Keep

by Margo Lerwill

It awakens. It cannot remember what it is. It cannot recall how long it has slept. Yet it knows a trespasser has breached the defenses of this frozen keep, the most ancient structure known to a land held prisoner by winter, buried in ever-snow. The creature and its impish minions are ready for the hero, be he a warrior prince, a fabled mage, or a priest determined to cleanse the evil of the keep from this beleaguered land. The true question is whether the guardian is prepared to defend itself from someone who is less than he appears.

Keep is a fantasy short story of 6,700 words, or roughly 20 pages.

19 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2006

Reviews

[Misti Wolanski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had some trouble getting into the story, due to some turns of phrase and sentence structure that struck me as awkward. I eventually realized I was reading it with the wrong cadence, which messed up some of the flow and meanings.

Once I caught on to the author's style, I *loved* it. I'm sure I'll be re-reading it in the future.

"Keep" is a fascinating classic fantasy story that both abuses and uses the overused tropes. I recommend it to anybody who likes traditional fantasy.

[Matt Larkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the cover art, and though the product description didn't really draw me in, I really enjoyed the author's Colbie Moss stories so I checked it out. It's a fast read, and entertaining, though different from the more character-driven Colbie Moss stories. Without giving too much away, Keep centers around the idea of nature. It's surreal, dream-like. Which is appropriate, as the protagonist is waking from a self-imposed nightmare.