Warrior

Chapter Three:: Tornado Alley

Copyright 2012 @  LIndsay Alida

UNEDITED

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Three---------------------------------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>Tornado Alley

“Alright men!” General Shao shouted. We all sat on our horses at the edge of Tornado Alley, in the shadow of the cliff face we had just led our horses down. “You see that dark spot over there!” Everything he said was shouted due to the wailing winds whipping around us. This crossing would not be fun, I could just tell. Off in the distance we could see the dark line of another ridge, a steep cliff-face like this one, with a path weathered into the side by hundreds of travelers. I knew that we were a good ten to fifteen miles away from the other side. 

There was a chorus of vigorous war cries, more grunts, really. Sharp and masculine. Sef was glowering at the long valley ahead of us, Flynn simply looked apprehensive. “We are heading in straight, clear shot to that dark spot!” General Shao shouted, the traveling men grunted. Except Kaito.

“I need all of you to stay near, do NOT get out of ear shot!” Sef’s voice boomed at everyone, the general clenched his jaw but said nothing knowing Sef knew this land better than he did. “Understood?!” All of the men grunted again, but less enthused, not used to taking orders from a man other than Shao. Except Kaito. Has he no sense of authority?

I continued watching the deceptively peaceful looking plain, with its tall, golden grasses. Deceptive, except for the wind. As if in slow motion, I watched some chilling, gray clouds twist together. A small spiraling tip drew down with frightening inevitability. Another twister joined it’s twin farther south. And another. And another. Many disappearing just as quickly as they appeared. Many wreaking seemingly endless havoc. “What are you looking at?” Kaito murmured, I jumped a bit, but otherwise made no reaction to his sudden voice. I continued to trace the random paths of the twisters. 

We weren’t going to make it through this all staying together.

“Watch the valley.” In the background, Sef continued to yell about us staying together and not getting split up. He shouted that we should always try to get around not through a twister. He screamed that if we should get split up, all of the paths in the part of the woods on the ridge bordering this part of the valley led to Cartha. In front of me, Kaito sucked in a deep breath, probably surprised by the the strange phenomenon of this valley.

“How?” Kaito whispered.

“I never finished telling you the story of the Ghostrider.” Was my reply, “No one understands but those who have actually spoken to him.”

“I thought you said it was a legend?” He queried. 

I shrugged noncommittally, “If we get near a twister, we need to split from the group. I don’t care how much Sef yells at us, his intentions are good, but he’s never passed through this valley during tornado season, only in the times of calm.” 

“And you have?” Kaito interrupted me, I resisted the urge to clench my fists. It’s not so much his question that bothered me, it was the way he said it: contemptuously.

“If you don’t shut up and listen up, I will get off this horse and run through this valley. You will have to make it without my help. You don’t know this land, I do. If you had, you and your men would have come through farther north through the mountain passes or even farther south through the desert.” I seethed, dangerously angry, “If we get thrown off of Xiu,” I continued instructing after hearing no dissent from Kaito, “get up, and get out. Don’t wait for the horse, don’t wait for me, run like hell away from the twister that threw you off head to the other side. Once the twister is gone, then look for the horse and me.” I waited for confirmation, Kaito nodded shortly, “If you get sucked up into a twister, make your body go limp. I don’t care if you have to knock yourself unconscious to do so, but go limp. If you tense up, the landing will most likely kill you, if not, then it will injure you beyond getting out of this valley. Got it?” I was being harsh, like Sef lately, but it was necessary. I needed this man to listen to me.