Ever So Lightly- Book 1

1

The air on the mountain ledge was perfectly still, not even the slightest breeze marred the quiet serenity surrounding Zephyr as she peeked out over the edge to look at the scene below. The glass ceiling she peered down through hid nothing of the chaos that was reigning inside the ancient, long forgotten cathedral. Zephyr began to feel uneasy, but not because of the high rock she was perched upon. She quickly backed away from the edge, heart beating faster and faster, her breath quickening.

This is it, Zephyr thought. This is when I have to choose.

Her entire life from this point onward would depend on this moment, this decision. The only people left that she loved were below her, and their lives too would be forever changed after this. Slowly, ever so slowly, Zephyr could feel the soft brush of air pressing the backs of her arms, pushing her hair forward around her face. Risking another glance over the ledge, she could see everything that mattered to her below. The brilliant red curls belonging to the girl, no, the woman who would stand by her no matter what she decided, and would give a tongue lashing to any who stepped in their way. The men who looked to her now, as even more than just a leader. The innocent people, who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, whose lives were balanced on that ledge with Zephyr, waiting on her to make her decision.

Then a pair of eyes met her own. The eyes of the one person who could calm her right now. The person who made this decision the easiest, even though it scared her more than anything ever had. Those eyes would lose the light of life at any moment.

The wind was steadily growing stronger as Zephyr contemplated all of this, pressing against her body now, trying with all of its might to send her forward to face her demons. That's when Zephyr knew she had already made the decision. She had made it months ago when everything she thought she knew had been turned upside down. When she left Bremerton, knowing full well that nothing would ever be the same for her, that none of this would be easy, but that it was all necessary. There really wasn't a decision to be made, only one choice remained.

I suppose it's finally time to make the jump, Zephyr chuckled to herself, a glint in her eyes that seemed to make them glow a brilliant, unnatural green. The wind was beginning to howl around her, echoing through the mountains as she pushed against it, backing away from the ledge once again. After a few paces backwards she could no longer force herself back against the wall of air now pounding against her. Bracing herself, with screaming winds now blocking out even her own distracting thoughts, Zephyr steeled herself, her face set with determination and a slight smile, and took the first step forward.

~

A few weeks earlier...

"I don't want to jump."
Zephyr stood at the edge of the cliff and looked down. Besides her, Saria stomped her foot and huffed out an agitated breath.
"Oh, come on!" Saria pleaded, taking hold of Zephyr's hand and tugging her slightly in the direction of the ledge. Zephyr immediately tensed, planting her feet firmly in the spot where she stood, refusing to budge even a bit.
"No," Zephyr responded, shaking her head emphatically. "No, no, no."
"It's not even that far of a fall!" Saria released Zephyr's hand to step toward the cliff's edge and look down toward the enormous hot spring they had just stumbled upon. "It's ten feet, tops," Saria continued, turning back to give Zephyr her best pleading look, a look that Zephyr usually fell for. Usually. When heights weren't involved.
"No!" Zephyr repeated as she turned and walked away from the secluded area. She didn't turn back to watch Saria, but could have accurately described what would happen next. Just as she expected, Zephyr heard an emphatic huff, followed several seconds later by exaggerated stomping footsteps as Saria hurried to catch up to her.
The two girls made their way through a dense crop of trees, following the unseen path they had meandered along early as they were exploring along the shore of the Sea of Mist. The fog that always rolled in off the dark waters could be seen wisping all around, growing more prevalent as the trees grew steadily sparser. They left the wooded area and found themselves walking once more on the grey sandy beach. The grumbling Saria had been doing under her breath began to trail off.
"Look," Zephyr said as she began to pull Saria along toward the edge of the water. "We made it back just in time." Both girls stopped to face the sea. In the distance clouds were beginning to billow toward the shore, black and menacing, bloated with unspent raindrops. The black of the storm added to the grey of the world surrounding them. Grey beach, grey mist, grey waters lapping at the girls' ankles. Saria reached over and grabbed Zephyr's hand, turning her back towards the town, away from the oncoming tempest.