Rain came down in driving sheets. A flash of lightning lit the sky, followed less than a second later by a peal of thunder, so loud as to shake the very ground.

  A lone wagon travelled through the storm. The wagon was small, pulled by a single horse, which a man led on foot. It was normally a placid beast, easy to calm and easier to lead, but the man had no confidence in maintaining control from the wagon within the raging storm. And the less weight that the horse had to pull, the better — the wheels were already heavily caked in mud, and all it would take was a single bad hole for them to get stuck.

  Which they couldn’t afford.

  They’d left the road a few minutes earlier, seeking shelter from the driving rain in the trees, but if anything it was worse than on the open road. The heavy winds whipped the low-hanging branches back and forth, the man and horse flinching each time they were struck. Another boom sounded, and the man wasn’t sure if it was another peal of thunder or the sound of a tree falling.

  Lightning and falling trees weren’t the man’s only concern. The nearby cliffs were comparatively modest, but they were just as vulnerable to deadly mudslides as the mightiest of mountains. It was one of the reasons they’d decided to keep on the road this morning, rather than bunk in the last town, even with the threat of rain — after a big storm, it was likely that at least a few of the roads would be washed out, an obstacle that could delay them for weeks.

  They didn’t have weeks.

  They didn’t even have hours.

  A long, drawn out moan from the wagon, barely audible over the sounds of the storm, reminded the man of his most pressing concern.

  The wagon was covered, but only in the way that someone wearing a linen shirt was ‘covered’. With how heavy it was coming down, he had to believe that almost everything back there was soaked. His possessions didn’t concern him, though, at least not at the moment. What concerned him was his wife and his unborn child.

  She’d started her labor less than an hour earlier, about the same time he’d felt the first droplets pepper the back of his hands. It was early, much too early. He was no doctor, but they were supposed to have more time before the baby came.

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  But it was too late for that now. He needed to find shelter, something more substantial than just their tiny wagon, and he needed to find it fast.

  He did have a few waterproof blankets that could be repurposed to make the wagon a bit more watertight. But they were currently being used to keep their seed stock dry — something they needed if they were to be successful in their new life. And a few blankets would do nothing to protect them from lightning, or falling trees, or mudslides.

  The man shook his head. The health of his wife and baby were most important. He’d sacrifice the seed if needed, but first he’d search for an alternative. Any alternative.

  Putting his head down, he led the horse further into the trees, hoping for a thicker grove or solid cliffside that could provide at least some protection.

  And just when he was about to give up hope, he saw it.

  A cave.

  Tall and wide enough to fit the horse and wagon, but just barely. He didn’t hesitate or question his good fortune. He knew the danger that might wait. But they wouldn’t be going deep, and the potential danger was nothing compared to the very real danger they already faced within the storm.

  He led the horse and wagon inside.

  It was a gentle slope downward, and though the ground was rocky, it was smooth enough for the horse and wagon to manage. And even after they were fully underneath the overhanging rocks, the cave extended further inwards and was less dark than he might have expected. He took advantage of the space, leading them far enough inside that even the strongest of winds wouldn’t be able to splash them from outside.

  Luckily, it seemed they were safe. From the large undisturbed spiderwebs crisscrossing the cave further in, nothing large made that area its home. Regardless, he had no intention of exploring further, because his wife continued to moan from the back of the wagon.

  He rushed around the side, his eyes widening at the sight that waited for him.

  He’d been briefed on — generally — what to expect from the birth, but he’d never expected he’d have to face it so soon. And certainly not alone. But circumstances dictated, and he acted. The man hurried to care for his groaning wife.

  In his excitement and nerves, he never noticed the ping of the notification, nor the window that appeared within his status.