bank that spread until Reyan couldn’t see the shuttle, and Treani was next to her, gasping with shock.
The stillness of the air was the problem. Reyan extended her arms, pressed them palm-to-palm in front of her and stabbed upward at the sky. She punched through the layers of atmosphere into the stratosphere, and the fog sucked upward with her will pushing it.
Treani whispered, “You made a cloud.”
Reyan laughed softly. “I made one. Now, I have to make a few more. The fog is coming back, so if you need to get into the shuttle, you are welcome to go now.”
As she spoke, she was pulling more water from the lake.
“No, I will stay with you. This is amazing. You are starting a world.”
Reyan smiled. “I am starting a weather system. The moment we can get some rain coming down, we can leave.”
She repeated the fog-to-cloud pattern five more times. When the sky above her was heavy with the contents of the lake, she used the water and called a light rain.
Treani blinked. “Did you feel that?”
“What did you feel?” Reyan was dizzy.
“Wind, I felt a cool wind. It’s raining over there!” Treani clapped her hands.
“Oh good. The rain will fall, the earth will cool, the water will evaporate, it will rise again and it will fall again and the wind will blow. Cold water in warm will create motion and thermodynamics make the worlds go around.” It was the short version and didn’t include all variables, but hot air moving against cold was the basis for all weather shifts.
Reyan tried to get to her feet, and Treani helped her, boosting her off the ground and supporting her into the shuttle with surprising strength.
Reyan was nodding in her harness as Treani took them back to the start-up base.
Reyan heard her talking via the com, and when Unrik came, lifted her out of the shuttle, bringing her into the base, she nodded off.
Sitting up was difficult, because she was under a tarp. “What the hell?” She heard someone shout from the other side of the wrapping.
Unrik ripped the tarp away from her, and he crushed her against his chest. “I thought I lost you.”
“Why?” She squirmed against him, but he wasn’t letting go.
“You stopped breathing for two days.” His voice broke. “I thought you were dead.”
She pushed him back, and when he looked at her forlornly, she slapped him across the face.
He blinked and reared back. “What was that for?”
“You were crushing me. Plus, you forgot how we met. It is insulting for any woman.” She stroked his cheek to take the sting out of her words.
“What do you mean?”
“The day we met, they tried to drown me as a sacrifice to the Rain. Do you remember that?”
“Yes, but you didn’t die.”
“No, because I don’t need to breathe. I get my fuel from the elements, the very air around me. I was tired after starting the weather. Very tired. I have to remember to breathe, and I don’t really need sleep, as you know. If I am tired enough to sleep, I may not breathe for a while. Got it?”
He nodded and a tear snaked down his cheek. “I will try to remember it.”
Treani came in and shrieked, running up and flinging her arms around Reyan’s waist. Her words were in garbled Selna, but Reyan recognized thanks to a deity when she heard one. She was designed to be one, after all.
“It’s all right, Treani, I am fine. That goes for you too, Unrik.” She stroked his hair. “I have done this dozens of times before, and I always revive. I suppose we should have covered this in the briefing, but there wasn’t really time.”
Unrik moved to her other side, and he kissed her softly. It was a lovely moment, but Reyan really wanted to know. “So, how is the weather doing?”
He pried Treani off her and lifted her in his arms. She didn’t mind. Her legs were still set to optional.
After they walked down the hall, they emerged in a huge rotunda with a transparent dome ceiling. The water coursing down onto the dome was answer enough. She
The stillness of the air was the problem. Reyan extended her arms, pressed them palm-to-palm in front of her and stabbed upward at the sky. She punched through the layers of atmosphere into the stratosphere, and the fog sucked upward with her will pushing it.
Treani whispered, “You made a cloud.”
Reyan laughed softly. “I made one. Now, I have to make a few more. The fog is coming back, so if you need to get into the shuttle, you are welcome to go now.”
As she spoke, she was pulling more water from the lake.
“No, I will stay with you. This is amazing. You are starting a world.”
Reyan smiled. “I am starting a weather system. The moment we can get some rain coming down, we can leave.”
She repeated the fog-to-cloud pattern five more times. When the sky above her was heavy with the contents of the lake, she used the water and called a light rain.
Treani blinked. “Did you feel that?”
“What did you feel?” Reyan was dizzy.
“Wind, I felt a cool wind. It’s raining over there!” Treani clapped her hands.
“Oh good. The rain will fall, the earth will cool, the water will evaporate, it will rise again and it will fall again and the wind will blow. Cold water in warm will create motion and thermodynamics make the worlds go around.” It was the short version and didn’t include all variables, but hot air moving against cold was the basis for all weather shifts.
Reyan tried to get to her feet, and Treani helped her, boosting her off the ground and supporting her into the shuttle with surprising strength.
Reyan was nodding in her harness as Treani took them back to the start-up base.
Reyan heard her talking via the com, and when Unrik came, lifted her out of the shuttle, bringing her into the base, she nodded off.
Sitting up was difficult, because she was under a tarp. “What the hell?” She heard someone shout from the other side of the wrapping.
Unrik ripped the tarp away from her, and he crushed her against his chest. “I thought I lost you.”
“Why?” She squirmed against him, but he wasn’t letting go.
“You stopped breathing for two days.” His voice broke. “I thought you were dead.”
She pushed him back, and when he looked at her forlornly, she slapped him across the face.
He blinked and reared back. “What was that for?”
“You were crushing me. Plus, you forgot how we met. It is insulting for any woman.” She stroked his cheek to take the sting out of her words.
“What do you mean?”
“The day we met, they tried to drown me as a sacrifice to the Rain. Do you remember that?”
“Yes, but you didn’t die.”
“No, because I don’t need to breathe. I get my fuel from the elements, the very air around me. I was tired after starting the weather. Very tired. I have to remember to breathe, and I don’t really need sleep, as you know. If I am tired enough to sleep, I may not breathe for a while. Got it?”
He nodded and a tear snaked down his cheek. “I will try to remember it.”
Treani came in and shrieked, running up and flinging her arms around Reyan’s waist. Her words were in garbled Selna, but Reyan recognized thanks to a deity when she heard one. She was designed to be one, after all.
“It’s all right, Treani, I am fine. That goes for you too, Unrik.” She stroked his hair. “I have done this dozens of times before, and I always revive. I suppose we should have covered this in the briefing, but there wasn’t really time.”
Unrik moved to her other side, and he kissed her softly. It was a lovely moment, but Reyan really wanted to know. “So, how is the weather doing?”
He pried Treani off her and lifted her in his arms. She didn’t mind. Her legs were still set to optional.
After they walked down the hall, they emerged in a huge rotunda with a transparent dome ceiling. The water coursing down onto the dome was answer enough. She
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