The skies had been kind that morning. Wisps of cloud floated like feathers across a pale blue canvas as Liora, Tessa, and Ordin the merchant waved farewell to the small roadside village and resumed their journey.
The road was gentle, and Ordin seemed more interested in chatting about produce prices than worrying about danger. Everything felt smooth, almost too smooth.
By midday, they reached the handoff point just past the border, where another merchant caravan would take Ordin's goods further east. He shook both of their hands with genuine warmth.
"You two are a fine pair," he said. "Efficient, polite, and didn't scare the mule once. You'd be surprised how rare that is."
They chuckled and accepted the rest of their pay and set off back toward their village with light hearts.
But the sky had already begun to shift.
The wind picked up first. Then the air grew thick, sticky with the scent of rain and damp soil. By the time Liora and Tessa entered the familiar forest path that would lead them home, the storm had fully begun to brood overhead.
"We should've been back by nightfall," Tessa muttered, looking up at the shifting clouds.
Liora narrowed her eyes. "Storm's moving faster than it should. We need to find cover."
Lightning cracked the sky, and thunder followed close behind, heavy and rolling. The downpour started just minutes later, sheets of water soaking through their cloaks and clinging to their gear.
Visibility dropped. The trail turned muddy and slick. Every tree creaked and shivered under the weight of the wind.
"There!" Liora pointed through the downpour.
Half-covered by bramble and rock, an old hunter's shelter stood slightly off the trail. A hut made of stone and moss, likely used years ago by trappers. It wasn't much, but it would keep them dry.
They slipped inside, dripping and shivering, their breath visible in the damp, cold air.
Tessa wrung out her hair. "So much for an easy walk home."
Liora chuckled, teeth chattering slightly. "It's still easy, just wet."
She unstrapped her sword and checked their satchels. "We'll wait out the worst of it. No use slipping down a ravine in the dark."
They sat on dry moss under the low roof. Wind howled through the trees. For a moment, the only sound was the steady rhythm of rain and thunder.
Tessa looked toward the storm-dark forest. "I hope Aria isn't too worried."
Meanwhile, Back at the Inn
Aria sat at the window, legs tucked beneath her blanket, forehead pressed to the glass. Each crack of thunder made her flinch, but she didn't leave her post.
Marna had lit the fire and set out warm stew, but Aria hadn't touched it.
"They should've been back by now," she whispered.
The woman gently touched her shoulder. "Storms like this come fast through the forest. Doesn't mean anything bad happened. They probably stopped somewhere dry. Your mom's smart, remember?"
Aria nodded, clutching her stuffed doll tightly.
"But it's dark already…"
Outside, the rain poured harder, drumming against the roof in endless rhythm.
Inside, Aria whispered to the storm, as if it could hear her:
"Please bring them home safe…"
Back in the Forest Shelter
Liora watched the firelight flicker from the small bundle of dry twigs she'd managed to light. Tessa lay curled up nearby, already asleep beneath her cloak.
She thought of Aria, waiting at the window, worried, too little to understand just how cautious her mother had become. Liora's hand instinctively went to her pendant.
"We'll be back soon, little one," she murmured.
The storm howled louder.
But morning always came.