Flame of Mars by Paul Hanagan

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In an instant the
sound of the wind was replaced by the sound of her heartbeat , it beat its own drum, a drum that pleaded with her to run, to escape before it was to late .

She lifted her hand before her face , she could not see it , total darkness .Her radio was dead ,this place was dead and yet....there was something here. She turned back around and glanced at the pillars behind her , the world outside was chaotic, sand clouds were moving across the valley invading every crevice in its geography . '' I must go forward '' , She turned back to face the darkness and moved forward .

Time slipped away from her , it seemed to have no meaning here it fell away as grains of sand from a hand . How long had she wondered in this emptiness ?. The way back was lost to Helidorn, she went on , Had she been wrong ? ..., ''No you are not wrong'', '' trust your instincts '', anger rose in her then , igniting the fire in her heart . She roared into the darkness ,

'' I AM HERE'', '' I am Helidorn , daughter of Eltar and I fear you not''.

The darkness rumbled , the void shifted all around her she could not see it, but Helidorn felt it and what began as a distant rumbling soon took on the nature of voices many voices... . Speaking in hushed tones in a tongue that was all at once foreign to her and familiar. Reaching out she grasped thin air ....'' Who are you ? '' , ''What are you ?'' ..'' Speak to me''.....

'' We have spoken to you your whole life '', It was not one voice but an orchestra of voices , the communication was in words but carried something else and underlying current she could not yet grasp. '' Do you not know who you are ? '' , ''What you are'', ... '' I am Helidorn '', she heard herself say . Like some stranger uttering a name she had never heard . The void shifted once more all at once taking on a red hue , transparent at first but growing in texture all the time .

'' You are the Child of the Flame , '' Of us'' , '' In us'' , '' And once more we shall rise and bring our will to bear''.

Terror gripped her heart then, for in that moment the veil that had hidden the menace she had sensed had been removed . And she now saw the horrors that had gone eons before and were yet to come . Over come with this revelation she fell into darknees with one last thought...

'' Dorel, HELP ME'' ......