A Woman Warrior Born

by Alexander Edlund

  *****

  Breea woke with a thrash, which sent spikes of pain through her abdomen. She curled into a shuddering ball, whimpering, and resisted the need to fall into pain-driven sobs, for she knew they would only make it worse. Fearfully, she moved branches aside and looked down to see that her entire gut was black with a mottled-purple border. She remembered Lupazg’s blow. Almost certainly she was bleeding inside. Tears washed tracks in the grime covering her face as she considered that she would die here. Her last thought before she fell once more into darkness was that she would never again see Ambard.