The Storm Before the Calm
It was nine thirty at night, on October the twenty-seventh, and Allos was scared. It bothered him that he was frightened of such an unimportant thing as a storm, for even at the age of nine he felt he should be prepared for the responsibilities of a grown man in his village, and grown men were not afraid of storms. So Allos resolved to prove to himself that he wasn't afraid by going outside and facing whatever demons strode about on the earthly plain so boldly as to cause a storm of these proportions.
Allos was orphaned at the age of seven, and as such he had no parents who could stop him from doing something so rash. He didn't worry about any of the villagers, as though any of them would be out on a night like tonight, for he was considered an oddity, both because of his unlikely survival as an orphan, as well as because of the unusual and often startling powers he sometimes displayed.
With nothing other than fear to bar his way Allos was determined to prevail. He shouldered both his quiver and bow, and tied the sheath containing his long knife to his tattered leather belt. Allos glanced around the tent which had long served as his only home, suddenly overcome with the feeling that he would never see it again.
Sophia Delante curled in her safe bed, fearful of the storm that assailed the city of New Haven. For a moment she considered the possibility of sneaking down the hall of their suite to her father's room. Pointless, she remembered, as her father was out of town all week on yet another diplomatic mission.
She had grown used to her father's absence, though it still troubled her at times. Bravely, In her opinion, she made the decision to look her fears in the face. She crept out of bed, cautiously approaching the large bay window. Pausing for a moment she took a deep breath to gather her courage. Quickly she drew back the heavy velvet curtains and, prepared for the worst, she clenched her eyes shut. After a moment, when nothing horrible had happened, curiosity got the better of her and she slowly opened her eyes.
At first, as she looked down onto the street, all seemed as it should
but as her gaze rose to the storm itself any illusion of normality
deserted her. For, beyond the aurora borealis of the shields
protecting the city, the storm itself glowed with an unearthly, evil
red light. Startled Sophia leaned closer to the glass to be certain
the storm's appearance wasn't just a trick of the light. Then,
suddenly she saw a face searching in the clouds. She felt certain
that, whatever it was, while the face was not seeking her, it wouldn't
treat her kindly if it saw her. Terrified, she leapt into bed and did
not sleep for a long time. When sleep did finally take her, she dreamt
of Allos.
Allos stepped outside his tent and was immediately hit by the full force of the storm. Grimacing he braced himself against the storm's terrible strength. Looking around he found inside himself a new respect for the storm, which enshrouded the nearby mountain's peak with a demonic red glow.
Suddenly Allos felt as though he was being watched. Clearing his mind he sensed two separate presences watching him; one seemed to be hunting for him, while the other appeared hardly aware of his existence. Shaken by these all too familiar feelings Allos set out to see just what could be causing the glow which seemed almost to emit from the mountain's summit.
As Allos made his way along a game trail which led to the base of the mountain he noticed two things; first, he was relieved to note that the feeling of being watched lessened a bit now that he had a task to focus on. He then noticed that the woods around him, which, just moments before, had held a preternatural silence, now filled with the sounds of a large group of animals heading straight towards him.
Allos ran for the nearest tree and pulled himself up into it's lower branches. Not a moment later a stampede containing animals of all sorts, the prey and predators seemingly unaware of one another, making a mad dash for freedom apparently fleeing the mountain.
For a moment Allos nearly took the stampede as a sign that it might have been a better idea to turn around and weather the storm out at home. He quickly shook such thoughts off, and soon found himself at the foot of the mountain itself. No sooner had he rounded the first bend in the trail than he felt himself overcome by a sudden wave of disiness. Allos only had time to realize how lucky he was to have made a soft landing before he slipped into unconsciousness.
