Heart of the Goddess: Chapter One (pt. 1)

DREAMS (part one)

Old Mother rose in the heavens, a bright orb in the midnight sky. Slowly, a shadow crept over her, blackening her until only a thin sliver remained. Her color shifted from pale blue to an unwholesome crimson. Silence filled the land. No dog barked; no horse whinnied. Even the constant chirrup, chirrup of crickets ceased.

Roon woke from a fitful sleep, his broad, russet cheeks slick with tears. A mass of tight curls stood out in all directions on his head like a thick, black ball of cotton—except for a flat spot where his head had rested upon the pillow. “Tamina!” Eyes wide and frightened, Roon scanned his surroundings for cold stone walls and bloody sheets, but he was in the familiar old loft, hunkered beneath the worn timbers of the roof, as always. He still lay in the warm, down mattress and clutched his patch-work quilt with both hands. Faint crimson light poured in from a small window near the bed. What was wrong with Old Mother?

He pulled the quilt up to his chin with one hand and with the other reached across the bed to his older brother.

Larin yawned and stretched. "Dreams again?"

"Yeah."

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Larin sat up. "That's three nights in a row." His voice cracked with the uncertain tenor of a boy on the verge of manhood. His own hair mirrored Roon’s woolly black mass. He was eleven--five years older than Roon. His broad face, with its flat nose and flaring nostrils, prominent cheekbones and contemplative brown eyes always soothed Roon.

"Ff-f-four," Roon corrected.

Larin laughed, placing his arm on Roon's shoulders, "Okay little brother. Was it the same?"

"No." Roon sniffled. "The Bad Man was there…I think. But he was quiet this time. Just sat in that dark place I can’t see.”

“That doesn’t sound so-“

“That woman, Tamina, died giving birth.”

Larin swallowed hard before replying. "Roon, it was just a dream."

"No, it was real. The Bad Man--scares me. And poor Tamina—the Pendarian woman—at least she looks Pendarian. And the strange old lady, Naugri—the one with the pale skin. Oh you should have seen her eyes!"

"You’re home, Roon, in bed."

“But Tamina…Brille cut her open and-”

“It was just a dream.”

For a time they sat without speaking. Roon finally whispered, "I think the Bad Man is looking for that little girl--and me too."

"Now why would some strange man from a dream come looking for you?"

Roon tried to laugh. "Kind of crazy, huh?"

"Sure is, little brother."

"Just the same...if he does come...you'll protect me, won't you?"

"To my last breath," Larin said, tickling Roon’s ribs.