The Hidden Queen - Goshalion, The Eternal Realm

Chapter 8 - When The Rug Gets Pulled Out From Under You

Asukai

That night, Asu went to bed and read the strange diary until she fell asleep. She dreamed of a massive fountain spewing from between two rocks, water gushing out in high jets and falling on smooth rocks at the top of a mountain. She saw herself standing at the point where the water was coming out. 

Her heartbeat raced at the speed of the water rushing into the sky. She laughed and the water rushed higher. It felt as though the water was coming out of the rock because she was standing in that exact spot. As though the water was answering her call. Happiness filled her as the water flowed down filling a fading river in the distance. She was sure the waters from the fountain would fill the river and travel beyond, far beyond...

A piercing scream jerked Asu awake, pulling her away from the strange exhilarating dream. Asu sat up on her bed, disoriented. Her covers were on the floor, and her nightgown was soaking wet with sweat. She let out a soft sigh and pushed off the damp scarf covering her hair, thinking she had also dreamed up the scream.

Then, the scream came again.

Asu jumped out of bed because the scream sounded like it came from Hera.

"Hera?" Asu ran to her door and jerked it open. She ran into the corridor and let out a startled scream when she saw her grandmother running down the stairs, and then along the back corridor after two men dressed in black. Asu followed them down the stairs.

"Help!" Hera shouted, and that's when Asu saw the back door open and a man carried her sister out.

Hera was held over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She struggled to get off, but he was holding her tight.

Siti was in a full run, chasing after the intruders. Asu ran after her grandmother in an absolute panic. When she got outside, it was to find the compound was lit up with torches. Her cousins and the workers who lived in the compound followed the culprits deeper into the farm.

Confused, Asu ran after them, unsure why they were all going to the farm and not to the road to get help.

Who had taken Hera?

Asu followed her cousins and her grandmother, heart pounding in her chest, her feet bare her slippers had slipped out a while back. They crossed into the coffee farm. Deeper still into the semi-forest in the middle of the farm. Asu tripped over a fallen banana stalk, she fell and scraped her palms. A strong hand lifted her and made sure she was steady on her feet. She murmured her thanks but did not pause to see who had helped her up. She kept running, hoping to catch up with her grandmother and cousins. The torch lights led the way and she soon found them standing before the old fig tree in the middle of the farm.

Her grandmother was kneeling on the grass. She was crying, digging in the grass near the tree. Next to her, Prisca and Sibila stood staring at the fig tree, their shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Where is Hera?" Asu asked, touching Prisca's right shoulder. "Where did she go? We need to call for help."

Asu started to reach for her pocket but cursed when she realized she had rushed out in her nightgown. Her cell phone was still in her room. She had not even thought of grabbing it the moment she saw her grandmother running. Damn it!

"Do you have a phone?" Asu asked, squeezing Prisca's shoulder. "We need to call for help. Where did they take Hera? What are you all doing standing here? We need to call for help!"

"Stop!" Grandma Siti said, getting to her feet, and turning to face Asu, the tears in her eyes shook her to the core. There was something else in her grandmother's eyes that bordered on anger.