Free Briar Rose by Jana Oliver

angels’ ears,’ Lily murmured.

CHAPTER SEVEN

    As she fought her way back to consciousness, Briar became aware that she was no longer in the nightmare. The car, the road and the blinding pain were gone and in their place
was hard ground that made her back ache.
    ‘Mom? Dad?’ she called out as she pulled herself up. Her head spun and then righted itself as more of the cobwebs seemed to fall away.
    She wasn’t in her bedroom, but in an alley and it appeared to be just after sunset, with barely enough light left to discern her surroundings. The smell of woodsmoke and manure filled her
nose with each breath, along with some other scents she couldn’t place. None of them were nice.
    Her sleep shirt had been replaced by a long dress over what appeared to be some sort of chemise. The dress was homespun in a watery blue and a darker blue corset was laced over the top, but not
so tight that she couldn’t breathe. Her hair was still plaited, but now was secured with a dark cord and lay over her shoulder. A pair of patched leather boots covered her feet.
    Further inspection revealed that the red fingernail polish Briar had so carefully applied before the party was gone. In fact, all her nails were broken and encrusted with dirt, her fingers
calloused as if she’d done manual labour.
    What is this?
    To her relief, the charm bracelet was still on her wrist, and for a fraction of second she swore it glinted in the dim light. A quick pat of her clothes proved that nothing else had made the
journey, not even the
gris-gris
bag Reena had given her. It felt strange not having a cellphone.
    Unable to make any sense of her situation, Briar examined her surroundings with increasing apprehension. The building to her right was constructed of rough-hewn wood, the one on the other side
made of stone. She rose and took a few steps forward, unsteady. Finally her eyes focused on a small figure sitting at the end of the alley, a mangy cat that had managed to score itself a mouse. The
fur seemed odd, not like hair at all. It looked up at her, its victim’s tail hanging out of its mouth.
    ‘Ewww . . . gross,’ she said, waving her arms. ‘Go away!’
    It took off like a shot, making a strange noise as it moved.
    Was she really dead? Was this heaven?
No. It wouldn’t smell this bad.
    As she reached the street, the world seemed alien to her modern eyes. There was no tarmac, no streetlights, no cars or people. The buildings were a confusing blend of stone, wood and . . .
metal.
    Briar stepped in something squishy and recoiled, shaking her shoe to remove the dung.
If this is heaven, I so want a refund.
    A house on the right looked familiar, as if it belonged in Bliss, but the next one had a thatched roof with ivy scrambling up a ramshackle stone chimney. There were lights inside the dwelling,
along with furtive moments. Someone peered out of a window, then slammed the shutters closed as if she were a thief on the prowl.
    As Briar moved along in a daze, she passed a bakery and a cobbler’s shop, then more strange houses. Despite the increasing darkness, she swore she could see the outline of a great stone
edifice in the distance, its turrets lifting high in the air.
    A castle? No way. How cool is that?
    There was a sound behind her and she whirled, desperate to find someone who could explain all this to her. A man dressed in peasant clothes hurried by, hunched down as if he hoped that made him
invisible.
    ‘Hey, excuse me . . .’ she said, trying to catch up with him. ‘Wait! I need some help.’ He fled down the darkening street, his terror evident. ‘Boy, thanks!’
she said, irritated.
    What is it with this place? Why was he so freaked?
    A deep metallic sound began to reverberate through the town, much like a gong, with each strike evenly spaced after the other. It must have been a signal of some kind as door bolts slid home and
shutters closed all around her. The town was closing down for the night, which meant Briar was