It is a superb opening for sure, @brisby did an amazing job setting the scene, the beautiful use of language, the way she builds the tension, the storm rising along side the slow drip of back story up to this diving point of a crux (which you actually used as a diving point haha) but I have read enough of your stories to know you could spin brittle hay into golden silk <3
RE: La Sentinelle- My Entry for finishthestory