Break of Dawne: Chapter 1
“Joye! Take Hope to the cellar. The storm is getting bad quickly, but your father isn’t back with Sorrowe yet. I’m going to see if I can help him find her.” Mom wraps Hope in a towel then rushes back into the torrential downpour. Lightning strikes the ground outside and thunder follows with a bellow that shakes our patchwork roof, which is barely hanging on as gusts of wind rip pieces off like a snarlbeast hunting bunnylugs.
I take my drenched sister by the hand. “It’s gonna be alright, Hope. Why don’t we get you dried off and warmed up?” She’s shivering so badly that I have to steady her as she walks.
After a few steps, she stumbles into me, then looks up and grabs my shoulders. “S- Sorrowe’s still out there. Dad and I c- couldn’t find her. Is she g- gonna be alright?” She’s grown up so much, but even on the eve of her thirteenth birthday, she still shows signs of being the baby of the family.
Even with all the rainwater on her face, I see the tears on her cheeks. I cup her face with my hands. “With Mom and Dad both out there looking for her, I’m sure she’ll be fine. Let’s get to the cellar and —”
Crack!
The central beam of our roof snaps.
I swivel her behind me, taking the brunt of the force from the falling debris.
Crack!
This time it’s not the roof that snapped.
“Arrgh! Hope! Please! I know you’re scared, but I need your help. My ribs! I —” I can’t finish my sentence because a sharp pain shoots through my stomach, causing me to wince. Freezing rain pours through the new hole in the roof. The instant cold takes my breath away. I claw myself away from the downpour towards Hope, breathing heavily trying to catch up on air.
“Don’t worry, I’m on it!” Hope scrambles to her feet, eyes and hands glowing with a bright, white light. “I’ll get you patched up, sis.” The next few moments are a blur as she runs her hands slowly over my torso and speaks soothing arcane words. The shooting pain dulls and eventually ceases.
My breathing slows as I lie on my back and rest my head on the floor. Unfortunately, this is no time for a nap. We have to get to the cellar. I let out a frustrated sigh as I plan our route to the cellar. The main hallway that leads straight to the back of the house is blocked by the debris from the fallen support beam. The cellar door is outside, behind the house. Maybe we could run around the outside of the house to get there?
I stand slowly as Hope’s restoration magic takes full effect. Usually, she only has to fix small things like cuts and bruises or broken tools. I wonder if she’ll be alright after repairing multiple broken ribs. She’s under so much stress as it is. She needs to conserve her energy. I need to be more careful. I could have avoided getting hurt if I had been paying better attention.
“Joye!” Hope tugs on my sleeve. “Do you think you can do some of your blasty magic to make a path? The beam is ruined anyway. Can you just, I don’t know, blow it out of the way?” For someone who specializes in fixing things, it’s funny to hear her suggest we break something.
With the storm as bad as it is, I’d rather avoid going outside, so I consider her suggestion. “That’s a great idea! Let’s see if I can manage to break something other than my ribs.” Her petite smile and soft giggle give me a jolt of courage. I turn toward the mountain of debris and take a deep breath. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Next Post in this series: Break of Dawne: Chapter 1 (Revised)
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