THE LIGHT OF A'LEST

CHAPTER 17

Kara nestled deeper into the confines of her fur-lined coat. No matter how hard she tried, the wind and stinging sleet always seemed to find a way through. It crept around the edges of her hood and singed the tip of her nose, causing it to itch as she watched the last of their provisions being loaded. To make matters worse, a dense fog had just finished gathering at the base of the Steps. It bled down the southern edge of the range, roiling over rocky terrain and pine-covered hills as it charged toward the river. In the space it took for the chief's men to finish loading the boats, it settled over the icy black waters of the mighty Ama. Concealing everything it touched behind a wall of white. "Wonderful!" she roared, tossing her hands up and then bringing them back down to her side. Keko twitched at the suddenness of her outburst but otherwise remained impassive, almost indifferent to the weather and the precarious task that lay ahead.

     On a clear day, one could see the eastern shore of the Ama. Today was no clear day. Not anymore. Now, like the path forward, it lay hidden beneath a thick layer of uncertainty and, in Kara's eyes, possibly no longer existed at all. Her growing sense of unease gave birth to dark, unwanted thoughts. Like the monoliths of ice that floated by on the river's icy current, they were unwilling passengers on a voyage to God knows where. Both were silent. Both scared the life out of her.

     Crossing the Ama this early in the season was unheard of. Even the most eager fisherman knew better than to toy with the mighty river. Countless lives had been lost in the hopes of cashing in early on the bounty the river provided. Tia had in fact begun as a boon town. Fishermen headed north to find the source of the river in hopes of retrieving its bounty before it meandered downstream to the rest of the continent. Some succeeded, most failed, but that never stopped them from trying. Eventually, Tia rose from the dirt at the river's edge, attached to it like a parasite. The Ama was the lifeblood of Gaia, and any man or woman willing to brave its temperamental waters was sure to be rewarded tenfold. If they survived.

     Kara had heard tales of the legendary storms of the Ama since she was a kid. She knew a sudden cold snap meant currents of such enormous magnitude that even large vessels stood little chance. They would swirl around on the current and be bashed into icebergs until nothing but pulped wood remained. She also knew a warm patch of weather meant a steady stream of water would flow down from the Steps and bring the bounty of life along with it. The worst-case scenario on her mind right now was what happened when a mix of both cold and warm weather collided. It meant a time of uncertainty. You didn't need to be a man of letters to see the signs were all there. The Ama would soon erupt in a torrent of meltwater. Icebergs the size of homes would flow down the river and lay waste to anyone stupid enough to be too close. As the water lapped away on the banks not three feet from her toes, she knew that meant her.

     Three dugout boats sat side by side just offshore. Tethered together with coarse braided rope, they swayed violently in the turbulent waters, pulling against one another in a dangerous game of tug-of-war. Two of the vessels were empty. The third was piled high with barrels of dried meat, baskets of brown bread, and ground tubers. The prow of the ship was sitting about a handspan from the waterline as it labored under the cargo's weight. As Kara watched the empty boats sway in the water, she was reminded of her dream. "Not again," she whispered. She could hear Grantook's iron, grating voice as he addressed the crowd, but somehow his voice seemed far off. As if the man had joined her dream and, in doing so, became one more spectator to her nightmare.

     Saliva caught in her throat, and her blood ran cold as the growing wave of despair began to overwhelm her. She was drowning in it. As sure as the waters before her were bound to do. She was about to turn, to run. Surely, in this fog, she could make it to the countryside before anyone realized she was missing. She began looking for an opening. The perfect moment to leave this all behind. Perhaps she would head south and seek out her sister. As she pried her eyes from the turbulent waters before her, she glanced to the crowd. Thousands of Tians watched her and her friends, all had same pleading look on their faces. What would they think if one of their so-called "light-touched" tucked tail and ran? She didn't know, and honestly, right now she didn't care either. She just knew she was not getting on those boats. They would have to kill her first.