The Battle 13.1

Rowena did not like the feeling she had this morning. It started the moment she woke up and felt the unusual signs that nature was showing her. She tried to dismiss it, to tell herself it was just a change in the weather, but she couldn't. Everything felt too real, haunting her relentlessly.

The air felt different, heavier than usual, making it hard for Rowena to breathe. The sunlight that usually slipped gently through the cracks in the windows and vents was blocked by dark clouds hanging low in the sky.

It wasn't a sign of rain. Rowena knew that. No rain clouds would ever carry the tension she felt now. Even the wind couldn't stir those clouds, blowing instead a chill that pierced her bones and touched her skin with an unfamiliar bitterness.

It was then that Rowena noticed the trees standing still in unison. The leaves that usually rustled were still. And the birds that usually brightened the morning with their cheerful songs and fluttering wings had suddenly fal