Page 5 of Sun Warrior

“Fala’s pups!” Nik said. “You did save them.”

“Had to. You and Sol can’t be the only heroes in the family.”

“Your arms are burned—so’s your face.” Nik quickly made his assessment. “Bloody beetle balls, O’Bryan, what were you thinking?Yesterday at this time you were almost dead of the blight.” Nik wasn’t sure if he wanted to hit or hug his cousin.

“You’re right, Cuz. This is definitely an inconvenient time for a forest fire.” He gave Nik a cheeky grin.

Relieved beyond words, Nik sat back as Laru pushed between them to sniff at the squirming Terriers. “Are all the pups okay?”

“They’re fine. We gotta find Rose and Fala. We got separated from them when the tree caught. Fala was frantic, and Rose wasn’t much better.”

“They’re okay. I sent them down to the Channel. Sheena’s leading a group of wounded there. I have to get supplies to them, and then—”

The pernicious wind changed again, lifting Nik’s hair, and in a maelstrom of smoke and sparks and heat it roared around them with an almost human groan—increasing in strength with a seemingly insatiable need to consume the Tribe.

“The entire forest is going to burn! It’s like the wind is feeding it on purpose!” Nik peered around them, trying to see through the smoke and judge which direction the flames would be spreading now.

“Nik, you have to get Sol to the firebreak and have him call down sunfire to stop this before the Mother Trees are destroyed.” All lightness had gone out of O’Bryan’s voice.

“Sol’s dead.”

O’Bryan’s brow furrowed and he shook his head quickly, as if physically trying to be rid of his cousin’s words. “What?”

“Father is dead.” Nik spoke slowly to keep his voice from breaking.

His cousin’s eyes filled with tears that silently overflowed and tracked down his fire-reddened cheeks. “How?”

“Thaddeus shot him.”

“Wait, no! A Companion shot our Sun Priest? That—that can’t happen! It’sneverhappened.” One hand fisted the front of Nik’s shirt, and O’Bryan gave his cousin a shake. “It has to be a mistake!”

Nik rested his hand over his cousin’s fist. “No mistake. I was there. Thaddeus was trying to kill Mari. Father saved her life.”

“Mari? But she has to be protected; she can cure the blight!”

“That didn’t matter to Thaddeus, or to Cyril. All that mattered was being sure the Earth Walkers remain our slaves.”

“Cyril was in on it? That’s insane. This happened on Farm Island? Was Mari trying to free the Scratchers—sorry, Earth Walkers?”

“Not free them—not at that moment. She was healing them of the sadness that kills them. Somehow Thaddeus found out she was there—he got Cyril and a group of Warriors together. I can only imagine what beetle shit he fed them about her, and about Father. They attacked. It’s how the fire started. It jumped the Channel and began moving up the ridge.”

“It’s all so hard to believe.” O’Bryan looked from him to Laru and then back at Nik again.

Nik answered his unasked question. “Laru chose not to die with Father. He chose me. He’s my Companion.” The big Shepherd leaned against Nik, looking up at him with amber eyes filled with unconditional love.

“I still don’t understand—can’t believe it.”

Nik hugged Laru before turning back to O’Bryan. “I’ll give you the rest of the details later. First we have to help the Tribe.” O’Bryan nodded somberly, and Nik continued. “Did you see Wilkes and the Warriors? And Thaddeus? Did you see him?”

“I only saw Wilkes and his Odin. They reached the Tribe first and sounded the fire warning. He told the young and old and sick to evacuate, and everyone else to get to Badger Stream. That’s where they want to make the firebreak.”

Nik nodded. It made sense that they’d try to break the fire at their main water source. Badger Stream was a fat, fast tributary that originated deep in the Barrier Mountains northwest of the city and flowed cold, clean water through the heart of the Tribe of the Trees. The area around the stream was always well cleared and meticulously tended, so no brush or debris ever had a chance to accumulate along its banks.

“There’s a good, wide stretch of space on either side of the stream, and of course the fact that there’s a deep stream of running water flowing through the middle of that space is an added benefit. A firebreak could work there,” Nik said.

“Not without a Sun Priest to call down sunfire,” O’Bryan said.

“We don’t have a Sun Priest,” Nik said solemnly.