The Rainbringer

III. The Oratorium

THE RAIN PELTED HEAVILY against Raya's skin and the earth alike. She stood beside the river which was now roaring with life. The water swelled and rushed, casting cool air all around her. Fresh grass and dampened flowers bloomed at her feet, the sight soon spreading to the rest of her surroundings with a slight tinge of gold. She felt Tarius strapped to her back, that familiar warmth of power embracing her body.

Raya started awake at the sound of her mother coughing in the other room. The young woman held her breath and waited as she heard her father rush to tend to the matriarch. Raya clung to the duvet so tight, hoping the dream would come back. How she yearned for the dream to be reality, but as the minutes dragged on, she realized that sleep would evade her.

Her shoulders slumped while her grip loosened on her blanket. She peered at her bedroom ceiling for a brief moment. Raya felt Tarius' presence in the room before she saw him, but it didn't frighten her. Somewhere in the back of her mind she expected him. She turned her head to find the golden bow propped up against her bedroom wall as if she set him there herself. He looked magnificent in the morning light that poured in from her window.

"Is it true?" She began, her voice more soft than she expected, "You can stop the drought?"

"Dear young Raya, we can do more than stop the drought. Together, we will save your village and more," The bow glinted with his response, "I believe we need to discuss what will happen next. Would you be willing to take a walk with me?"

Raya nodded, unsure if Tarius could actually see her, and picked him up. The coughing from her mother's room had quieted down. She was sure both her parents would sleep for at least an hour longer, but she'd gone out on early morning hunts before without them worrying where she was when they woke.

Raya headed out of her home, her new bow a comfortable weight on her back. Although Tarius looked to be made of gold, he wasn't heavy. She wondered if that had to do with her bond with him or if he was making himself lighter. Her feet lead her down the main path through her village, past homes with darkened windows. Inside each one was a family that suffered from thirst. As one of the hunters of her village, she could only provide them with so much. The promise to an end of the drought was a welcome one; if only she'd be able to share it with everyone.

Raya found herself at the tree she had perched in the day before. She set Tarius down and sighed. There was a moment of silence between them.

"Your companion has quite an arm, I must say. He is Awen, correct?"

"Yes," Raya said, "I'm sorry that we were so distrustful of you before and that Awen threw you in the river. The things you told us—it's not what we were raised with. To know that the gods that exist out there are at war. It's hard to swallow."

"I understand. I am reminded that Enochi and humans are so very different from each other."

Raya closed her eyes. "Enochi... your kind isn't found anywhere in our legends, but we might have a different name for you—"

There was a sudden gust of wind followed by a large thudding noise right in front of the tree. Raya immediately went for Tarius, opening her eyes to see the golden veins of power flow through her once more, poised and ready to attack whatever had landed in front of her.

The woman that Raya saw was hunched over on the ground, two large black wings folded around her body. Her hair was as red as flames and when she stood, Raya noticed not only the intricate armor surrounding her body, but also the fact that the woman had at least a good three feet on Raya's height.

"Peace, Tarius," the woman whispered, "It's Seria."

The woman's eyes were locked on Raya's and it took her a moment to realize that the woman was speaking to her. She blinked, lowering the bow.