The Gatherer (Brilliant Darkness 2.5) by A. G. Henley

own.”
    “
My
 baby?” Moray says. “I don’t think so.”
    I wish I could say he was worried for Frost, too, the Lofty girl of about fifteen or sixteen who somehow got mixed up with him back home, but he’s only ever been concerned about their child. 
His
 baby. While Moray’s not my favorite, he doesn’t deserve this. No one does.
    I hear Bear passing blades around. Others clatter into the clearing soon after, hopefully with more weapons. Peree and Petrel’s voices are among them.
    “We’re going after them,” Peree says, touching my arm.
    “I am, too,” Moray says.
    Which means his brothers, Cuda and Conda, will follow. They seem to follow him everywhere. Right now, I’m glad. The group jogs off in the direction the Sisters took the children, and I send a silent prayer of protection after them.
    Kadee and I stand with the rest of the villagers. Some cry softly, others wail. Still others argue, their voices crashing together like the waterfall meeting the Myuna. I find Moon and put my arms around her and Yani as they both sob. What else can I do? I’m desperate to look for Kora and the missing children, but I can’t move as fast as Peree and the others. I’d only hold them back. I don’t know the first tree or bush in this forest.
    Kora, where are you?
    “These Fire Sisters,” someone asks, “where do they come from?”
    “Their home is called the Cloister.” Kai’s voice is hard, her words clipped.
    “Where is it?” I ask.
    “Many days’ walk through dangerous territory.” Her voice grows even colder and sharper when she speaks to me. “Along the River Restless.”
    River? A stream runs out of Koolkuna from the Myuna, but I had no idea there was a river somewhere.
    “We must find them before they get that far!” someone says.
    “You won’t catch the Sisters if they don’t want to be caught.” Kai’s voice dips. Is she upset about the children, or are her memories painful? Both? It’s hard to tell with her. “And you’ll have no chance of getting them back if they reach the Cloister. Flames that never die protect the Sisters’ compound. High walls are guarded day and night. No one gets in or out unless they allow it.” She pauses. “They… they aren’t like the 
anuna
. You can’t reason with them or talk them around. They’ll kill you if you try to take the 
guru 
back.”
    I bite my lip, drawing blood, as people cry out.
    “What of the boys?” Moon’s voice quavers. “You said they gather girls and have no men. What do they do with the boys they take?”
    I hold her closer and rest a hand on Yani’s plump, velvety thigh, reassuring myself she’s safe. My pulse slows a bit in response.
    “I don’t know. I didn’t see any boys in the Cloister,” Kai says. “Only girls and women.”
    If Eland had survived, if he’d come to Koolkuna with us, he might have been taken with Thrush. I would have lost him anyway. Our world is so precarious. Why do I try to pretend otherwise? I sway on the edge of the dark well of guilt and grief I’ve often fallen into since my brother’s death.
    People begin to shout at Nerang and at each other. My eyes fill with tears. Although we’ve only been in Koolkuna a short time, I’ve come to care deeply for the community—the people who live here and the place Peree and I hoped to call home.
    “What can we do, Nerang?” The woman’s voice thrums with sorrow.
    “Calm yourselves. Perhaps the others are already bringing the 
guru
 back to us. In the meantime, look around. We might find something of importance.”
    Nerang’s probably buying time, giving us something to do, but standing here talking about the awfulness of the Sisters isn’t helping anyone. With a gentle squeeze, I let go of Moon. I may not be able to 
look
 for clues, but that doesn’t mean I can’t find any.
    Dropping to one knee, I feel the ground, trampled under our feet. All I feel are the crushed remains of grass and flowers, their petals still soft but