Into the West by Raiyana

Into the West

“Look!” 

The cry echoes down the line, those in front stumbling forwards, their eyes no longer glued to the path their feet thread, but to the sky. 

The sky that is brighter than anyone knew sky could be, a pale ribbon stretching across the far end of the world, at once terrifying and awe-inspiring. 

“Look!” Parents say, lifting small children with no longer weary arms.

“Look at the light!” Lovers call to each other, hands linked in tight bonds of sudden hope. 

“Look!” Tired hearts grow strength anew as the sight passes from one to the next, as they continue onwards, leaving the mountains behind. “Look!”

There it is, yet far from their ragged band of wandered, and yet so near as to feel like they can reach out and touch the promise of safety from the Shadow. 

The Land of Light, Blessed and full of Hope, promised by those who came before, those who dared trust in the Great Powers to lead the People from the reach of the Shadow That Walks. 

Their new home awaits beyond the wine-dark sea, wave-tops touched by hints of light like it reaches for them as much as they yearn for it, arms open wide and welcoming.