Vergail made camp at the foot of this rock, taking care to stay a little distance from the sea. She sat, and nibbled on her bread, and took a sip of her water. Closing her eyes once more, she let the sun soak her in its rays. She could sleep, here, she thought. Smiling, she dismissed the idea in her mind. She would need to take shelter, soon, or she would burn in this heat. Although cooler by the sea, the sun was fierce.
A sudden noise disturbed her thinking.
Startled, Vergail looked up at the sky. Was that a rumble of thunder?
The noise came again, louder this time.
Sure enough, as she stared up at the sky, the blue, empty sky with the hot sun, she could make out wisps of white, appearing out of thin air, coalescing together by an unknown force, creating clouds. Her eyes widened at this phenomenon. She had never seen anything like it!
As she watched, the clouds formed, and went from white to grey, to black. A sudden chill in the air gave her goose bumps, and a harsh wind whipped around her, coming out of nowhere. The sunlight became blotted out of the sky, and the sound of thunder emanated across the heavens.
Vergail stood sharply, and began heading inland. She would need to find shelter, and quickly!
She had not walked more than three footsteps when a harsh, tearing sound of impending doom hit her ears as forcibly as if something had struck her. Aghast, Vergail turned towards the sea, where the noise came from. She could see the waves bubbling and frothing, as if something from beneath disturbed their equilibrium. Suddenly, shooting upward, out from the very sea itself came a bolt of lightning, piercing the sky with its brightness, electrifying the clouds with a harsh, ripping sound of pure energy.
The priestess watched in amazement and fear as more bolts shot up from the surging waters, forked and threatening the whole sky with their potency. The clouds above swirled and heaved, thunder boiling and rumbling around her ears.
As the rain started, a huge, torrent of water weeping from the sky, she could stand and watch no more. Turning, Vergail ran from the beach, her heart in her mouth, heading inland.
Chapter 3: The Long Beach
