Page 5 of Prelude to a Revolution

The soft sound vibrates through my body, putting everything to rights. Even Karis, who’s on the verge of a massive tantrum, calms down. My head swims as we stand there. Gemhardt, my rock, holds me close, giving me something to anchor onto. It’s silly to be so worried. He will never let anything happen to me.

“It’s nothing,” I sniffle, my fingers digging into his shirt. If we were naked and in bed, it would be my nails digging into warm skin, but for now, this has to suffice. “I think I’m just feeling skittish. There’s so much turmoil right now and you -.”

He cuts me off, his lips descending on mine in a soft, yet demanding, kiss. Groaning, I slide my hands up, pulling him even closer, as if I can meld myself with him by sheer willpower. Before I know it, the moment is over. He pulls back and separates us, unease flashing over his face for just a moment.

We forgot ourselves.

We lost control in front of Karis and -.

“Where’s Annora?”

“Shhh, love. She’s taking a bath. Let’s go start dinner, shall we? Annora is so proud of what she bought today.”

“And you’ll repay her. Yes?”

At that, the unease leeches from his face to be replaced with an indulgent smile. “Yes, dear. As always.”

“Good. Come Karis, join Mommy in the kitchen and help her cook.”

“No. Want Daddy.”

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I pick her up, noting the flash of annoyance in her bright, intelligent little eyes. She’s barely three and yet she’s already got him wrapped around her finger. I fear that his indulgence will spoil her. She may not want to learn domestic skills, but her base DNA will demand it at some point, and she might as well start learning now.

Annora was at my side as soon as she could walk, insisting on helping with everything. Karis is her complete opposite. She would rather be on Gemhardt’s lap or playing with her toys. In truth, I’m of half a mind to get rid of most of them. They’ll do nothing to help her in the future. But any time I mention it, Gemhardt intervenes.

Since he’s quite literally the Alpha of the family, what he says goes. I can only hope he’ll help me discipline her when she gets older and thinks she knows everything. A small tendril of fear, the one that tells me something bad is coming, creeps up my spine and wraps around my heart. It’s cold. So very cold.

Death.

My mother told me it felt like the absence of everything, and I feel it, even now. Looking down at Karis, that feeling grows stronger. Like a vice squeezing my insides until I’m unable to breathe. Gemhardt is no longer here. No doubt he’s retired to our room to indulge in a cigar or two. I wish he was here with me.

There’s only a split second of time before I’m unable to control my body, and so, as quickly as I can, I set Karis down. Her squawks of displeasure rattle about in my brain, adding to the agony bursting inside of my mind. Each sound that pours from her lips burns along my synapses like lemon on a wound.

My brain buzzes, the faint roaring ebbing and flowing inside my skull until that’s all I can hear; it’s all I can feel. I can’t verbalize the sensations taking control of my body. They’re not normal. Not natural. But they’re real. A full-body shudder races from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, freezing me in place as splinters of images assault my brain.

It’s a vision. One I haven’t had in a long time. The images switch between two women, their faces somewhat familiar, yet they are strangers to me. Tears drip from my eyes as I watch, helpless, as one races across the desert, an enemy coming after her. She’s alone. Why is she alone?

Her face turns up to me, her gray eyes pleading with me to help her. It’s Annora. Dear gods, it’s Annora. She’s older now, much older, but she’s in trouble. Why is no one there to help her? Before I can process that vision, another one flashes before my eyes. This woman has the same color hair as Karis, but I don’t recognize her as such.

The woman is so vibrant, so effervescent. People flock to her, but she’s sad. So very sad. An altar appears before her. It’s stained with blood, but only on the prominent cock thrusted up from his hips. The rest is pristine. I don’t understand. Usually, with the few visions I have, they’re things that happen within the week or two following it, but this feels like so much more time has passed.

Falling to my knees, I wrap my arms around myself and rock back and forth. That same feeling of dread curls through my abdomen, seizing my muscles. I have to move. I have to force my body to break out of this spell. I can’t continue to live in this future life. It will do nothing but haunt me, torment me.

Why are they so sad?

Why are they so alone?

Where are Gemhardt and me? My children should never be alone like this. Does this mean we have had a falling out and they no longer wish to live with us? I shake my head, forcing the vision out of my brain. Slowly, the present creeps in. The first thing I feel is a small hand patting my arm, and a hoarse, whispered voice in my ear.

“Mommy! Mommy okay! Mommy!”

“Yes,” I manage to croak out. “Mommy okay.”

But I’m not. Nothing about this is okay. Something is wrong. So very wrong. Forcing myself up, I wipe my eyes and smile down at Karis, putting on a brave face for her. No one knows about these visions, not even Gemhardt. He wouldn’t understand.

My mother spoke to me about it in whispers, telling me of another city-state named Laxa. There, an ancestor of ours told fortunes to the king. I am a descendant of such greatness. But it doesn’t feel great, not when I cannot interpret what I’m seeing. It’s a curse, and that’s it.

Rubbing the heel of my hand under my eyes once more, I scoop Karis into my arms and take her into the kitchen. From there, I force the visions out of my mind and concentrate on dinner. Whenever Annora brings food home from Sector One, it’s always a challenge to come up with something both palatable and also uses as much of the food as possible.