by Jean Lorrah
“The Lady Lilith be not here, sir,” one of them replied.
Not to be outdone, the other said, “No, nor her son neither-but mayhap ol’ Rondivore will trade wi’ ye.
Come in, come in, gentlemen-”
And they led the party inside, where they could look over the plan of the castle, plot their attack.
“Hey! Orfo! Mulbur! Don’t let those people in!” another guard on one of the towers shouted down to the watchmen. “You know our orders-”
And as he reached for his horn to blow a warning, his breath caught in his throat. He choked, gasped for air-but something blocked his windpipe! Face purpling, he fell to his knees, other men in Lilith’s livery running to aid him, pounding him on the back as he coughed and choked.
And Astra realized that a man among the merchants who had looked casually up at the tower was unReadable except physically. The “leader” looked toward him, and he shook his head, obviously not wanting to be noticed as he slipped something to the other man.
“Aye, Seriak,” murmured the ostensible leader, and called, “Ho there-here’s a potion will help that poor fellow!”
It was not the drugged potion, though, that captured Astra’s attention, nor the way the guardsman’s choking fit ceased the moment it was forced between his teeth. No-she was Reading the face of the man they called Seriak, a face which, although now bearded, was burned into her memory so that she would never forget it: the face of Vortius!
Chapter Eight
“So he is also an Adept,” said Zanos when Astra told him what she and Javik had Read. “Of course—
when you told me he was Serafons son, I should have guessed. No wonder he has amassed such power-and no wonder he’s been planning to get out of the empire. He was afraid someone would discover his powers-just as I was.”
“Someone did,” said Astra.
“Who?”
“Portia,” she replied. “It all fits now, Zanos. I saw Vortius outside Portias office the day before you and I met-but it wasn’t the first time he was there. I know I Read him at least once before, but thought nothing of it. Portia thought I knew more, though-such as that Vortius was keeping her alive and healthy with his powers!”
“He’s a destroyer, Astra, not a healer.”
“You use your powers both ways-why shouldn’t he? Portia knew his secret-each had a hold on the other. And-by the gods, they plotted to kill me! Remember how sick I was, when you dared to heal me? Zanos, I’ve never been so ill from a sore throat-but Portia sought to rid herself of me and my wild Reading, because I had accidentally Read too many of her secrets. And Vortius certainly had no scruples about killing someone who might reveal him.”
“Mm-hram,” said Zanos, nodding. “Ard saw you go into Morella’s the day you got sick. He reported it to me, but he must also have reported it to Vortius-he might even have conjured up that rainstorm!”
“Blessed gods-everything fits! When Portia attacked me the day of the games, I fought for my life, and I hurt her badly. She must have sent for Vortius to heal her! I’ve never believed that out of the kindness of his heart he let you have a night to celebrate before he claimed you. He’d have been right there after the games if he hadn’t been called to heal Portia. He probably needed her help to distract some of the Readers so he could make his escape-I’m sure he simply would have let her die if he thought he no longer needed her.”
“Yes,” Zanos agreed. “And now he’s plotting even more deaths. First he will take Lilith’s castle, then he will find a way to get other people into his power-I’ve got to stop him!”
“Revenge?” Astra demanded.
“No! Well, yes, that too-but my wife, surely you can see that Vortius has to be stopped before he gains a strong base of operations such as Lilith’s lands!”
“And at least one Master Reader to aid him,” she said thoughtfully. “From what I saw of Amicus, he’ll go over to Vortius’ side the moment he finds it expedient. It’s a good thing Vortius can’t Read-for if he found that out and added a powerful Reader to his band of minor Adepts, we’d have no chance against him at all.”
“We?” asked Zanos.
“You don’t think I’d let you go without me, do you? After all the lessons in swordsmanship you’ve put me through?”
Trel, Javik, and Kimma also insisted on going along, as did every able-bodied person left alive in the Settlement. To avoid having the watchers report them as mysterious and potentially dangerous strangers, they disguised themselves as traveling entertainers. Most of the villagers could sing and do folk dances well enough to get by, for Zanos and Astra’s music was to be the star attraction.
Kimma demonstrated a wild and sultry dance guaranteed to mesmerize the country lads, while Javik came up with a spectacular juggling act with knives and swords-the rationale for traveling players to carry warriors’ weapons.
When the Dark Moon Reader demonstrated, sending three razor-sharp knives spinning in an arc-adding a fourth-and a fifth-Astra realized that while he concentrated, he became unReadable.
With a flick of his wrist, Javik sent all five knives thunking into the tree stump in a perfect pattern. Then he picked up two swords, tossed one into the air-and caught it on the other, balancing tip to tip!
As he stood balancing the swords, Astra asked, “Aren’t you afraid the audience will guess that you’re using Adept power?”
Without missing a beat, Javik grinned at her. “In these lands, it doesn’t matter. Everybody’s used to minor Adepts. I’m copying a circus act I saw as a boy, inside the empire.” He tossed the swords into the air and caught one in each hand. “When you do it as a performance, everyone assumes it’s faked.”
“Javik,” said Zanos, “why didn’t you tell us you have Adept powers? We’ve heard about people having both-”
“They’re not two different powers,” Javik replied. “It’s what we’re trained to. I was about ten, still in the Academy, when we went to the circus as a special outing. I was so impressed with the juggler that I borrowed some knives out of the kitchen and tried to copy his act… and I could. I was having a great fun till Master Solaris caught me-and he beat me as I had never been punished for any other prank, telling me how terribly dangerous it was, that I could have put out an eye, hurt the other boys-
“And all the time he was punishing me, I could Read the sick fear he felt for me. Believe me, I was impressed! At the time, I believed it was exactly what he said, that I could have hurt myself or one of the other boys.
“It was years later, when I observed people with minor Adept powers, that I realized that Master Solaris had recognized what I was really doing, even though / didn’t know. But because it stopped my experiments, that beating probably saved my life.
“I really cant do much,” he added. “Affecting the path of something in motion is my best trick. I cant start anything moving heavier than a leaf or a feather, can’t control fire, and-much as I’ve prayed for the power-can’t heal. But I’ve deflected enough knives and arrows over the years to be grateful for what powers I’ve got. “
Their packing was soon complete. Ready to move out the next day, they ran through one final rehearsal.
Javik had just done his juggling. Astra and Zanos sat on the tree stump to play for the folk dancing-when suddenly Astra clapped her hands to her head and cried out in pain.
Zanos dropped his flute and took her in his arms, looking to Javik for an explanation. The Dark Moon Reader stared at Astra, and winced. “Tiberium!” he said.
“Earthquake!” Astra gasped. Then she began to shout, “Get out of the forum! Run! The city will fall! All Readers-run for your lives!”
“Astra!” Zanos shook her, trying to break her free of the unseen influence. “Let go, Astra-stop Reading!”
But she moaned, sweat beading her face, her mind caught in some distant horror. Then she gave a despairing cry and went limp in his arms.
As Zanos was trying to rouse her, the earth shook.
In the Settlement it was
no more than a vibration, as of a herd of horses galloping by. But in Tiberium—
Astra opened weary eyes, but Zanos was relieved that at least she was now looking at him. Then she looked over at Javik. “You Read?”
He nodded. “Part of it-but I was able to withdraw. “
“What happened?” Zanos demanded.
“They were trying to save Tiberium from the earthquake,” said Astra, “but-oh, Zanos, hundreds of people died!”
“They-the savage alliance?”
“Yes. Lenardo, Aradia, Lilith-all their allies. There is no question about it: their intentions were to save Tiberium-but they could not avert the prophecy.”
“But… the prophecy was about the eclipse, and that’s not till Summer Festival.”
“No,” she replied, shaking her head sadly. “The moon was the Dark Moon; the sun was the symbol of the Emperor and his family-including Portia. The whole royal family perished. Portia and Marina are dead. The senate was in an emergency session concerning corruption in the Academy system-and the whole building collapsed on them! Zanos… I have just witnessed the fall of the Aventine Empire!”
Even Zanos, who had so hated the country that had held him captive, felt a twinge of sadness. And for Astra it had been home, the land of her birth. He held her, and let her tell him of what she had witnessed, purge herself of the terrible details of her homeland’s destruction.
The Emperor had been reviewing his troops in preparation for another assault against the savages.
Lenardo and his cohorts were spread the length of the empire, trying to ease the strain on the underground fault which ran right down its center. To aid them, they had recruited hundreds of Dark Moon Readers-people dissatisfied enough to listen to the strangers, and willing to aid in saving their homeland when they were shown the genuine danger.
Until the actual event.
Lenardo’s astonishing powers had not only pulled Astra into the rapport; they had united all those hundreds of Readers into one group mind. Through the Master Reader’s powers they had Read the proof of betrayal-and taken their revenge, using the mind-blind Adepts they guided not to ease the fault, but to set it off, centering on Tiberium-crumbling the buildings around the forum, destroying the senate, pouring out their hatred for Portia-attacking everyone they blamed for their circumstances-
“And hundreds of innocent people as well,” Astra finished bleakly. “Citizens. Common soldiers.” She shivered, although the day was warm.
“So Tiberium is no more,” said Zanos. “Serafon-”
“No,” Astra said quickly. “No, Zanos-the worst destruction was all there around the forum. I could Read the struggle-but Lenardo and Aradia confined the damage, even if they could not avert it. Most of Tiberium was just shaken up, not destroyed. I will go out of body and Read for Serafon.”
“But you were Reading directly a few minutes ago.”
“Through the power of that gigantic rapport,” she replied. “It’s gone now, dissolved back into its individual parts. Let me Read now-in a few days’ travel we will be too far from Tiberium for me to Read it, even out of body.”
To Zanos’ relief, Astra reported that the Temple of Hesta still stood, that the priestesses were taking in the injured and the homeless… and that Serafon lived, and was quietly applying healing powers along with bandages.
“But who now rules in Tiberium?” asked Trel, who had listened with the rest of the villagers in shocked silence.
“The alliance,” replied Astra. “Or they will soon.
Conquest wasn’t their intent, Trel-but they can’t leave the country leaderless.”
“But they’ve left their own lands unprotected!”
“I know,” said Astra. “They thought all the Lords Adept would go right home after the fault was eased.
Instead-”
“Instead it now looks as if they attacked the empire!” said Trel. “Once the news reaches their neighbors to the north, those Lords Adept will arm themselves, thinking that after the alliance has conquered all the lands to the south, it will start looking in the opposite direction.”
“And they may decide to strike first,” said Javik, “while the alliance has its energies dispersed.”
“And if Vortius takes Lilith’s castle, ‘ added Zanos, “that will be a sure sign that the alliance has spread itself too thin-an invitation to attack!”
“Then let’s move!” said Astra.
Despite the lateness of the day, they did, traveling until well after dark, Astra and Javik Reading for the news to reach this far.
But even by morning it hadn’t. The watchers reported the same innocuous events as always-including now the movements of a troupe of entertainers.
At midmorning they arrived in a village on market day. Despite their desire to forge northward, they had to act their parts-and their performance was such a success that the coins thrown at them were enough to buy another horse!
Most of their group was afoot, the only horses being Javik’s and the ones Zanos and Astra had brought.
The White Crow had stolen the rest. Now, however, they saw the chance to mount everyone and move faster.
So their performance in a small town that evening was even more enthusastic; they netted enough to buy food and two more horses, and their reputation began to precede them. Astra laughingly reported the watchers advising their fellows to trade duty time with those who hadn’t heard yet, and go see the show.
It was difficult to rest nights when they wanted to reach Lilith’s castle before Vortius struck-yet they would be in no condition to fight if they traveled both day and night, stopping only to perform.
At least this way they could move freely on the main road. They were greeted at each new community by children running out to meet them, eager to see the phenomenon they’d heard so much about.
And still no word came out of Tiberium-not even a report of savage victory.
They were now beyond Astra’s ability to Read to Tiberium, even out of body. She could still Read to the Aventine border, where the guards accepted orders from their commanders to let no one in or out—
Until official word arrived that the savage alliance had put down an insurrection of the officers of the army. Now the army, too, was in the hands of the alliance; the border gates were opened, and news began to trickle out.
The traveling entertainers drove their horses all that day, knowing the watchers’ messages would catch up and then pass them. By the next day, they did-and the troupe were able to skirt around communities too busy celebrating their rulers’ latest victory to wonder what had happened to the entertainment they’d been awaiting.
But Lilith’s people were no fools-they knew the dangers of living in a border territory-and when the happy news of victory also brought the information that their Lady Adept and her son were several days’
ride away, they put their citizen-army on alert pending their leaders’ safe return.
Zanos was fascinated. There was only a small standing army, with a disproportionate number of officers.
But when the alert was called, an officer or two went to each nearby community, and all the able-bodied citizens spent part of each day drilling… but had the rest of their time to tend to their normal duties.
Vortius’ army was also on the alert. Astra Read that it had grown a little, and the watchers-now sending scouts beyond the border, since they knew Liliths enemies would be watching for signs of vulnerability-located the massed troops and sent a message speeding southward as fast as the flashes of light could flicker from one lookout to another.
Vortius also had scouts. Before Liliths troops could gather to defend her castle he set out-using Adept power to kill the watchers who would have reported his movements.
Vortius’ army was less than half a day’s ride to the north of the castle, Zanos, Astra, and their friends about an equal distance to the south. Perhaps seventy of Liliths soldiers in all were within distance to reach the castle before Vortius did-but once inside they
might be able to hold it until further help came.
Without the watchers’ warnings, though, they didn’t know that the situation had become critical.
For once in her life, Astra blessed the extended range of her Reading talent as she reached out to Amicus. He was Reading, too-and trying to determine which side was stronger before throwing his lot in with them.
“You fool!” Astra projected to him. “Don’t you know that Seriak is really Vortius?”
“Who-? Ah, you are the other Reader I’ve sensed spying-but not out of body any longer.” He Read Astra, Zanos, the others. “Who are you, renegade?”
“Magister Astra, of Portias Academy,” she replied. “But Portia is dead now, and so is the corruption among Readers. Warn the castle that enemies are preparing to attack!”
“Why should I? These people took me hostage. I owe them nothing.”
“Then protect your own life! If Vortius wins, he’ll either kill you or force you to do his will.”
“And what will you do if you win? Vortius has no Readers. He will reward me well for my services.”
To her horror, Astra realized that her intrusion had caused Amicus to choose sides-the wrong side!
She tried again. “Vortius might have bribed Readers in the empire-but out here he doesn’t have to bother with the appearance of a good citizen. Amicus, he’ll-”
The door to Amicus’ room burst open. He turned to face a man in Lilith’s livery, carrying a sword.
“Die, traitor!” the man cried, and, catching the Reader in utter surprise, plunged the sword into his heart.
Amicus’ mind screamed with pain, assaulting Astra and striking down Master Corus’ mental barriers.
“Amicus, what-?” “Guards! Guards! Help-we’re being attacked!” Corus cried as he pounded on the door of his room.
But there was only one guard on duty-and he had just killed one of his charges. Now he turned to the other.
The second Reader fought valiantly, but, weaponless, he was no match for the guardsman’s youth and strength. He was driven into a corner and slaughtered.
