Clouds And Lightning

Rayvad and Syd grabbed their spears and walked to the edge of a small clearing. Clober and Brightise trailed behind them curiously.

"You're going to fight a storm with a spear?" Brightise asked in confusion.

"Actually, we are," Syd answered with an enigmatic smile.

Brightise looked at their sharp spears with a frown. Was there more to Slorigan weapons than she was aware of?

"Hold the horses back," Rayvad told her ever so politely. "They are not going to like this."

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

It was Syd who answered her. "We'll divide and conquer. Thunder Powers are not a simple thing. There are many elements that come into play. Clouds, lightning, the sun, every tiny little raindrop, and of course thunder itself. Rayvad can manipulate lightning, and I can direct clouds any way I want."

"Is there a name for those powers?"

"Yes, Rayvad has mastered the power of Bright Lightning, and I can manipulate Ominous Clouds."

"Which one is more powerful?"

Syd smiled. "I can't say that. They are not even in the same category. They are different levels of different powers."

Brightise's head spun from all the new information.

"I thought all Thunder Powers fell in the same category," she said.

"That's a common mistake people make," Syd said. "You have to grow up in the Slorigan camp to know the difference. Anyway, controlling a storm is not easy, even if there's two Slorigans working together. It's going to get a lot noisier before it gets quiet."

"So, like I said, hold the horses," Rayvad concluded.

Brightise nodded. Taking the horses' reins, she led the three of them and Clober a few meters away and stood there to watch.

The two brothers were standing in the middle of the clearing, looking around, as if waiting for some kind of sign. A few minutes later, the sky started to darken and a strong wind began blowing, pushing Rayvad and Syd's black hair away from their faces.

Rayvad closed his eyes and extended his right hand. He was holding his spear in his left one. When his lids fluttered open again, Brightise saw a faint silver light escape them.

Out of the blue, a strong lightning struck a tree at the other end of the clearing. The horses jumped back in fear, but Brightise held on to their reins tight. Clober hugged her around the knees. Before the tree could catch fire though, Rayvad raised his spear and caught the lightning. That was what it seemed like. It seemed like he had caught the lightning out of thin air, attracting it with the spear in his left hand.

The spear and the lightning remained connected as Rayvad turned around, pointing his weapon in a different direction. He closed his eyes again for a second, his left arm straining from the effort it took to control the lightning, and then pointed the spear at a spot far away and released the powerful lightning.

Brightise and Clober watched the bright white light flash in the distance and let out a breath of relief.

Then Rayvad retreated and Syd stepped forward.

The wind in the clearing was getting stronger, but Syd didn't seem to mind it. He actually smiled when a small gust pushed his hair into his eyes. Lifting his own spear, he captured the wind with its sharp tip and pointed it upwards towards the dark clouds above them.

The wind created a small hole amid the clouds as it moved forcefully, resembling a powerful whirlwind. The hole got bigger and bigger, gradually exposing the blue sky behind and pushing the clouds away. Soon, the sky above the clearing was a light blue color.

Syd didn't stop there though. He kept pushing the clouds farther and farther away until the sun appeared, its rays hitting the trees around them and creating beautiful reflections. It was a sight to behold.

Clober was looking around with her mouth open.

"That is amazing..." Brightise said slowly, still marveling at the sudden change of weather.

Syd smiled and lowered his spear.

Brightise thought his power was an apt representation of his personality. He was the kind of person who made people happier just by being around them. He pushed Ominous Clouds away and brightened everyone's lives on a daily basis.

"Do it again!" Clober said excitedly.

Syd laughed. "No can do, little one. It uses up a lot of energy. I think we can camp here for the night."

Clober pouted a little, but she eventually settled down. They'd had a long day, and she hadn't slept that well the previous night. After Brightise put her to sleep, she offered to take the first watch so Syd and Rayvad could rest.

To her surprise, Rayvad agreed.

"Seriously?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Can I light a fire too?"

Rayvad glowered at her. "Don't push it."

Brightise decided not to. The brothers soon drifted off to sleep, leaving her alone with her thoughts. The storm earlier and the way the two of them had handled it had left her with more questions than answers.

Elemental Powers were way more complicated than she, a commoner from Selgonfield, could have known. Did the same rules that applied to Thunder Powers apply to Fire Powers? Could she and her sisters possess different kinds and levels of power? All she knew was that none of them could be harmed by fire. Everything else was a mystery to her.

A mystery that she unfortunately would have to wait longer to unveil.

She could observe the brothers' powers all she wanted, but she couldn't ask too many questions without raising suspicions. Her priority was getting to the Amazon camp without anyone discovering what she and Clober could do. Everything else would have to wait until they got there safely.

Brightise hugged her knees and looked down at Rayvad's sleeping form in satisfaction.

She would really enjoy telling him how loud he snored the next day.