City of Sorcerers (38 page)

The clanswoman scratched the filly's shoulder where the white lightning mark gleamed gold in the light of the setting sun. "Your dam and sire will be proud of you,"

she whispered in Demira's black ear.

The Hunnuli turned back to face the wind and cantered down the slope of the hill.

Without the wind and the aid of the smooth incline, Kelene doubted the struggling filly would have made it into the air. As it was, she was barely able to stay above the height of the trees when she winged slowly down the length of the valley.

Before long the land beneath them began to look more and more familiar. Kelene saw scattered herds of stock animals and horses peacefully grazing, apparently undisturbed by the devastation of their human masters. She saw the faint trail of the Induran race winding from the eastern hills and across the valley to the river. Then, Demira flew over the old empty Corin ground and the first of the clan camps.

Her heart in her throat, Kelene looked for signs of life.

Among the crowded tents of the Murjik clan, she saw a few people moving.

Some cooking fires were burning and, thank the gods, she even saw the glittering helmet of a mounted guard on duty. The Murjik, at least, were managing their plight.

She heard a shout from the camp, and dogs started to bark, but she ignored the noise to watch Demira swing away from the river and begin a slow descent toward the edge of the Khulinin camp. The evening light had dwindled into twilight, and Kelene could make out some scattered torches and cooking fires twinkling in the camp. She chose not to look toward the council grove and its sick tents, concentrating instead on finding the big chieftain's tent near the center of her clan. The council tent and its sick would have to wait until she had found Gabria and Athlone.

She was so busy peering through the gathering dusk for the gold banner on her father's lodging that she didn't see the danger that came running out from between the tents.

But Demira did. She neighed frantically and veered sideways as a spear flew by her legs. The sudden movement threw the filly off balance, and she struggled to right herself before her aching wings lost all control. Kelene fought to hold her place and stay as still as possible so she wouldn't throw Demira off even further.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a clan warrior on the ground below running after the winged horse. He stopped, raised a bow, and took aim. "No!" she screamed.

"It's me, Kelene! Don't shoot!"

She was reaching into her mind for the words to a shielding spell when a large, black horse came hurtling past the dark tents and deliberately slammed into the warrior, knocking him to the dirt. His bow flew wildly out of his hands. Demira neighed again and to Kelene's everlasting delight, the filly was answered by her dam, Nara.

Slowly, painfully, Demira brought her bulk down from the sky to an open space not far from the prostrate warrior. She landed heavily, then staggered from exhaustion. It took the last of her strength to pull herself upright, but she forced her legs back under control and tucked her wings into place. For just a moment Demira and Kelene were still, too relieved and grateful for their safe arrival to stir. Kelene put her arms around the horse's neck and hugged her fiercely.

Nara came up then, nickering, and snorting.
Demira, what have you done?
the old mare demanded.

"She has come all the way from Moy Tura in just over two days," Kelene said proudly, sliding off Demira's back.

Just then a hand grabbed Kelene's arm and she was yanked around to face a frowning gray-bearded warrior and the polished edge of his unsheathed sword. The clanswoman grinned wearily at him, and his eyes widened.

"Kelene! By Surgart's shield, I thought you were one of Krath's minions, or another wraith coming to finish us off," the warrior cried. "What are you doing here?

Where are the others? And---" he waved a wild hand at the filly "what is that?"

Kelene was so glad to be back, to hear another living voice and to see a friendly, if shocked, face she hugged him, too.

"Secen, you remember Demira, Nara's foal. Rafnir and I and the mother goddess gave her the gift of flight so we could bring help back to the clans."

The warrior, a retired member of Lord Athlone's hearthguard, was used to the miraculous workings of sorcery, but a winged horse stole his breath away. He could only gape in awe at the horse who had traveled over two hundred leagues in two days.

It took a minute for the rest of Kelene's words to sink in. When he realized what she had said, he sucked in his breath. "You found a cure in the ruins!" without waiting for details, he hustled her into the camp.

Kelene waved to Demira, knowing she would be cared for by Nara, and hurried to keep up with Secen.

"I've been keeping watch and doing two turns a day as outrider because so many of the warriors are sick or dead," Secen told her as he strode along. "Lord Athlone has worked like a slave holding the clans together, calming those who wanted to flee, organizing food and water, keeping everybody busy. I don't think we'd have made it this long without him. But he wore himself out and took sick three nights ago. I hope to all the gods that you can save him!"

The warrior was hurrying so fast he broke into a jog along the worn trail. A few guards and some people out by their cooking fires heard the jangle of his weapons and looked over to see why Secen was hurrying. They recognized Kelene, and immediately the news began to spread through the Khulinin that the chieftain's daughter was back from Moy Tura.

Kelene hung on to her leather bag and hobbled as fast as she could after Secen.

The thing that struck her the most while she walked was the pall of silence hanging over the camp. Usually the clan would be bustling by this time of the evening when the outriders changed duties, the women cooked around their fires, the families ate under their awnings, and the children played before nightfall. But that evening Kelene saw no more than twenty or thirty people among the tents, and those few were haggard and grim. There was no singing or music, laughter or loud talk. The only sound Kelene heard was the wailing of a grieving woman.

Smoke and the smell of death lingered in the air. Everywhere Kelene looked, she noticed amulets and dried herbs hanging from tent poles to drive away the plague.

Just ahead of Secen, Kelene saw two men carrying a wrapped body from a tent and fasten the tent flap behind them with red cords-the sign that an entire family had died.

She was shocked to see at least ten more dwellings tied with red just on the way to the chieftain's home. She didn't want to imagine how many more red cords there were in the Khulinin.

Her tired legs were aching by the time Secen led her into the wide space before her parents' tent. The warrior stopped and pointed to the unlighted tent, where the gold banner flapped sadly in the dusky light.

"No one but Lady Gabria has been able to get past Eurus for two days now. The only way we know our lord is still alive is by that big black yonder."

Kelene peered into the shadows where her father's Hunnuli was standing under the awning and breathed a prayer of thanks. She heard Secen say, "My blessings on you, lass. I'll go see to your filly." with that the warrior stamped away.

She limped toward the tent, her mouth dry. Suddenly Eurus was beside her, offering his strong shoulder to help support her weight. Kelene was startled by the change in the big Hunnuli. His coat was rough under her hands and she felt the hard outline of his bones. He said nothing to her as he escorted her to the tent, but she sensed his relief and hope like an embrace.

The tent flap was open, so she patted the stallion and stepped inside. It took her eyes some time to adjust to the gloom so she could see the interior. Her father must still be alive because she could hear his hoarse, wheezing struggle to breathe, yet there was no sign of her mother.

Kelene found a small lamp on her mother's table, lit it with a coal from the hot brazier, and looked toward the sleeping area. Her hand went to her mouth. Lord Athlone was lying on his pallet, loosely covered with a thin blanket. Even though Kelene had known what to expect, her father's condition was a shock. He was unconscious, drenched with sweat, and almost unrecognizable under the poultices wrapped around his swollen neck.

Then she saw her mother. Gabria was lying beside her husband, her eyes closed and her hand resting on his chest. Eurus's thin condition had surprised Kelene, but Gabria's appearance wrenched a cry from her. Her mother was pale and haggard. Her fair face had sunk into deep shadowed hollows, and her normally lithe form was as thin as a tent pole. Kelene stumbled forward, afraid that Gabria was sick, too.

Her mother raised her head and blinked sleepily in the unexpected light.

"Kelene!" The glad cry was the sweetest sound the young clanswoman had ever heard. She fell to her knees and felt her mother's arms go around her in a very healthy embrace.

"I knew you were coming!" Gabria cried joyfully. "I saw you in a dream on a great black bird." Between laughter and tears, Kelene hugged her tightly and told her about Demira.

Gabria was too astonished to do more than shake her head at Kelene's description of the winged filly. "You have had adventures to fill a tale," the sorceress said. Then the light died from her face and she brushed a finger over Lord Athlone's still face.

"But did you find what we hoped for?"

Kelene replied by pulling the tray of stones and manuscripts from her bag and unwrapping them before Gabria's wide eyes. Gabria recognized the red healing stone immediately, and she grew very still when she saw the small bundle of sparkling splinters. Silently she turned over Kelene's wrist and saw the faint ruby glow of the crystal under the skin, exactly like her own. Her chin trembling, she looked into her daughter's face and saw everything she hoped to see.

Kelene picked out one of the three Lion's Eye stones. “These have been spelled to fight fevers," she explained. Taking her father's hand in her own, she gently laid the stone on his head. The brilliant golden light burst from the stone at her touch.

Gabria watched, hardly daring to breathe. When the light died out and the angry flush faded from Athlone's skin, she dried his face and covered him with a dry, warm blanket before she would allow the first real ray of hope to gleam in her mind.

Kelene tucked the stone back into the tray. "We had to test these on Sayyed and Rafnir," she said quietly. "They were still alive when I left. I told Savaron to treat their swelling with poultices and their weakness and dehydration with tea."

Gabria barely nodded, her words overcome by bittersweet feelings of sadness, relief, and happiness. She examined the stones in their compartments and picked up the manuscripts to look through the pages.

"There is one recipe near the end for a restorative that might be good. I thought you should see it," Kelene said.

Gabria thoughtfully read the list of ingredients. Interested, she set about preparing the infusion in a pot of hot water on her brazier. The aroma of mint and other herbs filled the tent like a breath of spring air. As soon as the liquid was ready, Gabria mixed in honey and wine, poured the results into three cups, and handed one to Kelene.

"This looks like an excellent combination. Try it." She swallowed hers in several gulps and went to feed the contents of the third cup to Athlone.

Kelene gratefully drank hers to the dregs. The tart liquid warmed her all the way down to her stomach and spread invigorating energy to all parts of her body. The soreness in her legs and ankle disappeared, her strength returned, and her weariness was gone.

By the time she had finished, her father, with fresh poultices on his plague sores, was sleeping, and her mother was donning a clean tunic and gathering more herbs.

"Tell me how the scones work," Gabria urged.

Kelene smiled. She could see Gabria was returning to her old self now that her husband was better and her daughter was home. The daunting task of healing every sick person in the clans did not seem to worry her. Hope had given her a full measure of determination and new energy, which Kelene knew, she was very capable of putting to good use.

Kelene explained about the Lion's Eye stones while Gabria listened intently. The older sorceress frowned, deep in thought. "I doubt I can help you with the stones. I do not believe I have a talent like yours. My skill in healing is limited to herbs and bandages." She gathered her bundles. "Come. We'll start in the council tent."

Kelene picked up her tray of stones and followed her mother outside, where the night had settled to full darkness. Gabria paused long enough to reassure Eurus and leave him a huge armload of fodder, then she led Kelene down the paths coward the council grove.

"Perhaps I ought to warn you," Gabria said over her shoulder, "this pestilence has devastated our people. We could not keep up with it, let alone try to flee it. It has taken all of our strength and resources just to survive. The council grove has. . .

changed."

"I saw a little of that in the Watcher." Kelene paused before she asked the question that had been preying on her mind since she had arrived at the camp. "Is Lymira gone?"

Gabria nodded without looking around. "And Coren and Gehlyn and Wer-tain Rejanir and Lord Koshyn and---" Her voice caught and she barely finished. "Too many to name."

The two women said nothing more, only walked a little faster to the edge of the camp, not noticing the scattered Khulinin people among the tents who saw them and called out. At the border of the camp, a heavily armed warrior stepped into their path and held out his hand.

"Lady Gabria, we haven't seen you or Lord Athlone in---" Then he saw Kelene and his eyes widened.

Gabria touched his arm. "Lord Athlone is still sick, but we think he will live, if he is allowed to rest." The smile that spread across the man's face was so brilliant Gabria responded with a smile of her own. "Now we all have work to do. I need you to find the Priestess Camra. Go with her, search the clan, and make a list of all the sick here in the camp. Kelene and I will be in the council grove, but we'll be back as soon as we can to treat the plague victims."