Lightnings Daughter by Mary Herbert (read me a book txt) 📕

she danced to a chair where a red outfit was draped over the padded leather arm. She brought the dress back to Gabria.

The woman was astonished. "For me?" She ran her hand down the fine, soft red wool. The dress was fashioned in a style she had never seen before: it laced at the sides so the bodice fit tightly over her figure, then fell from her hips in a loose, swirling skin.

Delighted, she slipped the dress over her head and pul ed the lacings tight. The dress fit her well.

When she was ready, she followed Tam and Treader along a passage past more rooms and down a staircase to the main hall.

Unlike the Fon's palace, which had a separate dining hall, most of the houses in Pra Desh were built with a large central room that was used for dining, entertaining, and family gathering. At that moment, Khan'di, Athlone, Sayyed, two of the hearthguard, Sengi, and several members of the Kadoa retinue were sitting at a large table, eating what Gabria guessed was the midday meal. Everyone sprang to their feet when she came down the stairs. She was secretly pleased to see Sayyed's grin of pleasure and Athlone's open look of relief and admiration.

Tam and Treader ran over to join Sayyed, while Khan'di strode forward to escort Gabria to his table.

"Gabria, I am pleased to welcome you to my house."

She could not help but twirl around to display her dress. "Do I thank you for this? It's lovely."

Khan'di smiled in paternal appreciation. He had not realized until now how pretty this woman could be. "We had to throw out your singed clothes. I merely replaced them. It was the least I could do." He led her to a chair and heaped her plate with spiced meat, cheeses; fruit, and fresh bread. Sengi poured a cup of light, fragrant wine.

Gabria waited until she had eaten her fill before she asked any questions. The men were glad to answer.

"Much has happened the past two days,” Khan'di began.

"Two days!" Gabria exclaimed. "I slept two days?"

"A day and a half really,” Sayyed corrected. "It was almost dawn when the storm came. You slept yesterday, and it is noon now.”

The sorceress was amazed. She had not known the spel would exhaust her so much. "What about the palace?"

Khan'di said, "The fire is out completely. The north wing is total y destroyed. The south wing has smoke and water damage, and the roof has been burned in places, but it is salvageable. We plan to rebuild."

Gabria caught a note of suppressed excitement in his voice. "We?" she repeated pointedly.

Athlone replied for his host. "Khan'di Kadoa has been chosen by the guilds and the noble families of Pra Desh to be the new Fon."

Gabria's face lit with a smile. "That's wonderful!"

Khan'di's satisfaction showed in every movement of his body and in every line of his face. "We are going to rebuild the palace as soon as the economy of the city has recovered. The Fon's army has been disbanded, and her supporters are in prison. Luckily, her treasury was still intact in the vaults. We have already sent peace delegations to the other kingdoms. And-" he leaned forward and his hand slapped the table in glee, "we found the prince of Calah unharmed in the dungeons."

"How is that possible?" Gabria asked in surprise.

"The Fon must have been too cautious to kil him immediately, so she kept him handy."

"But what about the fire?"

"The fire did not reach down very far. The doors protected the underground levels and enough air leaked in from the cracks and fissures in the dungeon to keep all the prisoners alive."

Sengi added proudly, "The prince will be restored to his rightful throne."

"And the feuding wil begin again,” one of the other noblemen chuckled.

Gabria took a sip of her wine. "What about the Fon?"

"The courtier, Ancor, and Piers told us what happened." Khan'di curled his lip in distaste. "The remains of the Fon's body were found in the throne room. She and her monstrous tools of torture were dumped in the pit. The dungeons have been emptied and sealed."

"What of Bregan?" she asked softly.

Athlone frowned. The loss of his friend still pained him deeply. He could hardly believe the old warrior was gone. "He will be buried this afternoon. He has won back his status and honor as a Khulinin warrior."

She nodded and looked away to hide the blur of tears in her eyes. "Has anyone found Branth?"

There was a long silence; Gabria guessed the answer.

"The city guard did not recognize him in time,” Khan'di said heavily. "He stole a horse and slipped out of the city. He was seen riding north."

The sorceress leaned back in her chair and stared at the far wall. Her responsibilities to Khan'di and Pra Desh were fulfilled with Branth's departure from the city. Everyone would have preferred to have him in chains and ready to face the city's judges, but despite their best efforts, the man had slipped away.

Gabria chewed her lip as she thought. She had two choices now: she could let Branth go and return home in time for the clan gathering, or she could pursue him and run the risk of missing the important council of chieftains. Her first inclination was to let Branth escape. She was tired of traveling and ready to go home. She wanted to settle her problems with Sayyed and Athlone, then attend the council and persuade the chiefs to change the laws against magic. The clan gathering was the only time in the year that al eleven chiefs met to create or change the laws that governed the clans. If she was not at the gathering this year, the chiefs could easily ignore the matter of sorcery or even vote against it.

Unfortunately her better judgment disagreed with her first inclination. The King Stallion had warned her that someone was experimenting in evil magic, and her vision had confirmed it was Branth.

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