Description: Chapter 1 "Help!" The note of panic in the child''s high-pitched cry had Kymora scrambling to her feet, the half-mended shirt falling from her hands to the ground. Her fingertips brushed over the coarse-textured wattle and daub wall of the croft until she found her staff. Sweeping the staff in front of her, she stepped out from the shade into the biting warmth of the afternoon sun. "Evie, over here!" she called, recognizing the voice. Three strides and the hard sound under the heel of her boot told her she stood in the middle of the pathway among the row of huts lining either side of it. At the edge of her mind, the young shepherdess''s aura flared, brushed hers, but she was too far away for Kymora to read it accurately. The rapid thump of boots on hard-packed ground grew louder as they came in her direction. A hollow wooden scraping came from her left, the door to the house being pushed open. An earthy, wild, wind-swept scent wafted through the air. The odor varied Na''Chi to Na''Chi but the rich base note of the half-human, half-demon race was always the same. "Kymora, what''s wrong?" She shook her head. "I don''t know, Lisella." The door creaked and a hand touched her elbow. The half-blood woman''s gesture let her know she was there beside her, a courtesy all the Na''Chi had learned in the weeks she''d been living with them. " Temple Elect! They''re killing the flock!" The child''s aura was a seething mass of darkness edged with the roughness of barely contained terror. Had she been able to see, Kymora had little doubt Evie''s face would have borne a wide-eyed, fearful expression. The ability to read auras compensated for the absence of that sense. She stretched out her hand to the child, tempted to hurry to the girl but the ground was too uneven. Each row of huts had been built half a dozen steps apart, leaving a corridor for foot traffic, but with young children using the pathways as play areas, even the smallest hole or hollow dug by little hands made traversing the thoroughfares hazardous. Such a small thing challenged her independence and left her feeling vulnerable, a sensation she disliked. A lot. There were times, like this, when her blindness left her feeling like she was a child again, learning to cope with her disability when she''d first lost her sight. For now, it stopped her from rushing to comfort the child. She grunted as the ten-year-old barreled into her. Small arms reached around her waist and squeezed tightly. She smoothed a hand over the girl''s trembling body; the harsh sound of her gasping only reinforced the terror she could feel beneath her hands. "Shh, you''re safe," she crooned. "Tell me what you saw." "Rahni and I were watching the fl-flock from the rocks when we s-s-saw men coming over the hill." The girl shuddered. Her aura pulsated so viciously Kymora fought not to wince. "They were so qu-quick . . . we couldn''t stop ''em. They started k-killing the bleaters. . . ." Lisella moved closer. "Geanna and Eyan were the watchers today," she murmured. "Why didn''t they spot them first?" A cold knot of unease curled in Kymora''s stomach. Na''Chi senses were three times as acute as humans. Disregarding that, the scouts were highly skilled warriors and never derelict in their responsibilities. What had happened to them? "How many were there, Evie?" "I''m not sure, maybe ten. They''re c-coming this way!" Kymora''s stomach knotted. With the appearance of the Na''Chi in human territory, the myth associated with their rumored existence had been dispelled, shocking many. After five hundred years of war with the Na''Reish, many had assumed they were just like the power-hungry demons, especially when it became known that they possessed traits similar to their Na''Reish heritage--particularly the need to consume blood. Some hostility was to be expected, but a physical attack on the Na''Chi ? Surely these renegades had read the missives sent out by the Blade Council explaining that the Na''Chi had received the blessings of the Lady , their deity? Why would anyone risk censure for breaking the laws of sanctuary by attacking the Na''Chi ? "And Rahni, where''s he?" Lisella''s soft voice came from down low, as if the Na''Chi woman had crouched to be on eye level with the child, and drew Kymora''s attention back to the present. "He''s gone to warn those gathering berries." Relief surged through Kymora with that news. The young Na''Chi teenager tended to act first and think later. For him to err on the side of caution meant a large number of men were making their way toward the village. She inhaled a steadying breath, frowned, and then drew in a deeper one. A faint acrid odor stung her nostrils. "Lisella, do you smell smoke?" she asked. Lisella''s boots scuffed the ground as she moved farther away from the side of the house. " Mother of Mercy , I can see it!" A tremor of anger threaded her voice. "They''re burning the crops! Evie, find Giron. He''s working in the crafters'' hut. Tell him to find Varian. He''s in the Sharvadan Forest training with the Light Blades." "Yes, Lisella." Kymora released the girl and listened to her run off into the village. A hot breeze caressed her face. The odor of smoke grew stronger. "Lisella, the children." Goose bumps lifted along her arms. Today there were more of them than adults in the village. Would there be enough time for them all to escape? "They''re going to take longer to get up the mountain path and to the caverns." Months of work were being destroyed by the flames, and not just with the crops. She''d been working for weeks to convince the more reluctant members of the Na''Chi that integration into human society would help each race accept one another. To establish that bond, she''d convinced crafters and Light Blade warriors to live with them and share their skills with one another. With the ranks of Light Blade warriors at an all-time low, and the Na''Reish border raids for blood-slaves increasing, the Na''Chi ''s expertise was needed. With their own limited numbers, they''d spent the last twenty years learning to hide and ambush the Na''Reish --techniques the Light Blades needed now. She knew her brother, Kalan, hoped that by having them learn these specialized skills, it''d prove an advantage in any future confrontation with the Na''Reish . She grimaced. This attack would only reinforce the Na''Chi ''s fears and misgivings now. The Na''Reish demons outnumbered them all two to one. Humans and Na''Chi needed one another if they were going to survive any conflict with them. The breeze picked up strength. The scent of smoke saturated the air. It took very little to imagine the flames engulfing the houses. Kymora tightened her grip on her staff. "We need to split up and warn everyone." "Kymora, your brother wouldn''t like you left unguarded." "The children should be seen to first." "As leader of the Temple, you can''t risk your safety." A twinge of guilt raced through Kymora at Lisella''s gentle censure. The Na''Chi ''s hand patted her shoulder. "Let''s warn people together. We need to move fast and you''ll do that better with someone beside you." Kymora gritted her teeth. She might be blind, and it would hamper the speed of her escape, but it didn''t mean she was helpless. Why was Lisella ignoring the fact that she could defend herself and had done so since her early teens? While she was a good friend, there were times Lisella was as overprotective as some of the other Na''Chi were disdainful of her disability. A trait inherited from their Na''Reish heritage. "We don''t have time to argue. Nor will I need your help." Kymora thumped the butt of her staff on the ground. "You know this isn''t just for decoration. Get everyone to the safety of the caverns. I''ll check the houses around here and follow with whomever I find." "You''re as stubborn as Varian." While the woman grumbled, she could hear a tolerant smile in Lisella''s voice. "Be careful. You know what he''ll do if you come to harm." Duty and honor formed the backbone of the Na''Chi warrior-leader, something she''d realized from almost the first time they''d met in the Lady'' s Temple and Varian had claimed sanctuary for his people from her. When it came to protecting those under his care, he was ruthless, and in the last few months, he''d informed her in no uncertain terms she fell within those boundaries living with them in the rugged foothills overlooking Sacred Lake. She inhaled a steadying breath. "I can take care of myself." She made a shooing motion. "Go warn the others. I''ll start here. Go!" Gathering her skirt in one hand, Kymora moved as swiftly as she could, calling out as she reached each house, warning those within so they could begin their escape. The scuff of boots along on the pathway and the occasional curt instruction assured her the exodus was progressing. The Na''Chi had spent all their lives hiding from patrols in Na''Reish territory. Escaping detection was their specialty, and achieving it was done in silence. While they''d enjoyed much more freedom inside human territory, they''d limited their contact with humans and now were forced to fall back on ingrained survival habits. Something they shouldn''t have to do. Her jaw tightened and her temper flared. It wasn''t right. A soft sob caught the edge of her hearing. Kymora turned and felt her way along the wall of one house. "Is someone there?" " Temple Elect ! Everyone''s gone. . . ." Kymora tried to place the very

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