EXCERPT and then into Chapter 1

In the darkness of her dreams, she saw herself standing at a window looking down below, only to see a misting, swirling fog. She could not see the ground and did not know how far down it was. She had no idea where she was. Soon after, she was led down a dark hallway to a room with a large altar. She felt herself being lifted up and then placed back down on the hard stone surface. Now all she could see was a large man, holding a knife in his hands, with the sharp edge pointed directly over her heart...Then a different man with deep blue eyes was looking down at her, and his hand was caressing her face, telling her everything was going to be ok. A loud bang on the door made her startle and rise up. There, coming through the door, were several large angry men, dressed strangely in what looked like animal furs and carrying ominous looking weapons. Some had clubs with sharp objects attached to the ends and others had sharp axes and swords. She could hear her own screams escaping from her lips, and she opened her eyes to notice she was lying in her bed in the safety of her room in the convent where she lived. She was still trembling and had to tell herself it was just a dream. She was safe and no one would ever be able to hurt her.