Mary Herbert - Lightning's Daughter

Then, in the blink of an eye, everything changed.

Sayyed’s Hunnuli, Afer, was near the sacred ring when he abruptly slipped on a mossy stone and his front hoof slid down between a cluster of rocks. The stallion lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground. The snap of his foreleg was heard all over the island.

Sayyed was thrown over the stallion’s head into the rocks. The Turic lay dazed while his Hunnuli tried frantically to free his broken leg and defend his rider. The other Hunnuli neighed in strident, ringing calls, and Eurus and Nara sprang forward to help the fallen horse and rider.

The gorthling moved faster, grabbing the dazed Turic with one huge hand. Sayyed was bleeding heavily from a cut on his head and was too stunned to try to escape. Nara and Eurus started toward the giant in the stone circle.

The gorthling laughed, and his eyes glowed red. “Now,” he bellowed, brandishing his stone club with one hand and Sayyed’s struggling form in his other, “watch one of your own die.

To the watchers’ horror, Branth hoisted the young Turic over his head. Sayyed fought back weakly, his face working with fear when he saw the ground far below.

Across the river, Tam stood by the Hunnuli colt and Lord Sha Umar, watching the battle. She had not moved from the riverbank since Gabria had left, and she had ignored Sha Umar’s offer for food or drink. Her hand stayed on the colt’s neck and her eyes remained on the island.

When Afer fell, Tam stiffened and her mouth opened slightly. She watched in growing apprehension as the gorthling grabbed Sayyed. A tiny whimper escaped her lips. When Tam saw the creature lift Sayyed into the air, she quivered with anger and fear. A fury that she had never known before exploded at the injustice and cruelty of losing another person she loved. No, her young mind cried, not again. No! No!”

“No!”

Tam’s voice rang out loud and clear across the water. At the same time, she instinctively used her wild talent to project her into furious thought into the human brain of the gorthling.

The effect was stunning. The protest burst on the gorthling’s unprepared mind like an explosion, sending him staggering back. He let go of the Turic and clamped his hands to his head. His concentration broken, he dropped his stone club and began to shrink back to normal size.

The magic-wielders reacted instantly. Before Sha Umar could stop her, Tam jumped on the small Hunnuli and galloped him toward the island. Gabria broke Sayyed’s fall by transforming the stones beneath him into a thick pile of hay, and Athlone fired a bolt of the Trymian Force at the unprotected gorthling. The bolt was weak and uncontrolled, but it was enough to knock Branth onto his back and give Sayyed a chance to escape.

“Get to the other side of the river!” Gabria cried.

The Turic did not listen. Instead of retreating, he flung himself into the group of hostages. The gorthling screeched in rage. He fired a blast at the people huddled together, but Sayyed formed a shield over them all. The Trymian Force bounced harmlessly away.

The gorthling felt his twinge of fear return and grow stronger. He immediately revived his own defensive shield. Now he had no escape route, no hostages for safety, and no place to retreat. He was trapped, and while his enemies were tiring, so was he. He could no longer maintain his gigantic size or the full power of his Trymian Force. The thought occurred to him that he had seriously underestimated these humans. He paused for a moment, breathing heavily, and looked around the island for some means of turning this battle in his favor.

Gabria and Athlone took advantage of the brief respite to regroup. Nara clattered over the rocks closer to Eurus, and their two riders watched the gorthling warily.

“We seem to be in a stalemate,” Athlone said between deep breaths. “What do we do now?”

Gabria frowned in frustration. “I really don’t know. He can’t leave the island, but I still don’t know how to send him back to Sorh’s realm. Nothing I do works!” She glanced the temple. “Sayyed, are you all right?”

The Turic answered without his usual humor. “We are safe for the moment.”

Tam and the colt trotted up the bank and hurried into temple to join Sayyed. He seemed relieved to see her, so Gabria merely shook her head and let the girl stay for the moment. Tam was already slipping out of the temple to help Afer free his leg, and several Hunnuli from the herd were coming to join her. Tam would be well protected.

The gorthling saw the Hunnuli coming, too, and his anger rekindled. He could still slaughter these people and drive away the infuriating horses. Abruptly he ended the respite and fired a bolt at Athlone, hoping to catch the chief unprepared. To his fury, the man’s big stallion stopped the magic on his powerful chest.

“Give up, you feeble humans. You will never defeat me,” the gorthling taunted. “I will be here forever! As long as there are bodies to inhabit. No one has ever conquered the gorthlings of Sorh.”

“You’re forgetting Valorian,” Athlone retorted, “and Matrah. He shot a blue bolt at the gorthling’s defense shield.

His blast exploded harmlessly, but his words set off a small spark of thought in Gabria’s mind. Like a streak of lightning, the thought burst into an incandescent inspiration.

She slapped the heavy bag at her side. “That’s it! Of course. Valorian knows!” she cried. The diamond splinter in her wrist flared from her excited burst of energy.

Athlone stared at her sudden transformation. “What are you talking about?”

“The mask!” she said, trying to keep her voice down. “Quick, Athlone, Tam! Get into the temple and join Sayyed.”

The little girl had just released Afer’s broken leg from the rocks, so she patted the injured horse and hurried to obey, leaving him with the other Hunnuli.

Athlone hesitated. “What are you planning?”

“If Branth can summon something from the realm of the dead, so can I,” Gabria replied excitedly.

“Not another gorthling.”

“Of course not. I’m going to try to use the power in the mask to summon Valorian. If I am successful, he can tell us how to rid ourselves of that beast.”

Athlone was awestruck by the simplicity and audacity of her plan. Valorian. My gods! Athlone thought. Without another word he took Eurus into the temple.

Gabria loosed two quick bolts at the ground by the gorthling’s shield. As they exploded in a cloud of dirt and gravel, she and Nara hurried through the ring of stones after Athlone and joined the group of people in the center of the temple.

Before the gorthling could retaliate, Sayyed lowered his shield and renewed it around the entire group, including Nara, Eurus, and the colt.

“By the gods,” Wer-tain Guthlac said to his chief, “I’m glad to see you!” He instinctively ducked when the gorthling fired a blast at the shield.

The other hostages stared at Gabria in confusion and hope. She gave them what she hoped was a confident smile and untied the bag from her belt. The mask felt heavy in her hands. She turned to Athlone and said, “I will not be able to help you maintain the shield while I do this spell. You, Sayyed, and Tam will have to protect us all.”

He grinned. “Gladly.”

Her green eyes sparkled at his reply. “Two months ago I would never have thought you would say that.”

“You’ve taught me well,” the chieftain replied.

He went to stand by Sayyed and Tam, and the three joined their wills together to hold the magical shield around the beleaguered group. The gorthling shrieked in rage. He fired more arcane blasts at the shield to try to weaken it, but for now, the three magic-wielders held it firm.

Gabria slid to the ground and leaned back against Nara. The mare curved her neck around Gabria and nickered softly. In the memory of my sires, Valorian was a tall man, dark-haired, proud, kind, and fearless. Bend your will toward him through the mask. Perhaps he will hear you.