Page 6 of Sun Warrior

“Then we’re doomed.”

“Not necessarily. I may have an idea,” Nik said.

“You’re thinking about Mari, aren’t you?”

“No! She can’t come here—not now. Thaddeus would kill her,” Nik said.

“Nik, she called down sunfire when her mother—” O’Bryan began, but Nik interrupted.

“No! I mean, yes, she did. But she has no idea how to do it again, let alone control it. She didn’t even know how to accept the sun’s rays until I showed her. I was thinking more of the Elders, and Warriors like Wilkes—and even me. I can make a cup of water warm if I try hard enough, and you know some of the Elders can coax a spark to light a candle or start a hearth fire.”

O’Bryan gave him a skeptical look. “Warming water, lighting candles, and coaxing sparks to catch dry tinder in the hearth of a cozy nest are very different from calling down sunfire.”

“I’m aware of that. But what if a whole group of the Tribe who can heat water, light candles, and do other small things come together? Couldn’t we combine our power to call sunfire?”

“That sounds like a question that should be put to the Sun Priest.”

“We don’t have a Sun Priest, and we don’t have time for questions. We need to act, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Nik said. “Take the pups. You know the path that leads along the west side of the Channel?”

O’Bryan nodded. “I know it.”

“Head in that direction.” Nik pointed over his shoulder. “You’ll cross a little stream, and then you should run into that path and catch up with Rose and Sheena and the rest of them. Get everyone to the Channel and try to settle them. Be sure everyone drinks plenty of water. Keep them quiet and calm. Don’t tell them Father’s dead—that’d only panic everyone. There are emergency supplies in the lookout platform by the Channel, and I’ll send more supplies and help as soon as I can.”

“Where are you going?” O’Bryan asked.

“To Badger Stream. I’m going to make a firebreak,” Nik said.

“All right then, help me stand up and get these pups settled, and we’ll both be off on our missions.” Holding the wriggling pups against his chest with one arm, he extended his hand so that Nik grasped it and pulled him to his feet. They were just settling the squirming little Terriers more snugly inside O’Bryan’s shirt when Rose stumbled out of the smoke behind Nik.

“O’Bryan! Thanks to the Sun! You did save them!” Rose rushed to O’Bryan, who bent to gently place the pups on the ground so that Fala could be reunited with her happy litter. Through streaming tears, Rose said, “Thank you, oh, thank you! I’ll never be able to repay your bravery.”

“Seeing these little guys with Fala, happy and whole, is payment enough for me,” O’Bryan said.

“Rose, what are you doing here? You were supposed to find the Channel and wait there. Did you get turned around in the smoke?” Nik asked.

Rose shook her head. “We didn’t get turned around. The fire’s spreading along the bottom of the ridge. It cut us off. I didn’t know where else to go.”

“That’s bad,” Nik muttered, more to himself than to Rose. “You can’t go back to the Tribe. The fire’s there, too.”

“How ’bout if we head to the old meditation platform? That’s pretty far from the city,” O’Bryan said.

“Not far enough, and there’s only that little well nearby—no other source of water. You could get trapped there too easily,” Nik said.

Suddenly there was a crashing through the brush and Captain bolted to them, barking wildly, followed closely by Sheena, who was staggering under the weight of the two young women she was supporting. One looked as if she’d broken an ankle, and the other had burns up and down her left arm and leg.

Nik’s stomach clenched. “What happened?”

As Nik helped guide the injured girls to the mossy ground, Sheenawiped sweat from her sooty face and explained, “Most of the group made it to the path to the Channel. I heard Sarah and Lydia calling for help and I backtracked for them. The wind shifted. Sparks lit a dry cedar and we were cut off from the others.” Sheena motioned for Nik and O’Bryan to step away from the girls and Rose. She lowered her voice. “I don’t know if the others made it to the water. It was bad—really bad. One second there was just smoke and the next sparks and flames everywhere. They might all be dead.” Sheena stared at Nik with haunted eyes. “I should go back for them. I should try to get to them.”

“That won’t do anything but put you and Captain in danger,” O’Bryan said.

“He’s right.” Nik nodded. “If they were caught in the fire, they’re dead. If not, they’re already at the Channel and, hopefully, safe.”

“I’m almost glad Crystal isn’t here. It would devastate her to see the city and our people burning. What in all the levels of hell are we going to do?” Sheena said.

Nik ran his hand through his hair, trying to order his thoughts.There was no telling how far the fire had spread along the bottom of the ridge. They could be completely cut off from the Channel. And there was no sense in having the wounded girls and Rose go back to the city—it wasn’t safe there, either. They needed water and shelter and safety—

And suddenly Nik knew what they had to do.