Excerpt: Footprints on Water

"Run!" The scream shattered an otherwise peaceful afternoon, broke it apart and cast it in a new light. It was followed by sharp, shrill cries of terror, panic seeping through one voice after another as the crowd began to heed that advice, their footsteps sounding remarkably like the thundering hooves of a stampeding herd.

The explosion that followed then was loud, loud enough to suck all the energy from those screams, to draw the world around it into silence, into a spiral where time seemed to slow to that one point where it could slow no further, and then it was blasted outward into the courtyard in a hail of stones and dust and smoke. And then everything grew quiet.

For a time, no one moved. There was not a sound to be heard save for the raining of small pebbles onto the stone floor of the courtyard. When the voices did start again, they were hesitant and timid, as if their very existence would cause another explosion to rock the temple grounds.

Several moments passed, however, and there was no follow-up blast. Students and teachers alike slowly struggled back to their feet, while those that could not stand sat upright on the ground. They all searched the distance for signs of further disruptions, and then they searched one another for injuries and possibly for confirmation that the world had not ended and they were, in fact, still alive.

Soleste was among them. She lifted her hands to wipe the pale gray dust and chips of stone from her freckled face, and she shook her head quickly, sending a shower of dust from the long auburn hair that cascaded down her back. Her robes were dirty, the grayish powder looking darker against the white silk, and after a few pats, Soleste gave up on trying to clean them.

"Charity, are you hurt?" Soleste stooped to inspect the girl still sitting on the ground beside her, one slender hand gently plucking bits of stone and debris from the blonde curls. "Do you need healing?"

"No, Sol. I think I'm alright. If you could just..." Charity lifted one scraped hand to Soleste while shifting her feet beneath her. "...help me up. I think I can stand now." With Soleste pulling, Charity rose to her feet and brushed off the front of her gown. "I wonder what happened?"

"I think we are about to find out..."