Asleep in the Fen

I

It was a chilly evening when Kiandra’s life ended. The men had come to the cottage as the sun set. They broke in, and when they saw her, they smiled sinisterly. They took her by surprise. She didn’t have time to really observe them, and after what they did, she was glad. She did not want to remember their faces. All Kiandra would remember was how disgusting they were, the sweat and grime and oil of them. She would remember the way their breath smelled like manure and she would gag when she breathed it in and how dirty their smiles were. 

She would remember how Asthore found them with her. Kiandra lay silent as Asthore attacked them. They hit Asthore over the head. She fell to the floor and blood trickled from her brow into her dark hair. They hit her once more.

Their mistake was taking their focus off Kiandra and let her watch them hurt her love. The tears left burning streaks on her cheeks. Tears of pain, grief, and anger. She stood, and let herself feel the white hot anger burn through every piece of her body. Kiandra was stronger than the men, and quickly overpowered them. They vanished without a trace. The only evidence they had ever existed was the damage they had caused. Every candle in the cottage was extinguished by the strange wind. Kiandra was left in the dark, crying over Asthore’s bleeding head.