The 15th Hour
Sapphire hugged Alya, tears streaming down her face. "We just found each other, and now you're leaving," she said.
"It's for the best, mother," Alya said, tears in her own eyes. "I need to know you, and everyone else I've just met, would live to see another sunrise."
Everyone hugged her. Her siblings held on the longest, tears in their eyes.
When Layla came forward, she whispered in Alya's ear. "I feel him. The boy from the day you came. I feel him, Alya."
Alya smiled and hugged her. "He's part of me now," she said.
After saying her goodbyes, Alya turned to climb into the floating carriage Kaelith had brought to pick her up. Celeste stopped them.
"You're not complete."
Alya creased her brows in confusion, then Nyla and Kellan came running out, backpacks slung over their shoulders.
"Now you're complete," Celeste said, smiling.
Alya beamed, pulling her cousins into a hug.
They set out, and for hours, they crossed the vast stretch of Veyloria, passing faction after faction. Nyla was giddy the whole ride, jumping and clapping every time she spotted new people, or a stretch of land more beautiful than the last.
Alya sat quietly in the carriage, lost in thoughts of what lay ahead. Noticing her silence, Kellan moved beside her and gave her shoulder a gentle nudge. She managed a small smile, but it vanished as her eyes locked with Kaelith's, who immediately averted his gaze.
"Someone owes you an apology," Nyla said, coming to sit on Alya's other side, staring pointedly at Kaelith.
Kaelith glanced at them guiltily, then looked away. He did it a couple more times before huffing.
"Fine! I may have crossed a line, but being an elf is a whole lot more normal than being a Pure Tide."
Alya's mouth dropped open. Nyla gasped. Kellan just dragged a palm down his face, letting out a low groan.
"Really, Kaelith?" Nyla said. "You're insufferable."
"But it's true!" he said.
"Just stop," Nyla said, and turned away, pulling Alya toward the window with her.
Kaelith, still looking guilty, glanced back at them before turning to his own side of the carriage.
And for hours more, they rode toward their destination.
Then, suddenly, the carriage jerked. Nyla and Alya, who'd been fast asleep, jolted upright, eyes wide. Everywhere had gone dark as a heavy storm blew in, setting off sharp bursts of lightning and deep, rumbling thunder. Kaelith rushed to the controls, where the pilot fought to keep them clear of the lightning.
"What's going on?!" Alya screamed.
"It's a storm!" Nyla shouted, her voice torn away by the wind as soon as she said it.
"Hold on to something!" Kellan yelled, and they all grabbed whatever they could.
"We're landing! It's not safe to keep flying," Kaelith said, heading for the exit door.
He flung it open, making the carriage jerk violently as cold wind rushed in. He raised his hand and conjured a huge glide beneath the carriage, guiding it down through the turbulent storm. Partway through their descent, the carriage tipped forward. The wind shattered every window, sending their legs flying out from under them. Nyla's hand slipped, her body jerking toward the open window. Kellan and Alya lunged and caught her by the wrist.
Soon after, Alya lost her grip and slipped. Kellan, still holding Nyla, reached out and missed her hand. Alya was about to be thrown out through the window when Kaelith caught her hand, the sudden grab breaking his focus.
The carriage dropped into a free spiral, spinning toward the jagged mountain rocks and the tempestuous water.
Alya and Kaelith were thrown around the cabin, their hands still locked together. Kaelith fought with his free hand to steady the glide against the raging storm but kept failing.
"We're going to crash!" he yelled.
The water kept rising to meet them. The rocks were so close now that Alya could make out every edge. Even the carriage's reflection was visible on the water, illuminated by lightning.
Alya watched the fear spread across the faces of her newfound family. Nyla's knuckles had gone white around Kellan's arm. Kellan's jaw was locked tight, still trying to hold on to both of them. At the speed they were falling, none of them would survive hitting rocks like that.
Everyone was counting on her. Her mother. Her step-siblings. Her whole extended family. Her kind. The entire world. She wasn't giving up. Not now.
Suddenly, everything slowed. Everyone slowed. She could see the line of a thunderbolt, frozen mid-strike on its way to the ground. She could see individual raindrops, suspended in the air.
She stepped into the center of the carriage and extended her hand.
Her energy surged.