Amber had felt the tremors of an earth shaker before, but never had it shaken with the rage that shook her now.
It was blisteringly hot, and so far out in the desert Amber had not seen a soul on her trek to see the eldeer flowers. They flowered only on Midwinter Day, at sundown, when they were said to whisper secrets to a worthy traveler.
The sand was hot beneath her bare feet and the sun scorched though her bleak clothes, making her caramel skin burn. The sweat on her brow dripped into her eyes and her long black hair was braided down her back. Her shadow stretched long in front of her, despite her short stature. Her eyes held a look of deep sadness that remained even when the corners of her naturally pink lips turn up in a smile.
She was deep in thought when the first tremor struck, jolting her from her dazed speculation about how they were to survive until the next shipment came, bringing with it food, water and thread.
Amber, without any hesitation, took of at a full sprit running north, back to her village. The walk to the indescript piece of desert had taken about two hours, but at her fast pace she made it to the village in a fourth of that time. To Amber it felt as if the seconds had stretched into hours, ticking by with an infinite slowness.
When she reached the village there was smoke billowed from the window of many houses, while others where only smoldering ashes.
The coating on the houses to keep out the water that would arrive with the next cycle of the moon was extremely flammable. Usually it didn't matter because the fires would not come till midsummer, but the earth shaker must have knocked over candles and then spread from house to house, leaving burned rubble in its wake.
From some of the houses screams and coughs could be heard through the smoke that made what was left of her home look bleak and dismal.
She ran until she made it to the orphanage that had become her home in the 15 years she'd spent there. Her father had died before she was born and her mother had past away during her birth. She had been born in the building that was now a pile of burnt wood in front of her. Only a few kids had survived the flu outbreak that had struck only 3 moon cycles before, with only 7 children and 2 caretakers, her and Genevieve, left to fill the once cramped building.
Genevieve, who had fondly been nick named VeVe by one of the younger charges, had been become roommate when she was 7, after her mother had been executed on charges of treason. She made food for almost everyone in the village and was Amber's only true friend and her dearest love.
Amber frantically searched the burned ruins and found two bodies, so small that they could only be Ember and Ash, twins that were had only just turned 2. Amber didn't notice that her tears streaked her soot stained face. She moved the two bodies she carried so many times before and then continued her search of the rubble. The 4 of the other 5 children worked in the mines, so their was only one body left to find. As she dug through the rubble she heard a faint cough and ran to the spot she had heard it from. The small boy she dug out was too young to work. His was still warm when she pulled him out, but he was unmoving so Amber feared that he had died to, but that was not the case.
Evan had moved quickly when the first tremor struck, shocking him from the beginnings of sleep. He jumped up from bed and ran outside calling for help. That's when he had first smelled smoke and realized that the candle he was supposed to have blown out after checking on the twins had been left alight. He ran back in to try and get them out, but the room was ablaze and to full of smoke to see your hand in front of your face. Worst of all, not a sound came from the twins shared bed. He had turned to make his way back out,but the ceiling collapsed, a heavy plank hitting his head and he didn't remember anything until he saw a face that, although it looked so unlike Amber's usual clean face, he recognized at once and sat up, ignoring the dizziness that engulfed him, and buried his face in the crook of Amber's neck.
Amber looked down at the crying boy in her arms, holding him tight. She heard her name being called by an almost familiar voice and stood up trying not to jostle Evan while still searching for the voice that called her. VeVe's face was soot stained and her voice was horse from the overwhelming smoke. The lovers hugged and the three of them clung so close to each other, that one would have thought they were standing on only piece land left in a sinking world. Amber knew that this would change the world as they knew it, she knew that there where miners that where suffocating unable to see the sun turn the red sky purple ever one last time, she knew that to her right lay the bodies of two who had their lives stolen before they even began, but like humans always do after disaster they clung closer and counted instead the bodies of those still left.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
