Page 17 of The Study of Storms and Magic
“Boyo and Storm Girl, come walk with me,” Lorton ordered.
Zethan exchanged a glance with Zo, but he didn’t dare signal her.
“Don’t worry about your sister. She won’t be harmed unless I don’t come back.”
He and Heli followed Lorton as the man entered a narrow path through the forest. Dried leaves and twigs snapped under their boots. Anticipation vibrated in the air as if the trees and foliage couldn’t wait to unfurl their leaves and bloom. A fewbushes already sported buds along their branches. A thin layer of gray clouds sealed the sky. They weren’t beefy enough to produce precipitation.
Lorton hiked uphill for over an hour. Zethan and Heli struggled to keep up. He finally stopped at the top, where the rest of the forest dropped away into a vast valley. A few villages dotted a river that flowed along the bottom.
“You see that big gray box?” Lorton pointed to a square building on the other side. It had a wall around it and was located halfway up the opposite ridge.
“Is that MD-8’s garrison?” Zethan asked.
“No. That is MD-8’s penitentiary. I need more soldiers for my army.”
Zethan stilled.
“Figured it out yet, Boyo?”
“You plan to recruit from the prisoners.”
“Exactly. I’ve the orbs to break down the walls, but I need cover so we can get close. That’s where you come in, Storm Girl. I need a deep enough fog to reach the penitentiary.”
Heli scanned the valley. “It’s too dry.”
“There’s a river,” Lorton said. A warning clear in his tone. “Plenty of water.”
“For a ground fog. If it has to reach the fortress, I need more water.”
“Can’t you make it rain?”
“Not from those clouds and there’s not enough humidity in the air.”
Lorton looked at Zethan. “Guess we need it to rain in this valley.”
Zethan stretched his senses, seeking a storm. He found one far to the west just at the edge of his range. “I might be able to encourage one to come this way.”
“Might? I don’t like that word, Boyo.”
“Then you shouldn’t have starved me.” He snapped but instantly regretted his words.
Pure instinct helped him block Lorton’s first strike, but the second—a jab to his solar plexus—sent Zethan to the ground, gasping for breath. Lorton pulled back his foot. Zethan braced for the kick.
“Stop it!” Heli yelled. “Or he won’t be any use to you.”
Lorton paused. “How so?”
“Using magic has consequences. It takes a toll on our bodies. If we’re malnourished or injured or sick, we can’t use our full powers.”
Lorton crouched next to Zethan. “I need to consider if your smart mouth is a transgression or not. It’ll depend on how much rain the valley gets. Understand?”
He choked out a yes. Satisfied, Lorton headed back down the trail.
Heli helped him to his feet.
“Thanks,” he whispered.
“You know we can’t let him break into the prison,” she whispered. “There are guards on the wall. People will die.”
