Of Winds And Quakes

24. The Tornado

Year of the Lilies
Torrid Season
Streets of Altsas
Altsas

Alysia

I'VE NEVER BEEN MORE PETRIFIED IN MY LIFE. I can't believe that I'm in the middle of a wild mob. A hand flies through the air and lands on my jaw, giving me a teeth shattering blow. I taste blood.

Another hand slaps me hard across the face and my eyes sting with tears. Zaps sizzle in my veins reminding me of who I am; reminding me I've healed enough to unleash my power upon these people so I can be free again.

I will myself, probing inside me to allow the power inside me to break free. A sharp pain erupts in my stomach as someone punches me hard. Grunting, I fall to my knees and a hard blow sends me reeling as someone hits my back. It feels like my insides are going to explode, the pain makes me writhe, and the sobs flow out without restriction.

Their laughs echo in my mind, their sadistic laughs.

But something happens and it gives me hope. I feel heat surge through my bones and a light breeze picks up. My tormentors are too busy to notice the abrupt change of weather. I try to distract myself from the pain they are causing, from the pain I'm feeling.

I feel the skin of my arms and back cut open. And a dull ache fills my head. I feel boots and sharp buckles, of belts or boots I don't know.

My cries and screams get drowned in the sea of laughs, curses and grunts.

The wind becomes more stronger, it makes a swift breathy whoosh. I hear it everywhere; I hear it whispering down my neck and into my ear. Soon, it says.

The winds starts to blow things up, I feel sand biting my already bruised skin, I hear the rustling of dried leaves being tossed in the strong wind.

The intensity of kicks and stings reduce, the grunts turn into winces of pain and the howling wind intensifies.

"Arg! The sand is in my eyes! I've got sand in my eyes."

"Me too! My eyes burn!"

"It's the slave girl, she has put a curse upon us!"

The wind becomes louder and strong. I close my eyes tight, and curl up like a ball on the ground. My tormentors have left me alone and are crying out in acute pain.Their screams are echoes in my mind, I try to shut them out but to no avail. I hear the crashing of bodies against walls and the grunts of pain as they fall.

Soon, the wind calms down like it was never there. I dare to open my eyes and the sight I'm presented with sends shivers down my spine, people are staggering blindly screaming in pain. A short wiry body staggers towards me, my eyes feet his bloodshot ones: the goldsmith.

I turn on my heels and resume running. Every part of me aches and hurts but I have to keep going. I can't afford to stop now, I can't afford to be a slave.

Loud yells catch my attention and I turn to give my eyes a fleeting look. A smaller number of people, ones who have recovered from the whirlwind are quickly catching up with me. I groan, don't these people ever give up? It's now obvious they won't stop still they see my charred remains. But that's not happening. I can never allow such a pitiful demise to be mine.

The tingling sparks race through my veins, my heart is pumping it all over my body. A familiar howl resumes again, but I don't feel the rush of wind on my skin. The sky turns a gloomy dark and grumbles like the warning for rain but instead of cold water droplets from the heavens, something loud and fast falls down from the sky and crashes on the ground separating me and the people. The dark twisting cloud takes my breath away, it's loud howls drown the screams and yells of the frightened people.

A spinning gush of air envelopes me and pushes me to move faster, my feet are almost not touching the ground. The feeling is exhilarating, it's euphoric, it's powerful.

And a thunderous clap echoes down the streets. I see a shed crash to the ground in a cloud of thick dust. I keep running. Passerbys scream and run into their houses as they see me.

Another thunderous clap, so loud it is ear-splitting shakes the ground and I trip and fall. My face scratches against the hard rocky ground and the furious spin of gushing air slaps against the floor just in front of me.

People stare at me with confusion and fear. I'm not cowering in fear like the rest of them, I'm the running girl with a tornado at her command and a howling whirlwind around her waist.

Some of them give me spiteful looks while the others have a contrasting expression on their face: awe.

A different thundering makes me twirl; an army of masked soldiers on horses riding straight for me. The people scream and run away, the sight of the calvary has clearly sent them running like little child.

I can't help chuckling .
A blast of wind and dust shoots down from the dark sky and falls to the advancing army. I hear screams, I hear wails but they are still coming. Bolts of lightening flash in the dark gloomy sky and the speedy cyclones continue raining from the sky.

Dark musk covers everywhere till I can't see a thing. My feet are lifted up the ground and the skirt of my dress is billowing around me. The rush of wind on my skin and the howl of it in my ears are all too familiar to me.

I close my eyes and throw my hands up in the air. The earth is still and silent, nothing is moving except the cloud of air that holds me up above the huts and the calvary.

But my enlightenment is short-lived and the soldiers raise their bows in the air. As if on cue, projectiles of arrows fly towards me, they all miss and fall back to the earth, sinking themselves in the ground but at the same time, I've lost focus and the ground becomes nearer and nearer until I crash.

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Your author, Lixxie.