Genesis : Knights of Salvation Series
Chapter 41: Rain Storms

The whole ride from DimHollow outpost those vibrant eyes seemed to haunt me, my body felt like they were watching me as I ride with the team. The hair on the back of my neck stands as we ride towards the mountains. Every time I look around at the others they don’t feel it, not like I seemed to. The feeling followed me no matter how far we seemed to get from the outpost.

We ride towards the mountains, Enyo keeping us moving as quick as we can, and yet the dark storm cloud gains on us and surpass us. We ride through rocky terrain, Enyo guiding us through piles of mountain rock and trees growing randomly around us. The horses grow more unruly as the storm clouds seem to hover right over us as we circle around a patch of tree and underbrush. The tension in my back as the feeling of being watched seems to grow the closer we get to the mountain. Suddenly a massive roar sounds out from the sky. I can’t help but jump with the sound as Enyo tries to pick up speed through the bends of the ride. No matter how fast any of us wanted to go the terrain just wouldn’t allow top horse speed.

As if that one roll of thunder sounded as a warning, rain showered down on us. Practically soaking us within seconds. The rain chills my body to the bone as the wind starts to kick up sending a shiver down my body giving me goosebumps. We try to forge forward, our horses just pulling through a narrow pathway between a patch of impenetrable trees and large rock piles.

Suddenly lightning strikes in the faint distance as loud thunder roll out over us. The horse cries out in fear and rears up wanting to get away from the danger. The team’s horses all go wild kicking up and running away from the group. My horse surges forward to the beginning of another rock pile and I pull back hard on my reins. My frozen body shakes as I try to move quickly trying to get my horse and body to cooperate. My horse bolt’s up kicking the air and sending me flying over my horse as she stampedes through the rain. My body slams into the rock pile as I cry out. The impact jolt through every muscle in my body.

I can’t open my eyes even my small shallow breathing sends shock waves of pain through my body. I can’t hear anyone else through the deafening sound of the rain and the rolling of thunder blocks out the sound of their horses or voices. I need to move, I know I need to get up but the fear shoots through me just like the pain. I finally open my eyes and lift my head taking in the jagged pile of rock I’m sprawled out on. I drop my head and take in a deep painful sharp breath and move before I can think any more about it. I haul my body up as carefully as I can. The moment I put pressure on my right arm I cry out in pain. Something terrible is wrong with it. I force my eyes to focus on my arm to see a large cut traveling all the way down my forearm. The rain beat into my arm as I try so hard not to let tears slip. My black-inked blood spews out over my arm as the rain color’s the rocks in my sopping pool of blood.

I swallow back my pain pulling my left arm to my chest and trying my best to put pressure on my wound. I scream out as I press my arm into my chest. I lay on the blood-stained pile of rock and I use all the power in my painful body to crawl from the sharp rocks. Every inch another part of my skin is cut through as I slide off the jagged glass-like pile. In the distance, just over the pelting rain and thunder, I hear the faint call of my name. I drop to the muddy ground as puddles of dirty mud sting my wounded body. I don’t move, I can’t move as I lay flat on my back. I don’t have enough in me to yell out. I close my eyes and wait, listening as voices yell out around me. Small puddles of water pooled on my closed eyes.

Darkness begins to kiss my consciousness, as the call of my name in the distance. “Aspen!!” Clare’s higher-pitched voice cascades out into the storm. Clare’s scream surprises me enough to force me from the edge of consciousness. Footsteps sound near me as multiple pairs of feet trample in the mud near me.

“Quickly, before the others replace her.” A deep gravelly voice whisper’s out his command’s to other unknown personages.

Four tough feeling hands grab onto my body, lifting me from the muddied ground. I want to scream out in pain, but all I can do is release a pained whimper. With the blood loss and the rain filling my ear I can’t make out the words or quite what’s said. I can’t make out the muffled voices or even identify who they’re from. The darkness calls to me like an old friend luring my body to come to it. The darkness forces my pain out as I float away in peace.

Clare’s P.O.V:

“Did you replace her?” I rush out. I wanted to replace her. In the crazy of the horses the team got so scrambled by the horses it’s as if the aspen suddenly disappeared with her horse. I wanted to scream out as loud as I could to her, yet the rain drowns out our voices and shield us from seeing too far away.

I run through the rain searching desperately for her dark hair and vibrant eyes. I try to listen for her silvery voice yet the rain and the other’s calling for her drowned out any chance.

“Over Here!” Talon scream’s out. I run towards his voice to see him standing before a large pile of jagged rocks. A pool of black blood at his feet. The rest of the team members convulse in the area.

“What?” Enyo says just getting to us.

“It’s not Aspen’s, it’s black.” My heart stops then.

“It’s her’s,” I mutter. Something terrible has happened... very terrible. I looked up from the blood to see the team’s eyes on me, I had a lot to explain.