Lightnings Daughter Read Free Page A

freedom to be Khulinin instead of Medb's slaves, it is our decision that she be freed from the penalty of death and exile. She has earned a place among the Khulinin."
    Thalar sprang to his feet, his face dark with anger. "Never!" he shouted.
    Athlone raised his hand to still the priest's outraged interruption. "Continue."
    "However," the man went on. "We feel the laws of the clans cannot be put aside even for this.
    Therefore, we order that Gabria be pronounced dead for a period of days equaling the time she spent in her disguise---a passage of six months, by our reckoning. During banishment, no person may speak to her or acknowledge her in any way, and Gabria must retire to the temple of Amara beyond the treld.

    There she wil serve the goddess in penance. At the end of six months, Gabria may return to the clan and be accepted as a permanent member." Surprised, Gabria gripped her hands together to still their trembling. The sentence was harsh, for she would be alone and unaided through the winter. Most women would die under such difficult straits. On the other hand, Gabria knew---as Athlone must---that she stood a good chance of surviving the ordeal. Unlike other clan women, she could handle a bow and a sword. She might go hungry now and then, but she would not starve.
    Thalar stepped forward, his expression wild, his eyes burning into Gabria with all the hatred of a priest for a heretic. "This is outrageous! That woman is profane! A creature of evil. If she is allowed to enter the holy temple of the Mother Goddess, our whole clan wil be cursed!"
    At that Piers jumped up to protest. The healer, the herdmaster, and several others crowded around Thalar and began to argue. Others joined in until the entire hall was filled with shouting voices. The noise crashed around Gabria like an avalanche. She gritted her teeth and silently watched the uproar.
    "Silence!" Athlone bel owed. "Enough!" He crossed his arms as the shouting ceased, and every face turned toward him. "Priest Thalar has a valid argument. Perhaps the members of the tyne could explain their decision and put the clan's mind at rest."
    This time the priestess of Amara stepped out of the group. Her long green robes were a bright contrast to the more somber colors of the men. She was an older woman, past forty-five summers, and equal to Lady Tungoli in the honor and respect of her clan. Her gray hair was swept back in a long braid, and her startling green eyes seemed to pierce through Thalar. "It was I who made the suggestion to the tyne to send the sorceress to Amara's temple."
    "You!" Thalar exclaimed in surprise.
    Gabria, too, was startled and watched the woman as she paced forward in the light of the lamps and torches to face the priest.
    "I believe I know more of the goddess's ways than you do, Thalar. A man who fol ows the god of battle and death cannot begin to comprehend the power of life and birth. It is my belief that Gabria has the favor of Amara. Her survival and her success against overwhelming odds are indications to me that the goddess is watching over her daughter. If this is the case, then Cantrel 's arguments for magic are more than the artful words of a skilled bard." She paused as Cantrell chuckled.
    "I suggested sending Gabria to the temple, “she continued, "to learn the truth of the goddess's wil .
    If the sorceress is blessed with Amara's grace, then she will live and thrive to return to us. If she is not, the mother goddess wil punish her as no mortal can imagine." For a long moment the Khulinin stared at Gabria. No one moved or said a word. At last, Lord Athlone raised his hand.
    "So be it. Lady Gabria's sentence begins at moonrise tonight.
    She may return to the clan in six months, marked by the rise of the ful moon." He turned on his heel and strode to the chieftain's quarters in the back of the hal . The tapestry fel closed behind him, signaling the end of the getyne .
    Thalar snorted in disgust and stamped to the entrance. As the guards pul