Alaemnah sat bolt upright in bed, the covers clutched tight and drawn up close to her chin as she looked around shivering, not from cold, but from fear. She didn?t think she had cried out, but she couldn?t really be sure, and she didn?t want to have to explain to anyone why she was up in the middle of the night like a scared child looking for monsters under her bed.
This was one of those rare nights when neither of the twin moons shown bright in the sky, and it seemed to be all darkness and shadows. Even as Alaemnah rose and wrapped the blanket at the foot of her bed around her, she was very much aware of just how dark it was. So, barefoot, she made her way carefully to the window to look up into the night sky and count stars this evening.
Perhaps it was the intensity of the darkness, perhaps the freshness of the dream, but each time her eyes closed for even a moment, she would catch snips of the nightmare and relive it all over again.
She had been in the process of leaving for the evening. She had been shaken by the events of the evening, her mind in a whirl, but no single thought would establish itself. However, on her way out the door she had heard Tara?s edict, ?The next employee, and I use that term loosely, that does not listen to a command the FIRST time, I am putting in chains. I will resurrect The Block. Invite all my friends. An' whip them til their bones show.?
She wasn?t able to get away from there at that point fast enough, and had been almost half way to the compound before the trembling in her legs overtook her and forced her to lean against a tree for support or risk going to her knees right there. Nadine had told her that Tara had probably not meant her. After all, it was the ones who had been hired to guard or fight in wars who were messing up by challenging the house rules. Still she couldn?t help thinking that she didn?t really want to risk Tara?s anger ever. It just didn?t seem a smart thing to do. After all, she had already seen what happened to those who did. Apparently they didn?t live long.
Then the scene changed and she was watching one of those employees die again only to suddenly play the scene out again in full. His challenge of Brutin?s authority in his own business. The attempts to get him to leave on his own, and even Tara?s attempt to escort him out of the place. All finally ending in the needless death.
Suddenly she was standing in the dark. She couldn?t see anything in front of her, and only after a few minutes did she hear a man?s voice ask of her, ?What will you give to stop this??
?Nothing.?
?You wouldn?t do anything to help her? Is she not your friend??
?I?ll try ta help her, but I canna stop this. No matter wha? I do, this won?t stop.?
?So what will you do??
?Whatev?r ya allow me ta do.?
Then the darkness turned to silence that was only broken when she heard the whirring sound of the whip being sliced through the air. Again she heard the instructions given. Again she heard the whip strike flesh. Again she felt a calming hand upon her shoulder, though this time she couldn?t see the face of the one who tried to comfort her.
?What will you give??
?I?ll whip them til their bones show.?
Her eyes opened and for the first few moments she was disoriented. Then she realized that the light was from the sun playing with the leaves to create shadows upon her face. She was in the garden with the blanket wrapped about her like a cacoon and pressed up against the garden wall. She rose and made her way quickly inside.
This was one of those rare nights when neither of the twin moons shown bright in the sky, and it seemed to be all darkness and shadows. Even as Alaemnah rose and wrapped the blanket at the foot of her bed around her, she was very much aware of just how dark it was. So, barefoot, she made her way carefully to the window to look up into the night sky and count stars this evening.
Perhaps it was the intensity of the darkness, perhaps the freshness of the dream, but each time her eyes closed for even a moment, she would catch snips of the nightmare and relive it all over again.
She had been in the process of leaving for the evening. She had been shaken by the events of the evening, her mind in a whirl, but no single thought would establish itself. However, on her way out the door she had heard Tara?s edict, ?The next employee, and I use that term loosely, that does not listen to a command the FIRST time, I am putting in chains. I will resurrect The Block. Invite all my friends. An' whip them til their bones show.?
She wasn?t able to get away from there at that point fast enough, and had been almost half way to the compound before the trembling in her legs overtook her and forced her to lean against a tree for support or risk going to her knees right there. Nadine had told her that Tara had probably not meant her. After all, it was the ones who had been hired to guard or fight in wars who were messing up by challenging the house rules. Still she couldn?t help thinking that she didn?t really want to risk Tara?s anger ever. It just didn?t seem a smart thing to do. After all, she had already seen what happened to those who did. Apparently they didn?t live long.
Then the scene changed and she was watching one of those employees die again only to suddenly play the scene out again in full. His challenge of Brutin?s authority in his own business. The attempts to get him to leave on his own, and even Tara?s attempt to escort him out of the place. All finally ending in the needless death.
Suddenly she was standing in the dark. She couldn?t see anything in front of her, and only after a few minutes did she hear a man?s voice ask of her, ?What will you give to stop this??
?Nothing.?
?You wouldn?t do anything to help her? Is she not your friend??
?I?ll try ta help her, but I canna stop this. No matter wha? I do, this won?t stop.?
?So what will you do??
?Whatev?r ya allow me ta do.?
Then the darkness turned to silence that was only broken when she heard the whirring sound of the whip being sliced through the air. Again she heard the instructions given. Again she heard the whip strike flesh. Again she felt a calming hand upon her shoulder, though this time she couldn?t see the face of the one who tried to comfort her.
?What will you give??
?I?ll whip them til their bones show.?
Her eyes opened and for the first few moments she was disoriented. Then she realized that the light was from the sun playing with the leaves to create shadows upon her face. She was in the garden with the blanket wrapped about her like a cacoon and pressed up against the garden wall. She rose and made her way quickly inside.