Free Alora: The Portal by Tamie Dearen Page A

when you have no gifting in strength, agility, or weapons?”
    “But I could. I believe I may have gifting in wisdom as well as language. With wisdom, I could always determine the way of safety.”
    “Enough, Vindrake! We have had this discussion for the last time. My decision is final. If you had the gift of wisdom you would know this idea is folly.” His father’s lips pressed in a straight line, his eyes narrowing to small blue slits.
    Vindrake turned on his heel, striding from the room with feigned dignity as the council’s laughter followed him.
    Never again. When he became clan leader, he wouldn’t allow anyone to laugh at him, especially those who served under him on the council.
     
    Now he sensed that same amusement in the minds of his men, cloaked by the force of his bondmark. He could simply kill them all if he didn’t need them for protection. Or he could make an example of one, teaching the others never to think lightly of his discomfort. After all, he needed to dispatch someone to provide the life force to create a replacement wendt.
    Which of his warriors looked most deserving? He spied one who’d be perfect, a hint of defiance in his eyes. He would make an awe-inspiring wendt… The larger the life force—the larger the wendt. Those who were frail, fearful, or sickly made smaller, weaker wendts. Although the feeblest of wendts were still mindless and effective killing creatures, a beast from the spirited guard would be truly spectacular. He smiled in anticipation.
*****
    “Where did it go? I thought we were goners.” Mr. Franks craned his head, attempting to peer onto the ground below.
    Wesley answered for her. “She transported it away—sent it to Vindrake. Right Alora?”
    Adrenaline coursing through her veins, she quivered from head to toe. But at least the source of her nausea was gone. “Yep. Sent him packing.” She spoke with false bravado, embarrassed by her nervous reaction.
    She felt a strange emptiness with Kaevin away from her side, and struggled against the urge to bring him back. He could be in the middle of a sword fight, and she might cause someone to lose his life. Ugh. The thought of Kaevin in danger brought a new queasiness to her belly.
    “Thanks Dad. It’s really cool you helped instead of yelling at me.” Wesley reached out to shake his hand, but his father responded with a rather awkward hug.
    “The yelling will come later, son. You have a few things to answer for when we get home. But as long as we’re here, we’ll make ourselves useful. Just don’t tell your mother.”
    “But Dad—”
    “We’ll discuss it later. Right now I want to know… Are there more of those things?”
    “I’m pretty sure we killed that one. And I think there was only one other, but it was still alive when Alora sent it to Vindrake. I guess it could come back.”
    She prayed it wouldn’t. “Morvaen thinks Vindrake is still in Portshire. That’s three days away from here. So hopefully we won’t see any more wendts.”
    “The Stone Clan archers are moving to a different place, since there aren’t any enemy warriors close by.” Mr. Franks pointed over Alora’s shoulder. “But I was thinking you could take Wesley and I to the roof of that building over there.”
    “Yes, but your arrows wouldn’t come with us. Or else the arrowheads wouldn’t transport.”
    Mr. Franks screwed his mouth to the side. “Either way, we’d be up a proverbial creak without a paddle.”
    “Or up a proverbial roof without an arrow,” said Alora.
    “I guess we can just walk or, better yet, run.” Wesley tightened the strap on his quiver, preparing to follow the others. But his head jerked around at a blood-curdling shriek.
    She couldn’t tell if the dry heaves that hit her were caused by the wendt’s wicked aura or her own fear. How many of those awful creatures were out there? Was this a new one or the one she’d sent to Vindrake earlier?
    Wesley and Mr. Franks hurried to nock their arrows and