Clara Sterling
Listen to Echoes of Riverbend by Clara Sterling as a bilingual audiobook with synchronized read-along text in English and Romanian.
The wind whipped relentlessly across the desolate mountain pass, driving shards of freezing rain against the reinforced glass of the checkpoint. Guard Elena Vance adjusted her heavy cotton parka, her eyes scanning the bleak perimeter through the twilight gloom. Beyond the perimeter fence lay the northern republic, a territory recently declared hostile after decades of smoldering political estrangement. Behind her lay the sanctuary of the valley, where citizens lived under the protective mantle of the southern accord. Taking a slow sip from her insulated flask of spiced ginger tea, Elena tried to ward off the chill that had settled deep within her bones. She adjusted her synthetic leather belt, feeling the familiar weight of her official seal and scanner. Tonight was expected to be particularly arduous, as rumors had circulated regarding an influx of displaced persons fleeing conflict across the ridge. To her left, the spotlights hummed with a low, hypnotic frequency, cutting stark white swaths through the gathering fog. Suddenly, the motion sensors alerted the station with a muted electronic chime, signposting movement near the primary turnstile.