Leah's Hero - Miranda Martin Page 0,26
easier.
“We are ready,” Rakstan announces loudly.
He’s bringing up the rear and Angota will be more or less in the middle. Everyone except me has a pack on their backs. I look around the group one final time, memorizing faces and positions.
“This will be hard,” I say to Leah. “May I take your pack?”
“No,” she shakes her head emphatically. “You’re injured.”
My jaw tightens to the point of hurting, for her words cut no matter how true they are. I can’t speak so I nod and lead the way out.
Wind whistles loudly, a screeching animal daring me to face its wrath. I know how these storms are and if there were any choice, I’d never take these people out into it. Except I’m as sure that this place will flood, and staying here means they will drown.
I hold the handle to the door for a moment, bracing myself before opening. As soon as I unlatch it the wind slams against it as if it were waiting. I’m pushed back by the force and rain pelts against me.
I close my third lens to protect my eyes, but even that is not enough to see more than an arm’s length ahead. Leaning into the screaming wind, I fight my way forward. The wind is shifting, hitting on the left, then the right, then it’s pushing against me. The world is dark gray, wet, and intense. One foot, then another, fighting for every step.
I glance back and see Leah struggling, her feet slipping in the mud as she emerges from the door. She’s small and the wind is knocking her from side to side as if she is no more than a leaf to be blown around. It doesn’t stop her though, and my admiration for her blossoms in the depths of the storm. She raises an arm, shielding her eyes, leaning almost in half as she fights for every step forward. Behind her the others emerge and we’re moving, so I turn my attention back to the path.
Nothing looks familiar. Internally I have a sense of the right direction to go, but there are no landmarks. I don’t recognize any of the features around, and I have no idea how far we are from my home or any shelter.
Forward is the only way, though each step is a fight. Rain, leaves, dirt, and grit blast us, getting into my eyes. I pause to clear my vision. The world flashes blinding white. There is a snap. A moment of silence is broken by screams.
Instinctively, I look up. A huge black blur is falling towards me.
9
LEAH
The world lights up, stopping my heart, but the cracking sound makes me scream. I’m blind and my ears are ringing. Blinking rapidly, I’m rubbing my eyes when something hits me from the side.
I want to scream, but the air rushes out from the impact. Fear takes over. I fight—punching, kicking, throwing my body one way and another. I hit the ground and there’s a weight on top of me, and then I’m rolling over and over with the weight.
A heavy shape covers me, so I push against it, gasping for air. My eyes clear at last, and then I see it’s Urukol, climbing off. I try to leap to my feet, but mud and wet leaves are everywhere. My feet slip out as I land and I’m falling. Urukol leaps, catching me before I hit the ground.
Time stops. I can count the rain drops hanging in the air between us. His arms curl around my body, holding me in mid-air. His face is so close we can almost kiss. I can see the pale streaks of colors in each individual scale that covers his face. A rich universe of colors that blend together to form the overall appearance of sandy tan.
It’s a frozen instant then time rushes forward as it resumes, clawing back the stolen moments. Air fills my lungs and the scream I began what feels like so long ago finishes. Mine isn’t the only one. Curses and screams fill the air as Urukol lowers me to my feet, holding my shoulders until he sees I’m steady on my feet. Only then does he turn and look at the others.
“Holy—” I stop myself from cursing when I see what’s happened.
Rain resumes pelting us, tearing through the canopy overhead as if it doesn’t exist. I shiver from the cold, and fear too. We almost died already. We’ve barely left our home, and this happens. Lightning hit a tree. Looking ahead,