Break of Dawne: Chapter 3
What is she doing out there?!
And where’s Mom and Dad? She should be with them. Why aren’t they back yet?
Sorrowe runs down the hill toward the house. I set Hope on my bed and crack my window enough to beckon Sorrowe with a shout. I’m greeted by a splash of icy rain water. It’s colder than any rain I’ve ever felt. Sorrowe must be freezing. She needs to warm up as soon as possible.
I begin a utility fire-form designed to create a contained fire. Typically, I use fire-forms for destructive magic, but as my kata scrolls always made sure to point out, fire can bring life, too. I build a small flame in my hand which I release in front of me. It hovers in the center of the room, producing enough heat to warm every corner.
The heat of the fire comforts my face as I take a deep breath. Whew. I lower my shoulders as my heartbeat slows. Practicing fire bolts is one thing when I’m in a controlled space like my training ring in the cellar, but using magic in a real-world situation with high stakes like this is a lot more taxing.
Sorrowe approaches the window, so I open it the rest of the way and reach out to give her a hand. The chill of the icy water makes me grimace. She ignores my hand and leaps straight up onto the window sill. As she climbs inside, I put my hand on her cold shoulder.
“Sorrowe, are you alright?! We’ve been worried about you. Not that we’ve had much time to worry. We’ve been dealing with our own problems…”
She scoffs and shrugs off my hand.
“Yeah, of course I am. It’s just a little rain.”
Her chattering teeth and heavy breathing betray her true feelings.
“It’s not just a little rain — a freaky blob thing attacked us from the cellar!”
Her body stiffens as her eyes lock with mine.
“You mean they’re in the house, too? I saw something like that in the woods, but I didn’t stick around to find out what it was. I heard a loud roar from the sky, and then they bubbled up from the ground. I started running when — wait, where’s Dad?”
I look at my feet. “I don’t know. He went looking for you.”
“And Mom?”
“After Dad didn’t come back, she ran into the storm to find you, too. Where were you? Didn’t you see them on your way back?”
“No, I never saw them. I was too busy running from those creepy sludge creatures — or maybe you forgot that part.”
I feel her glaring at me even though I’m still staring at my feet. I clench my fists and take a heavy breath in and out.
This doesn’t make sense. I saw Dad and Mom run toward the woods at two different times. How could she not have seen either one of them? I guess it doesn’t matter now. We just need to figure out what to do next.
Sorrowe kneels by the bed and strokes Hope’s hair.
“What happened to Hope? Is she alright?”
From the corner of my eye, I think I see an expression of compassion on Sorrowe’s face. I almost forgot she was capable of that.
“Yeah, I think so. She used a strong, destructive light-form against one of those blobs in the cellar, and it must have wiped her out.” I pause for a moment before adding, “She really saved my butt back there.”
Sorrowe’s soft expression turns into a smirk. “Aren’t you supposed to be the destruction specialist? And you let a restoration specialist outdo you? Pfff…”
“It all happened so fast! I hit it with a lot of fire bolts, but they weren’t very effective. I was going to try something more powerful, but it caught me off guard and knocked me down. That’s when Hope drove it back into the cellar. It really was amazing to watch. She was terrified of the storm, but as soon as I was in trouble, she jumped into action.”
I smile as I look down at Hope’s delicate head on my pillow, her slender, vertical horns hanging off the end of my bed.
I shake my head and turn back to Sorrowe. “Anyway, it’s not a competition. This was a real fight with real magic.” I pause for a second, then mumble under my breath, “Not that you’d know anything about that.”
Sorrowe jumps up and scowls. “What did you say?! That I don’t have magic? Well not all of us can be little magical prodigies! I have to actually work for what I have.” She pauses for a second then adds in a mocking tone, “Not that you’d know anything about that.”
Now is not the time for this. We need to focus. The last time I got distracted, I was knocked on my back. We have to work together if we’re going to make it through this storm. The rain has slowed to a drizzle and the thunder is off in the distance.
Hope’s eyes flutter, and she slowly sits up. “Wha- What happened? Did I get the blob?”
I jump onto the bed with a wide smile.
“Hope! You did so great!”
I grab her shoulders and look her straight in the eyes. Her tender, golden eyes sparkle in contrast with the black, stormy sky outside my window.
“I’m so proud of you! I’m sorry I put you in that situation. Thanks for having my back.”
I wrap my arms around her and give her a light squeeze as she leans into me.
Sorrowe clears her throat and steps forward. “Ok, great, you did the thing. Congratulations. Yeah yeah yeah. Can we go now? I don’t wanna be around when that blob thing comes back out of the cellar.”
A loud thud comes from the door, then a sloshing sound. Another thud.
I jump to my feet, pulling Hope up with me. “It might be a little late for that. Sorrowe, bolster the door while I prepare a shockwave. On three, open the door, and I’ll blast it.”
I begin building the energy needed for the earth-form shockwave I used on the broken support beam. Sorrowe braces herself against the door, hand on the doorknob.
“One…”
I swirl my right fist in front of me and pull my left fist back.
“Two…”
My left hand shakes by my head. I bend my knees slightly and slide my left foot back to prepare to strike.
“Three!”
Sorrowe yanks the door open and a sludgy, purple mass fills the doorway. Several thin tendrils race through the air toward me. I throw my left fist forward and rotate my body, meeting one of the tendrils mid-air. A shockwave emanates from me and immediately hits the blob.
It warbles and shakes violently before exploding, sending sludgy bits all over the room. The freezing splatter stings my fist and arm. From behind me, Hope manages to produce a small barrier of light that protects my body from the brunt of the explosion. Sorrowe remains untouched behind the door which is now covered in thick, purple slime.
I take a few deep breaths before lowering my left arm which is now shaking from the cold. I can barely move my fingers. The pain sets in.
“I- I think I have a f- fire-form that can h- help with this.”
I use my right hand to perform a utility fire-form that lights up my palm with a red glow. I slowly move my right hand over my left arm in an attempt to thaw it out. It’s hard to concentrate with the pain shooting down my arm. I close my eyes. It’s so cold. It’s not like anything I’ve felt before. It’s —
I feel a hand on my shoulder and open my eyes. It’s Sorrowe. She has a firm look in her eyes and nods as if to say, You’ve got this. I feel a magical current surge into my right hand, and it glows even brighter, producing more heat. I can feel my left arm again. Now my wrist. I hold my left fist in my right hand, slowly warming each finger until I can move them again.
Wow. I’m never taking my fingers for granted again!
Next Post in this series: Break of Dawne: Chapter 4
Previous post in this series: Break of Dawne: Chapter 2
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