City of Sorcerers (26 page)

The tone of surprise and hope was unmistakable.

Kelene was so startled by the voice, her fist uncurled on the lion's leg. She did not think about what she did next; she only reacted instinctively to the intelligence she heard in the Korg's voice. Her mind opened, and her empathic talent reached out to it.

In a heartbeat, Kelene's hand on the Korg started to shake under a torrent of very real human emotion that swept into her mind with breathtaking force: grief, unutterable loneliness, sadness, confusion, and above all the other jumbled emotions, surprise and a flare of recognition. Her brain reeled under the onslaught of the strange emotions.

She was just coherent enough to hear Rafnir bellow, "Kelene!" and see a powerful blast of blue energy strike the Korg's chest.

No!
her thoughts protested,
don't hurt him. He doesn't understand.
Then her world collapsed into a dizzying, nauseating whirl.

From what seemed a long distance away, she felt the weight of the Korg's paw leave her leg, and she heard a tremendous roar. Through bleary eyes she saw the Korg charge away from her into the open doorway of the warehouse. There was a loud burst of noise as a bright red shield of magic erupted into place across the doorway, trapping the Korg within. Things went a little blurry after that. Kelene must have passed out for a few moments, for the next thing she knew, someone was urgently calling her name.

Kelene groaned, stirred, and opened her eyes to see Rafnir's face hovering over hers. "I'd smile, but it hurts," she whispered, suddenly very glad that he was there.

His answering grin was so full of relief, she did smile and promptly yelped at the pain on the whole left side of her face.

Kelene blinked and decided to stay still for a few more minutes. Her head was cradled on Rafnir's lap, and her body was stretched out on the ground. If she did not move, she was not too uncomfortable. She gently tested a few muscles and decided nothing was broken---just battered and scraped.

"Demira?" she asked.

I ruined my coat,
the filly grumbled nearby. Her mental tone was tinged with red flashes of pain and aggravation, yet it was strong.
I have several bad scrapes on my
shoulder, which will leave scars, and I twisted my hind fetlock!

"Thank the gods, you'll both live!" Rafnir exclaimed. "I thought the Harbingers would be coming for you when I saw the Korg pounce on you."

As if the lion had heard its name, it began to roar again in horrible, angry bellows that made the thick stone walls tremble. Rafnir jerked his head toward the doorway to their right, where Kelene could see Sayyed holding the magic shield across the opening.

"He may be impervious to the Trymian force, but he hasn't broken through the shields yet," Sayyed observed.

Wordlessly Kelene struggled upright. Her head reeled with dizziness, then settled back to a throbbing ache that allowed her to carefully climb to her feet. Rafnir gave her his arm to steady herself as she limped to the doorway and looked inside through the glowing red shield. Across the round expanse she could barely make out Savaron in the opposite door holding another shield.

"Savaron and Morad are over there," Rafnir replied to her questioning look.

"Morad is filling in the entrance with stone blocks so we don't have to maintain two shields."

"There's the Korg," Sayyed said and pointed to the darkest clump of shadows on the left side of the room where a black form was pacing furiously in tight circles.

Kelene and the Korg saw each other at the same time. Abruptly the roaring ceased. The old lion began to pace toward her until it reached the magic shield blocking the door. It made no attempt to test the shield, but simply stared at Kelene's face with bright gold eyes.

She did not move or look away, only held her hand out in a gesture of peace.

Sayyed and Rafnir watched, amazed at the strange encounter.

"Sayyed," Kelene said without moving her eyes from the Korg's ferocious face. "I think I know how to reach him."

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“No!" Rafnir's refusal was absolute. "You're not going to do it!"

"Who asked for your permission?" Kelene shot back. "We have to break through to the Korg to get him to tell us about the healers, and what better way to do it?"

"Many ways. Ways that don't include your getting anywhere near that big cat," he yelled.

"Like what?" she challenged.

In the twilight of a warm evening, Sayyed crossed his arms and watched the confrontation between his son and Kelene. The clanspeople had moved their camp to a shelter in a wrecked building near the warehouse, which made it easier for someone to maintain a constant vigil on the shield guarding the Kotg.

But ever since Kelene described her incredible plan for the Korg a short while ago, Rafnir had been like a buck deer defending his harem. Sayyed had to hide his smile. Rafnir might not realize it yet, but it was as obvious as his aquiline nose that he was in love with Gabria's daughter. The realization surprised and pleased his father.

Sayyed had always been fond of Kelene, and he had seen her mature a great deal in these past six days. However, he wasn't sure how Kelene felt about Rafnir. He could only hope his son would not drive her away with his' sudden overprotectiveness and that slight hint of jealousy. Kelene was a proud and stubborn woman who would not take kindly to his overbearing solicitude. She had been very patient with him. Until now.

"Name one way to reach through to the Korg that does not include me!" She was shouting at Rafnir from barely a foot away. Her dark hair was tossing like a mare's tail in her agitation, and her eyes were crackling. "I am a part of this group just like you, facing the same responsibilities and dangers, and if I have a plan to help hurry things along, you'll just have to accept it!"

"But a mind-meld with the Korg? That's a stone lion you're talking about, who mayor may not be a crazed sorcerer," Rafnir retorted in a voice just as loud and determined as hers. "You might as well place yourself under his paw and say 'crush me.' He'll never let you get close."

Kelene's temper flared, then slowly subsided. She said in a much more patient tone, "Yes, he will. He thinks I'm someone he knows. He didn't kill me by the warehouse, and I think he'll be willing to talk to me now." She paused, and her anger cooled completely in the memory of the Korg's emotions. "He is . . .
was
a man. I felt his loneliness, Rafnir. I think his mind is trapped in the past by his grief. If I can meld with his mind and bring him into the present, wouldn't it be worth the risk?"

Rafnir snorted. "And what if he realizes you're not this person he knows and turns on you? You'll be on foot. You won't have Demira to carry you away! Shall we bury you beside Niela?"

"That's a chance we have to take. Do you really want to keep the Korg trapped for days on end while you think of a better plan?" she replied evenly.

Oblivious to Sayyed and Morad, who were watching the argument with silent interest, Rafnir gently cupped his hand along her jaw. The left side of her face was already turning black and blue from her earlier fall. He winced when he thought about how close he had come to losing her. "All I want is for you to be safe."

For once Kelene was speechless. Her mouth opened and closed, and her fingers tightened into fists. She didn't know whether to be thrilled that he seemed to care so much or outraged that he was being so selfish and presumptuous to assume that her safety was his sole duty.

Sayyed chose that moment to step into the conversation. "Rafnir, I don't like the plan any more than you do." He held up a hand to still Kelene's outburst. "But she's right. We don't have time to hope the Korg will come around on his own. Kelene, if you feel well enough in the morning, you can talk to the lion."

Kelene stepped back from Rafnir and bowed to his father, pleased that one person at least saw some merit in her plan. Rafnir bowed his head to Sayyed, too, and stamped away without another word.

It was fully dark by that time, so Kelene found her bedroll among the packs and lay down in a corner of the shelter where she could see the stars through the remains of the ceiling. She was weary and sore; her entire left side ached every time she moved. Morad and Sayyed came in and were soon asleep, but once again, no matter how still Kelene lay, how many stars she counted, or how often she closed her eyes, she could not find rest. Her thoughts were full of Rafnir and the look of hurt on his face when he left, and of the Korg and the anguish that still cried in his stone body.

She was so embroiled in her own musings she didn't see Tam's cat jump through a hole in the shattered wall and come trotting to her bed. Kelene nearly leaped from her blanket when a soft paw touched her cheek.

I found one
, the cat meowed.

Kelene subsided back into her bed. "Found one what?" she gasped in a half laugh, half whisper.

The cat sat down, obviously pleased with herself.
Bird,
she growled.
It is dead, so
you can look at wings.

The young woman jumped up, her mind suddenly clear of worries and her aches forgotten. "Where?"

In answer the cat padded softly past Morad and Sayyed asleep on their blankets and slipped silently from the building. Kelene jerked on her boots and followed her out into the dark ruins. Light from a quarter moon delicately outlined humps and piles and broken walls with a pale dappled white and deepened the shadows to an impenetrable gloom. The old city was unnaturally quiet at night, a fact Kelene had not noticed before. There were no sounds from insects, owls, or wild dogs. There was only the muffled rumbling from the Korg pacing in his prison and the mournful whisper of the wind through the dead city.

Kelene glanced toward the warehouse and saw Savaron keeping watch on the shield. She ducked down a side street after the cat before her brother saw her. They turned through a wide alley between the foundations of several houses and were walking down an open street when Rafnir suddenly called out her name in the darkness.

Surprised, Kelene stopped and saw him sitting on a fallen column in the moonlight. He didn't have a chance to say more before she ran to him, held out her palm, and said, "Truce?"

Rafnir narrowed his eyes at her. change of attitude. "What is it?" he insisted.

She gave him a smile. "Tam's cat found a bird."

That was all he needed to hear. His palm met hers in a clasp of peace, and they hurried off side by side behind the pale blur of the little cat.

They had walked only several minutes when they saw the cat slide through a hole in a high wall. There was a much larger hole farther down where part of the wall had collapsed, and the two people were able to climb over with ease. They found themselves in a courtyard garden between several buildings. From the size of the foundations and heaps of rubble, the building on their left had once been an imposing structure. The second building, on their right, was quite a bit smaller and in slightly better condition. It had been left alone by the marauding clansmen. Only time and neglect had brought its roof and two of its walls down and erased the bright paint that had once adorned its columned front.

In the moonlight, Rafnir and Kelene saw the white cat trot across the courtyard.

She came to a stop near the partial remains of an old arcade in the shadow of the smaller building. It was only when they followed the cat to the arcade char they recognized the sun designs on the arches and on the portico of the ruined edifice. The smaller building was a temple to Amara, the mother goddess.

Kelene bowed her head and whispered, "Bless us this night, O Mother. Grant us the strength to do your bidding and the wisdom to follow your will."

They found the cat waiting for them by a column. There, in the shadows at the cat's feet, they saw a large bird lying on its back, its long wings partially outstretched, its eyes glazed in death.

Rafnir drew his breath in a gasp as he ran his finger reverently over the velvety black feathers. "An eagle. By Amara's grace, it's a black-headed eagle from the Himachal Mountains!" Clanspeople revered the great eagles, the sacred birds of Amara, and were strictly forbidden by law to harm one.

"What happened to it?" whispered Kelene.

The cat regarded the eagle indifferently.
It was hurt by storm and by fire. I
waited. It died.
She was promptly rewarded by a scratch behind the ears.

"Thank you then, you marvelous cat," Kelene said with total sincerity. "You are the Lady of Hunters."

The white cat curled against Kelene's hand, her golden eyes glowing.
Of course,
she purred.

"The wings are in perfect shape," Rafnir noted. "We could use them in our spell, if we enlarge them. But do we dare remove them from an eagle's body?" The bird was, after all, the beloved of Amara. It did not seem right to Rafnir to mutilate its body and run the risk of angering the goddess.

With gentle hands Kelene tucked in the powerful wings and cradled the bird in her arms. It was still warm and pliable. "I think it is a gift," she said softly. "This is her city, her temple. If she had not meant for us to use this bird, we would not have found it. Besides, what better wings to give a Hunnuli?"

Rafnir had no argument for that. The goddess Amara had given the Hunnuli the gifts of speed, endurance, and strength. Could she not also grant to one small filly the gift of flight?

There was only one way to find out. Rafnir's and Kelene's eyes met in understanding.

"Tonight," Kelene murmured. "If we wait too long, the wings will decay." Rafnir agreed.

Kelene turned to Tam's cat. "Will you bring Demira and Rafnir's Hunnuli, Tibor, here? We will try our spell on the grounds of Amara's temple."

"You aren't too tired for this?" Rafnir asked Kelene as the cat melted into the night on her errand.

Kelene bit back a snappish retort. Just because she was still irritated about Rafnir's earlier attempts to protect her didn't mean he wasn't asking a valid question.

If she was too tired to wield magic, the spell could fail.