Page 4 of A Haven of Brimstone and Darkness

Another stab. I resist the urge to look down and see if my shame has sprouted visible signs. Her voice grows softer with each word. The heavy weight of exhaustion caused by the birth and hastened by the tonic in the tea makes her fingers go slack against my own.

"I will never be far from you and your babe," I tell her, meaning the words.Never.

Ari's hand falls from mine completely and I turn to see that she's fallen into slumber. Her head rolls to the side against the thin, flat pillows behind her. The babe makes a noise and before the infant can roll from her chest, I reach out and pluck her free. A button nose, petal-soft lips, and rosy cheeks. Staring into the face of my friend reflected in a new being makes my chest ache.

"I am sorry, little one," I whisper as I pull her towards my chest and wrap her in the confines of my robes. "This is for the best, though. I promise you. The two of you will meet again."

Some day.

Hours later, as I race down the dirt path between two fields of yellow stalks of wheat with the babe strapped to my chest, I swear the ground beneath the horse's hooves trembles. A scream echoes into the night, one of betrayal and a misery so deep that I know I'll hear it in each of my nightmares forever more.

Chapter 2

Kiera

Present Day…

Aheavy pressure sinks onto my shoulders as if the world itself is weary and needs a rest. The feeling is like an invisible force field pushing in from all sides. Shifting in my seat, I turn to look up at Ruen only to find a strange film has drifted down, shielding him from view. I can sense him next to me, Theos on my other side, but other than that, I cannot see them. It's as if a fog has rolled in from nowhere, separating where they are from where I am.

I open my mouth to call out their names, but nothing emerges.

Tendrils of the fog reach out, white branch-like creatures that slither over my arms and up to my shoulders. I jerk away and try to stand. Nothing happens. I remain sitting in place.

Ruen? Theos? Kalix?Still nothing. No sound from my lips. No response from them.

My ears fill with a shrieking sound so suddenly that I jerk upward, covering the sides of my head with my palms. Almostas soon as I do so, though, my arms drift back down, urged to do so by the white branches of fog.

It's alright,a masculine voice soothes.Everything is alright. You are safe here. You will let me in.

My shoulders relax, lowering. I sway in my seat, back and forth, blinking rapidly as a wave of exhaustion hits me. I haven't been sleeping well, I know, but I shouldn't be this tired ... should I?

You are safe,the voice repeats.You are whole. You are well.

I am safe. I am whole. I am well.Yes, that's right. I'm completely protected here in this fog. I'm not being restrained. I'm being held. Assured. All ... is ... well...

My head lolls to one side and then the other as I feel warm hands at the back of my skull. Heat spears through me, almost, but not quite, uncomfortable. A ruffling sound is in the back of my mind, reminiscent of someone shuffling through papers, searching ... searching for something. Searching ... for what?

It's becoming harder to keep my eyes open. I want to close them so badly. I want to sleep. Something keeps me from doing so. A bad feeling. Dread in the pit of my stomach. Horror spreading through my veins.

Instinctively, I force my eyes back open and my back to straighten. The hand comes away from the back of my skull, and the fog clears though only marginally.

Eyes darker than any abyss I've ever seen are in front of me, full of fire and brimstone. My chest locks up, allowing no air to pass through.I am not safe here.

Immediately, I pull away from those eyes, from the sound of the man's voice that attempts to soothe me.

Yes, you are,he insists.You are well. All is well.

When there are too many spiders around me and all of their emotions and muddled thoughts intrude upon my mind, I've learned to block them by throwing up invisible mental barriers.That's what I do now. Barrier after barrier goes up between the man and me. Spider webs building on top of one another, overlapping to form a shield around my mind. Then the bricks. Stone block after stock block appears in a circle where I sit.

Around and around I go, building the framework of my safe haven. A sharp curse from the man echoes back to me and then pain lances through my head. My lips part on a cry. More bricks. More stone. More webs. Though I can feel my physical body remains unmoving, in my mind I throw up the barriers as fast as I can, clutching the sides of my head as more of the sharp stabs spear through me.

You will give me the answers I seek, child,the man demands, angry now that I've figured out his intentions.

No!I shake my head back and forth, but the pain only increases. Throbbing, red-hot agony stabs into my mind.No.I cannot let him win. Whoever he is, whatever he wants, all I know is that it spells disaster. Danger.

The speed with which he changes tactics, though, warns me that there's little he won't do to get what he wants. Therefore, I need to go on the offensive.

Almost as soon as that thought occurs, a small hole opens up in my barriers. More pain splinters into my head, but I don't hesitate to move towards it. I slam a hand through the barrier's opening and feel something slip past. Closing my fingers around it, I squeeze and pull hard.

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