“We’ve stopped?” Emery asked, with a tilt of the head in the second’s direction. Siro hummed, and Emery began to prepare.

“Moored offshore. The captain doesn’t trust to be land-bound tonight.” Siro continued, relaying a report of the night. 

Beyond the door came muffled shouts. A sighting?

Siro rammed open the cabin door with a hard shove to orders being echoed to light the lamps.

“Something's been spotted!” Siro called back to the room.

Emery stood behind them. The staff they carried vibrant with eerie iridescent light as the mist walker charged up for battle.  

“Mire Fiend?” she asked, tilting their head to all the commotion. Though their eyes had cleared somewhat, her sight was still a bit blurred in spots.

“Can’t tell yet, this way!” Siro half pulled-half led them down the hall, up a narrow stairwell to the upper viewing deck. “Captain wants you with an unobstructed sightline,” they explained.

“Good call.” 

On the guard rail was a speaker system, a two-way radio between Captain and passengers when in use. Emery squinted towards the illuminated shores while the second fiddled with some switches. The lights were half a blessing; instead of being half-impaired in the dark, everything was one bright blur instead.

That’s what ears are for, Master Ato would say. Though usually, it would be in a quieter setting. Say the G’karri Forests. Or the Shallows, perhaps. Not here in the middle of flood rapids; challenges, challenges, he would again say. 

Or remember her eye-drops next time.

Under the rapids' roar and the ferries engine, Emery could pick out Siro yelling back and forth with the Captain on the radio. Below on deck, there were some scattered shouts to point the lights. 

Something was looming in the fog behind them, she heard.

Then came a terrible roll of thunder in the distance, a cruel chuckle that rumbled through her ribs when it faded, the tell-tale crack of a lightning strike, and sounds of falling trees that hung in the air for too long.

Many trees falling?

Too many trees . . . Not falling.

“Usha,” Emery cursed.