The Afterworld Saga — 1

Chapter One: And Death Rejected Her

Tamra jumped. She tumbled through the air, hundreds of feet from the ground. She knew she’d die anyway. Staying in that tower only made that fate more violent. She’d known the assassins would eventually come after her and they wouldn’t just kill her. They’d torture her. It was their way, especially after what she’d done.

Her long brown hair whipped through the air as her slender body plummeted to the earth below. The rushing wind made her eyes water, so Tamra squeezed them shut. She’d never been afraid of dying, but as the gut-wrenching sensation of falling overcame her, she was afraid.

It wasn’t death itself that scared Tamra, it was the journey through the Afterworld. It was the fear of meeting the Gods.

“Oh Gods…” Tamra muttered, but the rapid moving air stole the words from her lips.

With a thud of flesh and blood, Tamra smashed into the ground. She was gone — or so she thought. She felt a sharp jolt throughout her being, clearly separated from impact of the fall. Was this how it felt to die?

“My Gods!” A shrill voice shrieked in Tamra’s ears. She forced her eyes open and found she was standing at the base of the castle tower she had jumped from. How? She looked around and spotted the broken and lifeless body of a young woman. It lay bruised on the ground not far from her. She ran toward it while looking perplexedly at the tower above. Two silhouettes peeked over the edge and then disappeared. The assassins. She’d be long gone before they made it out of the castle and through the city, but she still felt the urge to run.

The back side of the castle was part of the city’s inner walls. They wrapped around the market and the estates. Miles away, across the city’s farmland, the outer wall protected the land and people from enemies abroad. It’s too bad, the enemy always finds a way to infiltrate all defenses and strike in the most vulnerable places.

“She’s dead.” A soft voice said. Tamra looked around for the source of the voice, but there was nobody. On the nearby road, there was a cart, but with no one attending it. Farther out, trees lined the horizon and bushes spotted the hillside. In the far distance, she could see the tall stone outer wall. “Roy!” The voice shouted. Tamra realized she wasn’t audibly hearing the voice. It was in her head. It shouted again,“Roy!”

“Stop!” Tamra snapped at the voice, trying to make sense of things. She stood over the body of the young woman. Long brown hair covered the girl’s face. It can’t be. Tamra could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

“Why can’t I move.” The utterance whispered to itself in Tamra’s head.

“Shut up.” Tamra said, though her own voice wasn’t familiar to her. A new kind of fear overcame her. Not fear of death or fear of the Gods, but fear of the unknown. Tamra kicked the body onto it’s back to reveal the only thing she could be sure about: She was dead. Tamra’s body lay twisted and beat. Deep red blood, seeped from familiar clothing. Hands — Tamra’s hands — were still clenched tightly into fists.

Tamra was alive too somehow. She was sure this wasn’t the Afterworld. The priests described the Afterworld as a place of spirits and demons. However, Tamra’s reality was identical to the mortality she’d always known. No, she was alive. Alive and witnessing her own death. However, life continued for Tamra and she wasn’t sure how or why.

“Leida?” A firm voice called from a short distance. “Leida where are you?” Tamra shot a glance over her shoulder toward the abandoned cart. It wasn’t abandoned after all. A tall young man with beautiful dark skin rose from behind the cart and looked around. He brushed his hands together. “I fixed the wheel.” He said, looking in Tamra’s direction.

Instinctively, Tamra crouched down, trying to stay out of sight. “I’m coming!” a female voice shouted in Tamra’s head.

“Who are you?” Tamra asked quietly. “What are you doing in my head?” I’ve gone crazy. She thought.

I’m Leida. The voice said. And you’re not crazy. At least I don’t think you are.

Tamra froze momentarily, then looked down at her hands. Her skin was the tone of chocolate. She reached up and felt her hair. It was thick, much thicker than her own. “What is happening? Who am I?” Tamra began to panic.

Look, I don’t know what is going on either. All I know is you’re in my body and I have no control. Leida said. What is your name? Maybe we can help each other?

“My name’s Tamra.” She paused. Then pointing at the dead body on the blood stained grass, she said.“You can’t help me. This is me. I’m dead.”