A Storm Brewing

Teliana looked out across the plains. The great crossroads lay behind her, golden with the new day’s sun. The vast mountains of the eastern range stood silhouetted against the bright sky, leaving the valley below cloaked in shadow. But as Lia stood there, the sun slowly rode higher in the sky and her home lit up with fresh light. The trees along the edge of the beech and oak forest of Gyrfalcon where Lia had rested during the early hours, now cast long shadows across the grass towards where she stood, her back to them.

Pulling her bag around to her side she began walking down the slight slope, her elongated shadow leading the way westwards where the sky was grey and heavy with rain. As her path curved slowly she paused, looking back up to where the grand Altai falls tumbled down to the pool and stood staring for a moment.

As the wind picked up around her she turned, tearing her eyes away from the mountain’s ridge, hurrying along the path, shrugging off the uncertainty she had experienced.

As the day grew warmer and humid, Lia removed her cloak, folding it away in her and bag, and rested under the cool shade of an ash tree a short distance from the road. To the west there rose up the central mountains, shrouded in haze, so that no one could tell how tall they stood, looming over the ground below. Lia looked up from where she sat willing away the storm she saw raging over them before sighing and standing. With one last reluctant gaze she moved off, disappearing into the misty haze of the storm.

Feeling as if her legs were made of lead, Lia painstakingly forced another leg forwards sighing as her foot sunk into the sodden grass. Rain fell from the black sky in sheets as the wind aggravated the raindrops’ course, blowing this way and that. Lia’s clothes were soaked, her cloak hung heavily from her shoulders, and her trousers stuck to her legs as she forced herself on. The hood she had pulled up over her dripped water continuously onto her face, and unconsciously she reached up a wet hand to wipe away the rain.

Soon through the howling of the wind and the hissing of the falling rain, she could make out another noise, a noise that sunk her already low spirits to her cold and drenched feet. Before her, across her path there ran a wide river swelled with the rainwater so that it tumbled past her with an increased fury and speed.

Groaning, she looked around her for shelter, knowing she could not cross the ford in this weather, when suddenly she heard behind her voices. Fear struck into her heart as she remembered the bandits near her home, and in an instant she had turned towards the water and begun to wade in. Little did she know, that if she had stayed and waited, she would have encountered not fierce bandits, but a few traders from the settlement that lay across the river, and with them she would have found safe haven, for they were fierce supporters of their King; that they told proudly, had once took residence in their small village and saved them.

However, fear drove Lia into the raging waters and pushing against the water’s flow, she slowly made her way across the flooded ford. Luckily, Lia found that the water was not as deep as she had thought, and she was making good progress to the far bank, when suddenly lightening ripped open the sky before her. Startled, Lia lost her footing and was instantly pulled under by the force of the current with a cry that was cut shot as she disappeared beneath the water.

As the day grew darker as the barely visible sun sunk further down in the sky, the rain unrelentingly battered the ground, and the river roared along with the rage of the storm. Thunder rumbled over the land, and minutes after another bolt of lightning lit up the area.

Just as the light faded from the land, a figure burst above the surface of the river with a gasp. As the rain hammered great splashes on the river, the water splashed around the dark figure. Struggling against the current, she was quickly pulled under once again. Kicking with all her might, she broke the surface again and fighting to keep her head above the water, she began to pull herself through the torrent towards the bank. She struggled on, her muscles screaming in pain, and her lungs filling with the water she was unable to avoid, until finally her hand reached the bank and she clung onto the grass for her life. With one final push she managed to haul her sodden body out of the water, and on the river’s bank she collapsed, coughing and spluttering.

Thunder rolled overhead, and Lia’s eyes snapped open, unsure how long she had been lying there in the rain. Reaching out her hand, she was relieved to find her bag still hanging around her shoulders.

Rolling over onto her stomach she gazed into her darkening surroundings where she could make out a huge black shape. Crawling along the wet ground she finally made it under the shelter of the bolder where she slumped down underneath it’s sloping side out of the wind and curled up, dropping off into sleep instantly.