Page 24 of Riftborne
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the scent of rain lingered in the thick, humid air. The sky, threatening to burst at any second, bathed the clouds in swirling shades of violet and iron.
My emotions mirrored the churning heavens above, crashing against one another like a wave, fighting for the right to pull me under. If anyone was supposed to understand, itshouldhave been Osta. The feeling of loss crept into my bones as my feet continued forward. I hadn’t even had the chance to tell her I was leaving.
Don’t cry.
My pace quickened as I blinked away tears, inhaling sharply through my nose. I just needed to get home.
The sounds of partygoers whistled towards me right as I turned the corner. One second, I could hear their laughter, the next, I was in a collision. My ankle twisted and I stumbled a few feet back, losing my balance. The contents of my bags spilled over the walkway, and I watched in horror as my gold bracelet fell from my pocket, clinking on the pavement before rolling through the slats of a sewer grate. The air went still around me.
“Pfft, way to go Graem!” One of them shouted.
The culprit pushed his friend and shuffled back, stepping on my produce along the way. A crushed melon leaked nectar onto the pavement.
“Sorry about that lady, but we have somewhere to be!”
The group continued down the street without a care.
My body was stiff as I processed the loss of my precious item and took in the mess of groceries. My jaw hung open, but I was unable to form words. A loud ringing in my ears drowned out everything else around me.
No, no, no.
I felt the hairs on my arms rise and my mind went blank. A searing pain shot across my skin, striking terror through me like a whip.
The familiar translucent web pulsed in a sickeningly fast uproar, overcoming me in an instant.
Fear became a cage around me.
Every muscle in my body tensed until they were near trembling. I felt the power overflowing, bursting at the seams. Myinsides were being shredded in its attempt to break free–my mind roared in two different voices. One begging me to find release, the other screaming to keep this destruction contained at all costs.
But it didn’t matter. It was happening.
Time stood still, and I felt the power begin to seep from my pores. White-hot essence overtook my vision.
And just as I was about to explode, droplets of rain spattered on my forehead.
Breathe!
The trance fractured just as the sky bottomed out. Water hammered down, crashing against the pavement so hard that mist rose up from the cobblestones, creating a blur around me—reflecting the muddiness that lingered in my mind.
Delicious coldness rushed over my skin, putting out the fire within. I lost my grip on gravity and fell to my knees. My breath got caught in my chest as the pain radiated, bringing with it a sense of clarity.
Unwelcome clarity.
Undeniable clarity.
My body, which still felt not quite like my own, crumpled to the ground, seeking the coolness of the stones.
Tears came then.
The group turned a corner and disappeared from view, unaware of the chaos they had narrowly avoided.
Osta’s words drifted into my consciousness. My mind tried to reject them, an effort that had become a reflex. I knew why they were here, what they wanted me to do. What they meant. I couldn’t face the truth. The idea of putting my hope into something was terrifying. I’d stopped doing that a long time ago.
And that’s what this fear was, if I whittled it down to the bare bones: believing my life could be something more than this was dangerous and cruel and had only ever brought me pain. I just wanted to escape it all, to hide.
But hiding wasn’t working anymore.
The words hit me like a dagger in the chest, tearing through every thought, every wall I’d built to protect myself.
