Rainmaker

13

Lucas's soft chuckle fades, and as the warmth between us lingers, I notice his expression shift. The hunger in his eyes remains, but there's something else now—a seriousness that cuts through the moment. His gaze drifts away from me, and I can feel the weight of what's coming next settle between us.

"I think you're ready," he says quietly, his voice firm but gentle.

He steps back slightly, giving me space, but his eyes remain fixed on mine. "There's a village not far from here. I've been there before—it's dying. The people, the animals."

 "Dying?"

Lucas nods, his expression grim. "It hasn't rained in months. The earth is scorched. The well ran dry weeks ago, and they've been holding on with what little they had left, but it's not enough." He pauses, his voice lowering as if he's remembering something painful. "I've seen it, Emily. The animals are dead. The people... they're on the verge of it."

His words hit me hard, and I felt a knot form in my chest. "And you think I can help them?"

His belief in me makes my heart flutter, but the enormity of his asking presses down on me like a heavy stone. The village... people depending on me... their lives hanging in the balance. It's terrifying.

I glance toward the door, then back at Lucas. "Let's go," I say, the quiet confidence in my voice surprising me once again.

The sun is barely rising by the time we leave the shelter behind, the cool morning air giving way to the heat of the coming day. As we travel, the signs of the drought become more pronounced—trees twisted and brittle, the ground cracked and dry beneath our feet like it's been abandoned by life itself. The further we walk, the more oppressive the heat becomes, the moisture in the air all but gone.

As we approach the village, the sight before us steals my breath. It's worse than I imagined. Small homes, built of weathered wood and stone, sit in the heart of what should be fertile land, but the fields are nothing more than scorched earth. There are no crops and no signs of animals grazing. Just dust and despair.

And the people...

Thin figures shuffle slowly through the village, their faces gaunt, their movements sluggish as if even the act of walking has become too much. Some stand at the edge of the fields, staring at the sky as if hoping for a miracle that never comes.

I swallow hard, my eyes darting from one frail figure to the next. "How long have they been like this?"

"Too long," Lucas says, his voice tight. "I tried to help them before, but without rain..." He trails off, shaking his head. "They're out of time."

I can feel the land beneath my feet crying out for water, for life.

I can do this," I whisper, mostly to myself. But Lucas hears, and when he looks at me, there's a flicker of hope in his eyes.

"Take your time," he says gently. "You've got this."

 I close my eyes, reaching out with my senses as I did before. The air around me is dry and stagnant, but beneath it, I can feel the faint pull of moisture in the distance—hidden in the clouds, waiting for someone to call it down.

I focus harder, my fingers tingling with the energy stirring inside me. The earth beneath my feet shifts slightly, responding to the magic building in my veins. As I reach deeper, the wind begins to pick up, swirling dust around us, pulling at the moisture, willing the rain to fall.

The sky darkens overhead, clouds gathering quickly as the magic inside me hums with intensity. I can feel the storm building and pressure in the air shift as the first few drops of rain begin to fall.

But it's not enough.

I push harder, my breath catching in my throat as I force the rain to come, pouring every ounce of energy into the effort. The wind howls around me, and the rain intensifies, falling harder, soaking into the dry earth, turning the cracked ground into mud.

The villagers begin to stir, their eyes wide with disbelief as they look toward the sky. Some of them fall to their knees, their hands raised toward the falling rain as if praying.

I keep going, forcing the rain to fall faster, harder. The earth drinks it greedily, but it's like trying to fill an ocean with a single bucket of water.

"Emily, stop!" Lucas's voice cuts through the roar of the wind, and I gasp, stumbling as the magic surges out of me, threatening to spiral out of control.

He grabs my arms, pulling me back, grounding me as the storm rages overhead. "That's enough. You're going to burn yourself out."

I blink up at him, breathless, my body trembling from the effort. The rain still falls, but it's steady now, no longer the torrential downpour I was forcing. The land is soaking it up, the villagers gathering together, their faces lit with hope as the life-giving water finally reaches them.

"I'm okay," I whisper, though the exhaustion is clear in my voice. "I just... I didn't want to fail them."

Lucas's grip on me tightens, his eyes filled with concern. "You didn't fail them. You saved them. But you have to know your limits."

I nod, feeling the last of the magic inside me settle into something calmer, more manageable. I glance out at the village, watching the people stand in the rain, some crying, some laughing, their relief palpable in the air.

"We did it," I say softly, a small smile tugging at my lips.

Lucas brushes a strand of wet hair from my face, his touch gentle. "You did it."