This wasn't good; there should always be at least three.
Now with an injured hand, it would be harder to pull myself up, which is what I desperately needed to do. Now all my weight was resting on the one rock underneath my right foot. If that gave way, I would be dangling. I stretched my injured hand out and used it to try to lift me.
"You okay?" Axel asked.
"No, my hand is on fire," I said as I struggled to pull.
I could feel everything in that hand straining to work. I pulled myself up two feet and was able to get new footings for each foot. Now I felt a little more relieved. I was eye level with Axel, who looked at my hand, which was already starting to turn colors.
"We're halfway there. Can you make it?" he asked.
"Of course, I can. I have a King to kill," I joked.
His face went rigid.
Wrong thing to joke about, I guess.
To avoid awkwardness, I just kept climbing. By the time we reached the top, I was almost ready to cut off my hand. It was causing me so much pain.
"Now we have to make it back down," he said to me. "This should be easier."
"Should be is just that, it doesn't mean it will be," I said.
"I know, let's get to it," he replied.
Now that we were on top of the mountain, I could see just how far this small mountain range spanned. It was easily ten miles long, considering I couldn't see its end. We really did make the right choice by climbing. That was at least twenty miles we didn't have to run.
I got down on my hands and knees at the edge and started my climb back down. This didn't take as long to do, but it didn't strain my hand any less than the journey up.
Axel would call over to me every few minutes to make sure I was doing alright. I always answered back that I was okay. I was so relieved when he and I finally reached the bottom.
"Well, I hate to say this, but were going to need to start jogging again," Axel said.
"And here I was just thinking how smoothly this was all going; maybe we would be able to relax some," I whined.
"Sorry, no such luck," he said.
Maybe an hour into our jog, at least four or five miles or so from the base of the mountain, the weather around us started to change. This was the first time I had ever seen real weather in the Morthlands. I saw dark clouds appear almost out of nowhere.
Within what was probably thirty seconds, the rain started, and total chaos followed.
Chapter Twenty Two
When I said chaos, I meant it. The rain started falling, and within minutes the wind was blowing it sideways. The rain was hitting me so hard that it hurt. It was getting in my eyes and blowing up my nose. If I opened my mouth to grab a breath, my mouth would catch a bunch of rain.
It was almost like drowning but not being submerged in water. I had stopped my jogging when I closed my eyes to protect them from the rain.
I risked a peek to look for Axel.
He was five feet or so in front of me. His back was turned to the wind so that he was facing me. His hands were cupping the side of his face to protect his eyes.
"Violet!"
He had to shout so I could hear over the rain and wind.
"What?" I shouted back, my mouth filling up with water.
"We need to get to cover. It's coming!" he shouted to me.
"What is coming?"
I had to shout louder, I felt like I could barely hear myself. The wind was starting to push so hard that I had to lean forward to stay upright.
"One of the Century storms. I'll explain later!" He shouted back at me.
He grabbed my hand, and he started running, dragging me behind him.
We were only running for maybe thirty seconds in one direction before a huge funnel starting lowering from the clouds.
They had tornados here? Oh no.
Axel seeing what I did, changed directions, almost tripping me.
I couldn't stop something like that.
We took off in a new direction, but as soon as we got anywhere, another funnel opened in front of us. It was off in the distance but clearly had the potential to head our way.
Not taking any chances, Axel changed our direction again. But as soon as he did, he saw the two other tunnels beginning to touch down. We were cornered, and all of the wind from the tornados was making it hard to keep my feet on the ground.
My heart was beating a million miles a minute.
Was this how it was going to end? Before I even got to a chance to look at the castle?
I pointed to a tree, and Axel towed me towards it. It was risky to use magic right here without knowing who was around, but it was a risk we were going to have to take to survive. I took the magic blocker out of my pocket and stuffed it into Axel's pocket. I wrapped my arms around the tree, and Axel did the same.
"Do something!" he shouted at me.
There was definitely a trace of desperation there. He didn't know what else he could do to help us, and neither did I.
"I'm trying, I haven't had to do this before! Let me concentrate," I shouted in return.
The wind was howling, so I had to scream over it. The wind was trying to pry me from the tree. Sticks were flying toward me. I hoped none would hit me in the face. After the first branch caught my back, Axel grabbed the side of my dress.
"Come closer to me, I am going to protect your back. Keep concentrating!" he shouted.
I inched toward him while still keeping my arms secure around the big tree. Axel pulled me between him and his spot at the tree. His body helped shield me from the worst of the winds.
However, the feel of his front pressed firmly against my back did not help me concentrate.
I closed my eyes and did my best to take some deep breaths. I tried to imagine the tornados going back up into the clouds. I opened my eyes, but all four tornados were still there, quickly making their way towards each other. I could hear screaming coming from somewhere. I didn't know if it was the wind or someone else nearby. That thought chilled me to the bone.
What if there were other people in danger, and I couldn't help them?
I saw lightning crash down and saw a blaze of orange. When I looked to see what went up in flames, I could just barely make out a building on fire in what looked like a tiny village a little small distance away. I hadn't noticed it there before.
I really hope no one is inside.
I closed my eyes and did my best to stop the storm, but nothing I tried worked. It was so frustrating hearing the destruction going on around me and not being able to stop it. I tried to grasp my hold of the wind, but it wasn't cooperating. I couldn't force the strong air currents to still.
"Violet do something the one funnel is too close!"
Axel had his mouth right next to my ear so I could hear him over the sound of an approaching tornado. It sounded like the screeching and bending of metal, and it only got louder as it got closer.
If we survived this, we would have hearing loss.
I knew in my heart this storm was going to be impossible for me to stop. Instead of stopping the storm, I had to instead focus on protecting us from it. I imagined the shield that protected me from the dragon. I shaped it in my mind into a dome that protected both Axel and I, as well as the tree we were holding onto.
The source of the howling was right next to us. I could see the small things the tornado had picked up and was throwing around. Rocks, plants, small animals, and even a sword was mixed in there.
This was the moment of truth. Within seconds my shield will have either protected us, or we will both be impaled on a sword floating through a tornado.
As funny as it sounded in my head, it was scary knowing it was a real possibility.
I didn't have any more time to think about it before the tornado touched my shield just as it went up. I could feel the force of the wind trying to pull the tree from the ground, and even pull me from the tree. The bottom of the tornado went up over the top of the shield when it did not budge. It kept moving in its original d
irection un-phased by my shield.
Eventually, the tornado and all of its projectiles were far enough away from us that I let go of the shield. It disappeared, and I could feel a stronger pull from the wind, but it wasn't as bad as before.
One look around proved that the storm was starting to die down, but its destruction wasn't finished. The building in the distance was gone entirely. I guess it burnt to the ground. The buildings that had been near it were now engulfed in flames.
Someone had to be there and in danger. I can't waste any more time.
I stepped away from the tree and Axel, and I took off in the village's direction. The rain had stopped, so the fires had nothing to control them. The wind gust would only help spread the flames.
I was soaking wet and shivering, but I didn't care. It would hopefully help protect me from the flames if I had to get close to them.
I could hear Axel panting behind me, trying to catch up. I was running as hard as I physically could, and was pushing myself harder than I ever had. I used my control of the wind to help push me forward. It was a little force at my back, giving me a bit more momentum. Axel wasn't closing the gap.
I didn't think I was running that fast.
When I finally got to the village, which felt like it took forever, I didn't stop running. I ran right through a piece of the gate that had fallen due to the flames. My soaked dress helped protect me from the heat of the gates charred remains.
I ran in and saw half of the village covered in flames. There was a group of people huddled together in the part of the town that hadn't burned yet. Children were crying, and a mother was screaming for her baby.
"Please let me get her, she's all alone," she screamed.
Her hands were stretched out towards a building that had just caught fire. Flames danced on the roof of the house. A man was holding her around her middle, keeping her from running into the house.
I took off in the direction of the house. I did my best to conjure some rain clouds to put out the fire, but I was having difficulty concentrating while entering the house.
In places, part of the roof was collapsing in. Little balls of fire were falling down everywhere. One landed on my shoulder. The water still soaked in the fabric kept my clothes from lighting on fire. I didn't have long before the water would evaporate off my clothes.
I heard Axel screaming my name from outside of the building.
I'm glad he didn't run in, he would only slow me down, as sad as it was to say.
I ran up the stairs that looked like they could fall at any moment. I followed the sound of a baby's cries until I found her. I found a dog guarding her spot where she lay crying on the ground.
"Easy boy, I'm here to help."
I knelt down next to him and ran my hand down his back once. I know I wasn't supposed to do this, but it was a dog, not a human.
I forced into his mind what I was about to do, rescue them both. He immediately stopped growling and stood up, allowing me access to the baby he was protecting. I picked up the screaming infant and started running back the way I came. I tried again to produce some rain clouds. On my skin, I could feel some moisture begin to enter the air.
That was a good sign.
Just then, I heard the roof collapse in the area I just found the child. The rest of the roof would come down very soon.
At the top of the stairs, I could see that there were no stairs left. I needed to do something to get us out of here. I slowly levitated the dog down with my control over the air.
The air was so filled with smoke that I could see the air moving. It almost looked like it was taking part in an intricate dance. It was something I hadn't seen before.
The dog struggled at first, not knowing how to react. It thrashed around, making it harder for me to keep the dog safely in the air. When the dog's paws reached the ground, he took off in the direction of the door. He was barking the whole way out.
I could hear the mother screaming again. I then tried to levitate myself, but I couldn't get a grip on my concentration. The mother's and baby's screams and the dog's barking kept distracting me.
Think. Think.
I was wasting time by trying to grasp at concentration that wouldn't come.
I was wasting precious seconds.
I did the only other thing that came to my mind. I cradled the baby's head and body and protected her as best as I could in my arms.
Then I jumped.
The freefall felt like it took forever. When I hit the ground, my ankles rolled in. I went down but avoided putting any weight on the baby. She started a new round of wailing.
I tried to stand back up, but my ankles weren't supporting me. I did the only other thing I could do, I crawled. Using one hand, I held the baby to my chest. I wanted the cloth of my dress to filter her breaths so she wouldn't breathe in the smoke that I was taking in.
With my other hand and my knees, I slowly made it to the doorway and crawled outside. I kept crawling until the Mother was in my sight. Axel was there with the man who had previously been holding her back.
When she saw me with her child, she screamed for the men to let her go. Axel released her, and she came running for us. I pulled myself upright, so I was sitting on my knees and handed the woman her child when she came close enough. She kissed my cheek.
"Bless you, bless you, bless you," she said over and over.
Axel was right behind her. He picked me up and carried me over to the safety of the other side of the town square.
He bent his head down and whispered in my ear.
"I hate to ask this of you, but can you do something about the flames?"
I nodded.
Now that the mother stopped her screaming and was holding the baby, the area was a little quieter. I could hear the roaring of the flames, so I turned my concentration to that. I focused on pulling all of the moisture in the air into a giant rain cloud and forced it to release its water.
Within seconds, water was falling down upon us, and everyone looked up to the sky. We stood there, watching and waiting. I was in pain but did my best to keep the rain coming.
The smoke that had been on me and on my clothes had left soot all over me. It started to wash off as the rain caught my skin. When the last flame was finally out, Axel put me down and started concentrating on my ankles.
They were already swelling and starting to bruise. Every time he touched them, I screamed in pain. The mother of the baby came and sat next to me with her baby asleep in her arms.
"Thank you. You are a blessing sent from the Goddess," she said to me.
She bent down and kissed my cheek again.
"You are welcome. Is she doing okay?"
I winced as Axel touched one of my ankles again, trying to move it.
"She is doing fine, but I can't say the same for you. You have magic in you, I saw you summon the rain. Can you not ease your own pain?" she asked.
I sharply inhaled and looked to Axel. He returned my look of surprise and shock. He didn't know what to do any more than I did.
"It is okay, we won't turn you in to the King. We highly respect your type. You saved my little girl, we will protect you here if that is what you need," she offered.
Something inside told me I could trust this woman, so I went with my instinct. I just saved her baby, it's hard to harbor bad feelings after something like that.
"I'm not sure if I can heal myself, I am new to magic working," I said.
"Would you let me ease your pain? I can work limited magic, only in the form of minor healing. Helping you would be the very least I could do," she offered.
"If you think you can, you are more than welcome to try," I said.
I was relieved. Maybe this injury wouldn't have to slow me down.
"Very well, then, you might want to lie back. You should have your friend come protect your head. You are most likely going to feel some pain and thrash around," she said.
Well, that didn't sound good.
Axel stood up and moved to s
it right behind my head. He lifted my head up to rest on his knees. He placed his hands on my cheeks to help keep my head still.
The woman hesitantly handed her sleeping baby off to the man that was holding her back earlier. She got down on her knees by my feet and gently placed her hands on my ankles.
It felt like fire overtook my lower limbs. It burned so badly. I let out a scream and tried to get away.
Maybe I was wrong, and she was trying to hurt me.
Axel's hold on my head grew stronger as I kept trying to move away. I reached up and grabbed his arms to try to ease my pain. I could feel the tension in his forearms. I focused on that, the feel of his muscles underneath my hands.
After what felt like an eternity, the fire started to leave my ankles and retreat. Instead, a cooling sensation took its place. A few minutes later, the mother took her hands off my ankles and came up to my head to see how I was doing.
"Sorry about that, you stayed conscious the whole time. I was expecting you to pass out like most of the others. I should have known you're a strong woman. Anyone who runs into a burning building to save a stranger's child is anything but weak. Within the next day, you should be back up and good as new," she said.
"That's reassuring, thank you. What is your name?" I asked her.
"Andraya is what they call me. I am the leader of this small village. What are your names?" She looked at me, then Axel, and then back to me.
"I am Violet, this is Axel," I answered.
"What brings you to this area, Violet and Axel?" She asked.
"The prophesy," I answered honestly, not knowing the response I would get.
Axel's look told me he didn't think I should have told her.
Oh well, it was too late now. It was my choice to make.
The look that crossed the woman's face and the people crowded around us were all the same, shock and relief.
"So you are going to kill King Eduard?" she asked with a look of awe on her face.
"That is my plan," I answered again, honestly.
I couldn't tell her for sure that I would be able to do it, but that was my intention.
"I think I can speak for everyone here when we wish you all the luck in this world. Anything you need from us, please don't hesitate to ask. You already did so much to help us today. If you succeed in taking over the crown, I have no doubt that you will be giving us all much better futures," she said.
Emerald Dreams (The Dream Traveler Series) Page 20
