The Keeper: Ancestors' Knives

This is my first completed novel. I'm just posting the first few chapters to get feedback on it. I've sent it off to publishers and awaiting response; I'm also considering self-publishing.

Here's the Synopsis:

The world is trapped in the suffocating dark clutches of an evil ruler. To gain freedom, Ashe Vena, the last in an ancestral line of woman known as the Keeper, needs to restore her lost powers. Embarking on a journey and accompanied by two companions, Ashe is thrown back into a destiny she has tried hard to escape.

So check it out and let me know what you think.

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 Prologue

Janea Vena’s spirit had taken her across the world. She had seen and done things that other people only dreamed of, but this time she was looking for the ultimate thrill. It took years to find its exact location, but finally she was standing outside the mouth of the ancient temple. She did not know what hid beneath its stone hide but she would find out.

            It was called the ancient temple for good reason. Vines and leaves almost completely covered the outside of the grey stone. Symbols that no longer had meaning flowed over the walls and converged on the temple’s mouth. The entrance was barely visible, but thanks to the gathering symbols Janea knew exactly where to look.

            She stood outside the doorway studying the stone slab preventing her from entering. Milan Crossred and Fronx DePagion, her travelling companions, had given up days ago; but she was not swayed so easily. The slab was round; the edges carved with the old language and in the middle a cipher of four lines. Janea had decoded the first three lines, but was struggling with the fourth. So far it read:

To enter my temple,

And seek my treasures,

You must give me the code,

She was sure the next line would shed that ray of light she was waiting for.

            “Bird, no. Wings, no. Hmm...”

            Janea flipped through her decipher book as her bright green eyes studied the last symbol.

            “What do you mean?” she asked politely to the squiggles on the wall. She stared at the book for another moment. “Aha!” she cried. She snapped the book shut and placed her hand on the symbol. “Feathers. When can I fly without feathers?” She had figured out the last line, but there was still work to be done. “When can I fly without feathers?” she recited again. Her eyes followed the circumference of the slab as her mind pondered the riddle.

            Janea thought of what she knew about the men who built the temple. They were humans lead by the first sorcerer. This sorcerer was powerful; the first to find the ancient names of the elements. He told the men to build the great temple in honour of the gods and to use it as a hiding place for great treasures. When the temple was finished the gods smiled upon the sorcerer for honouring them. The men who worked on the temple were given plentiful crops every season. The sorcerer was also given a remarkable gift. An invitation to join the ones he honoured; become a god. He accepted and was granted the title: God of Sorcerers. He watched over those who followed in his footsteps; guiding them.

            Using the old story, Janea’s mind swirled with ideas. “When can I fly without feathers?” She paused for a moment as the pieces fitted together. “He doesn’t need feathers to fly because he’s not a bird; he’s a sorcerer. He could use magik to fly.”