Page 19 of The Study of Storms and Magic
He motioned,dawn?
She nodded.Get to the wagon. Tell Heli.
Zohav didn’t sleep at all that night. She kept her senses locked on the rain and water.
At dawn, fog surrounded their camp, and the river level had risen. The river rushing over the rocks produced a loud shushing buzz.
“Ah this is glorious,” Lorton said. “There’s enough to hide us, but we can still see. Well done, Storm Girl.”
Heli gave him a mocking bow. Nice. No one noticed the trio edging toward the wagon. Zohav relaxed her grip on the barrier she had created. The river’s growl increased in volume as it jumped its banks.
The storm, which had stayed to the west, suddenly swooped into the valley with all its ferocious glory. An unmistakable roar sounded upstream.
By this time, the trio were up on the wagon. “Oh, no,” Heli said in a flat unconcerned tone. “It’s a flash flood.”
Lorton cried out a warning as the monster wave crashed through the campsite. Zohav watched the soldiers being swept downstream in the torrent as she strained to keep the water away from the wagon and horses. After holding the flood back all night, her energy was draining at an alarming rate.
“I hope they can swim,” Zethan said.
Zohav knew it would be a miracle if they survived. Especially when she ensured the thugs would be trapped underwater a good long time.
When the water receded, she sagged back on the bench. The storm still raged above.
“Uh, Heli, think you can turn off the waterworks?” she asked.
“Sure thing.”
Zethan climbed down from the wagon and peered east. “What about the villages downstream?” Zee asked her. “Will the flood destroy their homes?”
“No. The river is wider and deeper there. The water might jump the banks, but it wouldn’t be more than a couple inches.”
Kitty suddenly snorted and pawed the ground. Odd. There was a blur of moment to her right. Zohav turned in time to see Lorton press his knife to Zethan’s throat.
“Don’t move, or I’ll slit his throat,” Lorton growled.
Zohav huffed in annoyance. The captain must have hidden under the wagon.
Heli laughed. “Do you want to tell him, Zo or should I?”
“Tell me what?”
“You picked the wrong person as your hostage,” Zo said. Her anger gave her a second wind. “You see, my brother is very protective of me. So, if you’d picked me, you would have gotten your desired cooperation. Let’s call that your first transgression. Your second one was to not consider me a threat.I’mthe biggest threat to you right now. The third…Do you know your body is mostly comprised of water? I know, it’s hard to believe.” She concentrated. Could she manipulate the water in a person’s body?
Sweat poured from Lorton’s skin.
Yes, she could. Too bad she hadn’t known she was capable of this trick when Jibben had captured them. She wondered what else she could do.
“No one survives the third transgression,” she said.
“What the?—”
Zee moved and unarmed Lorton in seconds. The other reason he had picked the wrong person. Zethan loved knife fighting. The captain backed away as more sweat drenched his clothes.
“You killed our friends. You attacked my brother. You hurt Heli.” Zohav increased her efforts.
Lorton sank to the ground.
“Zo, stop,” Zethan said. He sounded horrified.
