The Windtouched

“Keep within sight of me, Red,” the Windtouched captain ordered Lirena as the group began its movement. “It’s your first time on the job, so I’ll walk you through directions if anything comes up.”

Lirena quirked an eyebrow then realized she hadn’t actually introduced herself with all of the silence during their travels. “Ah, pardon, my name is Lirena Ba-”

The other woman shook her head. “I know it from the reports, but you’re Red until I see results out of you.” She thought for a moment, and followed it up with her own introduction. “I’m Vanessa, but it’s ‘Captain’ to you until further notice.”

“Very well… Captain,” Lirena said with a sigh. “But how exactly are you going to talk to me if we’re so far apart in the field?”

Vanessa only smirked in response.

“Guess I’ll find out?” Lirena said with a shrug.

The group fanned out as ordered, checking the residences that were still standing. Many survivors, all showing the marks of Windtouched, were sheltered in place for safety. The storms had badly damaged many of the buildings, but many had held up well with no casualties within. For these, the Vanguard merely needed to check in and gather information from the locals, a somewhat difficult task when many were coming to terms with their new existence as Touched.

Other buildings had been caved in completely by flying debris, from which several people were unearthed and either taken to a shelter if they were uninjured or moved to the outside of the Zone for treatment, as the doctors outside did not dare venture in where they could be similarly converted.

Lirena’s section was largely empty, with more downed trees in the wilderness than any sign of civilization, except when she came upon a farmstead. The crops were ravaged by the storm winds, but the house was standing, though seemingly empty.

The nearby barn, however, had been particularly wrecked by the large trees toppled into it.

“There’s someone in there,” she heard Vanessa say as if she was standing right next to Lirena. Startled, she looked over at the Windtouched woman, who was still a good fifty feet away, but pointing in the direction of the ruin.

A gift of being Touched? Lirena wondered as she jogged toward the building, the captain joining her soon after.

“Glad you’re not immune from our gifts. Means I can communicate with you as easily as my troops,” she said as she scanned the debris. Lirena noticed that the woman’s irises were giving off a soft glow. “Under there,” she finally said.

“Another gift?” Lirena asked as she started carefully removing broken panels of wood.

“One all Touched share, but one which isn’t useful for much unless you’re looking for something or someone,” the Windtouched said as she joined in the effort. “We can sense things that share our element, and Touched glow especially bright. As for you… you’re a gaping void by our sight in a Zone, so you’re still visible in a way.”

“I suppose that’s handy, though it feels strange to hear, I admit,” Lirena said.

After a few moments of heaving the wreckage away, they revealed a young woman with long green hair underneath it all, badly injured judging by appearances, but still breathing.

“Hang in there, we’ve almost you free,” Lirena said. The girl stirred and looked up to Lirena.

“Please… help me…” she said as she reached out to the noblewoman.

As the girl’s hand grasped in the air at her, Lirena was surprised to find that she seemed to be short on breath. I didn’t exert myself that much digging her out, she thought.

The girl’s arm grasped at Lirena one last time, then fell to the ground. As the arm fell, Lirena felt her lungs empty, and she fell back in shock as she began gasping for air.

“Red?!” The captain cried and tossed aside the plank she was holding to rush to her side, thought Lirena felt her own vision fading as she desperately tried to take a full breath. “Take it slow, it was a momentary loss. You can still breath.”

As Lirena began to stabilize, Vanessa turned her attention back to the debris and continued to dig out the survivor, finally getting her free.

“Unconscious again. She won’t cause a problem getting her back for medical attention,” Vanessa said. “You good to move?”

“I think so,” Lirena said as she stood back up and stretched. Other than being shaken from the sudden experience, she felt physically find. “Wasn’t really expecting that to happen.”

“Let’s get her on one of these planks, it will be easier to carry her back to the entrance,” Vanessa said. “But first…” she looked behind herself and scanned the horizon. “There he is.” She cupped her hand in front of her mouth and began to speak. “Richard, return to the entrance. I need you to keep an eye on one of the survivors. You know why.” When she released her mouth, she waved her hand out as if tossing something, and she nodded with satisfaction a moment later that the message was delivered.

“I guess not every gift is so easily controlled?” Lirena said as she helped gently lift the girl onto a sizable and sturdy plank.

“Nor are they all perfectly safe, and bad when those two things are combined. Poor girl was dealt a bad hand, I’m afraid,” Vanessa said as she and Lirena hoisted up the piece of wood and began the march back. “Being able to grab the air is a gift we haven’t seen often, but one that can be useful. Richard has the same ability and can climb into the air and stay there to scout without a single tree or wall near him. But as you felt, it can just as easily pull the air from your chest. The highborn aren’t going to like this…”

“If someone has already proven a beneficial use for this, why should anyone argue?” Lirena asked.

“By the time anyone important realized what he could do, Richard was already skilled at putting it to a use they deemed safe. But if she wakes up and accidentally does that to any Untouched, the kingdom may not take kindly to her remaining free,” Vanessa said solemnly.

“They would jail her for a power she didn’t ask for and can learn to control?” Lirena cried.

“You don’t get it, Red - the highborn don’t see us as human anymore. We’re expendable at best and dangerous beasts at worst. Ironic since animals don’t become Touched when a Zone opens.” She looked at Lirena sternly. “But neither do you, yet they seem to hold you in the highest regard of all.”

Lirena held her gaze forward. “Not like I asked for this, either. But… it’s not respect that they treat me with. Many of them don’t actually see me as a person, just a… tool, if I’m being generous.”

Vanessa seemed to catch her meaning. “I apologize,” she muttered and let the conversation drop until they got back to their entry point, and an Untouched man with a medical kit rushed over to attend to the young woman.

A group of other survivors were already present, and the relief they felt from seeing another of their own make it out was quickly replaced when they saw Lirena.

A sea of faces, a variety of people all unified by blue and green eyes and shades of green hair, stared at her. Some with clear confusion, others with utter hatred.

A flash of light came from behind her, and Lirena looked over her shoulder to see the storm clouds dissipating and the constant windswept grass settled to match the area outside of the Zone. One of the robed mages nodded in affirmation and moved on to the next area. Looking in the direction the wagons had originally parted, Lirena could see that the Zone had already been cleansed from several other areas as well.

A tall man with shortly cropped green hair arrived a short while after with a handful of other survivors and gave a salute to Vanessa. Richard, Lirena guessed. “Three deaths due to the storm in my area, no major injuries,” he said. “Some headed back on their own to start repairs when they saw the Zone clear.”

“Good work,” Vanessa said, then nodded over to the young girl before leaning in to whisper in his ear. “Same gift, but couldn’t control the first use of it we saw. Keep an eye on her. Try to keep it secret for her sake.”

Richard nodded and remained by her side and Vanessa pulled on Lirena’s arm. “With me, Red.”Lirena followed, thankful for the opportunity to get away from the glower of the rescued people.

“Don’t hold it against them,” Vanessa said. “They just lost their homes and got a hard limit on what they’re allowed to do in the kingdom.”

“I don’t - I couldn’t,” Lirena said softly. “But this isn’t right, it’s not their fault. It could happen anywhere.”

Vanessa nodded. “And very few of them will probably care much about the troubles you receive for being Untouchable under the circumstances. It will probably be the same at every Zone you go to. So what are you going to do?”

Lirena sighed took a moment to compose herself. “Well that part is simple. I’ll be right back at it when the next Zone appears.”

“Why, feeling self-satisfied with being part of the rescue efforts?” Vanessa asked, her intent with the question unreadable to Lirena.

“No… It’s just the right thing to do. They have every right to be jealous or angry. I won’t begrudge them that. But I won’t leave them to the whims of the Zones or the kingdom.”

Vanessa gave a slight smile. “Well said, Lirena. Now let’s get back in there and see what more we can do.”