Legend Unleashed (Keeping Secrets, 1)

Chapter 16

Somewhere deep in the dark of her dreams, Temperance heard a voice.

"Little Weapon, wake up."

Sharp fingers prodded her. "Wake up!"

"Stop it!" a tiny voice moaned.

It came out of her mouth, but she didn't recognise it.

She licked her lips and tasted blood. Opening her eyes, she saw a beautiful woman looming over her. Her long blonde hair tumbled over bare shoulders. The simple white linen dress she wore clung to her tall frame. She looked like an angel.

Temperance crouched down low. Her fingers scraped into the dirt. There was blood on her small hands.

"Apologise," the woman snarled, her teeth flashing. Flecks of spittle flew from her mouth. She hauled Temperance up. Her tiny feet kicking as the woman shook her.

She felt a fear unlike anything she had ever experienced before.

"Apologise for being alive," the woman hissed.

Temperance was close enough now to see her face. It was perfect, and hideous. The whites of her eyes were almost gone, replaced by massive golden irises.

She felt something warm run down her legs. The woman gave a snort of laughter and dropped her to the floor in disgust.

"I'm sorry," Temperance cried.

"Freya! Where is the boy?" a man shouted, coming towards them. He stopped in front of Temperance, staring down at her. She leaned up on her hands.

"Father I..."

The man sniffed at the air. "Has he?"

"Soiled himself, yes Heimdall," Freya laughed.

Temperance felt a jolt of shame, she curled in on herself. Fierce thoughts ran through her head.

I'll kill you, I swear... I'll kill you someday...

"Get up!" Heimdall barked. "Get to your feet now or you'll never stand again! Do you hear me, boy! Get up and learn to fight! You are a Weapon, not a child!"

I'm not a person, just a thing...

A tittering laugh erupted from her throat. Her head felt like it was spinning. Something cracked and broke inside her. She stumbled to her feet and pushed past them, escaping out of a tent, through a flap of cured animal skin.

A massive cavern lay beyond, a city of tents and fires. Fierce looking men glared down at her and huge dogs roamed through the streets.

"A Weapon," she laughed.

The dream-world titled around her, twisting on its axis until she was somewhere else. She was in another time; she felt older now. There was a terrible hatred and fury in her heart.

Wherever she was, whoever she was; she just wanted to get out, away from the rage. It burned like acid. But she couldn't wake herself up.

She was trapped.

The stench of smoke filled her nose and lungs. Fires licked at the red-brick buildings around her. A towering inferno climbed high into the dark cavern above her head. People were screaming.

It was the world below Carwick.

"They're coming!"

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a child, a young boy covered in blood. It was someone else's, she was certain. His hands were encrusted with gore and dirt.