Shattering glass broke Carmine's restless sleep. Wind and rain blew into her room and chilled her awake in moments. She jumped up in bed, scattering the broken shards across the room. What happened!? What was going on!?

Lightning lit her room for half a moment, catching the broken glass in its warning light only to hide them again in the night's bleak shade. Thunder drowned out Carmine’s cry for help. Once the thunder faded, she still heard the rumble of voices. Dozens of voices, all roaring just outside the house. They were here to hurt her again, she realized with all the day's suppressed fear returning. Mother or father would know what to do; she had to get them!

She knew better than to walk on broken glass. Instead she grabbed the blanket from her bed and spread it across the floor, hoping it would protect her. She carefully took her first step, feeling the shards beneath the cloth, but no pain. With a bit more confidence she took her second step without injury, but just before the third she felt something fly by her face. Her wall thudded as something slammed into it, rattling under its own force. Carmine nearly lost her balance from the surprise, but continued on to her door and pulled it open to find Mother already standing just outside. The candle Mother held lit her worried face in faltering light.

"Thank the ancients, you're alright," Mother gave Carmine a quick look over before looking inside her room. The candle illuminated the broken glass, rain falling through the window...and an arrow buried in her wall. A lump formed in Carmine's throat, as she heaved for each breath, barely able to get enough air. That arrow...it nearly...she felt the air pass her by.

"Mum," she whimpered, hyperventilating into a panic attack. “Who did that?”

"Your father is downstairs." Mother said, quickly pulling Carmine by the hand.

"What's happening?"

"We have to be quick."

"Why? What's going on?"

Mother kept leading forward, refusing to answer. She tried to hide her face, but she couldn't hide her wide eyes and the sweat of her palm. Mother was just as frightened as she was.

They descended the stairs to the dining room. Father already waited there pacing back and forth, looking out the front windows. As she followed his gaze, Carmine's heart seized. The dozens of people she'd heard gather in front of her home. Torches sputtered against the rain, struggling to stay alight in their hands. They clung to tools more suitable to farming than fighting, but held them with malice in their hands. Every moment or two a stone joined the rain hitting their house, thrown by a member of the mob. The rabble shouted and jeered, their words lost in the thunder. Carmine could only imagine the curses they spewed...curses meant for her.

"Alan…" Mother said, her voice low and trembling, but no fear crept into her voice.

"Just wait a second, they're just trying to scare us," Father replied back. He held his hand to his face, biting his knuckles. He continued pacing without offering a second thought.

"I won't let them hurt her." Mother warned, and it was a warning, more serious than Carmine ever heard.

"I know!" Father replied, exchanging looks between mother and the rabble outside. "I won't either, but...I've known these folks all my life, I've worked with them, gone to their weddings...I thought...thought they were my neighbors, friends."

"Not anymore." Mother replied flatly. "You see them out there, You know what they want to do."

"Of course I do...but, part of me can't- doesn't want to believe this. Maybe I could still talk to them about this."

"If they were open to talking they wouldn't be throwing rocks and shooting arrows."

"Arrows?"

"There was one in Carmine's room, stuck to the wall. They tried to Kill-" Mother stopped herself with a quick glance at Carmine. Something Carmine didn't recognize overshadowed the fear in Mother's eyes. Something else, not anger, but close. "This is the second time, I won't allow a third."

Father went quiet, his brow deeply furrowed. Conflict raged in his eyes as he looked from his community to his daughter. No answers came. Carmine fidgeted between them, she'd never even seen them argue before. It felt wrong, scary. The tense silence between her parents only drove up her panic.

Three knocks came from the door, cutting through their wordless discussion. Mother immediately pulled Carmine behind her again, and Father stepped in front of them both. A shape waited at their front door, and for the moment the only thing pelting the house was rain.

"Now, might I ask you to open this door," a calmer voice than most called from the other side. "Alan, You're a reasonable man, let's have a chat."

"It's the town headman," Father stepped towards it.

"Alan," Mother warned again. "You just said last night: you thought he was involved."

"I know...but he's the best chance of solving this peacefully. If we convince him to talk them down-"

"Why would he? He's here isn't he?"

"Antora, Let me try." Father's eyes pleaded, and Mother couldn't hold her harshness against them.

"There's that look...if he makes any move-"

"I know, but let's try talking first."

Carmine hid herself further behind her Mother as Father went to the door. He undid the bolt lock first and cracked open the door.

"Is it just you," Father asked, angling his head to see past the headman.

"Just me," The answer came. Father unlocked the door, opening it fully for their unwelcome guest. Carmine had never seen the headman before. He looked older than father, only having hair around the sides of his head. He wore a raincoat over a tailored blue suit nicer than most clothes Carmine had ever seen, though his hands looked rough like Father's. He moved with much more spryness than most folks his age. The headman looked around the room and nodded to Father.

"Why, thank you, Alan," he said as he removed his coat. He looked in Mother's direction, eyes hovering on Carmine for only a second. They didn't have the same anger the people outside did. He looked almost sad. "Lovely as ever, Antora-"

"Save it." Mother snapped, her arms crossed.

"Suppose I'll get right to it, then." The headman took a seat at their dining table, pausing for a moment before continuing when no one joined him. "I'm sure you're both aware of what tragedy transpired earlier today."

"Depends," Mother said as she leaned on the table, "You aware of what some of your people tried?"

"I'd like to know that too," Father looked at the headman pointedly.

"Quite fair." The headman continued as he loosened his collar. "I heard that some folk came here with...uncivilized intentions and you drove them away, as is your right, but please understand: they're not bad folks. They're frightened, and rightly so. The curse that has stricken our town just claimed its first life yesterday, and many more will come."

"Curse," Father leaned back, shaking his head. "What the hell do you mean?"

The headman swallowed, bulging eyes looking to both parents. "I'm afraid it's your child."

Carmine felt her veins grow cold as the headman's attention settled on her. Mother's hands curled to fists and Father leaned closer to the headman, his eyes less conflicted than before. He raised a finger and slowly pointed at the headman.

"Explain yourself." Father's words were quick and clear.

"I consulted with the town seer myself," the headman raised his hands defensively. "There's a curse taken root here. It's turning nature against us and will keep doing so until it's dealt with. This keeps up we won't have a thing to harvest this year, and then who knows how many folk are gonna starve."

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"So your solution is to murder a child?" Father glared at the headman, eerily calm.

"N-now, that's not the correct way to think of it." The headman stammered as the room turned against him. "The seer says if she's...sacrificed balance will be restored and the town will prosper agai-"

"Shut your ignorant little mouth," Mother snapped. She nearly lunged at the headman, getting close to his face as her eyes crackled as they had the evening before. "Your 'seer' is a bone fetishist that sticks his face in cow entrails. He has no bearing in real magic. That he tells you to murder anyone, let alone my daughter, only proves to potency of the mushrooms he ate this morning. You can blather and you can rage, but you will not touch my daughter. Try, and you will see what real magic looks like."

"N-Now, Antora-"

"You think that will help Rieland," Father interrupted, his tone no warmer than Mother's. "Our town needs this?"

"It does, Alan." The headman insisted even as sweat replaced the rain on his head. "Your father and grandmother before both sacrificed a lot to help keep this village going! This will save our town!"

"You might think so," Father looked down at the table and shook his head. "But my father and my grandma never gave up their own kids to a mob."

"Time demands different sacrifices from us all."

"And what are you losing here?" Mother growled again but father raised his hand to ask for silence.

"I'd like to speak to everyone," Father said to the headman. "See if they're as convinced as you are."

"I-I dare s-say, it might be best," The headman eagerly stood and moved towards the door, away from Mother. He exited and waited for Father on the porch.

Father stood to join him, first pulling Mother aside.

"Get what you can carry and go." Father held mother's face and pressed his forehead to hers, whispering each word. "I'll distract them for as long as I can. I'll meet you at the fork, near the signpost to Rolderston, you know the-."

"Of course I remember. We'll see you there," Mother said as she touched father's face in return. They kissed each other, not like their usual way. It was...warmer, weirder. "Be careful Alan."

"I will." Father let mother go with that promise. Mother shut her eyes tightly as his fingers unwound from hers. She turned and moved to the kitchen, grabbing anything in reach and stuffing it into a sack. Before Father left, he knelt in front of Carmine, looking at her with hopeful eyes without fear. "Hey, Carmine."

"Hey, Dad," Carmine replied with a whimper. "What's going on? Is...this my fault?"

"No, No. I swear to you, no." Father wrapped her in his arms, the only place Carmine felt safe right now. "These people...they're wrong. I'm gonna try and make them see that. Until then, you and Mum are going to go on a little camping trip. She's going to need your help, okay? So you need to be strong, alright?"

"Okay," Carmine started to sniffle, she couldn't shake the awful feeling taking hold of her.

"I have something for you," Father said as he pulled a knife from his belt. She recognized its blackwood handle and leather sheath at once. Carmine had often seen father use the tool for all kinds of work around the ranch, in fact, she had never seen him without it. "My Dad gave me this when I was a little older than you, showed me how to look after myself with just that little knife. When I see you, I'm going to show you what he taught me, okay? For now, help your mother anytime she asks."

"I will," Carmine couldn't keep the tears from running down her face. The knife felt strange in her hands. Father had never given her something like this before. He didn't even let her touch the kitchen knives.

"That's my girl. Our family built this house. I'm going to make sure it's a home to you."

"I love you dad."

Father smiled, his eyes watering as he pulled Carmine into a hug.

"I love you too sweetie." He held for almost a minute until breaking off too soon. "I'll see you soon." He said, standing up and heading out the door. Carmine watched from the window as the headman motioned him towards the crowd. Would he be okay?

Mother returned, carrying a small sack on her shoulder. She watched Father leave, heaving a deep sigh as he went out the door. With haste, Mother pulled her own coat and Carmine's cloak from the rack. She put her coat on with practiced swiftness and moved to assist Carmine with her cloak.

Carmine wrapped herself in the garment, shivering as it was still damp from the day before. Something else caught her attention as she put in on; a strange smell stuck to the cloak, like a flower mixed with an overdue egg.

Carmine's nose crumpled as she looked inside the cloak to see the jar of oil cracked and leaking both up and down the cloak's interior. Did she break it when the coat rack fell?

"Mum," Carmine said as she pulled the broken jar from the pocket.

"Damn," Mother whispered, another thing going wrong. "Sorry sweetie, we don't have time to clean it. Bear with it for now, okay?"

"I will," Carmine nodded, trying to look serious. She had to be strong now.

"Good girl." Mother smirked at her. "We're going to go out the back then-"

They both jumped as another rock banged into the house.

Outside father snapped at the one who threw it as another member threw the second stone. Father tried to stop him too when a familiar face grabbed him and forced Father away. Uncle Greg tried speaking to Father, Carmine couldn't hear him talk but Father went very still as he did. In that moment, Father's face turned. Fury lined every crevice of his face. Without warning, he lashed out, striking uncle Greg until he fell to the ground, and leaping on him to continue.

"Dad!" Carmine yelled in terror and Mother looked on as well.

Several other townsfolk tackled Father, holding him down as he tried to fight back. They just kept hitting him...even when he stopped fighting...they wouldn't stop, even as uncle Greg tried to pry them off. Carmine cried into her mother's chest harder and harder with each second this dragged on. Why wouldn't they stop? After another hit to the head, Father looked back at the house, his eyes glazed over, head tilted too far back. Carmine felt a pit in her stomach. She froze again, unable to scream.

So Mother did it for her.

Never before had Carmine ever heard a wail so sad, so furious escape another creature, and creature was her own mother.

Arcane lightning burst out of her eyes and hands as she screamed father's name. Rain poured down in a torrent. Wind shook the house to its foundation. Lightning struck around the ranch, carving swaths in the dirt. Trespassers that couldn't get out of the way fell, struck down by the storm they sought to placate with blood. Most started to scatter, terrified at the reckoning unleashed upon them. All the while, Mother shrieked in rage and anguish. Carmine had never felt fear towards Mother once until that moment. Was this still Mother?

Glass shattered as the remaining windows gave way, scattering the shards all through the house. Pushed by the gale whistling through, the lamp on the dining table fell, cracking across the floor. Fire spread as the burning oil coated the floor...and splattered on Carmine's cloak. Despite the dampness the flames found the oil seeped into the fabric. Carmine tried to pat out the flames but they spread too quickly. She called for her Mother but she was lost in her own rage. In seconds the whole left side of Carmine's cloak burst alight; she could barely scream as the fire enveloped the edge of her body.

The fire crawled along her cheek, scorched her side, and twisted along her arm. She tried undoing the cloak's buttons but she couldn't manage the movement. Her flesh burned until she could feel nothing else.

Thoughts vanished from her mind. Fear, loss, sorrow, all replaced by pain, burning pain she never thought imaginable. She fell on her side, unable to move, air leaving her lungs unbidden in blood curdling shrieks. Her finger nail tore against the floorboards as she closed her eyes and pleaded for it to stop!

Make it stop! Make it stop!

The heat faded after a few more moments, replaced by a frigid wind stinging Carmine's skin and dousing the flames. Carmine could barely catch her breath, her vision blurry and unfocused.

"Oh gods, Carmine, I-" Mother looked at her, horrified. She grit her teeth as tears streamed down her face "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"Mum…" Carmine croaked, reaching for her mother's hand. Mother could make the pain go away couldn't she?

"It's...it's okay sweetie," Mother took off her coat and wrapped it around Carmine. "You'll be okay, we just...just need to leave." Mother reached down to try and pick Carmine up. Mother's hand wrapped around one of the burns, causing Carmine to yelp in pain. Mother flinched, pulling her hand back, unsure where would be safe to touch. Mother looked past her, and Carmine heard more flames crackling behind here. No more fire...please, Ancients, no more.

"Carmine, we have to leave," Mother held Carmine's unburnt hand. "The bad people are coming back! Mum needs you to stand up, please."

Carmine squeezed Mother's hand. With a nod, she put her leg beneath her and tried to push up. She started to move, but her strength faded too quickly. She nearly fell on her burned side, but Mother caught her carefully. Together, with Mother supporting her, Carmine managed to get both feet under her. Mother's hand was all that kept Carmine standing, half hunched over, burnt arm clutched to her chest.

"You're doing great," Mother praised desperately. "Just a little more, okay?"

Carmine managed a small smile, despite the sharp pain pulsing all over. Mother slowly started leading carmine slowly to the back door as fire spread throughout the front rooms.

"Just a little farther, sweetie, we'll get to the wagon and then you can rest," Mother said as she opened the door. Lightning cracked along the sky, illuminating a single form with its arm stretched back. In that brief, baleful moment, Carmine saw the bow in its grip.

"Look out" she screamed out in warning, but as the word left her lips Mother's body jolted. She fell on her back, a shaft protruding from her chest.

No...no! No! No!

"Mum?" Carmine shook her Mother. No response. "Mum, we have to go…"

"Sorry child," The headman said as he ambled forward, suit stained, ruined from the rain and mud. "Wish it didn't have to be this way." He held the bow at half draw, looking down at mother and daughter with pity on his face. Once he saw Mother's motionless body sighed, releasing his grip on the arrow and reaching for Carmine.

"No!" She tried to scramble away as his hand came closer.

"Sorry lass, you're coming with me."

His hand moved inches from Carmine's arm when Mother suddenly sat up, pointing at the headman as her eyes flashed again. Another bolt of lightning, larger than the last, struck the headman. His body flew far from the porch before sliding to a smoldering stop.

"You...won't...touch her," Mother spoke as if it were the hardest thing in the world. Blood leaked from her mouth, and jumped from where the arrow hit her.

"Mum…" Carmine touched her mother's wound, seeing bright red blood cover her hand. "You're…"

"I'm…" Mother tried to rise but fell back, grabbing her chest. "I don't...think I...stand."

"No..." This couldn't be happening. Not Father and mother. Not like this! Was this because of what the headman said? Because she was cursed? Carmine could barely breathe over her own pained sobs. For a moment she even forgot the burns, replaced by a far different, far worse pain. "Please mum...I got up...can't you?"

"I...don't think...that I can." Mother tried to sit up more but ended up falling even further on her back. "Damnit...Carmine, I- I'm so sorry. I...I wish I could-" Mother couldn't get her words out. She coughed blood as her eyes grew more and more distant. Carmine reached over but didn't know what to do. What could she do!?

"Luh-...Listen," Mother reached up and touched Carmine's face with one hand, and grabbed the big book with the other, laying it on her stomach. "I...can't keep you safe...anymore. T-Take this...find Nicholos...learn. Protect...yourself. Mum and Dad will always...be…" Her eyes started to drift away.

"Mum!?" Carmine grabbed her Mother's hand and squeezed as hard as she could. Summoning what focus she had left, Mother grit her teeth and looked Carmine in the eye.

"I...love you, Carmine." The light faded from her eyes, her hand falling limp.

"Mum? Mother!? Don’t leave me here!" Carmine touched her mother's face, but no reply came. Nothing ever came. Nothing ever would. “ I need you…”

Tears blurred Carmine's vision as she stared at her mother's face. It was as still as a painting. No movement whatsoever. Why? Why did this happen? Why did they do this!? Mother please, why won't you wake up!?

Carmine sat there waiting, not even caring about the flames that spread through her home. She wished, like from her storybooks, that Mother would awaken. That the ancients would notice and save her. Wishing for something that would never come. Only when the heat of the flames spreading through the house started to reach her did Carmine remember her Mother's last request.

Through determination alone she stood up on her own, leaning on the door frame. Every bit of her wanted to stay, even if those people came back. Every hope, every fiber of her being wanted her to wait, but Mother never lied to her.

Tucking Mother's book under her arm, Carmine took her first step into a different world, one with no one at her side.

Alone.