I crept through the forest in search of my prey, my hand tight on my bow. Heavy rain left a sheen of water on my face even with my hood covering me, and I wiped it off on my already-soaked sleeve. The storm was getting stronger. If I didn’t find a deer or something else soon, I’d have to give up and return empty-handed. Roark wouldn’t like that.
I made my way toward one of my traps up ahead, stepping carefully through the high brush and keeping my eyes peeled for any game. With the weather as it was, I doubted I would have any luck. All the animals in the forest had no doubt retreated once this sudden storm had come upon us. The only thing left out here would be elementals and shades—and I had no desire to confront either of those.
When I’d set out a few hours ago, the sky had been clear and bright. Only in the last hour had the storm clouds gathered overhead as if out of nowhere, or perhaps summoned by the Gods themselves. I shivered, and not just from the cold that sank into my bones through my soaked clothes.
I bent down to check the trap I’d left this morning and breathed a sigh of relief. A large rabbit had been caught inside. Tonight I’d be fed. Tonight Tash would be safe.
I tossed the rabbit into a sack and loaded it onto my shoulder. When I turned around, I wasn’t alone. I dropped the sack and aimed my bow, my heart in my throat.
An old woman stood before me, her body hunched over with age, her skin pale and wrinkled. She wore a frayed traveling cloak and frizzy white hair escaped her low hood. I might have heard her as she approached, but the storm drowned out all sound except for the pounding of rain in the trees.
“Can I help you?” I called out to her, as I lowered my bow and retrieved my fallen sack.
“Perhaps.” She stared at me and frowned, then looked around as if confused.
“You must be lost. I can show you to Stoneham, the nearest town.”
“That’s kind of you.”
I offered her my arm and she took it, leaning upon me. Her grip was strong, even though she seemed so frail I worried a strong gust might turn her bones to dust. I wondered how she had found herself in the middle of the forest in the first place. She shouldn’t be traveling alone, especially not in this weather.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Kira.”
As we carefully stepped through the forest she gazed up at the dark sky, letting the rain wash over her face. “There’s a storm coming.”
I patted her wrinkled hand where it rested on my arm. “I think it’s already here. But if we hurry, we can get out of it. The inn is just ahead.”
“There’s no escaping this storm.” She turned toward me and her eyes were like steel. “Not for you.”
Her words sent another shiver down my spine. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
She held my gaze another few seconds, then waved her hand. “Just the ramblings of an old woman. Nothing more.”
I frowned, but continued walking through the wet brush. “We’re nearly there now.”
“Yes, indeed we are,” she said.
A rustling sound up ahead caught my attention. I dropped her arm and drew my bow. “Stay back. I’ll make sure the way is clear.”
I took a step forward as I peered through the brush in front of us, watching for the slightest twitch of a leaf or the dash of fur. But there was nothing other than the relentless rain.
When I turned back, the woman was gone.
“Hello?” I called out, spinning around and scanning the area for her. The storm made it hard to see anything, but there was no trace of her anywhere. She’d just…vanished.
I went back the way we’d walked, calling out for the woman, but I couldn’t find her anywhere. There was no sign she’d ever been in the forest at all.
After many long minutes, with the rain pounding down on me and the wind whipping at my cloak, I reluctantly gave up my search. I told myself she must have gone ahead to the village without me, but something about that didn’t feel right. It was the only explanation though, unless she was a shade. But if that were true I wouldn’t still be breathing, according to the stories I’d heard anyway. I’d never actually seen a shade before, but it was said they were ghostly figures that could turn invisible, pass through walls, and suck the life right out of you. As strange as the woman was, she seemed perfectly human at least. Still, probably best for me to hurry back.
I headed toward the inn, more by instinct than sight at this point. As I left the forest, my shoes sank into the mud and the relentless wind tore the hood off my head. I tried to tug it back on, but there was no use. My hair was already soaked through and I was chilled to the bone.
Lightning flashed overhead, followed immediately by the deep rumble of thunder. I ran for the inn as fast as I could, but the wind was so strong it seemed to push me back, as if it was fighting my every step. I slipped in the mud and fell to my knees, bracing myself with my hands. The impact jolted through my bones, and for a moment I could only remain there, dazed and covered in mud from head to toe.
As I tried to stand, a bright crack lit up the sky, blinding me. Searing hot pain struck my head and I screamed as a bolt of lightning coursed through me. Electricity spread within my entire body, setting every nerve on fire and burning me from the inside out. It raced through my blood, and I thought my heart would burst from the power warring for control within me. Time stopped, and pain became the only thing I knew.
And then it was gone.
Deep, cavernous thunder sounded all around me as my sight returned. My entire body shook and trembled uncontrollably. Mud covered me completely, rain pelted my face, wind lashed at my hair, and sparks danced in my blood. As if the elemental Gods themselves had thought to strike me down, then decided to let me live after all.
I scrambled back to my feet, nearly slipping again in the slick mud. When I was steady, I grabbed the bag with the rabbit from where I’d dropped it, before stumbling to the back door of the inn. I opened the door with some effort, the wind battling me still, and then stepped inside the familiar warm kitchen that smelled of stew and baked bread. Once the door was shut, I fell back against it, breathing heavily.
I’d been struck by lightning. Yet somehow I still lived.
I quickly checked my body, searching for signs of injury, but I seemed to be physically fine, although my cloak was charred and I was in great need of a bath. The only thing that afflicted me was shock.
None of it made sense. Lightning usually hit the tallest thing around, and I was nowhere near that. I’d been surrounded by much better targets. The inn. The stables. The trees. Why had it hit me?
And how had I made it through without a scratch?
