Blood Moon Rising

Epilogue

The thickly dense smoke brought her back into consciousness with racking coughs that shook her small frame and stung brilliantly blue eyes as she pried them open.

There was hardly anything to be seen through the canopy of trees that kept the worst of the blackness from engulfing her.

But she could hear them.

The screams, the taunting and yes the flames as they licked and charred flesh.

Her mother was there. Her grandmother. Her aunt and Nettie. Nettie was gone now too.

They'd caught her just before the forest surrounded them in its safety.

She'd been too slow, too scared and desperate to get back to her mother.

Nettie had cried and begged and dragged her towards the woods as feet pounded behind them, skirts dragged in thick mud slowing them down and men with fire chased after them.

One of them had caught her by the hair, ripping and tearing at her as she'd screamed and sobbed. Mamma loved her hair.

She'd been less afraid than angry. He shouldn't touch her hair and at least if he caught her Nettie would get away and theyd take her back to her mother.

But of course Nettie hadn't taken that last step into the forest. She'd gone back for her sister. Of course she would have.

She'd sent a wave so strong, pulsing towards her sister, knocking her sisters attacker back and sending Nettie to her knees. Sapped of the last of her strength. She'd run towards her, desperate to make sure she was OK. But with an anguished cry Nettie had pushed her into the embrace of the trees and sealed the barrier. Trapping her in. With haunted eyes and tears pouring down her face Nettie had mouthed her last words before they'd surrounded her, dragging her away for her cries to join the others as they were sent back to earth.

Alinas palm burned and her throat was raw from screaming for her family.

The forest held, just as Nettie had intended it to. It would not release her until danger had passed, this she knew.

She rubbed her palm feircly against course skirts, furiously knowing what it meant.

Her families powers had not been returned to the earth as they had. Alina Johnson now held them. Destined to pass them on to her three girls as had her mother and grandmother and great-grandmother before her. She didn't want them! Any of it!

The only thing racing through the mind and heart of six year old Alina Johnson on the fateful day of 1694 was hatred so strong it pulsed through the tree's and a vengeful rage that sent the forest into silence.