Copyright Kelly Sands
Approaching Storms
A storm was coming.
Rebecca stood, tied to a stake, on the uncannily silent beach, watching coal-black clouds gather and build. She had deserted. Tomorrow she would be shot.
Lightning blazed through the approaching tempest. In its fitful glow, a warship appeared, then many more. They were not friendly, Rebecca knew. The invasion had finally come.
Darkness thickened but still no alarm sounded. The sentries must be asleep.
She imagined herself raising the alarm, being pardoned—a hero. She pictured the invasion force rescuing her. The calculating wheels of self-preservation spun. She opened her mouth to scream, but still hesitated.
The Green-Walled Tower 