Page 186 of Sun Warrior

Mari took one step away from Nik. She drew a deep breath, grounding herself. Then she reached from within the center of herself and found the moon. Turning to face northeast—the darkest part of the gloaming sky—Mari lifted her arms.

There was no time for nerves. No time for regret that she didn’t know more—was perhaps not as strong as she could or should be—she focused her entire being on the moon and began the drawing-down invocation.

“Moon Woman I forever will be

Greatly gifted, your power fills me!

Earth Mother, aid me this somber night

So that those who wish it may feel your healing might!”

Mari didn’t need to glance at her arms to know her body had begun to glow with the cold, silver power of the moon. The shocked expression of the Tribe and the gasps that surrounded her told her what she already knew—the moon, although still invisible in the dusk sky, had found her.

“By right of blood and birth channel through me

The Goddess gift I embrace as my destiny!”

Within her mind, Mari sketched a simple picture. She drew the clearing, with the meditation platform and the sick, dying Tribe in it and surrounding it. In the sketch, she created an enormous bubble, like the frothy ones formed at the base of a waterfall, around Thaddeus and his loyal followers, including Maeve, who had stood and joined his hateful group. Then Mari painted the sky with a moon, fat and full. From it poured a silver wave of liquid power. The wave cascaded into Mari, and from her open palms it rained all around her, covering the meditation platform and all of the sick and wounded who were not enclosed in Thaddeus’s bubble.

On and on the silver light flowed into Mari to be dispersed out to the Tribe. Mari gritted her teeth to keep them from chattering. Her knees felt weak, but still she kept the connection open.I am the conduit for the healing—the magick washes through me and into the Tribe. I am the conduit for the healing—the magick washes through me and into the Tribe.…

The litany played over and over through Mari’s mind until she became aware of Nik’s strong hand on her shoulder and his voice in her ear.

“Stop now, Mari. You’ve done it. The Tribe is healed!”

Mari drew a long, shaky breath and then released the image to which she’d held so tightly, and the silver light snuffed like a doused torch. She blinked and gazed around her.

Members of the Tribe were stirring. Some of them were laughing in relief. Some of them wept. The young Warrior Renard had rushed to his father’s side, and the two men were embracing.

“It worked.” Mari smiled her relief to Nik.

“Did you doubt that it would?” Nik asked.

She moved her shoulders. “Well, Rigel and Laru never doubted it.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Mari looked over Nik’s shoulder to see the woman named Ralina approaching them, an adult Shepherd bouncing around like a puppy at her side. The woman grasped Mari’s hands, saying, “You saved us!”

“No,” Mari told her softly. “As long as you follow Thaddeus, your Tribe is still infested with disease.”

“That’s not a very nice thing to say, Scratcher bitch.”

Thaddeus and the men surrounding him raised their crossbows and took aim—not at Mari but at Nik.

“What are you doing, Thaddeus?” Ralina asked, moving so that her body shielded Mari’s. “She did exactly what she said she would. Now you need to let Mari and Nik go as you agreed.”

Thaddeus scoffed, “I didn’t agree to let them go. I agreed to let Nik join her. And now he has.”

“What do you mean to do, Thaddeus?” Nik asked.

“I mean to keep your Scratcher whore prisoner and kill you. I was going to kill her, too, but after her little exhibition tonight I realize she could actually be of use to the Tribe.”

Thaddeus raised his crossbow, aiming at Nik.

As easily as breathing, Mari released the anger the soothing moon magick had been keeping at bay. She stepped around Ralina, drawing the dying sun’s rays to her, and lifted her hands, opening them so the Tribe could see the sunfire that flared with her righteous indignation dancing in golden flames on her palms.

“If you hurt Nik, I will kill you with sunfire.”