In the Quiet Place

It was dark, cold, and quiet. Unable to see, Renee strained to hear something, anything at all. Her hands began hurting a little from the cold. It could only have been around forty or fifty degrees, suggesting a cave, yet as she backed up, her hands touched worked stone. She attempted to channel to create a source of light, but found herself unable to channel even a single thread. She was cut off from the Source. Forcing herself to calm down, she thought about how to work through the situation without Saidar. Working her way along the wall, trying to control her breathing, she struggled not only to hear, but to control the panic she felt rising within.

How did she get here? She felt the grain of wood beneath her fingers, and found what could be support columns. Another passage seemed to branch off of whatever room she was in. The room seemed large. It might be safer in the passage, with less directions for a threat to come from. She moved down, slowly, pacing herself, not wanting to slip and fall, or trip on something unseen.

She came to a halt in front of metal bars, impeding her path. Feeling around, she discovered hinges, and a possible handle. Pull or push with all her pitiful strength, she could not budge the door. Giving that up as a bad job, she made her way along the opposite wall back the way she had come. She stopped before she came back out into the room. Just because she didn’t hear anything, didn’t mean nothing was there. And anything that didn’t make its presence known by now was not likely something Renee wanted to run into.

She heard a crunch come from somewhere on the floor in the room. She froze. Summoning up what little courage she had, she asked, “Who’s there?”

From bare inches in front of her came a gravelly hiss, “Yesss… You are a tasty pretty.” She heard sniffing, a little too close for comfort. Something brushed her dress as he smelled her. Renee struggled to keep down a scream as she stepped back slowly. “Nervous... aren’t you.” It was not a question. It could smell her fear, she knew.

“Yes, a little,” She replied. There seemed no point in lying. She could almost see it gloating. “I like them nervous,” it said, seeming all too satisfied with itself. “You know what they say about cornered animals,” She replied nervously.

A dry, quiet chuckle assaulted her ears in the dead, quiet dark. “Yes… cornered animals… Just like the pretty I had a few months ago you are… Except she was Seanchan. Mistress gave me all the time I wanted…” He seemed to sneer, his voice altering slightly, ominously, “And she’ll give you to me…”

Her mind racing, her body working against her in fear, she could only think to reply, “Who is your mistress?” Feeble response that was, and a fat lot of good it did, she thought.

She had felt a hand clothed in soft leather touch her cheek almost gently, and then suddenly stars erupted across her vision and the other side of her face seemed to explode in agony. Her teeth clacked loudly together as her chin took another blow, and then a blow to her belly knocked the wind out of her and sent her, choking and gagging, to her knees. A rib cracked as she took a punch to the side.

She put her arms up in a feeble attempt to block the ceaseless blows, and fell under the onslaught. Crying, begging for it to stop, she could do nothing as it landed blow after unanswered blow, snapping her legs and arms like twigs with sharp-toed boots, battering her back. She couldn’t think; she couldn’t breathe; She could only pray for it to end. The last thing she remembered before she blacked out was the man’s dark, insidious laughter, and a sharp blow to the back of her head.