Rhunal sought out the highest hill she could. She was in no rush to get up there, and she didn’t expect Carinus to pursue them. He was lying in wait instead. Spotting a tall, stony hill, they progressed towards it. There was a sheltered cave at the base of this hill.

“Good a place as any for me to meditate, out of the rainstorm Tempest will bring with her,” Brondulf said. “I can heal up from that fall we took. You sure that wizard won’t make a move?”

“He’s patient. He’s found a spot that we can’t bypass on the way back to Refuge.”

“If you have an idea where he’s waiting, we could loop wide around, Rhunal.”

She leaned into him hard, the top of her head bouncing off his sternum. “You feel that, Bron?” She stared up at him, with her golden, catlike eyes blazing fire.

“I think I understand.”

“I don’t like being hunted. Not by Carinus, definitely not by him. I will not avoid him. If he wants a confrontation, he’ll get a fight. I’ll give him all of it. I’m free from him now. And so I’ll remain. Will you fight with me, Brondulf son of Ragnulf?”

“I’ve never heard you be so formal. Don’t worry, I will help you, Rhunal. After all we’ve been through, I couldn’t let you face your former master alone.”

“He’s not one to take lightly.”

“I don’t take anything lightly.”

Rhun stared back for a moment, before a grin cracked her serious facade. “No, I guess you don’t. I’m going up there. If you think I’m riled up now, wait till I talk to Tempest.”

She left him meditating to his own god in the shallow cave at the base of the cliff. It was a scraggly hill, with little soil for vegetation. Mostly leafless bushes pushed up through the rocks here and there. An occasional tree found enough soil to plot a crooked path through it. The day was tranquil, with no sign of the storm she intended to summon.

Even the great deer of the frontier weren’t as cautious as usual. They sat at a safe distance and watched the she-orc pass. Nearing the top, as if Tempest sensed the turmoil in her, clouds built around the horizon, pushing towards the hill. Reaching the summit, the white clouds swelled in size, growing more grey. Seeing the coming storm, the deer bounded down the hill. Distant thunder greeted Rhunal as she stepped onto the summit and stared across the landscape.

Impatient for the meeting with her patron goddess, Rhunal started throwing out punches. Despite Bron’s advice about not focusing on an enemy when boxing the shadows, Rhun couldn’t keep Carinus’ face out of her mind. She stepped side to side, hammering the air with her fists. The sense of balance and rhythm necessary for her mediation with Tempest eluded her. Rhun channeled her magic, lashing out with lightning at the tallest tree on the summit. It lit ablaze. The heat of it felt good on her skin. The warmth calmed her beating heart somewhat. In the light of the burning tree, she lashed out with fists and thunder both. She finally reached her rhythm.

The distant storm accelerated its growth, large storm clouds wrapped around her rocky hill. Sensing a presence, Rhun spoke her will to Tempest, spoke her fears, and her demands. The goddess had yet to speak.

“Carinus, my former master, has returned! He wants to take me back, away from the frontier. I do not trust his reasons. I need power to face him, all you can give me and more!” She knew there was no humility in her voice. “If you are my patron goddess, Tempest, you must give me the ability to face him.”

The presence of the storm empowered Rhunal. The she-orc was energized enough to access the strength of an archmage. Rhunal sent a bolt of lightning skyward, towards the center of the storm. The storm responded in kind, absorbing the bolt into itself. Lightning zipped around the storm above, growing stronger with every jump. Finally, it blasted back down to the ground, not as one bolt but a staggered salvo of many.

The accompanying thundercrack was deafening. Rhunal clasped her long ears, flinching from the sound. Every tree on the peak of the hill was lit ablaze by the strike of lightning. It was enough of a display of power that even Rhun’s martial focus was broken, her arrogant spirit dampened.