Raindrop's Arc

Chapter 6 of 15

The charm's hum grew sharp, and Raindrop felt himself slip free of its hold. He drifted sideways onto a low cloud-shelf, his cargo of drops trembling around him. He needed a way to carry them, not just hold them. A figure stepped from the mist with pale blue hair and a worn blue robe. "You're losing them," Nigel Rainweaver said. He pulled a small crystal jar from his belt and held it out. "Take this. Hold what you find. That's all." Raindrop took the jar. Nigel did not wait for thanks. He turned and walked back into the mist. Ahead, a rusted weather station leaned on the shelf. Its antennas sagged. Its doors hung open. A thick golden cloud wrapped the whole building, sweet and slow, drifting in long ribbons. Raindrop stepped into it. The honey mist clung to him at once, coating his sides until he shimmered and stuck. He drummed once, soft. The scattered drops drifted toward him and pressed against his sticky skin. He brushed them gently into the jar. One by one they slid down the crystal walls and pooled at the bottom, glowing pale blue. He sealed the lid. The jar was full. The drops were safe. A warm orange current curled past the station's tower. Raindrop stepped into it, jar tight in his arms. The current lifted him up and carried him fast toward the empty stage waiting in the tiered clouds above.