"We don't seem to notice any difference, my child. Do we?" The throng murmurs in agreement. "Perhaps we have been blessed with a new gift by the Creator, as a result of our protection. We can breathe perfectly fine here. Whereas you..." A sad look crosses her face as she steps toward me. She glances at my scalp. "You apparently cannot."
I draw back as she touches my cheek. "I don't think the Creator did this to us, Mother," I say quietly, hoping only she will hear me. "You weren't there. It was like Rehana and I were...attacked."
Mother Lairen's brow creases slightly, and a look of uncertainty flickers through her eyes. "Daemons?"
"No. I don't think so. I don't see how. It was beyond what any human—or whatever they are—could do."
"The Creator, child," she says with feeling, as if I'm blind and desperately in need of someone to lead me to the truth.
I shake my head and lower my voice to a whisper. "It's something else. Something that wants us to die. Something...in the earth."
"You speak foolishness, Daiyna. Worse: blasphemy. The Creator forgives you, and so do I, but—"
"You said you heard her, that she spoke to you."
"What of it?"
"Has that happened before? Ever? Because if it did, you never told us." That uncertain look passes through her eyes again as I go on, "What if it wasn't the Creator who spoke to you? What if it was something else—and it wants to harm us?"
"Harm comes to those who do not follow the will of our Creator!" Her voice is loud and authoritative. She steps back from me to join the others. They nod and murmur their assent. "Daiyna, you will bring danger upon us all! Have you no concern for the safety of your sisters? We are the fertile womb of the New Earth, and we must be protected!" Eyes wide, pupils dilated, she points at the rock I removed. "Replace that stone this very instant!"
My heart skips a beat. I can feel adrenaline kicking in, that fight or flight choice staring me in the face. I look down at the stone, then over at the space where it was lodged. Behind it, there are slight cracks of light around another stone. If I punch it through to the other side, we should have a boot-sized hole in this wall of protection. We'll have fresh air.
Then what? Will Mother Lairen's cows attack me? I'm curious what that might look like.
Without another moment's pause, I turn and reach into the space, shoving the stone on the other side. It falls, clattering as a beam of morning light streaks inside with a burst of cool, fresh air. I close my eyes and inhale deeply, my face warmed by the light.
Sharp fingernails dig into my shoulder, whipping me around to face the wide, furious eyes and red hair of Mother Lairen. She screams unintelligibly and slaps me hard.
"What have you done?" she seethes. "You want air? Here!" She turns me around and shoves my face into the hole, pushing the back of my head with a shocking, brutal strength. "You have defied the will of the Creator, and you are a danger to us all. Harm will come to you. Harm must come to you!" She shoves with all her might. "You will replace the stone with your skull!"
Should I laugh? It's so absurd, but the pain keeps me frightfully in the moment. I choke, my throat crushed against rock, my arms and legs flailing without purpose. My face stings—from the slap or the sunlight? I can't cry out. I can't fight back.
She jerks my head to the side for a better fit, flattening my ears as she pushes. I can't breathe at all now; my windpipe is cut off. My limbs drop weakly.
Random thoughts spiral through my mind like flurries of ash. Such a bizarre way to die. I never could have seen this coming. I guess I should have put the stone back. Too late now. Mother Lairen is killing me. What will the others think of this? How long will they last in here? Will I meet the Creator? Or will I simply cease to exist?
Dark. Everything is so dark all of a sudden...
"Let her go."
Rehana's voice comes from kilometers away. Gasps and short cries erupt from the other women. Mother's hold on me releases slightly, but I still can't breathe. My eyelids flutter to sparks of light.
"Rehana, you shouldn't be up. You need to—" Mother Lairen's voice is serene, soothing at first. But then she grates with menace, "Don't you point that thing at me!"
"I said let her go. Now."
The hand on the back of my head releases me, and I slip down just enough for my trachea to expand. I inhale in a loud gasp.
"She has defied the will of the Creator," our mother shouts. "Blasphemy is a sin!"
"What do you call murder?" Rehana counters.
"What?"
The scream from Mother Lairen is wild and guttural as she falls away from me and hits the ground sobbing.
"Stay back," Rehana warns, her voice approaching me. "Or the next one goes through her heart."
"Damn you," our mother wails. "Vile pagan bitch!"
Able to breathe at regular intervals again, I push with my arms and stumble back from the rock wall. Blood trickles warm out of both my ears.
"You all right?" Garbed only in her bed sheet, Rehana points a loaded crossbow at the other women and swings it side to side, keeping them at bay.
I nod, holding my throat. It'll be a while before I can speak.
"May the daemons devour your flesh!" Mother Lairen writhes on the ground, unable to stand with the short arrow through her thigh. Blood spreads from both the entry and exit wounds.
"Stay back!" Rehana warns the others again as they press forward. This time she points the crossbow at our mother's head. "Tell them."
Mother Lairen scoffs, clenching her teeth. "You won't kill me, child. They know that." She turns
