Page 15 of Sun Warrior

“It is. Thanks.” O’Bryan chewed quickly, spitting the sticky mixture into his hand and smearing it on his arms with a sigh of relief.

Mari bent over his leg, noting the wound looked painful and needed a new dressing, but it showed no sign of infection or of the blight. As soon as the Companions were out of hearing distance she spoke quickly and softly.

“Do you know about Sol and Thaddeus?”

“Yes. But Sheena and I are the only ones who do. Nik didn’t tell Rose about Sol’s death. It would be too much for her—for any of the rest of them. To find out a Tribesman killed our Sun Priest is horror enough, but Mari, only Sol had the ability to call down sunfire and make a firebreak.”

“How bad is that, O’Bryan?”

“I’m not sure how it could be worse. If there is no firebreak the blaze will destroy all of the city in the sky, and burn most of the Tribe with it, as well as a good part of this forest—if not all of it,” O’Bryan said bleakly.

“Then why didn’t Nik come with you?”

“He is his father’s son, Mari. He’s going to try to make a firebreak, or—” O’Bryan broke off his words, looking hopelessly into Mari’s eyes.

“Or die trying?”

He nodded.

Mari felt a keen hollowness within her at the thought of losing Nik. “I just found him. I can’t lose him.”

She didn’t realize she’d spoken aloud until O’Bryan rested his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Nik told me to tell you he’s sorry—that he wanted it to end differently.”

“Itisgoing to end differently. I watched my mother die. I watched his father die. I’m not going to stand by and watch Nik die, too.” Mari stood, held out her hand, and helped O’Bryan up.

“He’s not here. We’ll both be spared watching him die,” O’Bryan said sadly.

Mari met his eyes. “Oh, I’ll be watching all right, but I’m not going to let him die. That I promise you.”

CHAPTER 5

Mari knew what she had to do. She wasn’t surehowshe was going to do it, but she had to save Nik—and if that meant saving the Tribe and the City in the Trees, well then, she’d simply have to save them, too.

She sprinted past the straggling little group of Companions and through the weary Earth Walkers, finding Isabel in the lead with Rigel not far ahead of her. Mari’s pup barked a welcome, ran to her for a quick hug, then trotted back to his lead position as she dropped into pace beside Isabel.

“You’re doing really well, Isabel. Thank you for not being afraid of Rigel.”

Isabel smiled bravely at her. “I wouldn’t say I’m not afraid of him, but I am getting used to following along behind him.”

“You don’t have to be scared of him. I give you my word on that.” Mari lengthened her stride as much as she dared. “We need to pick up the pace. The smoke is making it hard to tell how late it is, but it feels like we’ve been walking for most of the day.”

“It feels to me like we’ve been walking for most of theyear,” Isabel said drolly.

“I know what you mean. Isabel, I need to talk to you about what isgoing to happen once we get to the Gathering Site. I’m going to get the groups settled—then I’m going to leave you in charge while I run for Sora.”And after I tell Sora about what’s going on, and she’s on her way to help, then I’m going to save Nik,Mari promised herself.

Rigel gave a couple quick barks and trotted into what Mari realized with a happy start was a familiar grove of cherry trees.

“Finally—the Gathering Site,” Mari said, then she raised her voice for the rest of the group. “The site is just through this grove. You can rest there while I get—” Rigel’s welcoming bark made him seem more pup than ferocious adult as he rushed through the budding cherry trees. Mari lost sight of him, but she heard a surprised shriek, followed by a fit of semihysterical giggles. “What the…?” She jogged forward while the rest of the group hung back—to see that Sora had been knocked on her butt by Rigel, who was happily licking her face as she laughed and made an obviously halfhearted attempt to fend him off.

“Mari!” she sputtered, wiping Shepherd slobber from her face with one hand as she looped her other arm around the big pup’s neck, hugging him close. “Great Goddess, I’m glad to see you. I was so worried! I told Jenna and Danita to stay put, but I had to look for you. All this smoke, Mari! What’s happening back there with the Tribe and—”

Isabel materialized from the smoke behind them, causing Sora’s words to break off.

“Isabel? Is it really you?”

“It is!” The girl smiled. “And there are more of us here, too.” Isabel stepped aside so that Sora could see the ragged line of Clanswomen behind her.

Sora was on her feet in an instant, running to the Earth Walkers, calling many of them by name, touching them, comforting them. Mari studied her carefully, proud of her friend and apprentice and thinking that she definitely had the makings of an excellent Moon Woman. She’d brought a satchel and a big skin full of water and was already passing around the skin and pulling containers filled with salves from the depths of the satchel. Mari felt the terrible burning tension between her shoulders begin to relax.