Walking A Storm
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The air was cold, but not unpleasantly so. The sky overhead was a brilliant blue with hardly any cloud to be seen, and the ground beneath his boots felt soft enough that it didn’t feel as though he were walking on the solid rock at all.
He had no idea where they were going or why—he’d been told only that this would help him get stronger by giving him practice in using the power of the wind itself—but he couldn’t deny how much more comfortable he found himself here than he did anywhere else around him.
He could see other people moving through the landscape ahead; none seemed to pay them too much attention, which suited him just fine. They were traveling toward something, after all: wherever it might be, it wasn’t exactly visible from where he stood.
And yet there were others about who was obviously trying to find their way out of whatever place they currently occupied…and for some reason, those folk paid these three young men far less mind than anyone else. Not even when one of them suddenly started running straight into a wall!
That was rather amusing, actually. It made sense that they wouldn’t notice things like walls or doors if nothing blocked their view, since that sort of thing happened constantly everywhere else you went. But what kind of idiot runs right up against an invisible barrier?
Even better was the fact that the man kept on doing it until someone finally managed to grab hold of him and pull him away before he got killed. Apparently, being hit by a blast of air hurt quite a bit more than having your head caved in by falling rubble; that’s probably why he didn’t try anything similar again once they’d gotten him back onto the firm footing.
Still, it looked as though he hadn’t learned his lesson entirely, because another minute later, he turned tail and ran off into the distance without looking over his shoulder at all—at least, not until he bumped into someone else coming to the opposite direction.
That person promptly grabbed hold of him, too. When neither of them moved afterward, however, everyone nearby began to look curiously toward them both. Then, almost immediately thereafter, several pairs of eyes focused upon a figure standing near the edge of the woods.
She was dressed in black leather armor, which covered her body completely except for two small slits cut high above each of her shoulders. Her hair was long and braided tightly down one side of her face, while she wore a wide-brimmed hat pulled low over most of her features.
All in all, she appeared to be quite formidable; perhaps even more so than the first man who had run into a stone wall. If nothing else, she certainly gave every indication that she knew how to fight, especially considering that she held herself very still now, watching everything unfold calmly.
A second later, the woman spoke up. “Are you sure we’re supposed to let them do that?”
“I’m positive,” came the reply from somewhere behind her.
It took a moment longer for either of them to turn around fully, but when they did, it quickly became apparent that they weren’t really expecting to meet anyone else out there. After all, it was hard to imagine anyone else is foolish enough to wander off alone into such a dangerous area.
But then again, maybe that was precisely why they should have expected to encounter someone else. In fact…perhaps they had met her already, without realizing it.
After all, what if she wasn’t actually human? What if instead, she was a spirit from another world altogether—a creature created simply to serve as the guardian of this place? There were stories like that, after all: creatures born with powers beyond anything mortal men could ever dream of.
And if that were true, then it meant that she would know things that no mere mortal might otherwise be able to discern…things that would allow her to predict events before they occurred. Or worse yet, perhaps she would even be capable of altering them as well!
Either way, she was clearly waiting for someone else. Whether it was the first man or the boy in front of her, it was impossible to say. Whoever it was, he was obviously not willing to wait any longer; he turned abruptly and sprinted off in pursuit of the fleeing stranger. The girl followed shortly thereafter, leaving the third man standing there staring after them both.
He watched them go for several seconds before turning slowly back toward the woods themselves. This time, he walked directly into the trees, following them deeper within until the branches began to close in overhead.
As he continued forward, the leaves rustled softly underfoot, creating ripples that spread outward across the surface of the ground below. He paused just inside the forest, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. For a moment, he thought about continuing onward. But then, he remembered the last time he’d been caught outside during a storm, and decided not to chance it.
Instead, he turned back toward the road leading westward from this point. Once there, he found himself walking along beside a small stream flowing down from higher ground further upstream; its current rushed past him silently, carrying bits of debris downstream with it.
It felt nice to walk alongside water after spending so much time in the wilderness, but unfortunately, it also served as a reminder that he needed to get moving soon if he wanted to make good progress today. Sooner or later, he would need to find a place where he could refill his waterskin.
Unfortunately, the only obvious source of running water lay farther ahead, in the next valley. However, there seemed to be a fair amount of activity going on in that direction; people passing through were likely to see him approaching, and that would definitely give his presence away.
Still, it couldn’t possibly take too long to reach it. Besides, he doubted that anyone was paying him any attention anyway; they probably assumed he’d given up already and gone home.
And besides—he didn’t feel tired at all right now; not like earlier. In fact, he felt great. Perhaps better than he had since…since ever. No matter what happened tomorrow, however, he was pretty certain he’d never forget this day. Not ever.
***
The rain fell heavily all night long; by morning, it had left the land soaked through, and it remained cloudy and misty throughout the entire day. By mid-afternoon, the sun finally peeked out briefly beneath the clouds, but moments later it disappeared again once more.
A short while afterward, though, it reappeared for real, shining brightly above the horizon. Its light illuminated everything around them, making the grasses and shrubs glisten and shine. Even the rocks stood out prominently against their surroundings, glowing silver-white wherever sunlight touched them.
However, the brightness made it difficult to keep track of where one’s feet were stepping, forcing everyone to slow down considerably lest they trip over unseen obstacles. Fortunately, most of those who ventured onto the trail were doing so in the company of others, which helped reduce the number of accidents somewhat.
Those who traveled alone tended to stick to the edges of the path whenever possible, avoiding the middle sections entirely unless they absolutely had to pass through them.
As a result, the group was able to pick up speed gradually throughout the afternoon, eventually reaching an altitude of roughly two thousand feet. Though the mountainside rose steeply upward, they were still traveling downhill as opposed to uphill, and so the slope was relatively gentle.
At least, it was until they reached the end of the valley floor itself. Then, suddenly, their downward trajectory stopped dead in its tracks, cutting off their access to the lower slopes altogether.
“Well,” said Darian, “that seems to do it.”
Mike looked around herself with a frown of confusion. “…What?”
Darian pointed straight ahead. The trail wound along the side of a mountain here, rising steadily upward. Beyond it stretched nothingness, a sheer cliff face stretching off into the distance. Mike glanced behind her to confirm whether or not they could climb out of this particular valley but saw no obvious exit anywhere nearby.
She wasn’t sure how far down the other side dropped; it might have been quite some ways indeed. If that were the case, then climbing up would certainly prove challenging enough without having to worry about falling off the edge as well. That being the case, there really seemed little choice except to continue onward.
They’d either reach a new valley somewhere down there that offered another way out, or they wouldn’t. Either way, it didn’t seem worth worrying about at the moment. What mattered right now was getting through whatever lay ahead. And judging by the look on Darian’s face, she suspected it was something rather unpleasant.
She followed his gaze ahead to see for herself. Sure enough, there appeared to be a cave entrance located near the very top of the rise; it was hidden by the surrounding foliage, but the faint glow coming from within provided plenty of illumination even in daylight.
There weren’t many caves in these parts, so it was safe to assume that this one opened at ground level. From what she could tell, however, it seemed large enough for them all to enter safely. But before they did anything else, they’d need to clear out the nest of giant spiders currently inhabiting this area.
“I think we should wait ’til dark,” said Darian quietly. “If I remember correctly, these things tend to come out during the evening hours anyway.”
Mike nodded slowly in agreement. It was true. Spiders came alive at night, just like vampires did. Of course, they didn’t necessarily hunt humans exclusively, but their predatory nature was such that they tended to prey upon smaller animals instead.
Still, given their size and strength, it hardly mattered to them if they hunted larger creatures as well—especially when those larger creatures belonged to someone else. For that reason alone, it was probably best to avoid any confrontations between themselves and the local wildlife until after sundown.
Besides, they were already exhausted from their trek across the valley, and they couldn’t afford to waste much more energy fighting their way through hordes of giant spiders.
“Alright, then. Let’s get moving. We don’t want to lose our advantage over the rest of them just because we’re taking too long deciding what to do next, right?”
***
Darkness descended quickly following sunset, shrouding the forest in darkness almost immediately. As a result, visibility became limited, making it impossible to navigate their way through the underbrush without stumbling over unseen roots and branches.
However, that also meant they were less likely to run into giant spiders lurking about in the shadows, which was definitely a plus. With luck, they would make it to the cave without running headlong into anything dangerous; that was always good news, considering how close they were to actually accomplishing their goal.
At least, it would’ve been good news if not for the fact that Mike found herself unable to sleep. Her mind kept wandering back to Laina and her friends, wondering what they must be going through at this point in time.
She desperately wanted to call them herself but knew it wouldn’t help matters at all for her to do so while they were still deep inside the woods. Not only that, but it was highly unlikely that anyone would answer her phone even if she managed to find a signal strong enough to connect her with Laina or her companions.
No, calling was simply pointless at this stage in the game. The best thing to do would be to wait patiently till morning, then use the magic stones to teleport directly onto the outskirts of town where her friend lived.
Even though her own home was several miles away, she had no doubt that the stone could handle the task. After all, it hadn’t let her down once so far today. So why should she expect it to start failing now? It made perfect sense…if it wasn’t for the fact that she knew full well that she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep unless she heard Laina’s voice first.
And yet despite knowing better than to try and force herself to calm down, she couldn’t stop thinking about what must be happening to her friend at the moment. How terrified she must be! What kind of horrors could possibly lie ahead for her and her group now that they’d fallen into the hands of the necromancers?!
Could she trust the man who’d saved her life to keep them safe? And most importantly: Why did he feel compelled to save her at all? Wasn’t there some other person who needed saving more urgently? Or maybe even two others besides Laina and her friends?
It was an awful lot to ask him to deal with on top of everything else, really. Especially since it was obvious that he was already struggling against great odds himself. He couldn’t have known that any of this would happen when he agreed to accompany her on this quest in the first place, after all. If there ever was a time when he might wish he’d stayed behind, surely it was now.
But then again, none of this would even be necessary if Laina’s parents hadn’t insisted upon sending their daughter out here in the first place. That was something that Mike was sure she would never forgive them for later in life. In fact, she suspected they had done so solely to spite her father.
To show off how successful his business was becoming and prove to everyone that he truly deserved to take control of the family company someday. At least that was what her mother often told Mike whenever she brought up this subject. But regardless of whether or not she believed that to be true, it certainly seemed plausible.
After all, it went hand-in-hand with the idea that her parents had deliberately sent her away to protect her from the dangers of the outside world.
Of course, Mike refused to believe that either one of them would ever resort to such tactics. They loved her too much for that. But she had no intention whatsoever of allowing them to forget about it anytime soon, either.
In fact, she wondered if they even realized what a grave error they were making by treating her the way they had lately. Sure, they were both adults now, and thus free to do whatever they pleased as long as they didn’t violate any laws along the way.
Still, they were her parents, and she’d given them every opportunity to act like decent human beings instead of petty tyrants. All she’d gotten in return was disappointment and betrayal. Yet another reason why she felt absolutely certain that neither one of them would survive past the end of this ordeal.
So what exactly happened between you and your parents to turn things around so suddenly? she asked aloud, having finally managed to drift into a light slumber. She hadn’t intended to talk to herself, but apparently, her subconscious took notice anyway. And judging by its response, it appeared that she’d just uncovered something rather important indeed.
“They tried to kill me,” she replied matter-of-factly. “Or perhaps I should say that my entire existence is proof that they failed.”
She paused briefly before continuing. Perhaps she shouldn’t have said anything at all. After all, talking out loud tended to attract unwanted attention these days. And considering the state of affairs at present, it probably wouldn’t hurt to avoid doing so altogether until she returned home safely.
Still, she continued speaking anyway. This was information she needed to share with someone. Someone who cared enough to listen without judging. And although she didn’t want to reveal the truth outright, there was no harm in letting those listening in on the conversation assume that she was referring to her parents’ attempt on her life.
After all, it sounded almost plausible coming from her lips.
At last, however, she came clean. It wasn’t easy telling anyone the whole story, let alone complete strangers who might actually know her parents personally. Her voice trembled slightly during parts of it, and tears formed in the corners of her eyes while she spoke.
Nevertheless, she found herself unable to hold back anymore. The pain inside of her was far too intense to ignore any longer. So she opened up and spilled her guts, leaving nothing unsaid. Not even the part where she admitted that she knew for a fact that they weren’t responsible for trying to assassinate her.
Afterward, she fell silent once again, lost deep within thought for several moments. Then she slowly raised her head and gazed upward toward the night sky above. Although she couldn’t see any stars shining through the thick cloud cover hanging over the city at the moment, she still felt their presence nonetheless.
As though each and every one of them was reaching out to comfort her in some small way.
Then she closed her eyes once more, only to open them seconds later and glance downward at the ground below. There, she spotted an object lying motionless on the sidewalk directly beneath her feet. A discarded backpack, most likely belonging to one of the people who had recently passed her by.
Or maybe even one of those same individuals who had been walking alongside her earlier in the evening. Either way, it struck her as odd. Why would someone leave behind such a valuable item simply because they decided to go off somewhere else for a few minutes?
Especially since she doubted very much that anybody would bother taking it away from her if she left it sitting there unattended for long enough.
That’s when she heard footsteps approaching from nearby. More specifically, two sets of footfalls approached simultaneously from opposite directions. One set belonged to a young woman wearing a hooded jacket with dark-rimmed sunglasses concealing half of her face.
The other pair consisted of a man and woman who moved in tandem, matching strides and appearing to walk together quite naturally. But the fact remained that they walked too quickly for them both to belong to the same person. So whoever was following her must’ve wanted to keep his or her identity hidden while remaining close enough to watch her closely without being noticed.
The first individual turned out to be a teenage girl whose hair was tied neatly into a ponytail. Judging by the way she held herself, it seemed safe to conclude that she wasn’t a local resident. In fact, she looked so foreign that he almost suspected her of being an international student.
This meant that she was also probably unfamiliar with the area surrounding the university campus, yet somehow managed to find herself here anyway.
As for the second individual, his suspicions proved correct. He was staring straight down at him from atop a tree located across the street. Even though it wasn’t tall enough to reach the roof of this particular building, it was wide enough to accommodate his height easily enough.
And judging by how carefully he kept himself concealed among its branches, he obviously knew what kind of trouble he could potentially get into if anyone caught sight of him lurking about like this. Yet despite that risk, he still chose to remain high above the ground, watching her intently with cold eyes.
Both of the figures were dressed casually in jeans and T-shirts, making it difficult to determine their exact ages or genders. However, they appeared to be around the age of twenty, give or take a year or two either way. And although it was impossible for him to tell exactly why something told him that they weren’t human. At least not entirely, anyway.
He watched as the female figure began moving forward along the sidewalk before finally disappearing behind a large stone monument just ahead. While the male followed right after her, keeping low in order to blend in with the shadows cast by the buildings lining the street.
Then he glanced back toward the backpack resting against the ground beside him. That’s when he noticed that a single shoe was missing from the bottom of the bag’s opening. The sole had come loose and fallen to the ground sometime between then and now, but nobody had bothered retrieving it. Not even the mysterious woman who’d been stalking him moments ago.
His gaze returned to the rooftop beyond, noticing a faint light emanating from within the darkness overhead. No doubt another surveillance camera is mounted on top of a neighboring building. And given everything else that happened tonight, he figured it wouldn’t hurt to have somebody looking out for him from afar until he finished whatever business lay before him.
fter all, it didn’t seem like anybody else would be willing to help him out anytime soon.
The End