Lightnings Daughter, Mary Herbert [year 7 reading list .TXT] 📗

were in chaos, More people gathered on the banks, their horrified curiosity getting the better of their fear. Relatives and friends grouped around the dead and wailed their grief. Others carried the wounded to the clan healers. No one was entirely certain what was going on. There was a cacophony of frantic shouting, crying, yelling, and excited talking as everyone tried to learn what had happened.

Four other chieftains came running toward the council grove and forded the river. They met Sha Umar and Gabria with a barrage of questions.

The Jehanan chieftain deftly maneuvered them away for a moment to let Gabria collect her thoughts. The woman slipped off Nara and rested thankfully against the mare's strong shoulder. Her moment of quiet was over in a heartbeat.

Lord Caurus pushed past Sha Umar and shook his fist under her nose. "I knew it! I knew you'd be trouble. It was only a matter of time. Two of my people are dead, and it's your fault."

Gabria let his anger wash around her like a wave. She understood his rage and fear, and in part, he was right. She had let the gorthling snatch the hostages and slip away.

Lord Bael, the new chieftain of the Ferganan, butted in past Caurus. "What is Branth doing here?"

"And where is Lord Athlone?" Young Lord Ryne cal ed over the noise.

"How did you get here? I thought you went to Pra Desh?" Caurus added.

The Shadedron chief, Lord Malech, demanded, "What are you going to do about this disaster?"

Gabria answered their questions as best she could and hurriedly explained her long journey to and from Pra Desh. The men's anger and confusion cooled somewhat as they listened. Gabria was pleasantly relieved that the chiefs heard her out with a measure of respect and concern.

The only question she avoided was Lord Malech's. She did not know what to do about the gorthling or his hostages. Even after their battle, she was no closer to sending it out of the world than when she had started. All she had succeeded in doing was tiring herself and forcing the gorthling into a strong defensive position.

She was stil trying to explain the battle to the men when Lord Jol pushed through the group and took Gabria's arm. "Lady Corin, would you come and look at Koshyn?"

Koshyn! She had forgotten about him. She broke off and hurried after the old Murjik chieftain. The others followed silently in their wake.

Sha Umar and Jol had laid the Dangari in the big council, tent after the gorthling had left the grove.

The chief was resting, unconscious, on his blue cloak. Three of Koshyn's hearthguard were dead, but two others stood by their lord, their faces showing their concern.

Gabria knelt down beside the wounded chieftain. Koshyn had suffered no obvious external injury from Branth's torturous spell, yet everyone could see there was something dreadfully wrong within him.

He twitched and writhed and moaned in pain; his muscles jerked spasmodical y, and his hands were clenched in knotted fists. When Gabria touched him, his skin was hot with fever.

"There is nothing I can do," Gabria said sadly. "Only our healer, Piers, can help. He has a stone of healing that will remove the harmful magic from Lord Koshyn's body."

The Dangari exchanged glances. "Where is your healer, Lady?" one of them asked.

"He wil be coming soon, I hope." She glanced out the open tent flap. "Lord Koshyn is not the only one who will need the stone of healing. There are other people who were sorely injured, too."

At that instant, Nara spoke gladly in her mind. Gabria, the men are coming!

To the chiefs' mutual amazement, the sorceress jumped to her feet and dashed outside. She ran out to the edge of the trees and saw them coming. Athlone and Sayyed were doubled on Eurus, and the Hunnuli was galloping across the valley toward the gathering.

At that moment Gabria did not know which of her emotions was stronger, her dismay that they had come when the gorthling was still a danger or her joy at their arrival. She knew she had disappointed them by leaving, but they had come to her aid anyway.

Gabria yelled and waved. They saw her and veered toward her. Athlone nearly fell off the big Hunnuli in his haste to reach the woman. His anger and worry were abruptly doused in the flood of relief that swept through him when he saw her alive and wel . He caught her in his arms, crushing her close.

She said nothing, just wrapped her arms around him and held tightly.

Athlone did not say anything, either. He let her go, and she turned to greet Sayyed. The Turic, too, hugged her fiercely.

"I'm glad you're safe," he said, somewhere between laughter and tears.

"Where are Piers and the others?" she asked.

"On their way. The other horses could not keep up with Eurus." Sayyed flashed his charming smile.

"I was nearly left behind, too."

The other chiefs caught up with the three just then, and they greeted Athlone with undisguised relief. They immediately bombarded him with questions and several versions of the events of the morning. He talked with them just long enough to hear them out and answer a few of their questions, then he excused himself and went to join Gabria and Sayyed.

As Gabria looked into Athlone's eyes, she could not trust herself to speak. She had tried to decide the men's fate by leaving them, convinced that the fight with the gorthling was hers alone. She knew now that she had been wrong. The creature was too strong for her to face by herself. She had to admit that she needed the help and the support of these two men.

However, the decision to use their untrained sorcery in a battle against a much stronger foe was theirs to make. She was still desperately afraid for them, but she had to let them choose their own path.

"I wil say only one thing before we talk about