The Towers of Adrala

Chapter 2 - The Awakening (Part Two)

What is this? Zook thought in confusion.

It was then the rumble began. Low, menacing, a massive cello winding up for its grim performance. The very sound of it shook Zook to the bone; it felt like the sound was in him, inside his teeth, his flesh, his mind. It was so low, barely audible, but there was no question of how large it was.

“It's not over?” Eris asked fearfully.

“Once wasn’t enough?” asked Sye in despair, “One shake that’s broken Eretia? There has to be more? The time, the money it will take to repair-”

Whatever Sye was going to say, it was never heard. The distant rumble exploded into an earthen roar. Zook fumbled for the spyglass but found that he didn't need it. The buildings that were sinking suddenly rose.

Rose, and rose, and rose.

The structures before those were lifted and then the buildings before them as the land seemed to come alive, arching its back in excruciating pain. It swelled higher and higher, a mountain of earth and stone rising up before them.

“Good gods,” Sye whispered.

A ripple had flitted across Eretia. Now a tsunami was perched to rush them down.

Because of the distance, it took Zook a moment to notice the mountain was moving. Then he realized that it wasn't just moving, it was hurtling across the city at an impossible speed. The buildings, so far away that the white seemed to mix together, churned on its curling surface. The roar grew even louder, the cry of a twisting world's anger, but it still couldn't mask the screams from below. Zook’s numbed astonishment only allowed him a moment's glance down, but a moment was all he needed. Many were fleeing in terror from the sight, pushing each other down and trampling those unfortunate enough to fall, but even more simply stood there in disbelief. He understood the hopeless reason why.

Why flee? They were on an island.

There was nowhere to run.

Something distant told him that he should try, to run, to hide. Even with the earthen tidal wave growing ever higher and closer, Zook could not accept that this was actually happening.

The wave was now close enough that it was no longer a curling white wave. It was massive, the rumbling roar now heightened by a cataclysmic crashing. It struck Zook cold to see what the cannonade came from. Buildings were uprooted before the wave to tumble up the gray wall. The buildings were crushed and ground into their neighbors, disintegrating into gravel. What remained of the broken structures crested the wave and were flung high into the sky like massive toy blocks. The crashing came from the impact of the houses, raining a deadly hail onto the city yet to be swept away. Zook saw homes disappearing under other homes; rooftops and roads punched in by falling debris. The wave's height was gigantic, making it look like they already stood in its shadow.

Zook then realized someone was shaking him.

“Move!” Sye shouted. Zook assumed this wasn't Sye's first attempt to get his attention.

“Zook, run!”

“Why?” Zook, feeling out his own daze, “We can’t get away.”

“The basement, Zook!” Sye yelled, “We need to try!”

Zook didn't quite hear him, his eyes were only for the surge of stone that quickly neared. He felt pain explode in his cheek and he stumbled. It took him a moment to realize Sye had struck him.

“Run!” Sye shouted.

The next moments seemed to go by at a crawl, every step falling between hours. Zook found himself fleeing down the hall and down the glass-strewn stairs, the same hall and stairs that had been part of their home as long as he could remember. His home. His only home.