Just as quickly as it had fallen, the darkness lifted and the afternoon light returned. Whatever had happened was not over however. A tremor started as well, slowly and uncertain at first, then increasing as if we were in the middle of a mild but persistent earthquake before it rumbled to a slow stop. Frozen to the spot, I waited, wondering if anything else was going to happen. I glanced back down to the vambrace to find it had stopped glowing.

All I wanted to do now was find Shane and my friends. Confused, I tried to gain my bearings. Wiping the rain off my face, I spun in a circle. A curse slipped off my lips for I knew all too well that Mellow was probably already down at the bottom of the hill, waiting for me to arrive before he would merrily trot away so I wouldn’t be able to reach him.

I judged the slope of the hill. If I had only been knocked out for a minute or so, the others couldn’t be too far ahead and had possibly already turned around to search for me. I used my right hand to ensure my backpack was sitting smoothly on my back and headed off.

The downward slope was thick with wild grass, bushes and tall trees. Gently rolling my shoulders back, I tested the damage again and was relieved to find that some of the initial pain was already subsiding. I reached up and maneuvered the clasp on my helmet to loosen it as I walked.

The ground was uneven. I tripped and stumbled over the dirt. Grumbling to myself, I was scratched and poked by the many branches and twigs in my way. I dodged and side-stepped spider webs that were holding strong in the wind, whipping back and forth with each gust. It was with relief when the grass thinned out, and I stumbled onto several crumpled bushes and flattened grass. The mud was full of impressions of horse hooves; a possible indication that the others had been there too.

“Shane!” I yelled, pushing myself on.

It was pointless. The storm was above me. The howling wind, the pelting rain, and the rumbling thunder were all drowning out my voice. I would have to be quicker if I wanted to find them. My legs broke into a slow jog, but it made my upper body ache once again, so I begrudgingly settled for a slow walk.

Fortunately, the bottom of the hill wasn’t too far. When I arrived, I spied fresh hoof prints in the ground. It was a jumbled chaotic mess of imprinted wet mud and puddles, and there was no way to decide in which direction they had taken.

I spun in a slow circle, my gaze piercing deeper into the trees trying to catch a glimpse of my brother or my friends.

What would be my best course of action? Should I continue to look for them or should I find shelter until the storm passed? I was certainly going to have it out with them for leaving me there by myself, injured, without my horse, and in the middle of a powerful storm.

A gut-wrenching scream suddenly clawed its way through the wind and rain. The hairs on my arms stood up on end. I spun on the spot. It had sounded like Arina. Had she met the same fate as me and fallen off her horse too? I waded through the long grass, whimpering in agitation at the stubborn shrubs as the seeds of the plants clung to my trousers and pierced my skin.

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More agonizing pain shot through my left shoulder, igniting a coil of nausea to settle in my stomach. I breathed through it. Big, deep breaths until the pain subsided, but my heart still pounded at the horror that had been in that scream.

To my relief, after several meters, Arina appeared through the shrubs and grass.

I froze.

She was kneeling upright in the long grass, her back towards me as I approached. Her helmet was gone. Strangely, she looked untouched by the storm. Her clothes were not saturated or clinging to her body like mine. Her hair was still bouncing in frizzing curls and not plastered to her forehead. Arina appeared frozen, locked in time.

An unfamiliar feeling of danger washed over me. It wasn’t like the danger I had felt from the storm, but instead, it was the fear of something far more frightening. It was the fear that there was somebody else present, somebody that was not part of our small group in the scrubland with us. It was somebody that didn’t belong.

I crouched down in the shrubs, and from my position, I searched the surrounding trees, fear creating a terrible taste in my mouth. My heart rate increased twofold. Without spying anyone, I turned my attention back to Arina. I had to get to her as quickly as possible.

I pushed my legs up but leaned forward to try to keep myself hidden. My feet moved quickly, shortening the remaining distance between us. Blinking, I stepped over a shrub, and then, everything went silent.

Filled with confusion, I stood up completely and turned. I had just stepped into - I looked around myself again – I had just stepped into… I still couldn’t come up with a word to describe it.

A small circle about three meters across had been cut into the scrub creating a peaceful solitude where the storm was unable to reach. The air was cool and dry, and when I looked up, I expected to see the clear blue sky poking out through the grey clouds above me. All I saw was a white blinding mist.

I shaded my eyes with my hand to try and get a better view and was immediately forced to look back down to the grass. The light above had been too bright. Blinking hard, I tried to rid my sight of the blinding dots of light in my vision.

I stepped up to Arina. We had to get out of the clearing and into the storm. There was no logical explanation as to what was causing this strange phenomenon.

“Arina,” I whispered, edging closer.

She didn’t respond.

“Arina, it’s me. What are you doing?”

Arina remained quiet, motionless in her pose. More fear started to creep over me, and I hesitated. My instincts were calling out to me, flashing brightly and quickly in time with my heart. Stepping into the clearing had made me vulnerable, vulnerable to something unnatural, and I was forced to look around again.

We were being watched. I was sure of it. But by whom or what, I had no idea. Whoever it was though, I could feel their eyes bearing down on us. I kept my peripheral vision on high alert, flicking rapidly in all directions watching for a glimpse of anything that could be hostile or dangerous.

“Arina,” I said once more, a little louder this time as I walked round to face her.

I gasped and tried to control my breathing. There was something about the way Arina was staring off into the distance, blank and detached that made the fear inside of me creep down to my core. A lump started to form in the back of my throat, and I tried to swallow it down.

Was it possible?

Was she dead?

I slowly lifted my arm and touched Arina’s shoulder.

She flicked her head in my direction, but her eyes remained unfocused. Her mouth opened wide and she screamed again.