Page 178 of Sun Warrior

“I don’t think that’s it. It feels more—”

“Sora! Sora!” Danita ran up to them, gulping air.

“I’m here! What is it?”

“Antreas has found two people. He needs you—and O’Bryan and Davis and Sheena. He said bring the canines and come armed. He thinks they’re Skin Stealers.”

“Sheena!” O’Bryan called, and the young Companion stepped out of her place near the end of the column and with Captain beside her jogged to them.

The Pack members closest to Sora began whispering nervously, but one sharp look from her silenced them. “We can certainly handle two Skin Stealers, but not if your whispers cause the Pack to panic!” The Earth Walkers nearby ducked their heads, calling apologies to their Moon Woman. Then Sora shouted down the column, “We halt here for a short rest!” She turned to Danita. “Find Isabel and Jenna. Have them pass the water bladders among the Pack. Give the wounded a few sips of the cannabis tincture—but not too much.”

“Understood,” Danita said.

“Where is Antreas?” O’Bryan asked.

Danita pointed ahead of them. “Up ahead the path bends toward the ravine. Antreas is there, near the edge. That’s where he found the women.”

“Women?” Sheena asked as she joined them.

Danita nodded. “Skin Stealer women. You’ll see.”

Feeling more curious than afraid, Sora pulled Chloe from her comfortable sling, kissed her on the head, and then gently passed the pup to Danita. “Give her to Rose. I don’t know what I’m walking into.”

“Let’s go,” Sora said. Flanked by Companions, she jogged up the path, which quickly curved to the right so that it ran along the lip of the deep ravine that separated the territory of the Tribe of the Trees from the ruined City of the Skin Stealers.

Sora spotted Antreas. Bast was beside him. They both were staring at two girls who sat near the edge of the ravine. They were dressed oddly, in hide skirts and roughly hewn, midriff-baring tunics, with coarsely woven travel packs strapped across their backs. Their skin was very pale and decorated with intricate triple designs painted black and red and white. One of the girls had hair so blond it appeared almost silver. The other’s was a deep, shining chestnut. At the sound of their approach, the girls turned to face Sora and the Companions and Sora’s breath hitched with shock.

The girl with the shining chestnut hair had no eyes.

“Bloody beetle balls!” O’Bryan spoke the curse under his breath. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“Neither have I,” Sheena said.

When Davis said nothing, Sora shot him a look. “Davis? What is it?”

Cammy whined, and Davis shook himself, reaching down to pet his Terrier reassuringly. “I can’t tell. There is something about her, though.”

“You mean besides the fact she has no eyes?” O’Bryan said.

“Oh, I think she can see—just not like we do,” Davis said cryptically.

“What does that mean?” Sora asked.

“I don’t know. Yet. But as soon as I do, you will,” Davis said.

They joined Antreas. The younger of the two girls watched them with big, frightened eyes while she clutched the eyeless girl’s hand in both of hers.

“This is one of our two Leaders, the Moon Woman named Sora,” Antreas said, gesturing to Sora. “Sora, this is Lily and her—”

“You are led by a woman?” The eyeless girl spoke up. Her voice was steady, calm, and curious.

“They are led by two women,” Sora said, approaching the girls. “I am one of them. Who are you?”

“I am Lily,” the sighted girl said, bowing her head. Sora could see that she was trembling. “And this is my—”

“I am Dove,” the blind girl interrupted. “Oracle to the Gods.”

“Which Gods?” Davis asked.