Page 1 of Sun Warrior

CHAPTER 1

The world was smoke. Like winter fog in the pine forest, it thickened the air, roiling around and over Mari and Nik. The choking smoke blanketed and then cleared as the pernicious wind lifted and fell while thunder echoed in the distance, teasing them with the possibility of rain.

“There!” Mari pointed. “We are almost at the shore. I can see it when the wind shifts.”

“Can you tell if we can beach the boat, or is it still too rocky?” Nik said between heavy breaths. He didn’t look up but kept stroking powerfully against the turbulent current. A big Shepherd lay as close as he could get to Nik, watching him with wise amber eyes shadowed with sadness.

“Yes, it’s more mud than rocks and there’s a bunch of scrub brush, but that should be good for hiding the boat,” Mari called to Nik. Beside her, a young version of the adult Shepherd pricked his ears at the shoreline and then sneezed heartily. Mari smiled at her Companion and ruffled his ears. “I know, but the worst of the smoke is over there.” She jerked her chin to the south. Then she glanced over her shoulder at the young man who was struggling so earnestly to row them to shore. “Nik, do you really think we should land here? We’re still awfully close to the fire.”

He didn’t pause in the rowing but looked up at her, grim-faced and drenched with sweat. His eyes met hers. She hated the sadness she saw there—hated it because she understood it so well. He’d lost his father hours ago. She’d lost her mother weeks ago. Perhaps in the not too distant future they could mourn together—heal together. Right now their shared misery was no help at all, especially with the danger that surrounded them—as thick and cloying as the smoke that filled the air.

“I’m sorry, Mari,” Nik said. He hesitated and then blurted, “I’ll jump out here. The current will take you farther downstream—farther away. Laru can stay with you and Rigel. I’ll find the three of you when this is over.”

Mari blinked in surprise. As she understood what he had to mean, she shook her head back and forth, back and forth. “No, Nik. You can’t—” she began, but he dropped an oar and reached forward and grasped her hand, cutting off her words.

“I have to. I have to go to my people. There might be something, anything I can do to help.”

“And you might get killed! It would be a simple thing for Thaddeus to use the confusion of the fire to put an arrow in your back,” Mari said. “You can’t help any of them if you’re dead.”

“Thaddeus will be too busy trying to save our city from the fire to bother with me. But I’ll watch my back,” Nik assured her.

Mari closed her eyes, calming her emotions. She wouldn’t imagine what might happen to Nik. She wouldn’t let herself be overcome with fear for him. She wouldn’t be a liability. She opened her eyes and met his gaze.

“Take Laru. I trust him to watch your back, especially when you’re too busy to keep an eye out yourself.” She smiled bravely at Nik and the big Shepherd, Laru, who leaned against his side.

“I don’t know if he’s well enough. I haven’t checked to see if his paws are burned. I can see that some of his fur was scorched, which doesn’t seem too bad, but I really don’t want him to travel on—” Laru’s impatient bark interrupted Nik as the big Shepherd stared at the shore, seeming to will it closer.

Mari forced her tone to be light, almost kidding. “See, he’s on my side. No way is he going to let you go back there by yourself.”

“All right then. I’ll get us to shore.”

Nik bent his back to the job of rowing, propelling them toward the muddy bank, and Mari put her arm around her Companion—the son of adult Laru—drawing comfort and strength from the bond that joined them for life. She understood Nik’s need to go to his people, to try to save as many of them as possible from the terrible forest fire that was devouring their beautiful City in the Trees, but she hated the danger it put him in. Mari hugged Rigel to her.I’ve just found Nik. I can’t lose him—not after losing so much so recently.Rigel whined softly and licked her cheek as the little boat ran aground.

In an instant Nik jumped from the boat and was dragging it up on the mud and rocks. Laru and Rigel followed him as he helped Mari clamber onto the bank.

Hand in hand and flanked by the two Shepherds, they climbed up the bank to find a small deer path that snaked along the lip of the Channel. They stood, hands clasped, as Nik caught his breath and stared up the path as if he was trying to see through the enveloping smoke to the burning city.

“I’d go with you if you asked me to,” Mari said softly, drawing Nik’s gaze.

“No!” he almost shouted before he steadied himself and continued in a more reasonable tone. “No, Mari. They might try to blame you for the fire.”

Mari frowned. “But I didn’t start it. I didn’t have anything to do with those cages catching fire.”

“I know that. You know that. But I can promise you Thaddeus will be spreading a different story. I’ll make sure the truth is known, but not now. Not today while we’re battling a forest fire. And there was also the figure in the smoke.”

Mari’s eyes widened in surprise. “Youdidsee it, too.”

Nik nodded. “It seems almost like a dream now, but I swear I saw the smoke and fire take on the form of a woman.”

“Not a woman,” Mari corrected. “A Goddess.”

Nik lifted a shoulder restlessly. “Okay, a Goddess. Maybe. You’re the Goddess expert, not me.” He tempered his words with a gentle curiosity instead of the accusation Mari had feared.

“It isn’t me who is the expert. It was Mama. The Great Earth Mother has never spoken to me—never even seemed interested in me.”

Nik’s smile was poignant. “She was interested today. She saved you.”

“Us,” Mari said firmly. “If it was the Goddess, and not just a trick of smoke and fire forming a strange image; then she saved the four of us. Maybe—maybe she’ll do it again. Maybe I should come with you and help you try to save your people.”