Two faces

When you arrive at the fork choose the path on the right.

I stood at the fork staring at the two paths ahead of me.

“If my calculations are correct we take the left path. That should lead us to the village. We can warn them in time if we hurry.” I turned to look at the speaker. Robert. My boyfriend of 5 years. We had met while training in the Resistance and we’d been inseparable ever since.

We had received news of an upcoming attack on a small city and had been sent ahead to warn them and activate the escape and plan the defence. Robert and I made a good team. We had saved a large number of villagers and cities from the Gorgon raids.

“We have to take the path on the right. I can feel it”, I said looking at him. His blue eyes pierced into mine as he remembered the map we had memorised before leaving.

Every couple has their secrets.

Mine was a pretty big one.

“Are you sure? I am quite positive it’s the left”, he said shaking his head.

“Are you questioning my intuition?” I challenged him. His eyes widened a little and he smiled.

“Never”, he said with a smile. “Let’s go!” With that, he set off down the path on the right.

I followed him slowly, my heart pounding in my chest. We knew each other so well by now. Would he guess my secret?

It was a nice sunny day but the air was definitely quite stuffy. It would be better once we got under the shade and coverage of the upcoming forest. Gorgons loved cool places. They did have a reptilian physiology after all; being cold-blooded.  

Gorgons began raiding the ancient kingdom of Angnar about 50 years ago. They assumed leadership after ceremoniously slaying the King and destroying the entire palace. There were still many villages and cities that fought back and refused to declare them as leaders. A Resistance band formed at the mountains towards the edge of Angnar near the borders of the neighbouring kingdom Elysas. Their King had made an agreement with the Warlord of the Gorgons to leave their kingdom alone in exchange for supplies. Gorgons are creatures of war. They have no knowledge of making or growing things.

Gorgons had been presumed endangered or extinct after the Great War over 200 years ago. The remaining few had prowled around in the Wastelands living off whatever they could find or whatever strayed down their path. Unbeknownst to all, one young Gorgon had rounded up the Gorgon families and started training them with only one purpose. Conquering the neighbouring kingdom and getting their revenge.

There is one last thing you need to know about Gorgons. This one little detail makes them very dangerous. They are humanoid in appearance with a few reptilian features, tiny fins on their faces and scales down their back. They have no known magical powers. But they can do one thing. They are shapeshifters.

Have you guessed my secret?

Yes.

I am a Gorgon.

Robert was a powerful warrior, rising up through the military rankings with revolutionary battle strategies and plans to rid the world of Gorgons. He was a huge threat. He had to be eliminated.

The plan was easy. All I had to do was befriend him, seduce him, gain his absolute trust and extract as much information about the resistance and his character as I could before getting rid of him and taking his place. It took me 5 years but I was ready.

Or was I?

We may be reptilian and scary and murderous. But we are capable of love too. We are fiercely protective of our families. I had grown to love this human. Could I really betray him?

My mind whirred as we continued down the path into a thicker and darker part of the forest. We were already nearing the rendezvous point. The silence seemed so loud I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. Robert seemed to sense that something was off as I could see him glancing at me occasionally out of the corner of his eye.

His hand slipped into mine. I squeezed it, reassuringly and smiled at him.

As we got closer, I began to wonder if I had made the right decision. I had had so many chances to choose a different path for myself. I could never kill my own brethren. But I COULD just walk away from all of this. Run away and start a new life for myself. I had broached this to Robert a few times. He, however, had one goal and one goal only. Destroy every last Gorgon.

My heart pounded with every step we took. My eyes darted around my surroundings, thankful for my keen vision especially in darker places. I could see two of my brethren lurking further ahead near the trees. They were waiting for my signal before the ambush. Robert may be taken by surprise but he is a very powerful fighter. We need a whole team to bring him down.

Should I give the signal?

We had a plan B in case Robert became suspicious. If I did not give the signal there would be another clearing a short way ahead. I had explored this place alone many times. There was a tiny path we could take. I did not tell my people about it and it is not easy to find. We could maybe make a run for it.

What was I thinking? Years of effort for my kin… and I throw it away for some human?

But it wasn’t just ANY human. This was Robert. The only person who REALLY knew my personality and still loved me anyway. He saved my life countless times. How could I betray him like this?

What if he knew what I was? Would he spare me or would he kill me?

I wanted to scream with frustration. Why did my conscience have to kick in now?

I was almost past the signal point. My leader had already begun to doubt me over the last few months, thinking that I would not have the strength to go through with this. I spotted him 6 feet away from me hidden behind a bush. I could not fail now. I had gone beyond no return.

I raised my fist into the air, giving the signal. Everything went by in a blur of activity. 7 Gorgons leapt out pinning us both to the ground. Robert whipped out his dagger and stabbed one in the thigh, ripping out a chunk of flesh. He whirled and stabbed another in the chest. That was as far as he went before he was disarmed and pinned to the ground.

I dusted myself off and surveyed the scene. A very dishevelled and shocked Robert lay with his face pressed to the ground and my leader’s boot on his cheek. His eyes widened in horror as he stared at me untouched and unrestrained as the realisation hit him.

“Traitor”, he hissed, narrowing his eyes.

The hurt on his face broke me more than I ever cared to admit. I looked at the ground unable to meet his glare.

“Good job, Leigh.” My leader twirled Robert’s sword in his hands.

“We’ll let you keep his sword as a memento of a job well done,” he said with a nasty grin.

Suddenly, there was a whoosh and I felt a gust of wind in my hair. I turned as the Gorgon beside me fell to the ground with an arrow in his neck. Two more whizzed through the air hitting my leader in the face.

Robert pushed him off and stood up, never taking his eyes off me.

“How long have you known?” I asked in a whisper. I had a sinking feeling in my chest. This would not end well. I took a step back as he began to move towards me.

The forest around me had erupted into a chaos of yelling, screaming and the sounds of swords clashing against each other as Robert’s backup team attacked the remaining Gorgons. I was supposed to help them but I felt as if I had been frozen.

“Long enough,” he said.

Suddenly, I felt something hard hit the back of my head.

The last thing I heard before the world went dark was Robert’s voice.

“You’re not the only one who keeps secrets…”