World of Ashes by J. G. Massie

Author:J. G. Massie [Massie, J. G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-06-01T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

The tent ceiling rippled with waves as falling soot peppered the roof. A few rocks even tore through, which sent folks running for the exit. But most crawled, scampering along the trembling floor like insects. A few tried to get up and run, but they just ended up on their faces. It was nuts...

“Tessa, this way!” Wading through a sea of knees and elbows, I crawled toward the sound of Thangrok’s voice. Down on one knee for balance, he was holding the tent flap open as he shooed people outside. Pushing and shoving, we managed to get everyone out as the tent continued to get pummeled by falling rock.

Once outside, Thangrok and I rolled to our backs and looked up in awe. Everything was happening so fast, it was hard to take it all in. Split right down the center, the mountain range was separating right before our eyes. Both halves rumbled along in opposite directions, shedding a fair amount of rock and dust as they did. When the grinding rumble finally stopped, an eerie silence hung in the air. Confused, waving away dust particles, everyone looked around in wonder.

“She did it!” came a call from somewhere.

The call was immediately echoed by all as an explosion of cheers rose up like a storm. Crying and laughter blended as one, a swirl of unchecked emotions as the celebration ensued. Hugs and kisses abound, people rolling on the ground in each other’s arms—I can’t say I’d ever seen anything like it.

Remnants of their old lives lay scattered around this newly formed valley. Cracked shutters and doors, bits of broken furniture, and even the remains of old clothes told the tale of a forgotten life. There wasn’t much left to be sure, but at least they now had the chance to start over. Home was home once again.

“You did it.” Aralia’s hand flipped onto my shoulder from behind. “I don’t know how, and I don’t really think I want to. All I know is that you’ve given our lands back to us. It is more than we could have ever hoped for.”

“And in seems we are not the only ones who have benefited.” Iberis swept his hand across the open space beyond. “You were seeking passage across the mountains, yes? Then passage you shall have.”

“For a small fee.” All eyes landed on Aralia. “What? It is still our land, you know. I think you’ll find our tiny fee to be reasonable, as well as tax deductable.” She winked. “Er...sorry if my humor seems a bit dark. It’s just that I haven’t been this happy in a long, long time.”

“Don’t mention it.” It was a joy to see her so happy. “Trust me, all is forgiven.” I threw my arms around her. “For a small fee,” I whispered in her ear. She laughed through tears of joy and hugged me back even tighter.

* * *

As we tried to leave, Thangrok and I found ourselves turning back to wave every ten steps or so. Having the whole village see us off was awkward, to say the least.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.