[Sophia the Thunder Mistress]

Farien’s eyes flickered open. A strand of her long brown hair was plastered across her face, trailing into the muddy water. Farien stared at it for a moment, trying to comprehend what had happened. She realized she was lying on the ground with her face in a puddle. She struggled to sit up, but couldn’t move. A wave of pain threatened to knock her out again. Slowly she raised her hand to her face, touching the puffy bruised flesh around her eyes. She groaned.

A tiny whimper beside her brought her attention back to the moment. The curly blond head of her two year old daughter, Arrin, nestled at her side. The mud in Arrin’s hair made Farien furious, she suddenly remembered all that had happened.

***The dark in the house was shattered by flames elsewhere in the town. Farien gathered her children together in the back bedroom. Ten year old Telmir held the youngest, Arrin, in his arms while Serra, age six, huddled in front of them, her wide brown eyes filled with terror. The screaming began, voices crying out in the night, voices Farien might have recognized had she been paying attention.

Eregiâth, her husband had left when the attack started, gone to help whoever needed helping. Farien was proud of her husband, watched him go; understanding that he might not return. She took up a kitchen knife and hurried to the back bedroom.

They had waited for hours when the door was kicked open. The ugly twisted face of an orc had loomed over them. Farien reacted before she thought, slashing out at the orc with her knife. She grazed the side of his arm with her knife point, saw blood dribble down, before she was backhanded by the furious orc. The world spun around her, the knife fell from her fingers, and she was dragged outside, dragged away from her children. She heard Serra scream as a second orc threw her over his shoulder.

Farien struggled wildly, screaming her children’s names, “Arrin! Serra! Telmir!” The orc holding her laughed. She turned and spit in his face. His heavy hand struck her across the face and she lost consciousness.***

Farien rolled over in the mud, ignoring the aches from where the orcs had beaten her. She reached out and pulled Arrin in close to her, kissing her on the top of the head, comforting the crying girl. She looked around. Serra and Telmir were sitting close by watching all that went on with wide eyes. She reached out to them. Serra ran to her, burying her face, and Telmir came close and took her hand. She pulled him to her and hugged him. Then they sat, waiting, to see what the orcs would do with them.