Going Thru Hell Read Free Page B

to undo the last twenty minutes. The turns to take, where to go, how to avoid the threat to innocents and prevent the battle. I pulled the ones I wanted. Concentrating, I weaved the dark blue, blood red and sun orange into the colors of a Rocky Mountain sunrise, complete with light purples and soft pinks.
    T he world changed. Reality blurred, the scene began to spin, gaining speed. Tiamat turned to me, before disappearing into the void of distortion, sadness marring the shining black eyes.
    I lifted in the air, spinning, pain and heat wracking my body. The braiding continued, taking me through the motions of the last twenty minutes, showing results of new actions. Instead of walking around town, I return ed to the hotel after eating lunch, removing memories of the innocent. I landed hard on the floor of the hotel room, clothes torn, sweating heavily, and muscles screaming from pain.
    “I take the cost, I take the cost, I take the cost,” I whispered into the carpeting. Bracing, I lay still, letting the power take its price. Like a tiger's teeth with fresh kill, it ripped out a small chunk of my soul.
    Pain wracked my body, forcing a scream. Feminine arms picked me up, soothing sounds filling the air. Clothes and all, she gently laid me in lukewarm water, stifling the overload of sensations. I welcomed the black of unconsciousness.
    I woke covered by the fluffy duvet, tired, sore and hungry.
    “Wake, my child.” Annie's voice soothed raw nerves.
    “I can't feel.”
    “I know. You have paid a great price to help the innocent. Let us see if we can bring forth emotions to cover the wound.”
    “No.”
    “Yes, Kylie. Perhaps we can repair the damage.”
    “You know it can't be healed.”
    She slid a palm over my head, gentle hands calming the mental chaos. The headache started, pounding to the rhythm of my heartbeat. I silently begged to faint, but the power demands payment. There is no credit card or forgiveness for changing the strings of time. It doesn't care I only braided a mere twenty minutes. The ledger must always remain in the black.

Chapter Four

    Annie and Tiamat stayed for three days.
    Annie ventured into Nashville, bringing soup and water. Too weak to care for myself, she spoon fed every drop. I wanted to throw things, scream at the weakness, but lacked the strength.
    “Come, Kylie, tell me how you feel,” Anahita asked early in the evening.
    “Tired.”
    “That is not what I meant. If you feel a little more, you might be able to cauterize the wounds, perhaps heal.”
    “It can ’t be done. Why do you continue to ask? It is a loss I accepted,” I turned away, scooting slowly under the covers.
    “I don’t like seeing you in this condition.”
    I waved her away.
    At various times, I smelled the Norse and Egyptians. I heard arguments, vaguely realizing Tiamat remained in her human form. A ghost of a smile appeared at the sounds of her punching Amun and his cursing. She laughed at his pain, saying something I didn’t quite catch.
    I ignored the sounds of clashing swords. Magni’s howl of pain meant Anahita dispatched his big butt.
    I cowered in the bed.
    The first morning of full brain capacity, I fell out of bed, faceplanting in the carpet. I stood and stretched, found I wore Snickers pajama bottoms and matching brown camisole. Annie and Tiamat were gone, and I couldn't taste a pantheon nearby.
    Grandmother's stories flitted through my head. I loved when she'd put me on her knees, telling stories of ancestors who gave their sanity and souls. The kind of courage I admired, facing fear even when the odds were stacked against winning. They probably wouldn’t have spent three days hiding under a duvet, wishing for a life other than the one they’d been given. I could almost feel their disappointment.
    I dressed, pulling the curls into the usual ponytail standby. Grabbing purse and keys, I headed out. I had my eye on a local BBQ restaurant, the thought of ribs making Niagara Falls flow in my mouth.
    The