“Stay safe, Master.”

Inayah glanced up in time to see Mathilde carefully treading behind Salem who strode whilst buttoning up his midnight black coat. She stood in the kitchen with either of her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, churning butter. The process had been tedious and ran from dawn up until noon, Inayah had pounded away in silence, struggling to ignore the burn in her biceps and triceps.

“Where is Inayah?” She heard Salem ask followed by a long hesitance on Mathilde’s part.

“I will request her…” short hurried steps, the anger in each clicking subtle.

Inayah glanced up just as Mathilde appeared by the doorway, hovering with certain uncertainty. “He calls you.”

Inayah released the pounder and drew her wrist across her forehead, wiping away perspiration. Face flushed from exertion, she made her way to the parlor where Salem stood holding a leather bound book.

At the sight of her, his head tilted to the side - a slight gesturing motion for her to follow him. Wordlessly they made for the door and then further outside. It was cold and windy, the scent of rain thick in the atmosphere.

Inayah squinted past her hair which whipped over her eyes in a distracting, annoying manner.

“Remember what I told you,” Salem echoed monotonously, his attention still on the forest. The large horse stamped its feet in annoyance, swaying its head back and forth whilst neighing.

Inayah’s eyes lifted from the woods and towards him, she nodded; “Lock all doors,” she echoed, “no exiting the house- but-” she stopped him from mounting, “does that mean we will be sleeping in the mansion?” The thought had not crossed her mind, to reside in Salem’s mansion without him. With it brought a sense of mild freedom, relief even.

Salem nodded, mounting the horse and tugging at the reins guiding the horse’s bowed head upright. His eyes lowered to hers, mouth parting as though to say something then sealed shut, a muscle twitches in his cheek.

“I expect to see you in two days.”

Inayah nodded, “Yes sir.” At the uncalled for name, the corner of his mouth twitches.

Salem snaps the reins a heartbeat later and starts down the long winding path. Inayah stood by the road, following his retreating figure with her eyes up until the very end, when he turned a corner and completely dissolved from her vision.

Only then did she turn but not before glancing one last time at the forest.

A slight shudder licked down her spine.

The evening went by dreadfully slow, and Inayah had not realized just how odd and uneven the atmosphere could be in Salem’s absence. She blew out a breath of exasperation and rolled her shoulders back, still kneeling on the wooden floor scrubbing it clean.

“What is happening between you and master.”

Inayah startled upright, staring wide-eyed at Mathilde who stood meters from her with a sort of cool, even look. When had she arrived? Had she been standing there the whole time watching her scrub the floors?

Inayah rubbed at her forehead with the back of her wrist, “I do not know what you mean.”

Mathilde watched her silently. Her expression gave nothing away except the cruel twist of her mouth that deepened, “do not carry me for a fool girl,” the lady sneered, stepping even closer, “I see the way you look at him… the hours you spend in his chamber-”

“He requested me to be present.” Inayah explained hotly and abruptly turned back to continue scrubbing the floor. Hardly does her hand swipe forward when something harsh curls onto her ponytail and with a violent tug, drags her backwards.

A cry of pain escaped Inayah. She struggles to claw at the hand in futile attempts at freedom. “What are you doing! Let me go!”

“A slave,” Mathilde spat, dragging the girl effortlessly down the winding steps. Her body thumped against each sharp jagged edge, drawing more startled pained cries. Mathilde ignores the digging of crescent nails onto her wrist, the tearing of flesh, the drawing of blood--

“I will teach you your place, girl!” The lady barked as she strides into the kitchen and with one heavy pull, throws the girl across the floor.

Inayah rolls then slams against a wooden cabinet, she moans as hot jarring pain spreads along her back and darkness slowly ebbs around the corners of her vision. She blinked, hard.

Mathilde was muttering to herself whilst pacing up and down like a mad woman, and truly she reflected one in that moment, minus frothing at the mouth. “Indolent ass… appearing here and laying your whorish ass towards master… the audacity… the indecency!”

Inayah was rising, hesitantly eyeing the kitchen door with her hands held forward in subtle surrender. “Listen Mathilde, It’s not--”

“Shut up!” The woman screamed, wild animalistic eyes narrowing on the girl, “shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Her body seemed to grow and hunch forward, as though the ball of firing energy inside her was threatening to break forward.

Seconds later, she barreled towards Inayah like a bull.

Inayah ducked to the side but Mathilde was fast, her hand snaked out and grabbed the girl’s bicep, viciously tugging her back. “I will teach you-” Inayah’s balled fist flashed across the distance between them, it struck the lady across her upper cheekbone, the force snapping her face sideways.

Thick silence fell.

Inayah’s lip trembled, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean--” The woman lunged for her and both parties fell to the ground in a blur of flailing limbs and shrieks.

Fists pounded against faces and exposed torso, hairs were pulled and legs kicked at whatever piece of flesh it could connect with. Inayah struggled to roll out from beneath her, slamming the heel of her hand beneath Mathilde’s jaw. It was enough to have the woman’s body shift from above.

Hastily, Inayah began to crawl away only for a hand to latch onto her wrist and yank her back. Her stomach slammed onto the cold floor, knocking all breath from her lungs.

“I will show you-” Mathilde promised, her free hand reaching for a poker which lay in the fire hearth. “I will show you!”

Inayah turned then, rolling onto her back a moment too late. Her eyes widened in terror, blood draining from her face leaving it gaunt and horrified at the sight of the metallic poker’s edge. It glowed bright orange from the heat

She began to scream as the poker rose heavenwards. She began to lash out as it descended lightning fast - yet it felt painfully slow as the orange glow lowered past her struggling hands and directly over the left side of her abdomen.

Perhaps it was the rush of adrenaline that dulled out her nerves, making it impossible to feel even as the poker burned through the material of her dress.

Inayah smelled flesh seconds later.

Burning flesh.

And then the pain came.

Inayah screamed.

The sound terrifying to her own ears but she could not tell it apart.

Pained seared through her abdomen with the branding iron, her mind conceding to the torment, unable to bring a thought to completion. Without meaning to her body struggles to curl into something fetal, something primeval and all the while the pain burns and radiates.

Mathilde was saying something but she could not hear.

Somewhere in the distance she heard the sound of a door barrelling off its hinges, heavy slump against the wall as a gust of cold night air surged through the room.

Mathilde was off her in an instant, saying something -- screaming something at the intruder whilst waving the poker in defense.

All Inayah heard was the sound of a low, guttural growl right before she slipped into unconsciousness.