The Fire Seer

5 - Storms and Bulletholes

December 19th rolled in with the first snowfall of the year. The city blanketed in white as flurries took the last of fall with them. I sat by the fire of the packhouse common room, wrapped in blankets gifted by one of the Elders—presumably an apology of materialistic quality—made of alpaca furs hunted in the Andes by Urqu Yawar Pack of South America, who had sent it as a congratulations for Ironfang obtaining the Seer. News of my awakening had reached the whole world, it seemed.

I shivered as the snowstorm beat against the windows, caging me into this space with no escape. Suddenly, someone settled on next to me, hugging their knees to their chest. Sam sat there, quiet and unmoving as always, and I smiled. It didn't matter that he was not talkative. The company was worth it. I never felt very talkative either. We watched the flames as they danced and flickered, the crackling filling the empty space. The furs of bear and elk pressed into my legs beneath me as they pooled around the fireplace, warming us from beneath. The storm battered the windows.

Suddenly, whirring sound echoed, and the whole building went dark. A power outage. Sam stood fast, lit only by firelight as everyone scrambled from their offices and rooms to see what had happened. The snowstorm left us defenseless and without power now, engulfed in the black of night. I trembled in the shadows, hugging close to the flames as my vision swirled. Years of being locked in closets or cells without sunlight from years of torture and punishment had rendered a fear in me of shadow that was debilitating. From the overhanging balcony, Elijah and Beatrice emerged.

"Anthony," He said as the withered middle-aged man descended the stairs, "How is the generator looking?"

"Not good, Alpha. The snowstorm has damaged electrical, and the generator is low on gas. It is my fault. I should have better prepped the house for the storm," Anthony said. Elijah cursed under his breath, running a hand through his tousled hair. "Get everyone close to the fire for warmth, and get that generator going! This is going to be a long night. Find flashlights and candles, as many as you can get your hands on, and distribute them. I need a headcount." Numbers started flying as we accounted for everyone.

I did not move, watching the fire and remembering my visions. I had seen snow in a dream, a storm, taking out power to the whole town. Denial seeped into me, denying these as anything but dreams, but I could not now. They were unfolding before me. Suddenly, I was dragged back, back into my mind, where I saw the snow-dense forests as I ran, ran for my life. My leg was bleeding profusely. Elijah's brown wolf was on my heels.

"D...na!" I startled out of my trance, looking up to find Elijah standing before me. Everyone had gone quiet, staring at me. "Your eyes." I stared at Elijah in confusion. "What about my eyes?" I asked quietly, my voice hoarse. "They glowed," He growled. "Tell me what you saw."

I couldn't. If I told them of it, they would surely hold me down harder, stop me from whatever escape I had been attempting in that vision. Laluin whispered into my ear. "Tell them about the snow. Hide our wild cards, Vina," She purred. I steeled myself, gritting my teeth. "I... I saw this. The snowstorm. I did not know it was true. It's knocked out the power to the whole city."

Elijah cursed, grabbing my arm. "There you go again, knowing and hiding it! Do you bask in the knowledge only you possess? Do you enjoy toying with the strings of fate so we all follow along?" He snarled. I didn't know where it was all coming from, wincing at the pain in my arm as Delta Anthony came forward, yanking his hand off of me. "Goddess, help us, Elijah, leave her alone!" He snarled, and everyone went still. It was not in the nature of deltas to oppose an alpha's will, no matter the cost. I trembled.

Elijah bared his fangs, the air of Absolute Authority washing over us yet again.

"Yes, you seem to be using that trick quite a bit lately, Elijah," Anthony said coldly, wincing as the need to submit tore through him. "But look at her. She did not know. Leave her be!"