My coven believed souls went to the Summerlands after death—a place with no suffering, fertile fields, and warm sunshine. All your pain disappeared, and you'd be reunited with loved ones forever. I always thought it odd that they had this belief when most of them were terrible people.
I did not land in that place. If this was death, it super sucked. Everything hurt. My head pounded, my fingers ached. Even my toes hurt. I felt hot and cold and bruised and sore.
It took me a minute to remember where I was.
And that I was, unfortunately, not dead.
A cool cloth touched my brow. I groaned at the feel of it and grasped for it, hissing as my arm exploded with pain.
"Easy," a voice said.
I heard nonsensical murmuring from somewhere in the room, then raised voices somewhere farther away.
"Hurts," I said, the word coming out garbled.
"I know, honey." The cool cloth swept across my face and over my neck.