Page 129 of Realm Walker's Awakening

I pressed my palms on the cool pane of the window as I leaned my head to look up at the dark, cloudy sky. Another soft glow of lightning arced through the clouds, turning them purple and blue. I got the feeling it was welcoming my presence.

A soft rumble of thunder rolled again.

My breath quickened, and goosebumps rose along my body as I continued to watch and listen.

Whispers came, and they were trying hard to come through the frequency of my racing mind. The hair on the back of my neck stood as I glanced around the open area in front of the house. Trees lined the sides more for privacy than to be considered the woods.

A strange feeling of wanting to go outside into the snowstorm took over me. There was something about getting lost in the storm that excited me. I didn’t know what it meant to get lost in the storm. But it was something deep in my soul that demanded it.

I peered over my shoulder to make sure Rune was still asleep.

He was.

Without another look outside, I tip-toed and made my way out of the bedroom. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Rune didn’t wake up. When I didn’t see him shift in the bed, I turned back and made my way through the house. I held my breath, listening for his footsteps. When I was feet away from the front door, I exhaled. It was dark and hard to see, but as if the thunderstorm knew, lightning struck faster, giving me light to see.

I hesitated at the door with my hand on the knob. It felt like I was sneaking off doing something I shouldn’t be doing.

I shook my head.

That couldn’t be right. I wasn’t doing anything wrong but going outside. Not like anything bad would happen with people guarding the city and Rune in the other room. I simply wanted to get a closer look at the storm. It wasn’t anything bad, and I would be right outside where Rune could easily get to me if something happened.

Too far gone from rational thought about my lack of clothes and shoes, I stepped outside onto the small wooden porch. The bite of cold air didn’t shock me with my first step. The second didn’t change.

Rune was right. I wasn’t human, and the extreme cold here wasn’t affecting me.

Steam billowed from my mouth as I leaned my head back to stare up at the vibrant sky, lighting up from the lightning. The storm had to be communicating with me because there was no way it could naturally streak bolts through the sky like it was doing right now.

Was it Thor? I watched a couple of movies with him, and it was pretty obvious he was the god of thunder and was associated with lightning. Was he real and lighting up the sky for me?

I huffed a laugh and shook my head.

Nope.Not going there. He would never.

I stepped off the porch and into the snow. A small breath hitched from the cold, but the feeling was gone and replaced with warmth. Raising my eyes to the sky, I admired the colors of the storm as I walked through the snow that went up to my ankles.

None of that mattered to me. What mattered waslistening.

Fat snowflakes fell around and on me. One landed gently on my eyelashes and stuck. I didn’t bother to wipe it away. I blinked a few times as more flakes kissed my face while I continued to stare up at the dark sky, searching for the answers.

The whispers.

“Close your eyes,”Estrid whispered in my ear.

Goosebumps rose on my flesh in excitement.

Did this mean she would help me?

I slowly turned my head where I heard her, hoping I’d see her again.

Nothing.

“Close your eyes,”she whispered again.

It wouldn’t hurt to do what she was telling me.

I inhaled deeply through my nose and tipped my head back so my face was pointed to the sky. More cold snowflakes fell on me, dotting over my head and sending a chill through me. It was a wonderful and relaxing feeling, being out here and one with nature again. My eyes slid shut, and I relaxed my body and unclenched my hands by my sides.

Little by little, the whispers grew louder and buzzed in my ears.