Colin Howard, and Seryoun Tahl as Legate Commanders of the University of Arkansas Keepers. In the fall of 2020, Miranda was called back home in Kentucky due to an issue that arose in her family and after she left, I received no communication from her. No one else did either. It was a rough couple of weeks, but my friends helped me through it, and it wasn’t long before I was back to normal and started making some new plans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 3: Birth of the Colonies

During the last month of the spring semester of 2021, I started drawing up the plans for a colony in Kansas. I spent several hours searching for the perfect spot for the first and found a nice flat area just off to the west of El Dorado Lake. I contacted the Kansas State government and found out who the land belonged to. Once I had the information, I drove the four hundred and seventy-four miles from Little Rock, Arkansas to El Dorado, Kansas to meet the owner of the land and discuss my plans with him. Together we agreed on a deal that would be mutually beneficial to the both of us. In accordance with the deal, part of the Villa Complex, or Colony as I often referred to it, would be set aside for him and his family to live on once the initial foundations were laid. The centerpiece of the colonies would consist of the Villa, a structure that borrowed aspects of the old Roman Villas from the Roman Empire but was twice as large and modernized but given a rather rustic look on both the interior and exterior. It would be five stories tall and have enough rooms to house up to a hundred people at a time comfortably. Situated around the Villa would be houses, barracks, orchards, a training area, three armories, an area for horse stables, a small theater, a church, a hospital, 2 farms, a water reserve, and an area designated to the solar panels that would power the Main Complex. This would be surrounded by a wall with three main gates to the North, West, and South along with a smaller southern gate that led to a strictly military area of the colony and two more small gates that led into a fortified farm area with pens for livestock and other animals. The South Gate would open up to several fields and orchards. The south road would split, one direction leading to an airport and the other leading to the City of El Dorado. Five small forts would be situated along the banks of the lake to act as a defense for the Eastern half of the Colony. The West Gate would open up to more fields along with a road that would connect to US Route 77. Like the West Gate, the North Gate would also connect to a main road, this one being Interstate 35. The two routes had complicated my plans, but I figured out a way to work with them. The power generation would come from a combination of solar panels situated on the various buildings and hydroelectricity from the dam on Lake El Dorado. Once the plans were made, I started meeting with construction companies seeking to strike a deal to help build the Colony. The company I ended up striking a deal with was named Heartland Construction. Once they looked over the plans, they got excited. This would be one of their largest projects yet and one of the best paying. The final price of the construction would be about $300 million.

After I finished the plans and worked out everything for the main Colony, I started working on the plans for another location that I titled the Alaskan Colony. Before the beginning of the fall semester in 2021, I headed up to Alaska to meet with an Inuit tribal leader by the name of Amaguq, along with the Mayor of Anchorage, and the Alaskan Governor. The Chief and I agreed that his tribe would take care of the place and have an equal say in the affairs of the new colony when my people arrived. He, and his descendants, would have a place on the Alaskan Keepers Council until the end. Discussions with the mayor and governor took a bit longer than I originally intended. I ended up staying up there in Alaska for a couple months before heading back to Little Rock while doing online classes through the University of Arkansas.

I, along with the rest of the Keepers at the University of Arkansas, continued to work through our classes over the next year and most of the senior members graduated in May of 2022. I told them to make sure they remembered who they were and never stop believing in the Keepers cause. We all stayed in touch and saw each other regularly even after we graduated.

I was sitting at my desk one night in mid-2022 reading one of Miranda’s books that she had left at my house when an old picture frame caught my eye. I pulled it out from under some papers and there she was, smiling at the camera with laughter in her gray eyes and her hair all messed up. I sighed and set the book down on my desk, putting the picture on top of it before getting up and heading to a little diner a block from my house. When I walked in it was empty for the most part besides the employees who looked incredibly bored with being there. I sat down at a booth and a young waitress came to see what I would like to drink. I asked her for water, and she left to go get my drink after handing me a menu. I pulled out my notebook instead and started going through a list of names. I was only in contact with a few of the original members currently, but I knew it wouldn’t be hard to get back in touch with friends and family who had expressed interest in joining the Keepers. Theseus, Odette, and Allen were all old friends and still checked in often. At that moment, I decided to finally leave Little Rock and return to Shreveport to reunite the Keepers and start working on moving everyone to the new base in Kansas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 4: The Reunion of the Keepers

On a rather cold and wet September 23rd in 2022, I was walking home in downtown Little Rock with the streetlight’s reflection in the puddles by my feet. Suddenly, the streetlights started flickering, then suddenly darkness snuffed out the light. Within seconds I heard faint screaming from young kids and parents trying to calm them. A man in a damp trench coat bumped into me and shoved something that felt like a small piece of paper into my hand. I didn't know what was going on, so I headed home. I picked up my pace as I could hear thunder rolling in. The lightning in the distance illuminated my path. The few people who were also out were rushing past me to get under shelter. “Just one more block,” I kept telling myself.

It felt like I’d been walking forever. The wind had picked up right as I walked in, almost taking the door off its hinges. I took my phone out of my pocket and turned it on, trying to figure out what was going on, but I had no service. I was getting a bad feeling in my stomach; something wasn’t right. Little Rock had experienced terrible weather before, but not to where the lights and signal went out across the entire city. At least not while I had been there. I grabbed my backpack which I hadn't unpacked from a couple days before and set it by the front door, before heading to my room. I grabbed a duffle bag out of my closet and threw some clothes in it along with the other essentials people normally take with them on trips. Then I went to my gun case to get my old revolver, my rifle, and ammunition, just in case. I placed everything on my dining room table, double-checking to see if I had packed everything I would need just in case. Reaching for my phone again, I felt the paper the man had given me. It read,

The Chasers are behind it. You must reunite the Keepers and figure out how to stop them.

-Theo, Believer in the Keepers

Theo was a friend of mine I had met on my travels and was currently stationed in Washington at the White House. I looked out of the window and sighed. It had been 4 years since I last saw the other members of the original Keepers. After our last encounter with the Chasers, some of our members lost hope in our order and left. Some died during the battle, and other members expressed concerns that we were going to be attacked again. I had moved up to Little Rock, intending on laying low and having a fresh start, but ended up bringing a large number into a new group of Keepers. The first battle had taken a lot out of me. I had lost one of my closest friends when she left the organization to move further South, even though they killed three of our members and trashed part of our city in the process.

I looked back at the paper. I flipped it over and sure enough, there was more writing on the back of the note.

Hurry. Time is running out. The Chasers are becoming stronger as each second goes by. The President is under a lot of stress because of the increase in rioting in major cities. The Government is due to fall any day now.

 

The weather had gotten horrific outside while I had been reflecting on the past. The trees knocked against the windows. The wind tried to blow down the door, and lightning cracked above the house. It did not faze me though. I was quite fond of storms as it was, so I stayed up a bit late, packing and making sure I had everything before finally hitting the hay. The next morning, the sky was still dark and stormy looking, but for the moment the rain had stopped.  Before I left, I made sure everything was locked up tight and stuck a note in a waterproof box beneath a bush by my porch, a box that a few friends of mine in Little Rock would know to look for if they came to check things out. I had a feeling though that I’d be back before too long to get the rest of my stuff. I loaded my supplies into my truck and headed back to Shreveport, Louisiana, where our old headquarters was located. I had bought the building a couple years back from the original owner, and we still had our library, war room, armory, and everything else that was not destroyed during the Battle of 2018.

After two days of driving through a storm that stretched across seven states and getting stuck for a while in a small town on the Louisiana-Arkansas border, I finally arrived at our old base. I got out and looked around at the exterior of the building. You could tell that no one had been here for a while as the grass was due for more than a trim. So much dirt and dust had built up on the windows, it made it hard to see through them. When I went in, everything was how we left it, except for all the dust that developed, but it was as if time had paused itself once we left. Everywhere I looked, there were 3 inches of dust. Books and half-empty cups sat on tables next to chairs. There were files still lying open on the old mahogany table the original owner had moved into one of the meeting rooms for my original team where we could sit and have meetings. I could still remember the laughs and talks we had around the table with a few screaming matches as well.

As I looked around one of those times flashed through my head…

‘It was a cold and dreary day in the fall of 2015. It had been raining for a few days with no sign of stopping. Angel, who had been out seeking a few more books for our library in the Keepers Headquarters had just come in carrying three old looking books from an abandoned library on the edge of town. She set them down on one of the tables along the walls of the conference room and threw back her hood. As she set her bow and quiver down on the table as well, I spun around in my chair and said, “I see you found some.”

Angel gave me a small smile and said, “Yes, I did, but it wasn’t easy. The Chasers know we are based here. On my way in, I was almost captured by two of their agents. It was an excellent decision to implement a hidden door in the alley behind the building.”

I nodded and said, “We have to be more careful. If the Chasers figure out we only have a little over a dozen members based here, they will most likely attack. We need to recruit more members.”

She had walked over and sat down in a chair at the old war table as I was talking and once I finished she agreed and said, “You’re right, Snow. We need more members. Oh, and I learned something tonight.”

 I tilted my head to the side and asked, “What?”

“The name of the leader of the Chasers. His name is Ralof.”

Just as she said that Theseus walked in and said, “I once knew a Ralof. Big fellow. He was a member of the US Marine Corps until he was dishonorably discharged for beating another service member half to death despite being not much older than us.”

I looked at him and said, “Well, at least we know what we’re dealing with. Gather the Keepers based here in the city and bring them here. We need to figure out what we’re going to do.”

They both nodded and left the room. Two hours later we were all sitting around the table and Angel was filling the others in on the new information she had learned. One member, Allen, Theseus’s brother, slammed his fist onto the table and said, “We need to find this Ralof and let him know we’re not to be trifled with. We cannot risk losing the Base. For some of us, it’s the only home we have.”

A few of the others nodded in agreement and I looked around and said, “I will not start a fight until I know we can win. We are still a young organization. Let us wait till we have enough supplies and then let them know of our capacity and our will to fight for what’s right.”

Allen and the others looked at each other and then back at me and agreed. I nodded and said, “Now then. As y’all know, the day is coming when we will need to mount a defense to protect our city and the Base. We have to be ready. You all know your positions in the city if there is an attack. Snipers on the roofs and the rest in teams of four surrounding the enemy. We will not lose our home. Not to the Chasers or anyone else. This is our time.”

Angel and Theseus were nodding approvingly, and the others looked at each other and then agreed to the plan. I looked around at the people I had come to know as family and said “Let’s get moving. Good luck y’all.” With that we left to start preparations for an attack.’

Now the place just echoed with emptiness. I headed up to the roof to look at what I once called home; a lot had changed over the past four years. New buildings had been built and old ones were torn down or abandoned. But I still recognized it. I had many fond memories in the Shreveport-Bossier City area.

Over the next three weeks, two of my original Keepers showed up when they heard I was back in town. As did many other friends I had made over the years. Theseus Taylor, Odette, along with her now husband Charles Foster, and John Lee were among the first to show up. By the fourth week I was home, I had a full team again. I assigned everyone jobs and within the next month we had our base back in working order, everything spotless. We had recruiters going through the city finding old friends and family we knew we could trust; the Keepers were finally being rebuilt. During all of this, I had made a trip back to Little Rock to pack the rest of my stuff up and have it shipped to the Colony, though I didn’t sell the house, but instead rented it out to a nice young family. I had also found out the power grids around the world had been damaged by cyber attacks from an unknown source and that the grids in some places were damaged beyond repair. But all was not lost. Solar panels and hydroelectricity powered the Colony and had been powering our base in Shreveport for a long time now. And I knew that gradually, the power grids would come back up, which they did in most places within the span of the next few months.

A month after the Keepers returned to our home base, a small contingent of Chasers attacked us. A task force stormed three of our watchtowers around the city and were about to hit a fourth when a team of our Keepers took them out and sent a survivor to our base escorted by six Keepers to be interrogated. They locked him up in one of the cells and came to my office to give me their report.

The team of Keepers had been doing a routine patrol through Downtown when suddenly gunshots were heard, and they turned a corner to find the Chasers bombarding the tower with bullets. Theo Howe, who was on duty at the tower, had set up defenses as soon as he saw the Chasers and held them off long enough for the patrol to come to their aid.

I nodded and assured them of a job well done and released them to get some rest; they saluted and left the room. Theseus, who had been my best friend for twenty-two years at this point, came in as they left and sat down in one of the chairs in front of my desk. He asked me what we were going to do about the Chaser in our dungeon.

“I’ll go down in the morning for an interrogation,” I said while looking at my watch before looking back at him.

“I’ll be accompanying you then,” He stated. I agreed and wished him goodnight before heading to my own room. As I laid down, I couldn't help but wonder why the Chasers hit us directly instead of taking out our other two newer bases in Haughton and Bossier.

The next morning, I got up and headed down to interrogate our prisoner. Theseus was waiting for me at the entrance, and we walked in to find the Chaser lying on the floor dead with semi- dried foam on the sides of his mouth.

“Cyanide teeth,” Theseus stated. “In case one of them was captured.”

I headed to the War Room and told Theseus to round up the High Council. The High Council was composed of me, Theseus, Odette, Theo, Alexandria, Jordyn, Austin, and a few others. Austin and Theo, who had both arrived from Washington not long after I sent word that we were rebuilding, wanted to retaliate with a head-on strike to a Chaser base in Alexandria, Louisiana though we already had a Keepers force in the area led by my cousin Thomas Ashe. I told them that would be a bad idea because we were still low on guns and people, despite the guns we had been provided with from the Air Force base in Bossier, and we still had recruiters traveling through the cities. Eventually, we agreed to wait until we had everyone back in our Headquarters; the meeting was adjourned, and everyone except Theseus, Odette, and myself went on to other tasks. We were discussing plans for the Keepers in the upcoming weeks and months when suddenly, one of our newer members burst into the room, telling us that a well armed group was heading our way and was currently headed down I-20 towards our headquarters. The other senior members looked at me as I said, “Wake the others and tell them we’re under attack.”

As my Keepers assembled in the city, my co-leaders and I were discussing plans of attack. Suddenly, Colin Howard, one of our newer but promising members, came in and told me that the Chasers were assembled a couple blocks away. I grabbed my gun and told them to get ready. As we headed through my Keepers, a shout rang through the night calling my name. I reached the front, and the leader of the Chasers was standing 30 feet away. He smirked as he looked me and my Keepers over. “So, you are the mighty Snow Ashe, Founder and Supreme Commander of the Keepers. I had no idea you were so young.” It almost sounded like he had the audacity to try and mock me.

“What does that say about me though? I defended my city when I was only nineteen with twenty Keepers. What do you think I could do with hundreds?”  I replied and he stopped smirking.

“Maybe you are a force to be reckoned with. Or maybe we will destroy you, the last hope of the great United States of America." There was that mocking tone in his voice again. 

I saw him shift uncomfortably as he watched my forces for a moment, sizing them up and then I replied, “No, you won't destroy us. Your people tried and failed last time, and you will fail again this time. This is our home. And we’ll defend it against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

At this he looked back at his troops and as he was about to give the command to attack, I raised my arm in a signal, and my snipers took out most of his Chasers. The leader, however, was mine. I pulled out my revolver and before he knew what was happening, the Chaser Commander was laying on the concrete. My forces had won this fight almost too easily. I walked over to a truck and jumped up into the back and looked at my forces before telling them they should watch for retaliation; this wasn't over. But unbeknownst to me, it was going to be over for a while. The next few hours consisted of us getting rid of the bodies before the sun came up. It wasn’t long before the police showed up, and once I explained what had happened and who we were, they helped with the cleanup process. As we reformed and kept adding to our numbers over the next few months and worked alongside the Shreveport and Bossier police to keep the cities secure, I started also finding people to lead new Keeper garrisons in the Eastern half of the United States while also scouting out new areas in the Western half for potential locations.

 

Chapter 5: Meeting Sophie

Three months after the showdown between the Keepers and the Chasers, on January 18th, 2023, I was at a small gathering at Theseus’s apartment in Bossier City. He and his girlfriend, Aurora Silverstar, had moved back in 2022 shortly before my return to the headquarters of the Keepers. Things had been getting out of hand at his college due to the increasing amount of government influence and once the power went out, the students were sent home. The gathering was made up of Keepers and other members of Theseus’s friend group. A few people had brought a couple of their other friends along as well. Now, by this time I had been single for a few years and the people who knew me well enough knew what I was looking for and I knew the odds of me finding exactly what I was looking for were slim to none. So, when Theseus pulled me aside and told me that a friend of his had invited essentially the perfect girl for me, I was shocked. He and I had been discussing what I was looking for in a girl for a long time and I couldn’t believe he had finally discovered one. 

He pointed to the balcony where the girl was standing looking up at the gathering storm clouds and said “Go get her Snow. You two are meant to be together. I know it deep in my bones.” I smiled nervously and headed out to join the girl. As I got outside, I noticed several things very quickly. This girl looked exactly like the girl I had been dreaming about for over a decade. She was about a head shorter than me, had light blonde hair that fell to her mid back, and was wearing a dark red dress that funnily enough matched the inside lining of my blue jacket I was wearing. When she looked around to see who I was, her misty blue eyes startled me. They were slightly bigger than normal, and she held my gaze for a few moments before looking back at the sky and saying with a soft voice, “Looks like a storm is rolling in.” I could hear a hint of an unfamiliar accent in her voice. I went and stood at the railing with her and agreed. She looked at me and said, “My name is Sophie. Sophie Stone. And I’m assuming you’re Snow Ashe, Theseus’s best friend, Leader of the Keepers, and the guy I’ve been told so much about. The people at this party seem to hold you in very high regard.”

 I looked at her and said, with a slight nervousness in my voice, “That would be me yes, it’s nice to meet you, Sophie.”

Sophie smiled sweetly as she said, “Don’t be nervous Snow. I remember seeing you from my father’s office window in Downtown Shreveport during the Battle of 2018. Your forces were hopelessly outmatched and y’all still managed to win the fight. That shows extraordinary leadership and coordination of your people. Of course, I heard about your Keepers long ago. I actually started my own group in 2012 named the American Order of Peace with a few friends of mine not long after you founded the Keepers. We had our base situated not far from here, first at my parent’s house, and then at an old apartment complex for several years until the Chasers returned a few months ago. My now ex betrayed my own group and led an attack on our home base. We lost about half of our members including my best friend. Some of those who remain are here tonight.”

I nodded and said “I appreciate your compliments about our actions during the Battle of 2018. And I’m sorry for your losses. I know all too well the grief losing friends can cause. As for you and your people, if you would like to, we could merge our two groups. The Keepers of the Lost Stories and the American Order of Peace. Combined, the American Keepers. From here on out, should you accept the offer, your people will always have a home no matter what happens.”

She gave me a smile as she said “You sure do move fast. I like it though. I’m glad I came tonight. My people have lost a lot of their hope over the past couple of months, it’ll be good for them to be a part of something like your Keepers. Theseus and the others were right about you.”

I looked at the people inside and noticed that several were looking at us and talking to each other but looked away when they realized I’d seen them. I looked back at Sophie and said “You know, if you’d like you could come to the base tonight with your people. We have plenty of room.”

She looked at the group inside for a moment before looking back at me and saying, “I’d like that.”

We kept talking for a while and I learned a bit more about her. She was raised with the same ideals I was, and she appreciated history unlike so many others in our generation. In a sense, she really was the absolute perfect girl for me.

While we were talking, she noticed the two rings on my left hand and asked about them. I looked at them and said “One is to remind me that no matter what happens, I am never alone, for God is always watching. The second is to remind me that even though you may think someone is going to be there forever, that is not always the case.”

She nodded and said “I understand that. I agree with both sentiments. Growing up I was raised in a small church and my parents were always devout Christians. I’ve never doubted my faith either. As for the second, well, I’ve been abandoned a couple times over the past few years, and both were damaging. But, I know something good is coming my way. If it hasn’t already.” She finished that last sentence with a shy smile.

We had been out there for a while talking when she asked, “Do you think you should let your people know we’ll be coming to the base tonight?” with a gentle tone in her voice.

I realized she had a point so I called one of the Keepers at my base to let him and the others know what was going on. He and I spoke for a few moments before ending the call. When I turned to look back at the girl by my side, she was looking at me with hope in her eyes where there had previously been none. I smiled as I looked up at the dark storm clouds moving in from the Northeast and I could feel the wind picking up. She followed my gaze and moved a little closer.

“We should head in..” I started. She simply nodded in response, so I didn’t continue. When a loud clap of thunder made Sophie jump, I smiled and said, “It’s alright, come with me.” The girl followed me inside and over to where Theseus was standing with Maia and a few other Keepers. Theseus and Maia were a little too thrilled to see that spark in my eyes again whenever I looked at Sophie. 

An hour or so later I led Sophie and her people into our base in Shreveport. We were met at the door by my sisters, Jordyn and Alexandria. I introduced Sophie to them, and Alexandria looked at me and said, “You finally found her.”

I smiled and said “I think so. Can you two lead her people to the spare living quarters on the third floor?” Alexandria nodded and the two walked off with fifteen of Sophie’s remaining Order members following them. I turned to Sophie and said, “Let’s go to my office.” She nodded and followed me down another hallway. When we got to my office, it looked more like a war room with a big table and maps of the cities I had Keepers in covering the walls. Sophie and I went and sat down at the table. I was about to say something just as the building shook and Jordyn came running in soon after.

“One of the buildings nearby just collapsed killing at least 100 people, you’re needed in the control room.” She spoke in a panicked mumble, but I still managed to make out what she was saying before she ran off.

“Do you want to come or stay here?” I turned to ask Sophie while trying to seem calm.

“I’m coming.” She said as she took my hand and walked by my side to the Control room. When I got there Katherine Cooper, Theo, Aaron Axwell, and a few others were waiting for me.

“The building didn't collapse because of a structural problem or an accident; it was a planned demolition” Theo told me.

“And you’re positive about this?” I asked, surprised by his theory, he nodded.

“There were a series of explosions all through the building at key structural points and Chasers had placed them, I’m sure of it.” He briefly explained.

“How did the Chasers get through our security patrols and manage to rig the tallest building in Shreveport to blow? And manage to get away?” I asked before looking at Katherine and saying, “Call back some of our Knights from their posts in North and South Shreveport and have them form a boundary around Downtown Shreveport until we get the situation under control.” She nodded as another loud clap of thunder shook the building; Sophie edged closer to me.

“I‘m heading to the site, you’re in charge while I’m gone.” I quickly said to Theo before heading to the door. I looked at Sophie who was obviously intending on coming with me before looking at my Keepers and saying, “This is a code red. We have been attacked. We need to stay on our guard.” With that, I led Sophie out of the room and to the parking garage where our vehicles were hidden. Outside, the rain was steadily coming down and lightning lit up the sky. As we drove over to the site of the building, Sophie took my hand in hers and thanked me for being so welcoming. I said that it was part of my job description as a Keeper, but I didn't normally bring another group into my base. She said that she understood that. She had taken in another group, and it was with that group that her ex led the attack on her base. I told her that I knew I could trust her right from the moment I met her, and she told me the same. I could tell that she was as thrown off by that though as I was.

She kept glancing over at me, as if she was trying to figure me out, until we reached the ruins of the Regions Tower in Downtown Shreveport. The collapse of the tower had caused damage to the surrounding buildings and street as well. The police and fire departments were there along with some of the National Guard who were stationed here in the Shreveport-Bossier area. Once they saw me, they let Sophie and I through to examine the wreckage. Everyone knew who I was by this point and what my forces were capable of. I noticed a piece shining under the floodlights, after picking it up and examining it, I found that it was something that had been left for me. It had a message that said:

“Commander Snow Ashe of the Keepers. We have taken out your forces in San Francisco and Seattle. We have control of the Western Seaboard. We are coming for you next.”

-Chaser High Command-

I growled, we needed to move our base to our new location, fast. As we left the wreckage, I could feel someone watching me, but I couldn't see anyone, so I tried to brush it off and we headed back to base. When we got back, John and Odette were waiting for me in the Council Room, they had just arrived back a mere fifteen minutes after Sophie and I had left.

“Jefferson and Ruston are secure, and we left half our commands in each city to maintain the peace.” Odette told me in a professional and reassuring tone.

I told them about what had happened to the Regions Tower after they finished their reports, and it shocked them before I even finished.

“How could something like this even happen?” Odette asked me.

“There are too few Keepers located here. There are around three hundred keeping the peace. It's a big city and it can't all be watched, especially with the power still out across large sections of it.” Sophie said before I could answer.

“Who’s this?” Odette asked, surprised at the interruption, I introduced Sophie and told them she had been the leader of a group called the American Order of Peace. I also told them how her group was attacked by the Chasers and that they would be joining our ranks. They welcomed her and then headed to their rooms to get rested after their trip back after we finished our discussion. After they had left, I led Sophie back to my part of the building where I had an extra room that she could sleep in. We went to our rooms around 1 am and I was out by 1:30.

Around 4:30 am however, Sophie shook me awake, telling me that something was going on to the southwest of the base. I scrambled out of bed and tugged on my boots while trying to grab my gun belt. I led the way to the roof to see what was going on. There was an orange glow approaching the city, and it wasn't stopping, it looked almost like a sunrise but was expanding much too quickly.

“Wake the others!” I yelled to no one in particular while trying to sound as loud as I could to inform others near us. Sophie and I ran through the halls of the base waking everyone up and telling them to get battle-ready. Within 30 minutes, our small, but well-armed force was in full defense mode.

Sophie, Theseus, Odette, Theo, and I were on the roof of the base watching the orange glow get closer. We had darkened the base to make it appear we had no idea that we were about to be attacked. At 5:30 am the approaching army stopped, and a single torch came towards us. The messenger was waving a flag that was one of our own, and I recognized it even from a distance.

“Tell our forces to stand down and that there’s nothing to worry about. I know who they are.” I said to Theseus, he nodded in response and headed downstairs.

The rest of us who were on the roof headed down the stairs and out of the base towards the messenger. We stopped 4 yards away and just as a precaution asked who the army was. The messenger replied that they were the Legion of Keepers who had been based in Alexandria, Louisiana, under the command of Garrison Commander Thomas Ashe. The messenger, who turned out to be another one of my cousins, headed back to the force. A few minutes had passed before Thomas came riding up to me on a tawny colored horse. He dismounted and handed the reins to one of his people and walked up to me and greeted me with a Roman handshake. I smiled as I said, “You made good time. Thank you for coming so soon.”

Thomas released my arm and fell into set beside me as he said, “Of course, you know I’ll always be there when you call. My Legion was almost too eager to come see the Keeper Headquarters as it was so it didn’t take much convincing for them to pack up and prepare for the move. Do the others know about the Colony?”

I shook my head. “Not yet, but I will be letting them know tomorrow.” He nodded in response.

It wasn’t long before we reached the base, and I led the way inside with Sophie and Thomas on each side and my commanders following close behind. I instructed the senior members of the Keepers that were on base to meet me in the Council Chambers at eleven am, for now, they could rest. Sophie and I headed back to my office to talk about the plans for her people and whether they wanted to stay. She told me that, despite their rocky past with new groups, her people wanted to stay.

The next morning, at a little after eleven, my Council, which was made up of my Inner Circle and senior Keepers, met in the Council Chambers. Once everyone was seated and all was quiet, I told them about our new base and that it was a large, fortified Villa Complex built in Southern Kansas along the edge of Lake El Dorado that could house our entire organization of roughly ten thousand Keepers nationwide if the need arose. We had plenty of farmland, lumber, water supplies, and lots of room to expand if need be.

The Villa in the Colony was completely ready for us to move in by this point, and everyone was completely shocked that I had done it in secret and asked me when I managed to get it done.

“I’ve been working on it since 2021. The people who built it understood that it needed to be done as soon as possible due to the current dangers presented to the Keepers and the rest of the American people once I told them my concerns and showed them proof.” I told them. They all agreed that it would be a good idea to move as soon as possible. Within a month most of our forces were relocated to the fort I had named Camulodunum after the first Capital of the province of Britain during the age of the Roman Empire. My group, who were the last to leave our base in Shreveport, were the oldest members who had grown up in the city. Theseus, Maia, Odette, Charles, Sophie, and I left on May 21st, 2023, and headed to our new home.

A few days later, when we finally arrived, the Colony was bustling with activity. Our people were getting settled into their new homes and getting ready to start new jobs and handle new responsibilities. The Villa itself stood tall and proud, towering over the other buildings in the complex, its many windows shining in the sunlight. As I opened the big old-fashioned wooden doors, they revealed the rustic interior and the others gasped at the grand staircase that led to the second floor. I chuckled and turned to them as I said, “Welcome home y’all.”

On December 20th, 2023, almost a year after we had moved to the Colony, I was sitting alone at our conference table in the Villa when Theseus, Maia, Charles, Odette, and Sophie all came in. They were all wearing winter coats and I could feel the chill coming from them due to their time outside. Sophie walked behind me and wrapped her arms around my neck as she said, “I’m surprised you’re here when it’s as cold as it is out there. Normally you’d be out there with us. I missed you.”

I smiled and said, “I missed you too. And yes, normally, I would be. But I had some work to do, so I came to spend the day here since there's more space to spread out. What are y’all up to in this weather?”

Theseus went around to the other side of the table and sat down and said, “We were just discussing our plans for the Keeper's Christmas Party.”

I looked down at the notebook in front of me for a second too long and he said, “Surely you haven’t forgotten about our Christmas parties. I know you were gone for a while, but we can bring back the tradition, right?”

I sighed and said, “No, I haven’t. I just wish that there weren’t so many people gone from our original group. Angel, Jay, Alice, Rose, Donovan, Virginia...all dead or lost to us.”

Odette, who was listening to us, spoke up and said, “One of those people betrayed us all when she left and joined the Chasers. I know how close you two were. Six years is a long time. But Angel chose her side long ago. You and I both know that. Alice left because Angel, who is her sister, had encouraged her to do so prior to the attack, and Virginia resigned when she moved to South Louisiana. In my opinion, we’re better off without them. We have a powerful organization now, Snow. Stronger than it’s ever been. Sophie has joined us and brought her people with her when we were in Shreveport-Bossier and your cousin Thomas has tripled our ranks with the First Legion from Alexandria.”

Sophie sat down next to me and agreed with Odette. “Snow, your friends and family who care about you are behind you one hundred percent. And you know we’re not going anywhere.”

I smiled and said, “What would I do without y’all.”

Theseus laughed and said, “You’d find a way to overcome everything life throws at you. You always have. Even when things were at their darkest, you still manage to push through.”

I nodded and said, “Alright then. We have a Christmas Party to plan.” The others smiled, and we got to work.

Four days later it was Christmas Eve and there were around seventy people in the Villa. Most of the core group were there, including Theo, Miranda, Jordyn, Allen, and of course Sophie, Theseus, and Odette. Thomas was having his own Christmas party at the Branson Garrison with his Legion, but had promised to be within the Colony’s walls before New Year’s. After a few hours, I slipped away for a bit to get some fresh air. I wasn’t out there long before I was joined by Sophie. She handed me a glass of something, and we stood there in silence for a moment looking up at the stars before I looked at her and said, “Thank you for being here. I’m glad I have you by my side.”

Sophie looked at me and gave me a smile as she said, “There’s no place I’d rather be.” She moved a bit closer and I wrapped an arm around her as we looked back at the starry sky before heading back into the warmth of the Villa.

As time went on, my Keepers restored order and made small bases in each city we went to. Theseus, Odette, Austin, Theo, and Thomas all led their respective forces in Dallas, Branson, Washington DC, Seattle (once we took it back), and New Orleans while Sophie and I led in Camulod. Life was looking up for our community as more and more people joined our cause and joined the fight to protect all that was good in our world.

A few months later, on a cool spring morning in 2024, I was sitting in my office looking over a map of the Colony getting ready to start planning an expansion of the already growing city when a thought occurred to me. The Keepers forces were steadily growing but we didn’t have an area designed specifically for the training of new recruits within the walls. Most of the training was done outside the walls in a large grassy area beside the lake. We did however have a field next to the Villa that was empty, so I went to the drawing board and started drawing up the plans for the new training area. The new area would be equipped with an armory, barracks, and plenty of room to train young recruits.

Once I had finished the plans I headed to the site where the new training facility would be. Alexandria Ashe, my sister and Head of the Training Program for new Keepers was talking to my other sister Jordyn in the main entry of the Villa along with three of our newer fully fledged Keepers, Madison Lee, sister of Legate Commander John Lee and Garrison Commander Conner Lee, Jessie Ashe, sister of Garrison Commander Thomas Ashe, and Meredith Axwell, who was a member of the Keepers Military Intelligence Agency and sister of Garrison Commander Aaron Axwell. I greeted the group and then asked if I could have a moment with Alexandria alone.

The girls nodded and I walked out of the Villa with Alexandria. She turned to me and asked, “What’s going on?”

I pulled a sketch of the new training area out of my notebook that I had in my hand and said, “This will be the new Keepers training area should you approve of it. It is fairly simple, and it won’t take long to build, but I think you’ll find everything you need once it is finished.”

She smiled and said, “Thank you! When will construction start?”

I looked at my watch and said “I’ll have to go find Victoria, but it should be within the next day or so and be finished before the summer is over. I want to go look at the site first though, do you want to come with me?” After she said yes, I led her through the complex until we reached the empty field.

Surprisingly enough, Victoria was already there watching a few of her engineers fix something on the western wall. She acknowledged us with a nod before telling them to keep up the good work over a radio before turning to us and asking, “Hi there! What can I do for y’all?”

I handed her the sketch and told her what our plan was, and she looked it over and said, “Yeah, we can do this. Simple enough. I may need a few Knights to help us, but it shouldn’t be a long project.”

We talked for a few more minutes about the construction and plans and then left her to resume her work.

 

 

 

Chapter 6: The Wedding 

It was a surprisingly cool evening in the Colony and the newly established headquarters of the American Keepers was starting to quiet down for the evening. The date was August 15th, 2024. I was sitting on the roof of the Villa alongside Sophie watching the sun set and the lights beneath us start to shine. Sophie had barely left my side since I met her in early 2023 and once we had started dating we were even more inseparable. From the moment she and I met we had an instant connection. Everything we’d gone through had led to our meeting. And now here we were, sitting on the rooftop looking out over our city. Unbeknownst to her, I had a surprise in line for her. She looked up at me as I stood up and tilted her head to the side questioningly. I just smiled and offered her my hand which she took and stood up to stand in front of me. A slight breeze lifted the ends of her blonde hair up a bit as she asked “Snow, is everything alright?”

I nodded. “Everything is perfect. Our Colony is thriving, our people are happy and safe, and I have you by my side. Only one thing could make this day better.”

Sophie’s eyes widened as I pulled out a ring from my pocket and kneeled as I said, “Sophie Elizabeth Stone, will you marry me?”

She froze for a moment and then jumped into my arms and said excitedly, “Yes! Yes of course!”

I stood up and hugged her before slipping the ring on her finger. She held her hand out to look at it for a moment before she looked back at me and said, “It’s beautiful Snow.”

We stood there talking for a few more minutes before we headed downstairs to the main living area where, unbeknownst to her, the others of my Inner Circle had gathered waiting for us. Theseus, Odette, and a few other members had returned for the announcement, and each had left a Legate and Garrison Commander in charge of the garrisons. When we walked down the stairs hand in hand, the group cheered. Our announcement that we were engaged had been an extremely anticipated event since we announced that Sophie and I were dating. It was planned to be the first wedding in the Colony and the first big gathering of a non-military matter. Everyone would be there.

On November 13th, 2024, everything was ready for the wedding. The Colony was full of excitement. Everything was spotless. Windows shone in the bright sunlight and a fresh layer of snow covered the ground and with every movement, it reflected the sunlight like a hundred million diamonds. As I stood there beside Theseus in the church waiting for Sophie to come down the aisle, I looked around and remembered the wedding planning party we had with the Inner Circle.

‘I was sitting next to Sophie on one of the couches in my office talking with her, Theseus, Odette, Maia, Katherine, Legate Commander John Lee and his sister Madison who was the Head Interior Designer for the Keepers. We had already decided the colors of the wedding would be blue, silver, and red and were now discussing floral arrangements. That took a lot of debating between the girls and eventually Theseus and I got tired of their debate and made our own suggestions. Eventually we all agreed that the flowers were going to be a mixture of the wedding colors. Blue orchids, silver lilies, and red carnations would comprise the bouquet with small groupings of the flowers along the pews of the sanctuary. Then we started planning the reception. The orchards in the Villa courtyard were now tall enough to have lights strung between them and tables placed below them. The head table would be set before the main entry doors of the Villa. That was plan A at least. Our plan B was to have the reception in the Great Hall. The Bridesmaids would consist of Jordyn, Katherine, Madison, Maia, Odette, and Alexandria. They would be wearing long dark red dresses. My best man was Theseus of course, and the groomsmen would be Allen Taylor, Austin Baker, John Lee, Thomas Ashe, and Charles Foster. They would be wearing blue suit jackets, along with white button-down shirts. Everyone would be wearing boots as that was just the common thing to wear in the Colony by this point. The wedding was slowly but surely coming together.’

Suddenly the doors of the sanctuary opened, and there she was. Sophie Stone, soon to be Sophie Ashe, was standing in the doorway with her father. Everyone stood and turned to watch her pass by and I heard several awes and a few people whispered “Look at that dress, it’s beautiful.” She was wearing a simple, but elegant white dress that went to her ankles, and had long sleeves, while the bottom of the dress was a mixture of dark blue and red fading into each other and then into white the high up they went.. Her veil was attached to a silver corselet. Sophie’s long blonde hair was down and had a smooth shine to it. Her father had been a bit surprised to receive my request to marry his daughter only a month or so before I proposed, but as we got along well and he knew that I would never hurt his daughter, he had given me permission. Sophie’s mother was sitting in the front row with my parents, and I knew she had tears in her eyes. As my girl walked down the aisle, I could not help but tear up a bit. Sophie was everything I had ever wanted and more. She walked up and stood in front of me and smiled under the veil. I lifted it over her head and took her hands in mine. Her misty blue eyes reflected my own excitement as the officiator told the audience they may be seated. During the wedding planning, we had agreed that Rachel Winter, head of the Camulodian Church, would officiate. She had arrived with my cousin Thomas back in 2022 before we had left our old headquarters to move to Camulod. Sophie and I stayed still as Rachel began to speak.

I only half listened as she said “Now, as most of y’all know, I am relatively new to the Keepers, and I haven’t known Snow and Sophie long. But I am proud to officiate this wedding. We are gathered here today to witness the joining of Snow Caspian Ashe and Sophie Elizabeth Stone in holy matrimony and to celebrate the first wedding in Camulod. Does anyone object to this marriage?”

I looked out at the crowd almost daring anyone to object to the wedding as Sophie and I had been waiting for this day for a long time.

When no one said anything, she continued, “Snow, would you like to say your vows to Sophie?”

I nodded and said “Sophie, mere words cannot express everything I wish to say but I will try my best. When I first met you, I knew you were the one. The one I had been waiting for my whole life. Meeting you made everything worth it. You have been there for me since the day we met, and you have never wavered. You have my heart, my soul, and my mind. I promise to always love and protect you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, never wavering for a single moment. I am yours. Now and forever.”

Sophie almost broke into tears as I finished. Rachel looked at Sophie and said softly, “Sophie, would you like to say your vows?”

Sophie nodded and had to breathe for a moment before she said “Snow, when I first met you, I was in a rough place. My whole world had been turned upside down. Then we met and everything changed. You have been a constant in my changing life. Anytime I needed someone to talk to, to lean on, to pray with, you have been there. You are my best friend and the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I promise to always love and support you, through good times and bad, in sickness and in health, now and forever. I am, and always will be, yours.”

Now I was tearing up as Rachel looked at Theseus and asked him to hand us the rings. As we placed the rings on each other's fingers, Rachel spoke to both of us as she said, “Snow and Sophie, I now pronounce you as Snow and Sophie Ashe! Snow, you may kiss your bride.”

I grinned as I pulled Sophie close and kissed her. The people attending stood and cheered as I did and as we broke apart, we turned to look out at the crowd. Our mothers had tears in their eyes as they clapped. We walked down the stairs together and then down the aisle hand in hand. She and I headed to a private room where we could spend a little time alone and change into some more comfortable clothes before going and seeing everyone at the reception. Two of my Keeper Knights stood by the entrance of the hallway so that we wouldn’t be bothered.

Thirty minutes later, Sophie and I joined the reception. Everyone stood as we entered the Great Hall in the Villa and I noticed that many of the others had changed into more of their normal, everyday apparel just as Sophie and I had. Sophie was still wearing her veil but had changed into a simple red dress, the same one she was wearing the day we met, with a pair of boots, while I was wearing a blue denim shirt along with  typical jeans, boots, and old cowboy hat. I had left my revolver and gun belt in my office however as the complex was secure and well-guarded. As the sky dimmed, the blue lights that had been hung along the window frames shone and the room was lit up by the glow of the setting sun. 

After we had all eaten and were waiting for our food to settle before the traditional dance, Theseus tapped his glass with a spoon and stood up to give his best man speech. The crowd quickly quieted down as he began. “Well, as most of y’all know, I’ve known Snow for a very long time. My entire life in fact. We have been best friends and brothers since the beginning and we’ve helped each other through some hard times and been there for most of the big moments. I will never forget how he was there for me when I lost loved ones and went through breakups. But I will also never forget how he used to be the ringleader of our little group when we lived across the street from each other when we were kids. He used to get us into loads of trouble. We used to build leaf forts out of the leaves we would take from our neighbors’ yards, ride our bikes around the block and occasionally pretend we were storm chasers when a big storm would roll in, the list goes on. He has always been a reader and if it weren’t for his passion for books, I’m not sure any of us would be here in Camulod today. I haven’t known Sophie as long, but from the moment I met her I knew she’d be a great match for my best friend. Both were, well, still are huge geeks and great leaders. Their personalities matched quite well and from the way they hit it off, I knew they’d end up getting married. And so here we are, celebrating the union of two of the best people I have ever known. So, to Snow and Sophie Ashe, Leaders of the Keepers and of our great colony!”

Everyone said cheers and he sat back down next to me. I smiled and looked at Sophie and kissed her before the music started and we got up and headed to the dance floor. The rest of the night went by too quickly and before we knew it, it was three in the morning, so we bade everyone goodnight and headed to our room in the Villa.

 

 

Chapter 7: The Negotiations

Around 9 am one sunny January day in 2025 I was in my office when Sophie walked in followed by Theseus who had a troubled look on his face. He sat down in front of my desk and told me of a new Chasers force that might be rising. I looked at him and said that we’d had no trouble with Chasers for the past several months. Sophie then chimed in and said we had lost contact with the garrisons in Portland, Maine and Manchester, New Hampshire a few days earlier and that our scouts hadn't returned. I was surprised to hear this and said, "I had hoped she would heed my warning."

Sophie and Theseus both looked at me and said "Who?"

I told them about the new official leader of the Chasers, my old girlfriend Angel Holt, Co-Founder of the original Keepers. Theseus looked at me shocked and said that he thought she was dead. I shook my head and said that her husband of four years had been killed when he led the last attack on the old Keepers headquarters in Shreveport in 2022. When her husband died, she assumed the chair of command and she was now out for revenge against the very organization she helped create. I then told Theseus to send the word out to all forty eight Garrisons to prepare for an attack. He nodded and left the room.

Three weeks later we got word that our Phoenix Garrison had fallen. That was the third Garrison we lost in the Southwest. I slammed the heavy book I had been reading beforehand down on the old table we used in Camulod for our war room to silence the arguing Legates and Commanders. Sophie and Theseus chuckled as the room went silent. Everyone there knew my temper and knew that once I got to a certain point to calm down or walk away.

"Now then. What are we going to do to stop the Chasers? They know our tactics and the plans we put in place to prevent something like this from happening. So, we do the opposite. Recall half of our forces to Camulod, and then we will lead an exterminatory force to finish the Chasers once and for all. The Chasers have been plaguing this nation for too long." With a shout, everyone agreed, and we set a plan in motion.

Two legions would do a North-South sweep down from Camulod to the Mexican border securing a massive section of the country that would protect the Eastern half from invasion from the West. Three legions would sweep the Midwest and wipe out any Chaser forces and then head to the Chaser Headquarters in San Fransisco. Once there, I would lead a team to penetrate the base and capture Angel as my Keepers took out any Chasers remaining in the Base. Sophie would be the Commander of Camulod while we were on campaign in the Western half of the country. At least, that’s what our original plan consisted of. It didn’t exactly go down that way.

We decided on that plan over a couple days, and then there was the matter of organizing the troops and supplies needed for an operation of this scale. A week later, we were doing finishing touches and preparing to leave, when suddenly, I heard yells from outside of my office that an army was approaching from the South-West. I told Sophie to stay in my office as I grabbed my gun belt and went outside. Theseus, Daniel, and Theo were waiting for me, and I told them to spread the word to the troops to prepare for an attack. Quietly. They nodded and did as I asked.

I looked up at the guards on the gate watchtowers and told them to open the gates. They did as I said, and it shocked me to see that it wasn't the Chasers. It was two old friends that I hadn't spoken to since the power went out globally back in 2022.Their names were Chase Rye, Commander of the British Keepers Division, and Alexandru Dimitrescu, Commander of the Romanian Keepers Division. I had known both of them for a long time. I met Chase back when we were still kids and then I met Alexandru on my trip to Florida with my family back in 2015. Our European branch of the Keepers was originally just in the British Isles, but as word had spread of a new American-led order that was aimed at preserving history rather than rewriting it, people joined by the boatloads to help us secure the future. Country by country the members of the European Keepers secured the European Continent led by Chase and Alexandru. I told everyone to stand down and I led the two European Commanders inside the Villa. Theo and Daniel were finding quarters in the barracks for the six thousand Keepers that survived the Chasers onslaught in Europe.

I led Theseus, Chase, and Alexandru into my office and shut the door. I motioned for them to have a seat as Sophie got up from my chair. I sat down and asked Chase what brought him here, and he lost the bright look in his eyes. He had lost nearly forty thousand Keepers in an attack on their home base in London two months before their arrival here. Alexandru too had lost most of his forces and was now left with his Inner Circle and a few hundred of his own Keepers. Europe was in chaos. The Keepers were almost nonexistent in Eurasia and Africa. I felt shocked as they told me everything.

"How could this happen? Four months ago, the world was secure and now it's like all hell broke loose. With our Eurasian and African forces decimated, all that’s left are our Australian, South American, and North American forces.” I questioned. Suddenly Theo burst in with a letter from our garrison in Washington DC. It read:

Supreme Commander Snow Ashe. The Chasers have DC and managed to attack three other garrisons on the East Coast as well in one fell swoop. My troops and I are currently heading back to Camulod. We tried to save the President, but we were too late. They killed the entire presidential line of succession. We saw it with our own eyes. The Chaser flag flies over the Capitol. We will meet up with the survivors from the fallen garrisons of Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston on the road to Camulod.

-Legate Commander Austin Baker

I read this brief letter and leaned back in my chair out of shock. The United States was no more. The Chasers had taken over the Capital of the free world. I handed the note to Sophie and as she read it, her eyes widened, and she sank onto my knee in shock. The other four Commanders had similar reactions when they heard what had happened. Theseus and the two European Commanders all sank onto the two couches as they processed what had just happened. I looked at the leaders in front of me.

“Send word to all garrisons to start preparing all defensive measures as soon as possible.” I told them. They nodded, still in shock and left the room. Sophie looked at me and asked what we were going to do. I told her we were going to stay in Camulod and make our last stand here. She looked down shyly and told me that she was pregnant with my child. I pulled her into a hug as we were only in our mid-twenties and about to enter a whole new world, one without the security that the United States provided. But we had prepared for this.

I was just about to head back to the Villa a couple days later when I got a message saying that a small group had arrived at the Northern Gate. I turned around and headed towards the gate with a heavy sigh. When I got there however, I was pleasantly surprised. A group had come to join us led by three Legate Commanders from Little Rock, Arkansas. Their names were Seryoun Tahl, Christopher Farren, and Mark Sullivan. They had arrived with their families and several other members including some new members from the University of Arkansas from the days when I was attending the college there before the Keepers relocated to Camulod. I welcomed them and led them to a new section of houses that had recently been built. They thanked me, and I told them that we’d have a meeting in the morning to catch up on everything that had been happening. They agreed, and I headed back to the Villa to let them settle in.

On November 24th, 2025, Sophie and I welcomed our newest member. We named him Killian, after my grandfather on my Dad’s side. He opened his eyes fairly quickly, revealing them to be the same dark blue of mine, while he had Sophie’s light blonde hair.

I stayed with Sophie in our Villa for a week before I had to return to my duties as Commander of Camulod. The day I returned to active-duty, Sophie and I left Killian with my cousin Jessie and went to the stables to get our horses and inspect the city. When we made the move to Camulod, we had decided to go with an old-fashioned approach and use horses as the main source of in-Colony transportation, though we still had plenty of vehicles should the need ever arise. Once we had our horses saddled up and ready to go, we rode through the main Villa Complex, and then we headed into the outer city. With everything that had been going on, I had let the Commanders and zoning personnel situate all of our new people into new homes and neighborhoods through the new areas of the city.

Each house had its farm and was self-sufficient. We found this to be the norm for every street we passed through. There were several markets, smithies, shops of every type, and even a few libraries. The outer city was closed in by 20-foot-high walls designed the same way as the main walls. I was very proud of everyone for taking initiative

The next few months went by fairly quietly, though quickly. Sophie and I had gone for a walk one chilly snow day in late March through the Villa Complex, as had become a habit of ours whenever I was in the Colony. As we headed back on the day in particular, we were unaware we had a visitor, a former member from the Chasers High Command. She was waiting for me in my office under guard by four of my Keepers who had found her while on patrol around the outer walls. Sophie went to go check on Killian as I stepped into my office.

Theseus and Odette were already there and watching the woman closely.

“What’s your name?” I asked as I sat behind my desk.

“Annie Newman.” She mumbled under her breath.

“Why were you sent here?”

“It was my choice. I was kicked out of the Chasers by Angel herself for having sympathy for your Keepers and saying that you were much more civilized.” She briefly explained. I sighed.

“Angel and I need to talk,” I replied. Theseus looked at me in confusion.

“Are you sure that's a good idea?” His voice sounded concerned yet professional.

“We've been due for a talk for a while, ever since they took over DC, and don't worry, I'll be taking all the necessary precautions. You'll be in charge till I get back.”

Theseus nodded before saying, “You know I'd much rather be going with you though.”

 I looked down at the map on my desk and then at him and said “I need you to continue training our young recruits and to watch over Camulod. Don't worry, I'll come back. I always do.”

Theseus nodded and said, “Yeah I know. Just be careful.”

I reached into the gun cabinet sitting by my desk and pulled out my old rifle as I said, “Theseus I’ll be fine. Angel has always been somewhat predictable.”

Theseus nodded before saying, “Before I forget, since the Chasers are in DC that means they have access to the Capitol’s military defenses. And as we all know they had some powerful ordinance up there. Even though the remaining Keepers from the Garrison brought some of the weapons from the armory back with them there are still many weapons and secrets we don’t have in our possession. I think we need to send a stealth team into the city and take back the armory and the Library of Congress.”

“I agree. Angel and I will be meeting in a small town in Missouri in about a week. If she agrees to meet. If she does, she will no doubt have the Capitol under lockdown. Odette, I need you to find a good team for the strike. The tunnels beneath the city may be the best shot of getting in unnoticed.” I said. She agreed and left the room.

“As I have said, Camulod is in your care after I leave. Keep an eye on Sophie and Killian for me.” I then said to Theseus, who looked at Annie who had been silent this entire time.

“What do we do with her?” Theseus asked.

“I’d like to join your forces, Commander. We need to end this war. I’d prefer that the Keepers win seeing as you seem to have the right mindset to rebuild America the way it was supposed to be all along.” Annie said.

“What do you think?” I asked Theseus, as he looked her over.

“Maybe. She seems to be truthful. We’ll have to see though.”

Annie had started seeming aggravated at Theseus’s words as she said, “I won’t betray you. I’ve heard too many good things about y’all. And why would I go back to that tyrant? She had my parents and siblings murdered because I disobeyed an order. She needs to be brought down a few notches.”

“Welcome to the Keepers, Annie.” She gave me a brave smile as I said that.

“Thank you. I promise I won’t let you down.”

I looked at Theseus as I said, “She’s going to need a place to live since she’s staying with us. Will you take care of her for me? And make sure she starts to receive the proper training to be a Knight?” Theseus nodded and led her out of my office. I sat down in my chair and sighed.

This war had been going on for far too long. It was time to end this once and for all. Over the next week, we sent two strike teams to DC. Both were to wait to start retrieving books and other items until Angel left DC. We had a few long-range radios left and on April 4th, 2026, Angel and I met for the first time in almost ten years.

The last time I had seen her was two years before the first battle between the Keepers and the Chasers back in 2018. Back then, she had been my best friend and second in command. Then she betrayed us all. Needless to say, I was kind of reluctant to see her. But see her I did. And it was shocking.

Over the years her blonde hair had been dyed to pitch black. Her eyes were covered by the same red sunglasses that the normal Chasers wore. She was completely different. We sat down at the table in the center of the room with our guards standing behind us and began the negotiations for Washington to be turned over to Keeper control.

As soon as we sat down at the negotiating table, I could tell this wasn’t going to be easy. Angel had this look in her eyes that told me she wasn’t going to relinquish command unless I gave up something big.

Just as I was about to say something one of her lieutenants came in and whispered something in her ear and she got this look in her eyes that let me know something was wrong before she turned her focus back to me.

“Snow, it’s been a long time that we’ve been fighting this war. We both know I still have the numbers to take out your city. And unless you submit to our demands-” I interrupted her threat, chuckling.

“Angel, you have forgotten my stubbornness. The Keepers do not bow to tyranny. We fight until there is no hope. We always have, and we always will. And as long as the Keepers exist there will always be hope. We will never let hope die.” Angel set her hands on the table from what I assumed was frustration.

“Snow, the Keepers aren’t helping this world. It was a dying world before and it’s still dying. We both know it. Why not just let it die?”

I looked her in the eye with as grim of a look as I could. As if this was something that would affect humanity’s existence. “That’s where you’re wrong. The world isn’t dying. Our society, the one that’s been in similar state since the end of the second World War, was dying. It needed help. Thus, the Keepers Organization was reborn for this purpose. When we were kids, I don’t think either of us realized just how big our world was about to get.” Angel looked at her guards and then back at me.

“You’re right about two things. Society was dying. The Chasers were created to help it end faster, so a new world could start in the ashes of the old one. It happened at the start of civilization, and it happened again and again. The Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Ottomans, the British, they all fell. You know this. Everything has its time. You were also right about us not knowing how big our world was about to get. And now it is time to discuss what you came here for. What did you come here for exactly?” She sounded almost condescending, as if I were a child being scolded by his mother. I looked her square in the eyes, showing no impact from her words and tone.

“I have come to negotiate for the return of the territory held by the former United States to my Forces. You already have Europe and Asia completely under your control. Move your headquarters there. Let the Keepers have the American Continents. We’ll be on different sides of the planet, and we won’t meddle in your affairs. You have my word.” I tried to make myself sound confident and stern but not aggressive, in my opinion, it worked.

She looked at me and then down at the table for a minute then back at me, what was she thinking?

“You have a deal. You get North and South America and I’ll get Eurasia. Along with Africa.” She said in the same tone of voice as before. I noticed however that she didn’t say anything about Australia or Antarctica.

“Agreed.” This wasn’t what I truly wanted but we had to start somewhere, and I was honestly surprised she agreed so readily. We shook hands and I headed out, escorted by two of Angel’s Guards. Then, I was on my way back to Camulod and all I could think about was a part of an old Star Wars quote from the Phantom Menace, “The negotiations were short.”

As I rode back, I had a lot of time to reflect on the past few years. From the time we had relocated our main headquarters from Shreveport, Louisiana to Camulod a lot had happened. The United States had fallen. The biggest cities in the nation had descended into chaos just as the cities in the Roman Empire had 1500 years ago. New York, Los Angeles, Houston..all were barely being managed by my forces as chaos ensued on the streets.  But there was a chance that we could build a new world now. The Chasers were going to be leaving the Americas. The Keepers would be in control. At least that was the plan. Knowing the Chasers, they would probably leave agents in the cities to undermine any effort to restore order. But only time would tell. In the meantime, I had to get back to my home. Sophie and Theseus could take care of things well enough but there were things about Camulod even they didn’t know about. Plus, we had a new group of Decurions that were ready to graduate the training program and become a part of the Keeper Knights. Our ranks had grown considerably in the past couple of years as people heard about Camulod and the security it provided. In the last census, we had upwards of forty five thousand people living in the main city alone. When I got back, we would start branching out and sending people to the small towns surrounding Camulod and creating outposts and sentry points to help keep the area secure. I had already started making a list of locations for potential outposts and the leaders of those outposts. There were a number of United States military bases a few days' ride from Camulod as well who we could send messengers to and talk to the military commanders there and discuss their involvement in the process of re-securing North America.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 8: The Outposts

Three days later I was back on Camulodian soil, and I could see the city walls. I decided not to go in through the main entrance and instead I used one of the tunnels that I had our engineers construct in case we were under siege and needed to evacuate quietly. This one in particular led straight to the Main Villa and stables. So, when I climbed up out of a trapdoor in my office, Sophie and Theseus were surprised because they had no idea the door existed. I just grinned and said, “I’m home. And I have some good news. Angel has agreed to move her forces out of the Americas and move them to Eurasia. Once her forces are gone, we will start rebuilding the former countries on our two continents and reform the United States and have it done the right way and make sure our descendants stay on course. We can’t have the country go the way it did before the Fall. We have to do this right.” Theseus and Sophie hadn’t said anything yet by the time I was finished, and I could tell they were still shocked that I had popped up out of the floor.

As I looked at the two of them, I could tell something was wrong, so I asked, and they looked at each other and then Theseus said, “Snow, while you were gone something happened. Although it might be better to show you...”

I nodded and said, “Lead the way.”

Sophie walked over and grabbed my hand as Theseus led us out of the villa and into the main city. On the surface, everything looked fine but there was a panic in the eyes of our people. Theseus led us to the outer city and down one of the streets that were roped off and guarded by several of our Knights. Theseus looked at one of them and asked if there had been any change and the Knight said “No Sir. It’s the same way it was when we found it three days ago.”

Theseus nodded and said “Alright. Stay here. We’re going in.” We ducked under the rope and headed into the area. We didn’t get far before we found out what was wrong. A building had collapsed and taken down five others in the process.

I looked at Theseus and asked, “What happened?”

He looked at me and said “We don’t know. The good thing is no one was killed. The occupants of the building were in one of the markets getting food. There were a few that were injured but they’re recovering well. Snow, we need to figure out a way to reduce the population of Camulod. There are simply too many people here.”

I nodded and said “I may have a solution for that. We need to get back to my office though.” Theseus nodded, and we headed back through the city gradually working our way back to the main villa as the sky got darker. Just as we got back it started raining. Thunder shook the building and lightning lit the sky. Outside the wind was howling and all I could think about was whether my people were safe indoors. Sophie went to check on Killian and Theseus and I headed to my office. Once we were inside, we closed the doors and pulled out my map of the area. We had updated a map of the state to show Camulod and the surrounding towns. As I pointed out locations for the new outposts Theseus nodded and suggested that the Garrison Commanders we pulled back from the rest of the former United States help lead them. I agreed and told him to start organizing the teams to go scout the towns out and start preparing defenses as soon as the rain let up. He nodded and headed out of the Villa.

I sat down in my chair and sighed. I closed my eyes for a few minutes and then dozed off for a bit until I was woken by Sophie telling me that dinner was ready in the dining room. I took her hand and stood up with a groan. I had gotten stiff while sitting there and she raised a hand to her face to hide a smile. I stretched and then led her to the table. We had only just begun eating when a loud clap of thunder shook the building and then the lights went out. Killian jumped and Sophie went and picked him up as I went and looked out the window. The wind was even worse now and hail was starting to fall. I looked at her and said, “The storm is getting worse out there. Something must have knocked out the solar panels. Hopefully, the storm will let up, so we can get out there and repair them.”

Sophie nodded and said “Well we have plenty of candles for right now. Let’s light them and finish dinner before we do anything else. You need to eat an actual meal for once without jumping up and going to fix an issue that others can worry about.”

I agreed, and we started lighting candles and got back to eating. We had just finished when my cousin, Thomas burst in soaking wet and said that a tornado had been spotted by the Western Wall and another by the Northern and that people were starting to worry. I looked at Sophie and she nodded. As I grabbed my coat and hat, I heard the wind pick up slightly although the hail stopped. I looked at Thomas and we headed out of the Villa and into the rain. It didn’t take us long to start seeing damage from the storm. Hail was everywhere we looked, and leaves were scattered across the roads.

We were walking towards the Western Wall when one of our newer Decurions came walking up and said that the library had been damaged. I looked at Thomas and said “Go with her and round up some help on the way. I’m going to go check on the walls and then the rest of the Colony.” He nodded, and they left heading towards a group of our Keepers. I watched them for a moment and then headed towards the wall while surveying the damage along the road. Other than the hail scattered everywhere there was nothing damaged that couldn’t be fixed easily. Or so I thought.

When I reached the wall, I was met by Theo, Daniel, and Gabriel who had been the first ones to find out about the damage. This particular section of the wall had a tall crack going up the side like it had been hit by a bolt of lightning. With smaller cracks branching off the main, it was something that needed to be repaired immediately. I looked at Theo and Daniel and said “Theo, I need you to go find Colin and round up a team of engineers together to figure out how to best fix the wall. And make sure y’all check the rest of our defenses as well. Daniel, I need you to lead a patrol to check the area and make sure the watchtowers, roads, and bridges are all intact. You might want to take a few engineers with you as well. Just in case.” They both nodded and then headed off towards the barracks. I looked back at the wall for a moment and then headed back to the Villa. As the sky got darker, I reached in my jacket pocket and pulled out my flashlight.

Just as I did Daniel’s voice came over my radio as he said “Commander, it’s starting to get a bit too dark to see anything. We’re going to come back and go back out in the morning. We’ve already checked the main road leading out of Camulod and there isn’t any serious damage as far as we can tell.”

I held it up and replied “Alright. Theo if you can hear me, come back as well. We’ll have a meeting tomorrow to discuss our plan for repairs and how we can prevent damage from occurring again.” They both responded with a confirmation, and I headed inside.

I found Sophie inside sitting on the couch in the main living room reading a book waiting for me to return. I smiled as I walked over to her and sat down on the couch. She set her book down and moved closer to me and said “Snow, there’s something I need to tell you. I have some amazing news.” I looked at her and she smiled. “We’re expecting another child.” My breath stopped for a second while I processed what she had just said. Another child. She and I had always wanted at least two kids and now our second was on their way. I pulled her close and said simply, “I love you, Sophie.” We sat cuddled up on the couch for a while before we headed to bed.

 

The next morning, I woke to find that several teams had already been organized by Odette to go through the Colony checking on our people and seeing what they needed. I found Theseus waiting in my office with his report on the possibility of creating the outposts and relocating some of our people out of Camulod itself. We sat down with my map of the area, and he told me that only five of the eleven towns could be used. The rest were too badly damaged for people to live there at the moment. The farms surrounding the towns had been overgrown by weeds but could easily be reploughed and farmed once again using older farming techniques. He also reported that there were several cattle herds in the area that had somehow managed to thrive even without human interference. Sophie walked in just as he finished and said that Theo and Daniel were waiting outside. I looked at Theseus and then back at her and said, “Tell them to come in. I’d like you to join us as well.”

She nodded, opened the door for the two Legates and then came around to stand beside me as they each talked about the damage they had found over the morning hours. They then voiced their ideas on how to best repair the areas affected. We discussed plans for the repairs for almost an hour before deciding on repairing the defenses and walls first and clearing the roads second. At this they headed back out to the barracks to round up and organize the repair teams. Sophie, Theseus, and I looked back at the map and decided to start building defenses for the outposts immediately. This way people could relocate and start bringing life to the abandoned towns. I put Theseus in charge of the Outposts and as he walked out, he was talking to our chief engineer over his radio planning out how to best defend the new outposts. Sophie and I looked at each other, she smiled at me and said, “You know, it’s been a while since we took a walk together through the city. Killian is with Jordyn and Alexandria and the colony is being well taken care of by the commanders.”

I smiled back and offered her my hand, which she accepted, and we walked through the villa and then out into the city. The city was peaceful as we walked down the city streets, and people greeted us as we walked past them. 

A little over a month later, Sophie and I were once again walking through the streets of Camulod. We heard a commotion at the Eastern Gate. We ran to find out what was going on. A crowd had gathered, and I saw Theseus and a few of the Legates barring a group from entering. I pushed to the front and asked, “What’s going...” but stopped when I saw who the leader was. Angel. My old partner had changed since I last saw her. Her hair had faded to a light gray, a long scar stretched vertically along the right side of her face, and she had lost the red sunglasses. A pretty drastic change for only a few weeks.

She looked at me and said “Snow, thank goodness. I need your help.”

I looked at Sophie and Theseus and then back at her and said, “Angel, not even a year ago you helped orchestrate the fall of the United States. We agreed that you would leave these shores a few weeks ago and yet here you are. What’s going on?”

She looked around at my Keepers before looking back at me as she said, “A new darkness is rising Snow. We did leave, my people arrived in London not long after we had our meeting. Everything was going well until our outposts started getting attacked. We barely escaped Europe. All we know is that they came from the Middle East and took over Asia and then came for us. We received a message after we left, and it said that they were heading here next. I came to warn you and to offer our help dealing with them. North and South America are already yours. We know y’all started moving Keepers to every major city after my people vacated the continent. We also know that you’ve made some new allies since the United States collapsed. Right now, you are the only ones powerful enough to stop the darkness.”

I looked at Theseus and said “Have her people escorted to one of the medical centers. And then send word to the New York, New Orleans, and Seattle Garrisons and tell them to get the North American Coasts ready. Send word to our larger coastal South American garrisons as well. Our South American Headquarters in Brasilia should be warned just in case.”

He nodded and then led the Chasers away. Angel watched her people leave and then looked at me. “What about me? Where do you want me to go?”

Sophie took my hand and spoke for me. “Come with us. We all need to talk.”

She nodded, and we led the way back to the villa with three of our Knights following to make sure we got there safely. We were almost there when Theseus came running up and said that they had gotten a response from the New York City Garrison, and it wasn’t good. We headed inside going straight to my office. I sat down in my chair and the others found spots to either sit or stand as Angel sat down across from me. Theseus and Sophie were both wary of what she might do, and they stayed close to me. For the first time, I noticed the scared look in her eyes which I hadn’t seen since we were kids. I sighed and said, “It’s alright. You’re safe here. If you and your people abide by the laws of Camulod, no harm shall come to you.”

Angel nodded gratefully and relaxed a little as I waved the Knights away to go attend to the repairs.

Theseus went to sit in the other chair across from me and said, “Snow, about the Coastal Defense plans…It might be too late for us to enact them.”

I looked at him and asked “What do you mean? We have hundreds of Keepers at the Garrisons all down the coast.”

He nodded and said, “We do, but we can’t cover the entire coast. There are holes, and our new enemy might have already come through according to a couple of reports from the Garrison Commanders in Massachusetts, the Carolinas, and Georgia. We need to learn more about them, and she needs to tell us what she knows.”

I looked at Angel and said “He’s right. We need to know what you saw.”

She looked at us and said, “As I told you when we came here. We don’t know much. They came out of nowhere and hit our outposts like they were nothing. I was at our base in England when they arrived in Europe. One of the survivors from our Parisian Outpost arrived at our headquarters in London two days after the initial attack and told us that they were hit in the middle of the night and were dressed in all black with swords on their backs and a mixture of American and Russian weapons. They kept chanting ‘Death to the West. Death to the West.’ and destroying everything and everyone they could. It’s like nothing I’ve ever heard about before.”

I realized what was happening and said, “I’ve heard of something like this before. I hate to say this, but we are actually in danger. The last time something happened close to this scale was during the Islamic Invasion of the West in 711 AD. They managed to take over most of Southern Europe and control it intermittently for almost eight hundred years before their empire fell due to internal rebellions and by repeated efforts by the Christian Kingdoms of the time until they lost their power completely in 1492. We must get ready. We can’t let them gain a foothold in the Americas. If they do, all of our work here will be lost.”

Theseus nodded and said, “I’ll get our Legions and Garrisons ready.”

I stood and said, “Camulod will not fall. Not if I have anything to say about it.”

Angel stood as well and said, “I take it that’s the new name of the United States?”

I smiled and said, “Indeed it is. Well, officially it’s The Camulodian Republic. Born from the ashes of the United States and the other nations who once called this part of the world home.”

Angel gave me a small smile as she said, “You never were one for subtlety.”

I laughed and said, “What can I say? I have a flair for the dramatic.”

She nodded and said, “You definitely do. Thank you for taking me back in. I’m sorry for everything that’s happened.”

I looked at the others gathered in my office before looking back at her and saying, “You’re a Founder of the Keepers. Your place is here with us.”

Sophie, who was still staying close to me, looked at Angel and said in a soft tone, “Snow is right. You have as much of a claim to be here as any of us. A lot has happened over the past few years, and I feel like we’re only just at the beginning of a greater conflict.”

As I listened to her, I knew she spoke the truth. I just didn’t realize how big of a conflict it would really be.

Chapter 9: The Messenger

                Three days later Theseus, Angel, and I were in my office discussing the final touches to our plan to defend the free world when Thomas came in followed by Sophie and said, “Commander you’re needed at the Eastern Gate. Someone is asking to see you.”

I grabbed my hat and gun and headed out of the room followed closely by the others knowing this wasn’t going to be pleasant. Thomas walked beside me and told me that the Centurions were keeping the crowds back. When we got to the gate the stranger was standing just outside the wall holding a white flag and carrying two swords on his back. I looked at Theseus and then back at the stranger and said, “Who are you and what do you want?”

He looked at my group and noticed Angel and said with a strong Arabian accent, “Her. I’m here for her and her people. The ones who escaped Europe.”

Sophie and Theseus both moved closer to her, and I noticed my Knights move their hands to their guns. I smiled and said, “You got here awfully fast, but you’re not getting her or her people. We don’t bow to invaders. And you never answered my first question. Who are you?”

He lowered his flag and said, “My name is Sargon, and I am an ambassador from the Shadow Empire. I was sent here to tell you that within the next three years, your nation will be infiltrated, and your people will be exterminated. Say your goodbyes and prepare for the end. We are coming.”

As soon as he finished, he turned and started walking away but he didn’t get far before one of my snipers shot him with a tranquilizer dart and he fell with a nice, solid thud. I looked around and said, “Take him to one of the prisons away from the Colony. And then I want guards always posted on the walls and the roads. Day and night. We can’t have anyone sneaking into Camulod.” Everyone agreed and hurried off to gear up and place items around the Villa and surrounding buildings to defend the Colony if and when the need arose.

I was walking through the Colony later that day when I found Angel sitting with a group of young Keepers and a few older ones at one of the many pavilions we had constructed. She was telling them a story. Her story.

I leaned against one of the beams as she said, “Hi there. My name is Angel Holt, and I am the leader of the Chasers. I wasn’t always the leader of the Chasers though. Once, I was the second in command of the Keepers. A long time ago. Back in 2012 I had been best friends with Snow Ashe for four years and we had gone on a lot of adventures together. Our moms were friends as well at the time, which made it much easier to spend time together and lead the first group we made together, which we had named the National Warriors Committee. By the time we had dissolved the organization, there were around 60 or so members across the United States. The majority of whom had started going in their own direction as life started taking its toll. So, like I said. We dissolved the Committee and formed the organization now known across the world as the Keepers.”

She paused for a sec as she noticed me standing there and I nodded to her encouragingly. She gave me a hint of a smile as she continued. “Snow had a knack for forming connections and making allies, so it was no surprise to me when he found our first base in Shreveport. Theseus and my sister Alice disguised the main entryway while Snow and I started designing the interior and designating roles to the first members of the organization. My sister Alice was our medic, I was the leader of the searchers, Theseus and Allen oversaw security, and so on. Snow was and still is the leader of the Keepers. He was the only one who could bring us all together. We were all different, but we had Snow in common. He held us together for two years. And then something happened. My mom caught wind of the fact that I was spending so much time with Snow and ignoring my responsibilities at home and in school, so I was forced to stay home. It was almost a year before I was allowed to contact him again. We went right back to where we were before I was forced to leave. I stayed with him and the Keepers for several months before I was approached by the Chasers and ended up joining their organization unintentionally. Once I was a member I couldn’t escape. I was stuck. And as much as I wanted to contact Snow and ask for his help, I knew he’d felt betrayed. So, I stayed with the Chasers and ended up rising through the ranks until I became second in command. I ended up getting really close to the leader of the Chasers in Louisiana and we ended up getting married in October of 2017, despite that being against the policies that the Chasers had in place.

Not long after, the Chasers started planning an attack on the Keepers Headquarters in Shreveport for the fall of 2018. I knew the Keepers weren’t at full force. This attack could effectively end the Keepers as an organization. But I couldn’t do anything to stop the attack. The leaders of the other Chaser sects were already suspicious of me due to the facts that I came from the Keepers, and I was only 18. When the Battle of 2018 came, I stayed behind with a small force to guard the Chaser headquarters. When the attack force finally returned, they were fewer in number than I had originally expected. Ralof, one of the leaders, and my husband was furious. Too many had died on the Chasers side. He had been expecting a bunch of unprepared teenagers but instead he had encountered well thought out defenses and strategies that undermined the Chaser forces and sent them reeling. They struck down four members of the Keepers out of nineteen while the Keepers on the other hand managed to take out close to three hundred Chasers out of three hundred and fifty.

So, with the few remaining Chasers, we relocated to Vicksburg, Mississippi to regroup and rebuild our numbers. I was unhappy with the decision as it took me away from my family, but I knew I didn’t have a choice in the matter. We resided in Vicksburg from 2018 until 2022. Ralof was away on missions most of the time, so I was left to watch over the base and keep the division functioning. As the years went by, I started getting unhappier with my relationship. When Ralof left with a large force to attack the newly resurrected Keepers, I stayed behind with the excuse that I was just going to continue watching over the base when I really just didn’t want to be around him.

A week later one lone member of that attack force returned. He told me that Snow had shot Ralof point blank and won a decisive victory over the Chasers. With Ralof dead and the other leaders scattered, I was left in command. So, I told everyone who was left to pack up and get ready to leave. We were going to move our headquarters to the West Coast for the time being until we had enough forces to take down the government. We set up our two new headquarters in San Francisco and Seattle, taking out the Keepers Garrisons in the two cities by orders of the surviving members of Chasers Council, who met us there and overruled my order to leave the two Garrisons alone and lie low. And there we remained until 2025.” She paused there and then said “I’m going to stop this story for a bit and resume it later on. Thank y’all for listening.”

Just as I got back to the Villa a little while later, a young man by the name of Joshua walked up to me and said that Theseus was ready to leave with the first group of Keepers to go to the closest Outpost and was waiting for the go-ahead. I nodded and told him to tell Theseus to proceed and he ran off. I headed inside to start planning the defenses for the Outposts and Garrisons throughout the Americas.

Two weeks later I was riding back on my old horse, Germanicus, to the Colony from one of our outposts when I noticed smoke coming from inside the walls. As I got closer, I noticed that there were several large holes in the outer walls, and I spurred my horse faster. When I got inside the walls…the sight infuriated me. Dozens of buildings had been struck with what appeared to be boulders on fire. And then I remembered what Sargon had said about his people. But what got to me was that they had been able to get past our coastal defenses and checkpoints on the bridges and roads throughout the continent. I continued riding through the city saddened by the destruction the Shadow Empire had wrought in the heart of Camulod. When I reached the villa, I dismounted and ran inside. There I found Sophie, Angel, and Theseus covered in scars sitting in my office. I looked at them and asked, “What happened?”

Theseus stood up from his seat as Sophie ran up and threw her arms around me and he said, “They struck a day after you left to check the outpost's progress. They had been studying the colony for weeks and they knew just how to get our attention. The outer city fell first and then they pressed their way into the inner city. They didn’t get very far before our forces managed to give them a run for their money with the weapons we had stockpiled in the Villa. We managed to wipe out the force before they could cause any damage in the Villa Complex. The attack lasted four days and we lost some good people. We’re still finding bodies in the outer city underneath the rubble. We know that there were at least 1500 casualties and twice that many wounded. It’s a good thing we moved people to the outposts when we did. Most of them are far enough away that the Shadow Empire won’t find them. I’m just glad they didn’t manage to get here to the Villa where our families were.”

I walked around to my chair and sat down with a growl. This was never supposed to happen. I looked at Angel and then Sophie and said, “We need to rally our forces and send a message out to the garrisons throughout the nation. The Shadow Empire may have won this battle, but the war is far from over. We have Keepers in every city and town in the Americas. Theseus, start dividing the non-essential personnel into groups to go to the cities and outposts close by to take shelter. Making sure they are armed and ready for any attack. Angel, find the people you have left in North America and tell them they have a new job to do. Sophie, I need you to find out how many kids we still have in the Colony and have them ready should the need arise to evacuate them to the nearby garrisons though the siege tunnels to get them out of the city and to the safest and closest garrisons. The best garrisons would be the ones in the closer cities like Wichita and Emporia where we’ve already updated the defenses.” They all nodded and headed out of the room. I leaned back in my chair and hoped we’d survive this.

The last thing the Keepers needed was another enemy to deal with. The Mexican Keepers Division had been having several issues dealing with the drug cartels and my own forces had been dealing with the aftermath of the fall of the United States in the cities along the borders. With the Chasers all but gone we didn’t have any big enemies until the Shadow Empire reared its’ ugly head and invaded Europe. Chase and Alexandru had brought the remainder of their forces to Camulod until we assigned them to two of our bigger garrisons in the Northwestern cities of the continent. The Canadian Keepers forces along with the British and Romanians had proved to be valuable allies when a team of Anti-Camulodian Russians tried to work their way down through the Northern Archipelago and set up a base in the Northwestern Canadian Territories. The Russian base wasn’t there for long before the Canadians wiped it out. When we combined all of our forces in the Americas, I had decided to let the Keepers keep their respective nationalities as long as they remained loyal. We had a few issues early on with some of the South American forces in Venezuela and Nicaragua until we sent the 7^th Texas Cavalry down to quell the rebellion. Within three days they had eliminated any Anarchists and started helping the people there rebuild their lives. Without the constant fear of being attacked by their people the Venezuelans started to rebuild their nation and became strong allies of the Keepers.

I sat there for a few minutes before getting up and heading out of the Villa. I didn’t get very far before I was stopped by one of our newest Decurions who told me that a messenger had just arrived from the New Orleans Garrison. He said that every United States Battleship that could be reactivated, and the rest of the surviving American fleet had been gathered along the coastlines and the former United States Military personnel were ready to repel any attack along the coast. On the other hand, the Shadow Empire was gathering two massive fleets off the coasts of Europe and Asia and preparing to lay siege to the nations of the Americas. I looked around and said, “Get word to our forces in Canada, Mexico, and South America. Tell them to gather all the firepower they can muster and to evacuate the civilians out of the coastal cities. We have to be prepared for any assaults on the coasts. The Camulodian forces will lead the defense in North America and the Brazilian Forces will lead the defense in South America.”

He waited a moment to see if there was anything else before saluting and running off to find the other messengers. With the messengers about to head out, I go find Theseus and ask about the progress of spreading the city’s population out across the State. I found him at the main gate checking off families from a list as they left the city. Just as I walked up one of the Decurions came running in and said, “Commanders we have a problem. One of the garrisons South of us has fallen. Attacked by members of the city they were guarding. We lost 300 men and women. The city now flies the flag of the Anarchy.”

Theseus and I looked at each other “This is much worse than what we imagined. With the Shadow Empire, the Anarchists, the Cartels, and everyone else who is against us we can’t afford to take any risks.”

He agreed and looked at the Decurions telling him to get something to eat and report to the Legate Commanders to receive his orders after. The young man thanked me and headed off to the barracks in the center of the Colony.

I watched him go and looked back at Theseus “You know, when we were kids, I never thought this is where we’d end up. We’ve come a long way and we have an even longer way to go. But if we all stick together, we can push through this challenge.”

He looked around “None of this would have been possible without you. I’m glad to fight by your side and call you, my brother.” We shook hands and I headed to the barracks to review the assignments being written by the Legates.

Three weeks later, the Colony was ready for war. Four encampments had been built on the roads leading out of Camulod. Most of the kids and younger families had been evacuated to the Outposts and Garrisons closest to Camulod. Traps and other defenses were in place along the walls which had been built up to be forty feet high and my snipers were ready in the towers. I had received word from several Garrisons that the citizens of the towns and cities they were protecting had taken up arms to defend their homes and that they were ready to fight anyone who trespassed across the town lines. A group called the Woodsmen from the Appalachian Mountains had also sent word that they would fight alongside us. They were among the newest groups in the Republic who were hardworking people and had already helped build several key defenses in the Eastern half of the continent.

Another group made up of former American Marines and Coast Guard personnel had set up defenses along the Pacific coast and were organizing strike teams with my Cascadia Commanders. As I sat at my desk reading reports from the different groups and commanders, I began to feel a bit overwhelmed for a few minutes. It all had happened so fast it hadn’t registered in my head that I was about to have a leading role in World War Three. The Camulodian Republic of the Americas versus the Eurafrasian Shadow Empire. Sophie walked in and sat in her chair as I was going over all of this in my head and watched me for a moment. She was one of the few women who had stayed in Camulod. Some of whom were actually in the Villa preparing some of the rooms for the wounded, making sure the Villa was well stocked, and keeping track of incoming reports from our forces in the field. The rest were helping with defenses and getting ready to fight. Of the three hospitals that had been constructed in Camulod, only one had over a thousand rooms, and with over fifteen thousand Keepers getting ready to defend the city we were understaffed with only eighty-three doctors and nurses still in Camulod. The others were spread out among the closest outposts and Garrisons with a few in each encampment as well. For a brief moment, a thought crossed my mind that maybe we wouldn’t be able to win this. Then as I looked at Sophie and saw the love in her eyes and the trust in her heart, I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

I stood walking around to her and took her hand in mine. She looked up at me and smiled before getting up and wrapping her arms around me. I wrapped my arms around her and whispered “Thank you. Thank you for everything.”

Sophie squeezed me gently and whispered back, “Of course. There’s no place I’d rather be.”

We stayed like that for a moment before we slowly released each other. I walked towards the door and grabbed my trench coat and hat, and we walked out of the Villa together hand in hand.

As we walked out, we were met by Theseus and a few other Keepers. “Snow we just received word. One of our Garrisons to the North was just hit. From the description of the attackers, I’d say it was members of the Shadow Empire. And ones that knew the city well. The Garrison fell within a day. Only two hundred out of the seven hundred Keepers stationed there managed to escape. The rest were either killed or taken hostage.”

I looked at Sophie, then back to Theseus and said, “We’ve known for a few months that there were sleeper agents in the Americas just waiting for the right moment to attack. I expected them to attack sooner. Gather as many Keepers as we can spare and get ready to ride. We’re going to rescue them and take out as many Shadows as we possibly can.” He nodded and led the Keepers with him to the Barracks.

I looked at Sophie. “You’re in charge of Camulod while I’m gone. If anything should happen to me while I’m out there...”

Sophie took both of my hands into hers as she said, “Nothing’s going to happen to you. You’ll be fine.”

I looked down for a moment and then back into her eyes. “How did I get so lucky?”

She smiled. “We were always meant to meet. Our path was laid out in the stars. Now go and save our people. They need you. Killian, Lily, and I will be fine.”

I kissed her and reluctantly left her on the front steps of the Villa before heading to the stables to grab my horse. About an hour later I was riding beside Theseus following the old US Route 77, the old highway starting to become a bit overgrown with grass and weeds due to a few years without proper maintenance. We had managed to gather close to a thousand Keepers along with two of the Legate Commanders who were bringing up the rear of our force. Our current path was taking us to Junction City, one of our newest garrisons, after we acquired Fort Riley from the United States Army members stationed there in 2026 due to the fall of the US to the Chaser Forces. Most of the military had ended up joining our forces when they realized the United States was lost with us being the best hope of survival in a world on the brink of chaos.

 

 

Chapter 10: Junction City

  Junction City was populated by close to twenty-five thousand people back before the Fall. A pretty sizable chunk of the population of the city had left when food started running out and fights over resources started breaking out. The Army ended up taking command from the City Government until we came and planned with the officers to add the city and fort to our already growing list of garrisons in Kansas. A deal was struck and together we fixed up the city and re-established order. Everything was going well, until the attack. We reached the outskirts two days later and saw smoke coming from the center of the city.

I looked at Theseus “We need to split up our force. I’ll lead one from the West and you from the East. We’ll eliminate any Shadows in the city and then advance on the Fort. Let’s get our people safe.”

He nodded and looked back at our force leading half of them to the East. I watched him go for a moment before leading my half to the West. As we entered the city, we encountered little resistance although there were signs of fighting in the streets. It wasn’t until we reached the center of the city that we started seeing hasty fortifications built. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something move in the shadows. I raised my hand as a signal for my company to halt. I dismounted and handed the reins to one of the Legates riding beside me and walked over slowly with my hand resting on my revolver. Gray eyes reflected the dying sunlight as I approached the young woman huddled up against a wall.

 I knelt whilst speaking softly, “I’m not going to hurt you I promise. We’re here to rescue y’all.”

She glanced from me to my people, whispering in a hoarse tone “That’s what they said.”

I looked at my Keepers before returning my gaze to her “We’re not them I promise. My name is Snow Ashe. Supreme Commander of the Camulodian Republic.”

She sat there quietly for a moment “Snow? My Snow?”

We both stood up, me a bit stiffer and as she stepped out of the shadows, I noticed the white streak in her dark brown hair. My eyes widened as realization hit me, “Miranda? What happened to you? I tried to contact your family after I couldn’t get a hold of you, but I couldn’t get any answers.”

She looked down obviously distraught, as if she was reliving a nightmare. “I was kidnapped. They brought me here and kept me for a while trying to get information about you until I managed to escape. The one thought that kept me going was that you were safe. I never gave up on you.”

I pulled her into a hug, “I’m so sorry about everything you went through. If I had known where you were...”

Miranda hugged me back, cutting me off, “If you had known where I was you would have come in guns blazing with an army. Just like you always said you would.”

We released each other as I asked, “Would you like to come with us to Camulod after we free the rest of our people?”

She watched me for a moment before saying, “Is it safer in Camulod?”

I offered her my hand as I said, “Camulod is one of the safest places in the Americas currently.”

She took my hand and I helped her stand up, and I was leading her back to my horse when suddenly, a gunshot rang out from a few streets away. I helped her up onto Germanicus before issuing orders to my Keepers. Two Legates led their groups around the buildings while I got up behind Miranda. I asked her where the captives were being held. She pointed towards the center of the city, “They’re being held in the old city hall building and the Catholic church right next to it. Both are heavily guarded though with fortifications blocking the streets. The Shadows, according to what your people have been calling them, have been busy.”

As we rode towards the center of the city once more, I noticed that the Camulodian and American flags that were once flying on the buildings either had scorch marks or were in tatters in the streets. Miranda told me about the attack from her point of view and how it just came out of nowhere. They had no warning. The Keepers who had been on guard on the rooftops the night of the attack had been quietly killed as the Shadows swept through the city. I sighed as she told me all of this. We should have been more prepared. I should have done more to keep our cities safe. It was time to call upon the smaller groups in North America. But that would have to come after we freed my Keepers and any civilians. When we got within sight of the city hall, I saw several armed Shadows walking around outside of it. Kneeling on the steps were the two Garrison Commanders I had put in charge of the city. Their hands were tied behind their backs to their feet, and they had rags stuffed in their mouths. I turned around just as Theseus rode up beside me and told him what Miranda had told me. He looked at her, then back at me and asked how I knew I could trust her. She and I looked at each other for a moment before I looked back at him. “I knew I could from the moment we met. I looked into her eyes and saw myself. She wouldn’t lead us astray.”

Theseus looked at her for a moment before he nodded “Alright. What’s our plan Snow?”

I looked back at the city hall trying to assess the situation before saying, “Here’s the plan. Four teams will encircle the Shadows. When y’all hear the signal, we’ll sweep in and take out as many of our enemy as we can. Once we’re inside we’ll...”

I trailed off as dozens of black clad Arabs came out of the buildings where my people were being held. Out of their midst came a tall man with dark eyes and a long beard. He looked around and said with a slight accent, “I know that there are Keeper Forces in the city. And I know that you are all quite close to this area according to my spotters. And if the rumors are true, Commander Snow Ashe please come before me. We need to talk.”

As he stopped talking, I looked at Theseus. “He knows we’re here. Send our snipers to the roofs and have them get ready to take out as many Shadows as they can. And make sure they know to be careful.”

He looked at our forces and back at me “What are you going to do?”

I smiled trying to look more confident than I felt. “Something that may or may not work. You’re in charge while I go before the leader of the Shadows.”

 He nodded, “What about Miranda?”

She looked around. “I’m going with him of course. I’ve seen the way y’all look at him. There’s a respect there I haven’t seen in a long time and he’s one of my oldest friends. So yeah, I’ll stick by his side.”

Theseus watched her for a moment with narrowed eyes, before turning to me as he and I shook hands. “Be safe brother. We still need you.”

I nodded. “Don’t worry. We’ll be fine. Just have our people ready for my signal. You’ll know it when you see it.” And with that I turned around and headed to the city hall.

It wasn’t long before we reached the guards, once they realized who I was they moved to let us pass. Miranda pressed close against me as we rode through the Shadows who watched us with hatred in their eyes. The leader was waiting on the steps for us, as we dismounted, he walked over and said in an accent that was milder than Sargon’s, “Welcome Snow Ashe. My name is Commander Abu Alreve and I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you. The Chaser Forces and remaining Keeper Forces in Eurasia revealed a few things that made me very intrigued. Who is this?”

I looked at Miranda and then back at him, “A friend. What did you need to discuss with me?”

Abu looked around “Follow me. We need to talk somewhere private.”

I nodded as he told one of his men to take my horse somewhere and feed and water him. I looked at him quizzically and he chuckled. “We aren't entirely uncivil Snow. Our brothers in the Middle East give us a bad name. Now please. Both of you follow me.”

He led us inside the City Hall and to the mayor’s office. Abu sat down in one of the chairs and motioned for Miranda and me to do the same. She and I sat close to each other, and he waited till we got settled before he began talking. “Snow, our world is at a crossroads. For too long we as a species have been at war. The great nations of Europe, Asia, and Africa have fallen first to the Chasers and then to the Shadow Empire. The American Continents are the only two where the nations are, for the most part still intact though they fly the Keepers banners. The United States is still alive through your Camulodian Republic. The Shadow Empire wants to see you destroyed. They want nothing more than to see the Americas and their people burn. I however differ on them with that.”

I looked at Miranda and then back at him. “What do you want then?”

He looked at the closed door and said, “I want peace. And yes, I know that’s strange coming from a commander of people currently holding a city hostage. But from what I’ve heard your people are the only hope this world has left. So, I’m going to let you in on the current plan of the leaders of my people and offer my services to you.”

I nodded slowly letting his words sink in before saying, “I appreciate it, Abu. I’m surprised though, that you’re willing to betray your people.”

He chuckled darkly. “My wife and kids were murdered by the Shadow Empire because I failed to follow a certain order. I’ve worked long and hard to get this high of a position with the hope of meeting you. I am offering you my help to take down the Empire. But there’s something you should know. The Shadow Empire isn’t alone. Besides the Anarchists, there’s another group known as the Reapers. The Reapers are an even darker group than the Shadow Empire. They stay in the shadows and “reap” those who are lost in the abandoned cities and woods of the world. I’m not sure how many people they have but I know they have members in the cities that your people have garrisons in. They’re the main reason your Eurasian cities and bases fell so quickly to the Chasers and then my people The Reapers are based out of Moscow in the Russian capital building which was abandoned by the Russian government not long after the world collapsed in 2025. I know that they are planning an eventual attack on Camulod in coordination with the Shadow Empire and the group known as the Anarchy. You need to return as fast as you can. Camulod is the last hope of the world in the face of the Shadow Empire. Call on your allies and prepare yourselves. All we ask is that we be allowed to use this city as a cover for our reason to be here. No more harm will come to you or your people from my legion. You have my word.”

I looked at him for a moment before nodding. “I’ll allow y’all to stay here. Provided you keep me updated on any plans the Shadow Empire makes that will harm my people, and work alongside my forces and help keep Junction City thriving. But, if I hear of anyone getting hurt, I will make a return trip with a much larger force than the one I brought with me.”

Abu nodded. “You have a deal, Snow. Let’s go get your people and send you home. You all have work to do.” We all stood, and he led us to where my people were being held. When we got there, I explained to them what was going on and most were eager to come to Camulod and get away from the Shadow Empire legion. However, some decided to stay once they knew about the deal made.

On our way out we met up with Theseus and the rest of our forces and headed back to Camulod. I filled Theseus in on the conversation that had transpired with the leader of the group of Shadows, and he wasn’t too sure about trusting Abu, but decided it could help us if he was sincere.

 

Chapter 11: The New Arrivals

Within a few days we reached the walls of Camulod. I sent my forces to get some rest while I took the civilians to the temporary housing area until we could find them all homes in Camulod and the surrounding outposts. Once everyone was settled in, I headed home with Miranda. I was met at the door with a flying hug by Sophie. We stood there for a few moments before she released me. Looking behind me she asked who Miranda was. I introduced them and Sophie took Miranda to the kitchen to get some warm food and talk. I headed to my office to relax for a moment and look over some reports that I found sitting on my desk. I had only been there for a few minutes before there was a knock on my door. I looked up from the reports I was reading as I said, “It’s open.”

One of our Knights opened the door and a couple who looked to be a few years younger than me from Junction City walked in. They introduced themselves as Bruce and Jenny Veil. I motioned for them to sit down in the two chairs in front of my desk. I could tell they were slightly nervous as they did so. I set the report aside and smiled warmly. “What can I do for y’all?”

Bruce looked at Jenny who gave him a nod and said, “We’d like to help out in Camulod if there are any job opportunities. I’m a former schoolteacher and Jenny is a nurse practitioner. Although if we need to, we can learn something new.”

I leaned back in my chair “Actually your skills would both come in handy. I’ve been looking for someone to head up the schools in Camulod for a while now. As we used to call them, a School Superintendent oversees the schools and makes sure everything is going smoothly. And as for Jenny, we are always needing nurses in the hospitals. With my people spread so thin with everything that’s going on we’re definitely going to need you.”

Jenny spoke up then “Thank you Commander. There is one more thing we’d like to ask of you. We have a son here with us and we think that he would be a good member of your forces.”

I nodded. “Take him to go see Commander Theseus Taylor in the Barracks and ask him to take your son under his wing. He’s my oldest friend and one of the Founding Keepers. Theseus will be a great mentor for your son.”

We all stood up as Bruce said, “Thank you Commander. We are thankful for the chance to be a part of your organization. We won’t let you down.”

I smiled. “Thank y’all for joining.” They smiled back and left my office. I sat back down and looked back at my map of the area surrounding Camulod.

The next few years went by quietly without incident, however. The newcomers from Junction City had settled into their new lives and the forts outside of the city were ready for anything. Patrols had swept the area and there were guards by every gate. Miranda had been given a room by Sophie in the main Villa and they had surprisingly become fast friends.

On a warm summer evening a few years later in 2034, I had just got back to the Villa from a promotion ceremony at the newly built military headquarters in Camulod. Slowly but surely, the main operations surrounding the Colony and the Keepers were being moved out of the Villa. Theseus and his family, along with Odette and hers had all moved to their own separate houses in the main Villa Complex which only left Sophie, our four kids, and me living in the building as permanent residents. Killian and Lily had gained two more siblings in 2031 when our twins, Caspian and Vivian were born. My family had grown, and the colony was still thriving. No one had really posed a serious threat to Camulod for quite some time now, but I kept the guard ready at all times, especially with the reports of forces belonging to the Shadow Empire being caught by my forces on a regular basis. Former United States Military bases had been revitalized and resupplied to help refortify areas across the country. Even with all of the regional security however, Shadows kept coming into the Americas through secret routes.

As I walked through the main doors Lily came running to meet me and jumped into my arms. I laughed. “Well hello sweetheart. How was your day?” My daughter, who was seven at the time, told me she had had a lot of fun playing with Killian and Brentley, who was Theseus’s son. Theseus’s daughter Savannah was still too young to play outside with the older kids. I talked to her for a few more minutes before I set her down and she ran off to find her brother. I walked through the Villa looking for Sophie and finally found her in the kitchen. She was standing over the sink washing dishes with Caspian and Vivian in a playpen close by. I walked up quietly and wrapped my arms around her and said, “Honey I’m home.”

Sophie turned off the water and dried off her hands before turning in my arms. She smiled and kissed me before saying, “Welcome home Snow. I’m glad you’re back. How’d the ceremony go?”

I released her and leaned back against the counter as she walked over to check on the twins while I told her about it. “It went well. We promoted four Knights to Centurions and added two more Garrison Commanders to our numbers, we also promoted my cousin Thomas, Conner Lee, and Theseus’s brother Allen to Legate Commanders. Allen has done a superb job as Garrison Commander down in Orlando. The Council and I felt it was a long overdue promotion.”

Sophie came back over to where I was leaning and wrapped her arms around me in a hug. “I’m glad everything went smoothly. With everything going on in the world, it’s nice to receive good news every now and then.”

I smiled and wrapped my arms around her again. We moved slightly away from the counter and started swaying slowly in silence as though we were listening to a silent tune. The moment didn't last long though as Killian, Lily, and Brentley all ran into the kitchen. Sophie and I broke apart as Lily said breathlessly, “Dad! We just came up with a great idea! Can we build a clubhouse?”

I laughed and said, “Yes we can Lil. Find a spot by the Villa and we’ll make it happen.”

Her eyes lit up and she ran out of the room with Killian and Brentley on her heels. Sophie looked at me with a smile and said, “She reminds me a lot of you and the stories Theseus has told me about y’all’s childhood.”

I laughed again and said, “Yeah Lily’s definitely the ringleader. We’ll have to keep an eye on her.”

My wife laughed quietly and said, “She will make a wonderful leader one day.” I knew what she meant by that. We were getting older, and I knew I would eventually retire from my position as Supreme Commander of the Keepers Forces and, as most people called me, President of the Camulodian Republic. I kissed Sophie gently and said, “The day is coming where we will be able to relax and not have to worry about everything.”

She just laughed and said, “Snow, you’ll always be the founder of the Keepers. People will be relying on you until they can’t anymore.”

I chuckled and said, “You’re probably right. For now, though, let’s go enjoy some quiet time together.”

Sophie smiled that perfect smile of hers as she said,'' Sounds like a plan my love.”

I spent the next few days reading reports from the garrisons and outposts closest to the Colony and making sure all of our people were well stocked on food, water, and other supplies while also helping my kids build a clubhouse out by the Villa, though I was having my engineers build an official one for when the kids were a bit older.

The next few years went by without any serious conflicts, though we knew the Shadow Empire was still planning their invasion of the Americas. I had managed to have my forces cross over from Alaska into what was formerly Russia, work their way across the continent and into Europe where the Shadows had been amassing their forces. The forces I sent over specialized in guerrilla warfare and caused all kinds of issues for our enemy and recruited surviving Europeans to help them.

A brisk breeze gave a warning one day that fall was ending, and winter was about to set in. Gradually, day by day, the weather got colder. It was almost to the end of October when we got our first snowfall. Camulod woke to a blanket of snow covering everything on a crisp October 23rd in 2038.

By this time, we had been living in the colony for a good 16 years and our people had come up with several new festivals and traditions such as the Snow Festival which was held during the first snowfall of every year. Snow cream was a favorite treat of the kids as it was made with vanilla, sugar, milk, snow, and some added toppings. The celebrations were in full swing in the city center as I walked onto the fifth-floor balcony of the Villa overlooking the inner city. I set my hands on the balcony railing and watched as the kids ran around playing in the snow, while the adults watched and talked amongst themselves. I knew that celebrations such as this were taking place all over the Colony. I had only been up there for a few minutes before I was joined by Sophie.

She wrapped an arm around my shoulders as she said, “What’s going on?”

“You always know when something is wrong.” She looked at me and waited. I sighed. “I’ve been feeling restless lately. I feel like there’s a storm building but I’m not sure when it’ll hit.”

Sophie looked out at the people below. “Maybe you need some time away from the Colony. You’ve been leading a long time. Every leader needs some time away. To refresh themselves and clear their heads. I’m sure Theseus and I can manage the affairs of the Colony while you take a break.”

I sighed. “Maybe you’re right. I just hope that if I leave, we’re not attacked. Our Knights based here in Camulod are becoming too relaxed.”

She placed a hand on my face and turned my head gently to face her. “Everything will be fine Snow. We have plenty of allies who have our back. The Keepers won’t fall.”

We sat there in silence for a few minutes looking back out at the crowd. “When do you think I should leave?”

Sophie thought about it for a minute. “After the holiday celebrations. The Snow Festival, Christmas, and New Year’s. After that we’ll announce a temporary change in leadership. Theseus will assume the title of temporary Supreme Commander while you’re gone. I’d love to go with you, but I should stay here and look after the Villa and our family.” She paused for a moment before saying, “Besides, I know you’ll come back. You always do.”

I nodded. “Sounds like a plan, and you’re right. Now, shall we go join the celebrations?”

Sophie took my hand. “We shall,” she said with a bright smile. Together we walked down through the villa and out into the Courtyard where the celebrations were taking place.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 12: My Journey

The day I left Camulod was a chilly one. We made the announcement early that morning, first to the members of the Keepers Forces and then to the civilians. I let everyone know that Sophie and Theseus would be running the Colony while I was gone and they Everyone wished me safe travels and told me to return soon. I rode Germanicus to the East Gate alongside Sophie, Theseus, Maia, Odette, and Charles who were on their own steeds. I looked at the five of the people I trusted the most and said, “Keep our people safe. I’ll be back soon.” With a sigh, I turned and headed out of the gate.

I had only been gone for a few days before my trip was paused. I was around five miles or so away from Fort Smith, Arkansas when I found myself caught in a blizzard that had blown in from the north. I dismounted my horse and led him by the reins to a small cabin close by. I found a stable next to the building, so I led Germanicus inside and then headed to the cabin and knocked on the door. A young girl about Killian’s age, looking to be around fourteen or so, opened the door and stared at me with big blue eyes before calling for her dad. I wasn’t standing there long before a man around my own age walked up behind her “Howdy. What can I do for you?”

I looked up at him. “Hi there. I was just looking for a place to stay until this blizzard is over.”

The man nodded. “It is pretty nasty out there. I’ve seen firsthand what traveling in this weather can do to a person. Come on inside.”

I thanked him as I walked inside introducing myself “My name is Snow Ashe by the way.” The man nodded “Nice to meet you Snow. I’m Benjamin Fallowtail. You can call me Ben though. I’ve heard a lot of stories about the great leader of Camulod. Never thought I’d get a chance to meet you.”

I smiled. “I’d meet everyone if I could. Most of my duties keep me in Camulod. It’s a lot of work keeping the organization and nation running.”

Ben nodded “I can imagine. It is good to have a government that isn’t corrupt though. The United States government was full of corrupted, power-hungry politicians before the Fall. When the US fell in 2025, I was saddened but also glad to be rid of the corruption that had been plaguing our land for generations. When your people showed up and took on the mantle of the peacekeepers of the world, I knew that from that point on things would be different. Your people have proven time and time again that they are worthy of the roles they have been given.”

I smiled as I listened, full of gratitude at his words of the work we had done, “Thank you Ben. That means a lot to me. I hope one day to truly create a world at peace. For now, peace in the Americas is a great start to that end. I...”

As I was talking, his daughter had run up to me with a thick book in her hands with a grin. I smiled back at her as I took the book and looked at Ben. He laughed. “You must forgive Jenna. She loves being read stories every night just like I did when I was her age. We lost the TVs back in 2022 when the power went out so reading books and watching old movies using solar power is our way of in-home entertainment. I’ve been reading to her since she was born. My wife did the same until she passed away in the winter 2035 due to a bad case of pneumonia.”

I looked at the cover of the book which read, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. “I wouldn’t mind reading to her. I used to read to my son in Camulod before he reached 14 and started spending more time out of the villa.”

Ben nodded and smiled. “I think she’d like that. Just a chapter though. It’s past her bedtime.”

I opened the book to where they had left off and started reading to her as Ben listened quietly. Once the chapter was over, I put the bookmark back in the book and closed it before setting it on the table. Jenna’s eyes were getting heavy, and her father got up and carried her to bed. He came back not long after to find me sitting at the table still with a book of my own in my hand. He looked at me curiously and I showed him the cover which read The Hobbit. Ben smiled. “I remember those books. My father used to read them to me when I was young, and we saw all three movies in the theaters.

I smiled reminiscing. “My dad got me into the series when I was young, and by the time I was 23 I had almost every book Tolkien wrote as well as all 6 movies directed by Peter Jackson. He actually got me this book when I was around 16 or so.”

He looked at the bookshelf across the room. “Most of my father’s books were related to Lord of the Rings or other fantasy works. They’re a part of who we are now.”

I nodded. “I couldn’t agree more. Our generation grew up on what kids nowadays refer to as classics. Have you ever heard the origin story of the Keepers?”

Ben shook his head. “No, I haven’t.”

I leaned back in my chair and said “I founded the Keepers with an old friend back in 2012 when I was only 13 and centered the group around books. Our original goal was to preserve as many books as we could. Our fear was that eBooks would phase out books slowly but surely. Once the group known as the Chasers started burning books and hunting down our collectors, we started having to keep our operations secret. We found ourselves a base in Shreveport, Louisiana and started hiding our collections under the city in waterproof containers. It wasn’t the safest idea, but it worked. When the Keepers disbanded in 2018, we left most of our collection under the city with plenty of protection against the elements. When I returned in 2022 to our base, everything was as we left it. With the help of several close friends and family, our collections were unpacked and opened for the first time in four years. Then we moved to Camulod and took every book we could with us and placed them in the main Villa library which took up half of the third floor before a 5-building library complex was built in the Western part of the city in 2027 when we ran out of space for books in the Villa library. Our collection had further grown when we acquired the libraries from cities like Washington DC and Boston. The main goal of the Keepers as an organization now is to preserve books for future generations, to protect the history of the world from being corrupted along with American values, and to provide regional peace and security for the Americas.”

Ben listened in silence until I finished. “Your mission is impressive Snow. My daughter and I have a nice, quiet life here, but I think she’d benefit greatly from spending some time in your libraries and learning more about the world she lives in. If you’ll have us, I’d like to join you on your return journey to Camulod.”

With another smile “I’d be happy to have y’all come back with me. My trip isn’t over yet though. I’m headed back to Shreveport to visit our old base and see what the state of the city is like. The old Air Force base there has been keeping order with the help of my own forces since the city governments fell back in 2030 due to the food riots caused by the people living in the poorer sections of Bossier City and Shreveport.”

He looked towards the bedroom where his daughter was sleeping and then back at me. “If I may ask, why are you traveling alone? You’re the leader of the Americas now. The most powerful person in the Western Hemisphere. Aren’t you worried about being attacked?”

I looked out of the window for a moment before replying. “There is always concern for an attack. Attacks on lone travelers are rare now, but you’re right that they do happen. But don’t worry. I’m well prepared to defend myself should the need arise.”

Ben nodded. “Well, that’s good to hear. I suppose you’re ready to get some sleep. I know I’m exhausted.”

I nodded with a yawn as my exhaustion finally hit. He led me to a spare bedroom and told me that if I needed anything just holler and then said goodnight before heading to his own room. I took off my hat, coat, and boots and laid down on the bed. Within minutes I was fast asleep.

When I woke up the next morning and looked outside, everything was covered in snow. The clouds had disappeared, and the bright sunlight shone down upon the silent countryside. I got up and pulled on my boots and grabbed my coat and hat before walking out into the living room. I found Ben and his daughter sitting at the table eating breakfast. Ben looked up as I walked in and said, “There’s a couple biscuits and some bacon on the counter if you’d like something to eat.”

I nodded and thanked him before grabbing a plate. As I went and sat down, Jenna asked me, “What is it like where you’re from?”

I looked at Ben and he chuckled as I looked back at his daughter and said, “Camulod is a big place when you first arrive. There are lots of people and horses and gardens. In the center of the city there are orchards and fields and a massive house that we call the Villa which is where my people stayed when we first moved there. The entire city is powered by sunlight, fourteen tall wind turbines, and hydroelectricity. The land around the city is flat for the most part except for in the center where Lake El Dorado sits. My daughter Lily had an idea for a clubhouse close to the Villa for her, her siblings, and her friends to hang out in and then we built a few other clubhouses throughout the city. She’s a little bit younger than you are, is an avid reader and a frequent visitor of the library complex with her mother. You two would get along really well, I think. My son Killian is also an avid reader and is often leading the group of leader’s kids alongside Lily.”

Ben chimed in after I said that and said, “I think you’re right Snow. We’ll start preparing to leave soon.”

I looked at him and said “I’m glad to hear that. It’d probably be a good idea for me to continue my journey so I can get back and then ride with y’all to Camulod. My second in command is currently leading the Colony with the help of my wife Sophie and my third in command.”

Ben nodded and said, “I’ll help you with anything you might need for the rest of your trip to Shreveport.”

A couple hours later I waved bye to Ben and Jenna as I continued my journey. There was still snow on the ground, but it was melting quickly in the bright sunlight. Snow never lasted long in the South. It was a bit slow going but three days later I reached I-49 and followed it to the Shreveport-Bossier city limits.

It wasn’t long before I saw the old fortifications made by the Keepers division based there during the food riots in 2030. The city had seen some decline over the past two decades as more and more people left. My parents and the rest of my family had moved up to Camulod in 2029 along with the families of many of the original Keepers who believed in our cause and wanted to be closer to their grandchildren. Eventually, I reached Downtown Shreveport. The spot where the old Regions bank tower had been cleared off and it looked like they had started constructing a new building, but it had been abandoned for at least a few months by the looks of things. The city was quieter than I had ever seen it. A few people looked up as I rode by on Germanicus but quickly looked away. When I reached the old Keepers Headquarters, there were two Knights standing outside guarding the entrance. I dismounted and handed the reins to one of them and told the two I wouldn’t be long. I walked inside and immediately noticed the change in the base since I had last been here. When the Keepers Headquarters had been located here, the place was always humming with the sound of Keepers talking.

Now, there was a definite silence occasionally interrupted by the sound of talking in the main conference room. As I walked through the doorway the Garrison Commander in charge looked up at me and shock lit up her eyes before they stood up straight and said “Commander Ashe. We weren’t expecting you for at least a few more days.”

I smiled and said, “Relax Helena. I know it’s been a while since we last saw each other but I still remember the young recruit I met back in 2028 when she came to Camulod with her family.”

Helena brightened up as she asked, “How are my family doing? I know my younger brother was excited to become a Keepers Knight before I left.”

I laughed and said, “Joshua is doing well. Before I left Camulod I overheard one of the Centurions talking to him about him leading his own squad. The rest of your family has settled in quite comfortably from what I’ve heard.”

She smiled and said, “I’m glad to hear that they’re doing well. So, what can I do for you? I’m sure you came back for something important.”

I nodded. “I came back to see how things were going here for myself. The riots in 2030 really put a strain on the city and our Garrison here. I understand that most of our forces have been moved to Barksdale?”

Helena confirmed that they had as she said, “Your sources are correct. As Shreveport started getting worse and worse due to gang violence and a dwindling police presence, I decided to send most of the Knights to Barksdale as a precautionary measure. As I’m sure you’re aware, the old Air Force base still has the B-52s ready at a moment's notice. For the planes being over seventy-five years old and still functional shows how well we constructed our planes back in the fifties and sixties. Besides the planes however, there is a sizable number of nukes hidden throughout the various storage bunkers. Almost five hundred were moved here in secret right after the Fall from Washington State while the Chasers had control of Seattle. The rest of the missiles which were stored there were sent to three other Air Force bases for safekeeping and sent out to sea with nuclear capable submarines and warships. I also know that Pearl Harbor, from the few reports we’ve received, has prepared itself for any attack set forth by the Shadow Empire or forces that work against us in Oceania. Currently, we have around twelve thousand men and women who are Air Force veterans and eight thousand Keepers stationed at Barksdale ready to defend the base.”

I listened to her finish before I said, “You seem to have everything under control here Helena. I am glad to know my old home is being watched over by a very capable Garrison Commander. I suspect it won’t be long before you are promoted to Legate Commander.”

Her eyes shone with pride as she thanked me. We talked a bit more about the state of things before we headed out of the old headquarters.

A few days later, after I had rested and caught up on everything that had been going on, I left Shreveport-Bossier and headed back up to Benjamin’s cabin outside of Fort Smith, Arkansas. The journey back took a lot less time than I originally thought it would as all the snow had melted.

As I rode up the path to Ben’s house Jenna, who had apparently seen me coming, ran down to where I was riding with a big smile as she exclaimed, “Welcome back! Dad and I are just about ready to leave. I cannot wait to see Camulod. I'm so excited that I’ve been having dreams about it.”

I laughed and said, “I’m glad to hear that. I have loads of stories I could tell you as well about Camulod, the Keepers, and my own family if you’d like to hear them.” The girl nodded eagerly. Once we got closer to the house I dismounted and walked up to Ben who was waiting for us with Jenna by my side. We shook hands as he welcomed me back. Together we walked into the cabin where the last of the stuff he wanted to bring with them was waiting to be loaded onto the old American pioneer-style wagon that Ben had built himself.

I looked around the cabin where Ben had grown up before looking at him and asking, “Are you sure you want to leave all this?”

Ben looked at his daughter and said, “Yeah. Jenna needs a place where she can meet people her age and attend a real school and have friends.”

I nodded and said, “Alright, just thought I’d check.”

 He smiled and said, “I appreciate that Snow. Thank you for allowing us to come back with you.”

 I smiled back and said, “Anytime my friend.”

 

 

Chapter 13: My Return to Camulod

Almost a week later, on February 2nd, 2039, we came into view of the City Walls. Jenna literally shook with excitement. I had told her all kinds of stories about Camulod and my family and the history of the Keepers. At this point she knew almost as much as Lily about the Colony. The Keeper Knights on guard at the Southern Gate nodded to me as we rode through the entrance. There was a lot of murmuring as we passed through the streets heading towards the main Villa Complex. Eventually we reached the Villa entrance and as we dismounted, three Knights took our horses, along with Ben’s wagon, to the stables. Until we had found them a place in the city Ben and Jenna would be staying in the Villa. The Knights would help move everything inside as soon as Ben and I came to an arrangement on which part they would be living in. I walked into the Villa alongside Ben and his daughter, and I had not made it far inside before Sophie came running down the stairs and practically flew into my arms. I hugged her as she whispered, “I’m glad you’re back.”

I smiled as I whispered back, “I’m glad to be back sweetheart.” We separated after a moment, and I looked at Killian and Jenna. “Killian, why don’t you show Jenna around the Villa and take her to see the Clubhouse and meet your siblings and friends?” Killian nodded and led Jenna off to the West Wing of the Villa.

After they had left, I turned to Ben and introduced Sophie and then we headed up to my conference room where I found Theseus, Odette, Thomas, and a few others situated around the table. They all stood as I entered, and Theseus said “Welcome back! I didn’t know you’d be back so soon.”

I looked at Sophie and said, “I couldn’t stay away for too long.”

Sophie blushed before looking at the members of the Council and saying “Snow hasn’t come alone. Two newcomers have arrived with him. Benjamin Fallowtail and his daughter Jenna.”

Ben stepped forward and said “It’s a pleasure to meet y’all. I’ve heard many stories about the members in this room and..”

He trailed off as my cousin Jimmy Ashe entered the room and said “Commanders, we have a potential situation arising.”

I looked at Sophie and then at Jimmy and said, “What kind of a situation?” just as the building shook slightly.

He looked at me and said “We’ve lost contact with a Keepers regiment in California just outside of San Francisco. From the last transmission we received, it looks like there may have been an earthquake.”

I looked at Thomas and said “Have your Legion ready to go within two hours. Try to contact our Seattle and Portland Garrisons as well and tell them to prepare to send aid to the Californian cities. Take Viktor and Victoria Ismirm with you as well.”

Thomas nodded and walked out of the room followed by Jimmy. Ben looked at me and said, “Never a dull moment in your world is there.”

 I chuckled and said, “It’s your world now too Ben.”

He nodded and said “I suppose it is. I wonder what the kids are up to.”

Sophie spoke up this time and said “Knowing how Lily and Killian are, they’re probably at the Clubhouse planning some adventure or scheme. I know Lily is preparing herself for her eventual rise to the mantle of the Head of Camulod after Snow retires from his post.”

Ben nodded and said, “What about Killian?”

I looked from Sophie to Ben as I said “Killian will be taking the leadership of our Alaskan Colony when he is ready. Our two youngest will each be offered a leadership position as well, Vivian in the Southern Colony which is currently under construction in Florida, and Caspian in our colony on Akimiski Island in the Hudson Bay.”

Theseus now spoke up and said as we all looked at him, “According to Snow’s plans for the future, the Camulodian Republic will be renamed on July 4th, 2076 and become the New American Republic. The Inner Circle and High Council of the Keepers have agreed that his children will take up the mantle of leadership over the four main Keeper Strongholds, with Camulod retaining its seat as the Capital of the new republic. His kids will however be able to choose someone to replace them should they not want the positions of leadership in the different areas.”

Ben nodded and said “Sounds like a solid plan. Reminds me of the Pevensies in the Chronicles of Narnia.”

I laughed and said, “Similar, but not exactly. Lily will be inheriting the role of Supreme Commander of the Keepers Forces as she will be leading here in Camulod. However the New Republic will be following the guidelines of the original United States Constitution. There will be a new American President, and elections will be held every four years just as they were before the Fall.”

Ben chuckled and said, “You have the future of the Americas all planned out don’t you Snow.”

I gave him a nod and said “We know what happened with the United States. The Founding Fathers never really planned for the divisions within the population or the extreme corruption in the government that happened from the 1990s to the 2020s. I don’t want to repeat their mistakes. Should any leader, present or future, seem to be leading the Keepers or the Republic in the wrong direction, they can be removed from office by a majority vote of the High Council, the New Republic Congress, and the American People. There are all kinds of safeguards set in place to prevent corruption within the new nation and the Keepers.”

Odette looked at Ben as she said “Snow has been planning this for decades. When we started in 2012 none of us knew the full extent of his plans. The restructuring of the Keepers in 2017 and then the Rebirth of the Keepers in 2022 showed the few of us from the original group just how dedicated Snow was to the group and foundations upon which it was built. His eldest daughter, Lily, shows a lot of her father’s personality. She is the same age Snow was when he started making plans for the Keepers and I know she’s already planning out her time as leader of the Keepers. Killian, too, shows a lot of Snow’s traits. When those of us in power eventually retire, the Republic and Keepers will be in safe hands.”

We continued talking for a while before I led Ben to a set of rooms and when he had settled on two, one for him and another for his daughter, we headed outside to let the Knights know we had settled on a place.

After everything was settled, I went to see how Thomas was coming with getting his Legion ready to depart. His Legion of Keepers consisted of around a little over a thousand people from Alexandria, Louisiana and Branson, Missouri who had come with him to settle in Camulod when he returned to the city when I assigned a temporary replacement to lead the Branson Garrison so that we could hold his promotion ceremony. His Legion was special in the fact that while it was a part of the Keepers organization, it was not directly overseen by the High Council and instead run directly by him. When Thomas was leading the Alexandria Garrison, I had given him permission to head up his own group of Keepers and left him to it. He returned to Shreveport in early 2023 with the majority of his people when I called for them and they then came with us to Camulod. I found Thomas at the Western Gate with his people just about ready to go. I walked up with Sophie beside me and put a hand on his shoulder as I said “Keep your people out of danger. We know that there are still rogue elements in the mountains and deserts composed of Anarchists, Reapers, and remnants of the Mexican cartels that took refuge there when we liberated the Mexican Government and cities from their control. The Shadows too keep showing up where they’re not wanted.”

Thomas nodded and said “Sure wish you were coming with us. We could use your guidance on this mission.”

I chuckled and said “I have the utmost faith in your abilities Thomas. You’re a very capable leader. But, if you’re out of contact for longer than three weeks, I’ll bring a search party out looking for you.” My cousin nodded and thanked me before getting up onto his horse as his people did the same and leading the First Legion out of the gate.

I turned to Sophie and took her hand as we walked back through the city to the Villa. Many of the people who we met on the way back asked me how the trip went and by the time we got back to the Villa it was nearly dark. We found Ben, Theseus, Maia , and our combined number of seven kids in the main dining room eating dinner and talking. Sophie went to make herself a plate from the buffet setup the cooks had laid out as I walked over to the table and greeted the adults and kids. Lily got out of her chair and was closely followed by Vivian, who was my youngest, and both gave me hugs before going back to their plates to finish eating after Sophie said something to them. I pulled out a chair for Sophie who sat down as I went and got my own food. I listened to the conversation that was going on at the table and chuckled as Killian started telling a very detailed story to the adults. I turned around to head back to the table and I noticed that Jenna was hanging onto his every word while Lily, Brentley, Savannah, and the twins, Caspian and Vivian played a game together while they ate. As I sat down at the head of the table, the conversation stopped as Killian looked at me and asked me about the Alaskan Colony. I leaned back in my chair as I asked, “What do you want to know about the colony Killian?”

He looked at Jenna and she gave him a little nod before he looked back at me. “What are your plans for the Alaskan Colony, and do you have any other Colonies planned?”

I looked at Sophie and she gave me a knowing smile as I turned my gaze back to my eldest son. “Killian, there are a total of four areas that will become permanent strongholds within the Camulodian Republic here in North America. Two you already know of. Those being Camulod itself which will be the Capital of the New American Republic and the Alaskan Colony, officially titled Caspiolla which will be the headquarters for our forces in Alaska. The other two are the Akimiski Island in the Hudson Bay and the other is a new colony that is under construction in Florida as we speak.”

Killian nodded and said “I know I will be taking command of the Alaskan Colony and Lily will be leading here. Who will lead the other two?”

Sophie spoke up now and said “Vivian will lead in Florida and Caspian in Akimiski. Your father and I discussed this years ago with the High Council and Inner Circle. However, should you or your siblings change your minds, measures have been put in place to make sure the leadership of the strongholds go to the right people.”

Killian looked at Lily and his siblings before looking back at us. “Lil and I have already decided we will accept the roles once they are given to us. We know that the Keepers have the best chance of maintaining freedom in the West.”

I looked at Theseus who chuckled before he looked at the kids who were now all focused on us as he said “Brentley and Savannah, time for bed. Tell everyone goodnight.”

I told my kids the same and Ben followed suit. With a lot of groaning the kids all headed to their bedrooms in the Villa. Savannah and Brentley were staying at the Villa for the night due to things I had to discuss with the other adults present. We parents told all of our kids goodnight before heading to my office where a fire was already blazing in the fireplace. I remained standing, leaning against my desk, as Sophie settled into her chair and the others sat on the couches. I looked at the fire for a moment before looking at the people gathered in the room. “I’m glad to be back in Camulod. Back with the people I hold most dear. Tomorrow, we will make it official that I have returned and start sending people out to secure books and media from the days of the United States and start the immense task of relocating the massive libraries throughout North America to Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado as well as send teams of Keepers to Florida and Akimiski Island and get them ready to be official strongholds. I would also like to send word to our allies throughout the Americas and tell them to start preparing themselves just in case we are eventually invaded by the Shadow Empire. I haven’t forgotten that Abu Alreve told me as well that there are Reapers in our cities. We need to start screening everyone who comes through the city gates. I can’t take any chances with the security and safety of Camulod and our people.”

Sophie nodded in agreement as Theseus spoke up. “Snow, there have been reports from the Northern Passages and from the coastal garrisons that ships have been spotted bearing the flag of the Shadow Empire and scouting the area. Our Hawaiian based Keepers have also informed us that three Japanese warships docked in Pearl Harbor two weeks ago, along with the USS Ronald Reagan and a mixture of Japanese Keepers along with Japanese diplomats and military personnel were sent by the remnants of the Japanese government to talk with the American leaders of the Keepers and the Camulodian Republic. Their message was that, should the Camulodian Republic be attacked, Japan and it’s surviving Asian allies would stand with us till the bitter end.”

I nodded and said, “I’m glad to hear that. Send a message to let them know that their alliance with us is gratefully accepted.”

We discussed a few more things before heading to our rooms. Sophie and I walked down one of the dark hallways on the fourth floor to our room hand in hand.

The next morning, I woke up to dark gray clouds hanging over the Colony. A breeze had picked up and I could hear the leaves rustling in the orchards. I looked over at Sophie who was still asleep and smiled. It was good to be home. I got up quietly and got dressed before heading to the kitchen to find some food. Deep in my thoughts about the day ahead, I came back to reality as I felt the familiar arms of Sophie wrap around me as she hugged me from behind while I was looking out of the window in the kitchen. I smiled and said, “Good morning sweetheart.” as I turned around to face her.

Sophie kissed me gently before saying softly, “Good morning. How’d you sleep?”

I smiled again. “Best night of sleep I’ve had since I left to go on my journey.”

She smiled back and said, “I’m glad to hear that and I’m glad you’re back.”

I was about to say something just as Theseus walked in with a sketchbook in his hand. He had always been the artist from an early age. Theseus smirked as he noticed us and said, “Morrrrning.”

I laughed and said “Great reference. We should have a Harry Potter night again in the theater. I know the kids would love it. We haven't had one in a couple years.” Theseus and Sophie agreed that it would definitely be a fun event.

Chapter 14: The Uprising of 2047

The next few years again went by without any major incidents. At least in North America. The Camulodian people were prospering and the cities were growing steadily. The Woodsmen, along with the Atlantic and Pacific Guard were doing their best to secure the coastlines and mountain ranges of North America along with the help of the Keepers Forces. Smaller groups that had risen in the years since the Fall who had also allied themselves with the Keepers were doing their best to help as well. Five great strongholds were built in the Rocky and Appalachian Mountains by the Keepers and Woodsmen. The old bases and bunkers built by the United States Military were refurbished and military aircraft and other modes of transportation were repaired as well. Before long the nation was ready for anything the Shadow Empire or anyone else for that matter could throw at us.

In 2045 Killian and Jenna had left to take command of the Alaskan Colony. They had taken close to six hundred people with them and enough supplies to last the trip and a bit extra. The earthquake that hit the Californian Coast in 2039 had resulted in dozens of deaths and widespread damage across most of California and parts of Oregon and Washington State. The quake, however, was felt in areas as far away as Utah and Colorado. Thomas and his Legion helped those who survived rebuild with aid from Camulod and the rest of the nation. My eldest daughter, Lily, was introduced to the Keepers in Camulod as their future Supreme Commander. She was only 18, but everyone saw her potential. Lily had become the leader of the group of Commanders kids even though Killian was the oldest. She showed great leadership skills, kept the others out of trouble, knew how to handle herself in tough situations, and had become a great strategist. I have to say I’m really proud of her.

In 2046 there had been no sign of the Shadow Empire, Anarchists, or Reapers anywhere close to Camulod or any of the Keepers Garrisons for several years. The Chasers had relocated however to a small town to the south of Camulod and Angel had become a changed woman during her time running from the Shadow Empire and then spending several years in Camulod itself. She had slowly but surely rebuilt her friendship with me and redeemed herself several times.

On April 20th, 2047, though, everything changed. I was walking through the Villa Complex with my family when Ben came running up with a recently promoted Centurion by the name of Elizabeth Kenley Sallow. I asked what was wrong and Ben said breathlessly, “Snow, there have been attacks on the West Coast. Every indication is that the Anarchy have taken control of five of our garrisons in California, Oregon, and Washington. The Pacific Guard evacuated as many people out of the cities as they could by means of the Pacific Fleet as the Eastern sections of the cities had been blocked off or destroyed. Admiral Cameron Washington is taking them to Vancouver to our garrison there. The garrisons in the West are all on high alert. There have also been reports coming in from our South American Garrisons that a massive number of troops from the Shadow Empire are slowly making their way up through South and Central America and are currently somewhere near Panama. The Brazilian Keeper Forces did their best to hold them off in Brasilia, but the Shadows just shot them down. The Reapers too have started targeting Garrisons in the Northern Archipelago. As far as I know, Chase and Alexandru have managed to hold them off so far.”

I turned to Sophie and said, “Go to the Villa. I will meet y’all there after I talk with the High Council.”

Sophie nodded and led Vivian and Caspian to the Villa while Lily stayed with me. Lily had begun staying with me when I had to deal with major issues that arose so that she could gain experience in those kinds of situations. I led Ben, Lily, and Elizabeth to the Military Headquarters of Camulod and found that there were already dozens of people in the building including most of my Inner Circle and High Council. As people noticed I was there they stopped and looked at me waiting for orders. Calmly I said, “Councilors and Commanders, please enter the Chamber and be seated. Everyone else, find your designated post and wait for further instructions.”

The Keepers did as I said and before long the main lobby of the headquarters was empty. I looked at Lily who had stayed by my side and said, “Brace yourself. This meeting is going to be a rocky one when they hear what I propose.”

My daughter looked towards the doors of the Council Chamber and then back at me as she said, “Dad you’ve been planning for this for the last four years. The Councilors, Representatives, and Ambassadors from our allies know that you would never lead us into something we couldn’t get out of.”

I smiled and said, “You grew up on me Lil. You’re going to make an excellent Supreme Commander when I retire. Now, let’s go get this done.”

She nodded and together we walked into the Chamber. As we walked to our seats the few people standing sat down and everyone waited for what I had to say.

I looked around the table as I said, “Friends, Commanders, Councilors, Representatives, and Ambassadors. We are here today to discuss the threat of invasion. The Anarchy has already taken command of four cities on the West Coast. The Reapers are approaching from the North. The Shadow Empire is heading up from the South, West, and East. Our surviving forces from the fallen Western Garrisons are headed to safe zones like Cheyenne Mountain and Caspiolla. I give us maybe a few months before we have an army at our gates here in Camulod. Now the question is, what are we going to do?”

One of the councilors spoke up and said, “We fight of course! Camulod is our home. We must defend it.”

Several other Councilors and Commanders agreed with that statement. While I waited for the table to quiet back down, I realized that my people weren’t going to leave, and I was proud that they were so willing to defend the Colony. I was still calling it that even though we’d been there for over twenty-five years. I realized that if I suggested that we left temporarily they wouldn’t go for it. Only a few knew that we had a fortress built and waiting for us in the Appalachian Mountains at Mount Rogers. The Ambassador from the Woodsmen, Eliza Riverswirl, was watching me with an intent gaze.

I looked at Lily and then at those assembled and said, “The Keepers will survive this. We will make sure of it. My daughter, Lily, along with three Legate Commanders will lead the majority of our civilian population along with a contingent of Keeper Knights to the fortress that our people and the Woodsmen have constructed at Mount Rogers in Virginia. The rest of our Camulodian based forces will remain here and defend the city by my side. The forts that were built a few years ago are still in operation and will be our first line of defense. Two Legions of Knights will be stationed at each fort and the remaining three in the area will be stationed here in Camulod at the gates and on the walls. Reserve forces will be stationed within the Villa Complex. The siege tunnels must be ready though should we be forced to evacuate. If we are, the remaining primary safe zones in North America will be Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado, Mount Rogers in Virginia, the Alaskan Colony, and the Floridian Colony.”

As I finished, I saw several people nodding with approval. Eliza spoke up and said, “The fortress at Mount Rogers is well equipped for a large number of people. I and my people are prepared to lend any assistance we can.”

I nodded to her and said “Thank you Ambassador. When Lily leads the way to Virginia, I’d like you to go with her and guide her and our people to the fortress and pass along a message from us to Joshua Pendragon which I will give to you once the meeting is over.”

Joshua Pendragon was the Commander of the Woodsmen and we’d been friends and allies since we met back in 2025 shortly after the Fall. He had set up his headquarters on the peak of Mount Mitchell in North Carolina and once we became allies, we made an agreement that his domain would be the Appalachian Mountain Range in the US States of Virginia, North and South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Maryland, and West Virginia, though the Keepers would be the primary leaders of the Americas.

The Heads of State in North America were the leaders of the respective capitol regions. Along with myself, the other Heads included Joshua Pendragon, Angel, after she had returned and reformed the Chasers, General Alexander Forrest, Head of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado, Killian Ashe, Head of the Alaskan Colony, Queen Suzanna Fallowstrike, Head of the Ravens, Admiral Cameron Washington, Head of the Pacific Guard, and Admiral Thaddeus Price, Head of the Atlantic Guard.

The South American Heads were Julius Fernandez, Leader of the Brazilian Keepers, Maria Diego, Leader of the Argentinian Keepers, and Isabella Valeria, Leader of the Panocolumbian Keepers.

The message I gave to Eliza was this.

Commander Joshua Pendragon,

Words cannot express my gratitude to you and your people for your help in constructing a fortress for my people in the Appalachian Mountains. Assuming we all survive the invasion of the Shadow Empire, Anarchy, and Reapers here in North America, I would like to liberate Europe, Asia, and Africa from the Shadow’s control and restore the countries there. For too long the Eastern Continents have suffered. It is time for that to change. I wish you luck in the coming conflict. I don’t think anyone will come out of this unscathed.

 ~Snow Ashe, Supreme Commander of the Keepers

 

A week later, Lily was getting ready to leave to go to Mount Rogers with the large assembly gathered at the Eastern Gate in Camulod. Her siblings, Vivian and Caspian, would be going with her as they were both only fifteen. I had received a message from Killian and Jenna that informed me that the Alaskan Keepers were well prepared should anyone dare attack in the region. Sophie would be staying in Camulod with me along with most of the senior members of the Keepers. Our allies and the countless Keeper Garrisons were readying their forces for the largest military conflict in North America since the American Civil War. No one was really sure what would happen next.

I headed to the gate with Sophie, Theseus, and Maia. Theseus’s son Brentley had elected to join Lily on her journey to the Keepers Fortress. Lily had told Sophie and I that she was dating Brentley a few months before this, and she was surprised that I approved. When she asked why, I simply told her, “He’s my best friend’s son. How could I not approve?”

Lily had seemed happy about this as she jumped up, gave me a hug, and ran out of the Villa to the Clubhouse where the other Commanders kids still hung out all the time in between their responsibilities. When we reached the gate where the kids were waiting, I walked up to my eldest daughter and said, “Lily I’m assigning the 5th Legion to accompany y’all on the journey along with the Commanders I mentioned the other day at the council meeting. It shouldn’t take more than two weeks for y’all to get there with everyone that’s going. There are garrisons on the path you are taking there that will put your force up for the night and give out fresh food and supplies.”

Lily hugged me and said, “I’ll miss you, Dad.”

I hugged her back as I said, “I’ll miss you too Lilybell.” I turned to my other two kids, Caspian and Vivian, and said, “You two behave for your sister. Enjoy the trip. This will be the first time y’all have been to the Appalachian Mountains.” The twins hugged me, and they both told me they’d miss me.

As they released me, Sophie walked up and talked to them while I walked over to where Brentley was standing talking to Theseus and Aurora. As I stood beside Theseus, I told Brentley, “Keep them safe Brentley. They’re my family just as much as they are yours.”

Theseus’s son nodded as he said, “I will Commander. I wanted to ask you something as well. With your permission, should she say yes as well, may I marry your daughter?”

 

  Chapter 15: The Shadows are Coming.

I stood there looking at Brentley for a moment before saying, “If my daughter says yes, I will agree to allow you to marry her. I’ve watched you grow up into a fine young man and you’ve treated Lily very well since you first asked her out. Your parents and I are very proud of you.” Theseus had named me Brentley’s godfather when he was born in 2026 in-between the births of my first two kids. 

The young man in front of me gave me a nod and said, “Thank you Commander. I promise you; I won’t let anything happen to Lily or the twins.”

I smiled as I said, “Thank you. Go get ready to leave. Make sure y’all send a message as soon as y’all reach the Keepers Fortress.” 

Brentley nodded and headed to the gate. I looked at my oldest friend. “They’re all growing up so fast Theseus. Remember when we were their age?” 

Theseus laughed and said, “Yeah, we were a mess. College, breakups, the revival of the Keepers...I never pictured us standing here at the edge of the third World War as the leaders of the free world.” He had a point. The threat of war posed by the Shadow Empire, Anarchy, and Reapers was overshadowing everything at the moment. Everywhere in Camulod you could see defenses being constructed and my people getting ready for a battle.

I sighed and said, “The Camulodian Republic was always supposed to be the embodiment of peace. Now we’re preparing for a war that was never supposed to happen.”

Sophie walked up just then and took my hand. “It’s going to be strange being here without our kids. I wish we didn’t have to send them away.”

I squeezed her hand gently as I watched our three youngest check their supplies that had been loaded onto their horses. “They’ll be fine love. They’ll be protected by plenty of Knights and Lily won’t let anything happen to her siblings.”

The Legate Commander in charge of the 5th Legion, Matthew Winchester, walked up as we were talking, and he said with a deep voice, “Ma’am I promise you; nothing will happen to any of your children or the rest of the civilians in our charge. Almost every adult will be armed with a gun and sword, and my Knights will keep a close perimeter around the convoy. We will get them to Mount Rogers safely and radio back to let you both know when we arrive.”

Sophie nodded and said, “Thank you Legate. I appreciate that.” 

About an hour later, with many more goodbyes to our people, Sophie, Theseus, Odette, and I watched as the large convoy headed out of the Eastern Gate to the Appalachian Mountains where the Woodsmen and the Keepers Fortress were waiting. I knew I shouldn’t be worried, but I silently prayed that they’d arrive safely. 

———Two Weeks Later——

The city was quiet, almost as if the people within were holding their breath. The sky was overcast, and the smell of rain was in the air. As I walked towards the Southern Gate, the only sound was the crunching of gravel beneath my boots. When I reached the gate, I headed up the stairs of one of the guard towers and found Theseus waiting for me at the top. He had a grim look on his face as he surveyed the landscape before us. He and I both felt like something was about to happen. Lily had radioed in from the fortress at Mount Rogers a day earlier than expected and told us that they’d had no trouble following the old US routes through the country. As I surveyed the landscape before us, thunder rolled in the distance and the wind started to pick up. Theseus turned to me and asked, “Snow, do you think our forces will be able to beat back the Shadow Empire? Allen radioed in earlier and informed me that there have already been a few sightings of ships managing to get through our blockade of the West Coast.” 

I sighed and said, “I’ve received the same reports. According to our Garrison Commanders in San Francisco and Los Angeles, the Shadow Empire breached the blockade around four am this morning and landed somewhere close to Santa Cruz in the Monterey Bay area. Then, at seven am, we received reports that four cities in that area, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Watsonville, and Salinas were all being overrun by men in all black chanting “Death to the Keepers.” Forces have already been sent to meet them. Those areas were not as heavily fortified as the areas surrounding the bigger cities. The Shadows will have a hard time taking the strongholds of the Keepers such as our garrisons in the Western capital cities like those of San Francisco, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and now that we’ve retaken it, Seattle. The East Coast is even more heavily fortified due to the higher number of Keepers stationed in the coastal garrisons of the original thirteen colonies along with our Atlantic based fleets. Austin is currently working with the commanders of the former United States Navy and Atlantic Guard to keep the coast secure. As for us here in Camulod, this city was designed, and then redesigned to take a lot of damage if an attack ever happened. The fortifications around the city have tripled over the past two weeks. Camulod will not be easy to take.”

Theseus nodded and said, “You have complete confidence in our people, don’t you?”

I smiled and said, “Like I told you all those years ago, my people are the best part of my life. My family, friends...y’all make my life worth living. I did all of this for my people. Camulod wouldn’t exist without y’all.”

My best friend looked back at the city behind us. “We’re going to win.”

I turned my gaze back to the landscape before us. “Yes, we will.”

A few hours later I was sitting in my office in the Villa when I heard a knocking on my door. I looked up from the report I was reading and said, “Enter.”

Theseus walked in and said, “Snow, there’s someone here to see you.”

I stood as our old ally Abu Alreve, Commander of the Legion of Shadows in Junction City followed Theseus into the room. We shook hands from across my desk before he said, “Commander, the Shadows are coming.”

 

 

 

 

Chapter 16: The Invasion 

“The Shadows are coming.”

Abu’s words had not come as a surprise. We knew that the Shadow Empire was headed for Camulod. Their troops had been spotted on the American West Coast and heading up through Central America. So far, the East Coast seemed to be clear, as one of the most powerful displays of naval power was situated just off the coast. American, British, Russian, French, Canadian, and Italian ships were all ready to defend the East Coast and the refugees that had arrived from Europe after the European nations fell to the Chasers and then to the Shadow Empire in 2026.  The four primary Carrier Strike Groups, led by the aging American carriers Eisenhower, Truman, Jefferson, and Ford led upwards of six hundred ships guarding the cities and peoples of the Eastern half of the Empire from sea invasion. The USS Enterprise, the third Ford class carrier, was docked at Norfolk Naval Base along with a reserve fleet of roughly seventy-five ships. Work had begun by the Keepers and military personnel on the decommissioned carriers and ghost ships resting in various locations around the nation should the need arise for them in 2025, not long after the fall of the United States. Garrisons throughout North America were on high alert for attacks, especially those in the West. The Alaskan Colony, headed by my son Killian, was marshaling the Alaskan Keepers into a fighting force should the Shadows move North. Over just a few months, Camulod had become the center of control for all military movements in North America with the Villa serving as the primary control building as it was larger than any other building in the Colony. 

The day after Abu and his forces arrived in Camulod, another newcomer arrived at the Villa, escorted by four Knights. Standing around 4’11 with shoulder length black and ginger colored hair, the girl stuck out in the Villa full of Knights and Keepers. I was in the main entrance of the Villa talking to Sophie and Theseus, along with Legate Commander Colin Howard, Legate Commander Estella Bierkly, and Garrison Commander Sally Abbott when she arrived. I looked at one of the Knights, a young man by the name of Sebastian Bishop, and asked, “What’s going on?”

The Knight looked at the girl and then back at me before saying, “She just flew in on an old F-35 fighter. All she would tell us is that she needed to talk to you and that her name was Colonel Jolie Revere of Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.”

I looked at the Legate and Garrison Commanders and said, “I will meet up with y’all once I talk with her.” They nodded and left as I turned to Jolie and said, “Come with me Colonel.” The four Knights followed us along with Sophie and Theseus to my office before standing guard outside as I closed the door. 

After we had all found our seats in my office, I looked at Jolie and said, “Welcome to Camulod Jolie. What brought you here?”

 

Jolie looked at Sophie before looking at me and saying, “I came here to warn you. The Shadows have started a bombardment of the Western military facilities. From what my forces have told me, they’re leaving no survivors and adding the military equipment they can get their hands on to their quickly growing arsenal.”

I nodded and said, “That tracks with the reports we’ve received from our Garrison Commanders in the West.”

Jolie nodded. “My forces have already defeated one wave of the Shadows in Arizona. We know that there are other military groups throughout America that have kept their titles and control over their bases who have allied themselves with you and your people. We would like to join you as well. We have the largest collection of F-35 jets that were built before the Fall and we’re the home of the 56th Fighter Wing and the 944th Fighter Wing along with other surviving divisions from former Air Force bases in Arizona.”

I looked at Theseus who nodded before turning back to her. “Your forces are more than welcome. We are happy to have you. And I appreciate y’all reaching out. In times like these we must stick together as a people and at the end of the day we’re all still Americans.”

She smiled and said, “You are truly a unique leader Commander. You’ve managed to do something that the last two Presidents could never do, unite the people of the Americas. Your whole mission started off wanting to just save books and now look at you. You’ve saved our people from a dystopian future and learned from the failures of the United States. So many people believe in Camulod. Some say it’s Camelot reborn and that you’re the new King Arthur.”

I chuckled. “I like that analogy. In some ways I did build a version of Camelot. But the foundations of the Camulodian Republic lie with the foundations of the United States. Christianity. Liberty. Justice. Individual Freedom. Without those, Camulod would fall just like the United States did.” 

Jolie nodded in agreement and was about to say something when we heard a knock on the door. I stood, as did the others, and said, “Enter.” 

One of my younger Keepers slipped inside and closed the door behind her. Her name was Rose Everheart, a young, yet promising Centurion who was rising through the ranks quickly. She looked at me and said, “Commander, we are receiving reports that something is happening on the West Coast. The Joint Pacific Guard and San Francisco Keeper Garrison has been overrun by the Anarchy. According to the reports, the Anarchists swept in from the East of the city, where they were apparently hiding in the mountains, and overwhelmed our forces. Those who survived are working on sneaking people out and onto ships further up the coast to evacuate the city until reinforcements arrive from Santa Rosa and San Jose. Those reinforcements, composed of the 11th and 19th Legions, are already on their way, led by Legate Commanders Christopher Haverty and Elizabeth Berkly. The 26th Legion, based in Sacramento, is standing by as well. According to the reports, the Shadow Legions on the West Coast are holding positions in the cities they have taken over.’

She paused for a moment and looked at the tablet in her hand before looking back at me and saying, “Unrelated, our satellites are reporting an unexpectedly high number of meteors for this time of year. There is a rogue one heading towards us that could hit Earth. Or it could bypass us. The Camulodian Space Agency is watching it just in case. It’s predicted to hit the Earth in 2097.”

I thanked her and turned to Theseus as she left the room. “Theseus, send a message to our allies and let them know what’s going on and let them know that should the worst happen, Camulod will be the last battlefront of this war. The Keeper strongholds, along with those of the Woodsmen and Ravens will be the last hope of our Republic should Camulod fall.”

Theseus nodded as he said, “Got it.” and headed out as well.

As he left, Jolie spoke up and asked, “What about me Commander? My people are willing to fight for your cause and die if we must. As far as we know, the Shadow Empire has no real air defenses, nor do they have the aircraft or pilots to really pose a challenge to my forces.”

I thought about it for a moment before I said, “Let’s keep your forces a secret for now. When the time comes, and it will, have your forces ready to fly alongside the Camulodian Air Force divisions out of Utah, Nevada, and Idaho once we send the signal.”

She nodded. “Yes sir. My base will be ready when the time comes.”

Sophie spoke up then and said, “Jolie, may I have a word with Snow alone please?”

Jolie nodded and got up to leave. Once she had left the room, Sophie looked at me and said, “Snow, you know what the coming war could bring. Our people are strong, but the Shadows and Anarchists are many. What will we do if we lose Camulod?”

I took one of her hands in mine as I said, “Soph, we will be okay no matter what happens. Camulod has many secrets, and this complex will not be easy to take, no matter how many Shadows attack. Camulod will always survive.”

 

TO BE

CONTINUED IN:

The American Keepers:

The War for Camulod

 

 

 

 

 

Full Character List

 

The Keepers

 

Name - Rank - Year Joined - Division or Organization - Status

 

Snow Ashe - Supreme Commander - 2012 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Sophie Ashe - First Lady/General - 2023 - The American Keepers Division  - Alive

 

David Rider - Commander - 2012 - The American Keepers Division  - Alive

 

Aurora Rider - Second Lady - 2021 - The American Keepers Division  - Alive

 

Odette Foster - Commander - 2012 - The American Keepers Division  - Alive

 

Charles Foster - Chief of the Armory - 2020 - The American Keepers Division  - Alive

 

Thomas Ashe - Legate Commander (1st Legion) - 2017 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Oliver Green-Legate Commander (2nd Legion) - 2018 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Austin Baker - Legate Commander (3rd Legion)/Garrison Commander of the Washington DC Garrison - 2013 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Daniel Baker - Legate Commander(4th Legion) - 2015 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Theo Howe - Legate Commander(5th Legion) - 2017 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

John Lee - Legate Commander(6th Legion) - 2018  - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Colin Howard - Legate Commander(7th Legion) - 2018 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Seryoun Tahl - Legate Commander (8th Legion) - 2019 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Rose Nightingale - Legate Commander (9th Legion) - 2025 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Allen Rider - Orlando Garrison Commander - 2012 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Aaron Axwell - Seattle Garrison Commander - 2016 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Gabriel Wilde - Garrison Commander - 2017 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Georgia Meadows - Atlanta Garrison Commander - 2020 - Alive

 

James Howe - New York City Garrison Commander - 2017 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Conner Lee - Chicago Garrison Commander - 2017 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Aiden Merrill - Philadelphia Garrison Commander - 2017 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Jimmy Ashe - Centurion - 2017 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Lucas Baker - Centurion - 2017 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Alicia Welles - Knight - 2019 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Elijah Steele - Knight - 2019 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Virginia Waters - 2012 - The American Keepers Division - Unknown (as of 2018)

 

Jay Stuart - Knight - 2013 - The American Keepers Division - Deceased (as of 2018)

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Rose Evangle - Knight - 2013 - The American Keepers Division - Unknown (as of 2018)

 

Donovan Price - Knight - 2013 - The American Keepers Division - Deceased (as of 2018)

 

Chris Patton - Decurion - 2019 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Alice Tyler - Head Medic - 2012 - The American Keepers Division - Unknown (as of 2018)

 

Jennifer Baker - Farm Overseer - 2013 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Jordyn Ashe - Secretary - 2015 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Alexandria Ashe - Training Camp Director - 2016 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Ben Cartwright - Chief Technician - 2017 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Jason Morales - Head Chef - 2018 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Miranda Meadows - Advisor - 2019 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Nova Celeste - Advisor - 2021 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Geneva Reign - Chief Journalist of Records Keeper - 2019 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Viktor Reavious - Strategist - 2019 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Victoria Styrm - Engineer - 2019 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Galen Maverick- Chief Engineer - 2021 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Bruce Veil - Camulodian School System Superintendent - 2019 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Jenny Veil - Nurse - 2019 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Jessie Ashe - Support and Logistics - 2021 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Mia Edwards - Head Doctor - 2021 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Zenneti Axton - Weapons Tester - 2019 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Madison Lee - Interior Decorator - 2019 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Walker Davis - Weapons Trainer - 2019 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Madison Stegall - Gun Care and Maintenance - 2019 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Katherine Cooper - Director of the Keepers Military Intelligence Agency - 2017 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Rachel Winter - Head of the Camulodian Church - 2020 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Jolie Revere - Head of the Camulodian Air Force - 2045 - The American Keepers Division - Alive

 

Chase Rye - Commander - 2018 - The British Keepers Division - Alive

 

Alexandru Rimitrescu - Commander - 2021 - Romanian Keepers Division - Alive

 

Hiroshi Tanaka - Commander - 2024 - Japanese Keepers Division - Alive

 

The Chasers

 

Ralof Holt - Commander - 2013 - Chasers - Dead

 

Angel Tyler - Commander - 2016 - Chasers - Alive

 

Julius Storm - Chaser Lieutenant - 2020 - Chasers - Alive

 

The Ravens

 

Suzanna Everheart - High Queen - 2018 - Ravens - Alive

 

Lily Stone - Raven Commander - 2024 - Ravens - Alive

 

The Woodsmen

 

Joshua Pendragon - Commander - 2021 - Woodsmen - Alive

 

The Guardians

 

Tobias Flynn - Chief - 2019 - Guardians - Alive

 

Pacific Guard

Cameron Washington - General (Former United States Marine Corps) - 2026 - Alive

 

Atlantic Guard

 

 Thaddeus Price - 56, male, Admiral (Former United States Navy) - 2026 - Alive

 

The Shadow Empire

 

Shoska Onega - Emperor - 2038 - Alive

 

Abu Alreve - Commander of the Junction City Shadows - 2031 - The Shadow Empire - Alive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Keepers Military Ranks

1. Supreme Commander: The Supreme Commander holds the highest authority and is responsible for commanding the entire Keepers force on the continent. They make strategic decisions, oversee operations, and coordinate with other factions or military forces.
2. General of the Keepers: The second highest position within the Keepers, this position is only given to certain individuals, and over the 4000 years of Keepers history, only seven Keepers will have ever received it.
3. Commander: Directly reporting to the Supreme Commander, Commanders are responsible for overseeing specific divisions or regions within the Keepers force. They manage a group of Legates and are involved in planning and executing military strategies.
4. Legate Commander: Legates are high-ranking officers who serve as campaign Generals. They lead and coordinate the deployed Keeper forces during military campaigns. Each Legate is responsible for specific missions, battles, or territories.
5. Garrison Commander: Garrison Commanders are appointed to lead and manage a specific city or stronghold. They are responsible for the defense and security of the assigned area, leading a contingent of Keepers ranging from a few hundred to several thousand.
6. Centurion: Centurions are experienced Keepers who command regiments of 100 Knights. They serve under the leadership of Garrison Commanders and Legates, leading their units in battle and ensuring discipline, coordination, and tactical execution.
7. Knight: Knights are trained Keepers who have completed basic training and have participated in at least one campaign. They are between the ages of 18 and 38 and possess advanced combat skills and expertise. Knights play a crucial role in frontline engagements and carry out various missions assigned by their superiors.
8. Decurion: Decurions are aspiring Keepers who are in training to become Knights. They are typically between the ages of 15 and 18 and undergo specialized training programs to develop their skills and knowledge in preparation for future roles as Knights.

 

 

The Organizations within the American Keepers Universe

 

Snow Ashe and Angel Tyler founded the American Keepers in January  of 2012. Originally created to save books from being destroyed, it eventually became a peacekeeping group and then a leader in the global community. When it became a world power it focused its efforts on rebuilding civilization the way it should have been built with good morals and ethics. They do have Christianity at the center of their foundation even though not all members are Christians. Founded in the United States of America, it spread to the other continents within a few years of its creation and had bases in every country which helped it keep things in check when the world started to fall in 2025.

Headquarters: Shreveport, Louisiana, the United States of America (2012-2023), Camulod, Kansas, the United States of America (Until 2026), The Camulodian Republic(Until 2063), The New American Republic(Until 6126)

Supreme Commander: Snow Ashe (2012-)

First Lady: Sophie Ashe (2024-)

National Affiliation: The United States of America, The Camulodian Republic, The New American Republic

Keeper Motto: To watch over and protect(Ad quam spectat vigilare et roboraretur) and before the Fall of the United States, The Keepers of the United States(Custodes Civitatibus Foederatis Americae)

Founded:January 18th, 2012

 

The British Keepers are the counterpart of the American Keepers although they do fall under the command of the Supreme Commander. The British Keepers collaborate closely with the Romanian Keepers to watch over Europe and keep an eye on any threats that may arise. Chase Rye and Snow Ashe knew each other for a long time before Chase moved to England in 2018. Once there, Chase started the British Keepers Division and became Snow’s official British counterpart.

National Affiliation:The United Kingdom, The New British Empire

Headquarters: London, England

British Commander:Chase Rye (2018-)

Founded:August 3rd, 2018

 

The Romanian Keepers are based out of Bran Castle. They, like the British Keepers, fall under the command of the Supreme Commander who is the head of the American Keepers Division.. Alexandru Rimitrescu started the division in 2021 after he met Snow Ashe at the University of Arkansas and discussed the Keepers after learning about the student organization. 

National Affiliation:Romania, the New Roman Empire

Headquarters: Bran Castle, Romania

Romanian Commander:Alexandru Dimitrescu (2021-)

Founded:October 25th, 2021

 

The Alaskan Keepers Division, though technically under the main Keepers banner, was composed of the Keepers based out of Caspiolla, Alaska and led by Commander Killian Ashe and Alaskan First Lady Jenna Ashe. The Alaskan Keepers division watched over the Alaskan and Northwestern Passages and dealt with any threats that popped up in the area. 

National Affiliation:The Camulodian Republic, The New American Republic

Alaskan Commander: Killian Ashe (2046-)

Alaskan First Lady:Jenna Ashe (2046-)

Headquarters:Caspiolla, Alaska, The Camulodian Republic (2046-)

Founded:January 21st, 2046

 

The French Keepers Division was founded by Adélaïde Beaufoy in 2020 after meeting Snow Ashe through a mutual friend. She loved the idea of an organization that would work with others around the world to preserve the histories of their host countries and to band together when times got tough to protect the world.

National Affiliation:France

French Headquarters:Chateau de Pierrefonds, France

French Commander:Adélaïde Beaufoy (2020-)

Founded:July 13th, 2020

 

The Japanese Keepers Division was founded by British Division Commander Chase Rye and a handful of students at the Okinawa International University while he was visiting in 2022. While there, a particularly bright twenty one year old by the name of Tamura Mitsuko was voted and subsequently named the Japanese Division Commander by her fellow members and by Chase Rye. Supreme Commander Snow Ashe congratulated her through a video call and told her more information about the Keepers and informed her about the other divisions.

National Affiliation:Japan, the Empire of Japan

Japanese Headquarters:Okinawa International University, Okinawa-shi, Japan

Japanese Commander:Tamura Mitsuko (2022-)

Founded:March 16th, 2022

 

The Keepers Military Intelligence Agency was founded by Supreme Commander Snow Ashe and Katherine Cooper not long after the move to the Colony in 2023. Operating similarly to the CIA, the organization would have operatives around the world feeding information back to their headquarters inside the Camulodian Villa. 

Head of the KMIA:Director Katherine Cooper

Headquarters:Camulod

 

The Woodsmen are a group that formed after the Fall of the United States in 2025 in the Appalachian Mountains. The Woodsmen are skilled in carpentry and masonry and have built several key strongholds throughout the Appalachians. They became allies with the Keepers in 2025 shortly after the Fall and helped keep the roads through the mountains safe. Since the alliance formed the Keepers and Woodsmen have brought peace to the mountain range and the surrounding areas.

Headquarters:Mount Mitchell, North Carolina

Current Leader:Joshua Pendragon

Woodsmen Motto:To Preserve and Protect(Ad protectione conservent)

 

The Guardians are based in the Nordic Isles(Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark) and follow the ways of Odinism although some members are from other faiths such as Chistianity.. When the Keepers first sent ambassadors to the Guardian Stronghold they weren’t automatically welcomed. But when the Chasers started launching attacks on their people the European Keeper Forces were welcomed with open arms as they took up arms to help defend the Nordic people. They became allies with the Keepers International shortly after the first conflict, which unsettled some in the Keeper ranks.

Capital:Oslo, Norway

Current Chief:Tobias Flynn

Guardians motto:To Honor and Protect(Ad honorem et roboraretur)

 

The Pacific Guard along with the Atlantic Guard are two groups of former United States Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps personnel who took up defense of the Coastal Cities when the United States fell. When the Keepers took control and the Guard saw that they were true to their word about restoring the American way of life, they joined forces with them and became the frontline on the Coasts.

Pacific Headquarters:San Francisco, California

Atlantic Headquarters:Boston, Massachuseutts 

Pacific Guard Leader:General Cameron Washington(Former United States Marine Corps)

Atlantic Guard Leader:Admiral Thaddeus Price(Former United States Navy) 

   

The Chasers were originally founded by the United States government to chase down corrupt politicians and military personnel but somewhere along the way the leaders of the organization became corrupt themselves. Shortly after the Chasers broke off from the US they started targeting anyone they didn’t like which got them on the Keepers radar pretty quick. Led by a former Marine named Ralof, the Chasers were the Keepers main enemy for several years. 

Headquarters:

Washington DC(Former)

San Francisco, California(Former)

London, England(Former)

Camulod, Camulodian Empire(Current home base due to attacks on their other bases.) 

Current Leader:Angel Holt 

 

The Shadow Empire was formed from the remnants of ISIS and Al-Qeada in the Middle East after the American troops were withdrawn from the region before the Fall. They worked with the Chasers for a few years before taking their strongholds in Eurasia and Africa for themselves and sending the Chasers running. Once they managed to kick the Chasers out, they set their eyes on the Keepers and the Americas. 

Headquarters:

Dubai, Saudi Arabia(2038-2061)

The Shadow Base, Mars (4120-4160)

Leaders:

Sultan Shoska Onega(2045-2061)

Commander Lucifer Ashe 

Commander in Junction City:Abu Alreve

 

The Reapers are closely tied to the Shadow Empire and have members around the world. Their headquarters are in Moscow, Russia. Not much is known about this shadowy group other than that they prey upon those lost in the forests and cities of the world.

Current Leader:Unknown

Leader in 4130:Commander Lucifer Ashe 

Headquarters:Moscow, Russia

 

The Anarchy is a group that originated in Southern California after the Fall of the United States in 2025. 

Headquarters:Las Vegas

Current Leader: Solomon Strange

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author (In our universe at least):

Meridian Ashe is the official penname of Jacob Mayeaux, who is the Author and creator of the American Keepers Saga. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, he has always had a love of books and as he entered his late teen years became fascinated with the multiverse and the possibilities it contains. His first book is of course this one, but there are many more in the works, including The War for Camulod, and The New American Republic, which are the next two books in the saga.

 

 

 

Please visit theamericankeepers.org for more information about characters, organizations locations, bases, and more.