Wulfston's odyssey se-6

by Jean Lorrah

  Matu handed it to Norgu, and had the boy heal a vicious infection inside a man’s bowel that had him in agonizing pain.

  As the strain and paleness left the man’s face, he looked up at Norgu and whispered, “Shangonu bless you,” and drifted off into healing sleep.

  Matu put a hand on his son’s shoulder, and Norgu smiled at him. Then he returned the staff, and Matu continued with his work.

  Wulfston estimated that the work Matu had done by then would leave an average Lord Adept weary-not exhausted, but ready for a good meal and a night’s sleep. If Matu went on, it would suggest that his powers were beyond the average for a ruler, more on the level of Wulfston’s or Aradia’s.

  Soon, though, Matu stood. “At the quarter-mooR,” he said, “there will be another healing day. None left among you is in pain, or has any problem that will be worsened by waiting until then.”

  “Excellent king!”

  It was a cry of despair. Matu looked up sharply, and he and Norgu Read a ragged group of strangers guiding a rickety wagon drawn by a half-starved donkey. A woman ran forward, her emotions a jumble of grief and terror. “Oh, King Matu, please! My husband!”

  On the wagon a man lay moaning, burned so badly that he hardly appeared human.

  The moment Matu Read his pain he gasped, then sent the man to sleep, saying, “Bring him here at once.”

  Two men in hooded robes shoved the wagon forward while a third lashed the exhausted donkey.

  Matu touched the diamond-headed spear to the injured man’s forehead, and concentrated. Norgu Read that the patient was close to death, and was stepping forward to add his strength to that of his father when he suddenly Read something from the anxious woman.

  Yes, the man was her husband, and yes, she was terrified for his life, but she was desperately trying to hide other fears-of the three men who appeared to be helping her!

  Norgu turned his Seeing powers on them, and found them blank, braced to use Movers’ powers.

  “Father!” he cried-too late!

  The same flames they had used to burn the poor man- their safe passage into Matu’s village-suddenly consumed Matu!

  Norgu’s father gasped as flames roared through his clothing, seared his hair-

  Then the fire was out, and he turned to face his attackers. A lightning bolt shot from the diamond-headed spear, and one of the three fell dead.

  Norgu turned one of the others into a tower of flame, but it was out almost as it had begun. This was a powerful Mover!

  With hardly a glance at Norgu, he reached out toward the other surviving Mover as Norgu saw his father stagger. They had made him use up the last of his strength!

  The two Movers joined hands, concentrated-

  Norgu wrenched the diamond-headed-spear from his father’s unsteady hands and pointed it at the two Movers. Power flowed through him, concentrated in the diamond head-

  And the bolt of lightning missed its mark as his father’s scream jarred his concentration!

  He turned to be splattered in the blood of Matu’s exploding body!

  Norgu screamed in turn, grief and rage mingled in pure animal savagery.

  Now the two Movers were concentrating on him, but he had the spear. With the tip he caught the energy directed at him, all his strength concentrated on controlling, redirecting-

  With a savage howl, he flung the power back at the closest of the attackers. The man’s body sprung gouts of blood, his dying scream a drowning gurgle.

  Panting with exertion, Norgu faced the last attacker. He reached for his Movers powers, and found little left. But surely that other Mover was also exhausted. Reason was slowly returning; all he had to do to kill the man was stop his heart. That didn’t take much effort.

  He pointed the spear, concentrated-

  The Mover faltered, but recovered. He raised his hand. Norgu knew he would send flame or lightning, and wasn’t sure whether he still had power to deflect it, But-

  The target was clear.

  With all his physical strength, Norgu flung the diamond-headed spear straight into the heart of his attacker!

  For a moment there was silence. Norgu waited numbly, emotions frozen.

  Then, once he was certain his legs would obey him, he walked over to the still-quivering body, put his foot on it, and drew out the bloody spear.

  He turned to where his father had been, where there were now only gobbets of flesh and splatters of blood.

  The woman cowered beside the wagon, whimpering.

  Norgu pulled her to her feet. She was already spattered in Matu’s blood, but his hand left its print in red on her sleeve. “Go,” he told her. “Take your husband, who is even now healing at the cost of my father’s life.”

  “Prince Norgu, they burned him! I had to do what they told me-”

  “And I should kill you for it,” he replied, transferring his bloody hand to her throat. The terror in her eyes was sweet. “But who better than you to carry my message? Matu is dead, but Norgu lives! Norgu lives and holds power; let others come against me only at their peril.”

  He turned, eyes raking over the silent villagers, who had witnessed the entire scene. “So much,” he announced loudly, “for Matu’s belief that his people would protect him! Let it be known that Norgu will protect himself-and not waste his powers on the likes of you!”

  Again Wulfston experienced the disorientation of returning from the Grioka’s vision to the present in the Karili Assembly chamber.

  Norgu was glaring at Barak, but the Grioka seemed to have no more fear of him. So the young prince turned to Ashuru. “This tale still presents ample evidence of my powers-which have grown since that day. You need-”

  “Norgu, you need a parent’s teaching,” said Ashuru. “We all feel for your terrible loss, but it is a loss to us, too, for Matu would have taught you to be a wise ruler as well as a powerful one. As it is, you are a fifteen-year-old boy with powers you do not know how to use properly.”

  Norgu is only fifteen! Wulfston thought in astonishment. No wonder he acts childish: he is a child-

  an extremely dangerous one.

  Ashuru obviously knew that. She was trying again to persuade Norgu to join with the Karili Assembly against the Savishnon. “There may be none of us here with the powers you will have when you are fully mature,” she ended, “but we have a wealth of experience, Norgu. Let us teach you as Matu would have, so that you will be a great king one day.”

  “I need none of your teaching about how to be weak! But you need my help against the Savishnon. Give me this prisoner-he gestured toward Wulfston once again-“and I will join my powers with yours.”

  “Lord Wulfston is not a prisoner!” Tadisha spoke up. “He has spoken truly to us before the Grioka, and opened his mind to our Seeing powers. No one in Africa has the right to hold him prisoner, Norgu.”

  “Does your daughter speak for you, Ashuru?” Norgu asked.

  The Karili queen looked around the assembly, getting nods from every direction. “She speaks for us all.”

  “Then I speak for myself!” Norgu spat. “You can face the Savishnon without my help, but when this man brings on your destruction”-he pointed to Wulfston with his left hand, the one not holding the spear-“you can remember that I would have kept him away from you if you had let me!”

  Wulfston hardly heard the last words Norgu spoke. He was staring at the boy’s left hand. On it shone a gold ring in a familiar shape. He had to see it up close!

  Norgu spun, cloak swirling dramatically, and stalked out of the Assembly chamber. Without a thought, Wulfston started after him.

  “Lord Wulfston!” It was Tadisha’s voice, but it held him only for one step. He had to see that ring, for it was as if Norgu had deliberately waved it before him.

  “Prince Norgu!” he called.

  The boy continued as if he hadn’t heard.

  Wulfston had to run to catch up to him, and they were out in the courtyard before he could pass the boy and stop, facing him, barring his path.
“Prince Norgu, I believe you have knowledge concerning the man I am looking for: a Reader-Seer, you would call him-named Lenardo.”

  “This Lenardo,” Norgu asked, cocking his head to one side, “he is a white man?”

  “Yes,” Wulfston replied, certain now that Norgu knew where he was. The boy had his left hand hidden beneath his cloak. Wulfston resisted the urge to grab for it and get a good look at that ring.

  “Seer, I do not know,” Norgu said, his manner now grave-but he was play-acting, putting on a false sympathy that grated on Wulfstons nerves as he continued. “A white man traveling with Zionae… Was he quite tall, with dark hair and beard?”

  “Yes,” Wulfston said tightly, afraid to let his mind hear the past tense.

  “Then… you can but avenge his death.”

  “What? No-it couldn’t be Lenardo!”

  “The party of travelers,” Norgu replied, “was attacked by other Zionae, under the orders of Z’Nelia.

  All-the people he traveled with and their attackers-were trespassing in my lands. It was reported to me. Too late, unfortunately. There was a battle of Movers, over before I arrived to drive them out.

  Everyone was killed, everyone on both sides.”

  “It couldn’t be-”

  “There was a woman with a small child in the party,” said Norgu, and Wulfston’s heart sank. Chulaika and Chaiku had obviously rejoined Sukuru. Shock created a buzzing in his ears as the plump young ruler went on, “The Zionae wore nothing that would identify them, but from the hand of the dead white man I took this.”

  Numbly, Wulfston put out his hand, and Norgu laid on his palm the gold ring. The intricate carving glinted, blurring as his eyes filled with tears-but not before he saw clearly the intertwined figures of wolf and dragon.

  Chapter Five

  Wulfston stared at the ring lying glittering on the palm of his hand. Lenardo dead? No!

  Norgu swept on out the gate, to where his retinue awaited him.

  Wulfston remained in the courtyard, stunned. He stumbled to the watering trough for the horses and sat on its edge, his legs weak with shock.

  Traylo and Arlus came running from the castle, straight to Wulfston. Sensing his sorrow, they rubbed against him, whimpering. He slid the ring onto his right hand, then put one hand on the head of each dog.

  Their dumb compassion broke through the burning lump in his throat, and his tears fell.

  His friend was dead. Not only would he miss him savagely, but how could he face Aradia? Aradia, who even now carried Lenardo’s child?

  He must go home at once. Aradia needed him more than ever. Lenardo’s child would need her uncle to help raise and educate her in her fathers stead. And I’ll do right by you, Lenardo, he promised silently, twisting the ring on his finger.

  Determination shoved his grief aside. He washed his face in the watering trough, and considered his situation. For the first time, neither the burly guards nor the two female Seers attended him.

  But of course they could Read him whenever they wanted to. At least he could make it more difficult for them by bracing to use Adept power. In fact, he realized, he had been doing so instinctively ever since Norgu had told him Lenardo was dead.

  Now that the Karili had decided he was not their enemy, how much freedom did he have? He should be able just to walk out of the castle, past the guards at the gate… and into a land where he did not know the language, customs, geography-

  He had no money and no friends, but he had responsibilities, Zanos and Astra, Huber, any sailors who had survived the shipwreck-he could not leave them stranded in Africa. First he must find all who had survived. Then they would have to barter their services for passage on a ship home.

  Distasteful as it was, the quickest way to earn passage home was as mercenaries in the coming battle with the Savishnon. The Karili had not persuaded Norgu to aid them; they would probably welcome Wulfston’s powers joined with theirs:

  Traylo and Arlus suddenly jumped to their feet. The dogs turned as Wulfston did, and ran merrily wagging their tails to greet the Princess Tadisha.

  “Is the Assembly over so soon?” Wulfston asked, for he had been about to go back and offer his help in return for theirs in locating his friends.

  “No. I asked Kamas to take my place,” she replied. “Lord Wulfston, I am sorry to hear of the death of your friend.”

  So she had been spying with her Seeing powers-on Wulfston or on Norgu? Was her sympathy real or feigned? Cautiously, he opened to Reading, ready to reassert his defenses at the first sign of betrayal.

  He Read only genuine sympathy as Tadisha said, “You called him your brother.”

  “We were closer than many of blood kin. And now, because that fool Sukuru insisted on involving me in his power play, Lenardo is dead.”

  At the renewal of his grief, Tadisha reached for his hands, saying, “It’s not your fault! If we hadn’t captured you… I’m so sorry.”

  Her green eyes looked into his as she gripped his hands. Suddenly, painfully, the pressure increased. She gasped, “Norgu lied!”

  “What?”

  She dropped his left hand, and put both of hers around the ring on his right. “This ring-the man who wore it was alive when it was taken from him!”

  He stared at her, too much afraid to suffer raw grief a second time to take hope from her words. “How do you know?”

  “I have some power to See the history of objects. This ring is new, its history brief. There is much love in it, and no death.”

  “Maybe Lenardo just wasn’t quite dead yet,” Wulfston said. “Why would Norgu lie about-?”

  “Tell Wulfston I am both alive and well. So he will believe you, tell him-”

  “Lenardo? Lenardo!”

  The “voice” in his head was so much like Lenardo’s speaking voice that there could be no doubt.

  “Wulfston? You can Read?!”

  “Yes! Where are you?”

  “Five days’ journey from you. I must be very careful, for I am guarded by Seers. They think I’ve fallen asleep in my chair, out of boredom.”

  “Are you out of body?”

  “No. That I dare not attempt. The Seers were instructed by Norgu-in my presence-that if they found my body unoccupied at any time, they were to move it. I don’t think you know-”

  “I’ve been around Readers enough to have an idea,” Wulfston told him with a shudder.

  Tadisha could no longer contain her astonishment. “Lord

  Lenardo, you are Seeing from Norgu’s castle-without leaving your body?”

  “Yes, Lady Tadisha-and I am trusting you not to betray me. Because I dared not leave my body, the only way I had to find Wulfston was to follow Norgu.”

  “But five days’ journey-”

  “Lenardo is the best Reader in the Savage Empire,” Wulfston told Tadisha impatiently. “Lenardo, I’ve been a prisoner here, but they’ve stopped drugging me. I think my powers will be back to normal soon.”

  “Norgu hasn’t drugged me at all,” Lenardo told him. “It took nearly three days free of Sukuru’s potions before I felt completely myself. I’m well, but so far I’ve found no way to evade the Seers Norgu has surrounding me.”

  “I’ll come to you,” Wulfston offered.

  “Not alone,” Lenardo warned. “Norgu has powers.”

  “He’s just a boy,” Wulfston protested. “I am a Lord Adept at the full strength of my powers.”

  “I do not know the strength of your powers,” Tadisha put in, “but never has one so young as Norgu shown such power in Africa. And his army has many Seers and Movers, fully loyal to him-they will combine their powers against you, Lord Wulfston, if you attack.”

  “If Lenardo can’t escape, and I can’t go to his rescue, then how am I to free him?”

  “I have an idea,” said Tadisha. “Lord Wulfston, neither you nor the Savishnon are the primary reason the Assembly gathered here. It was Norgu’s demand that we capture you for him-as if he ruled us all.

  The Karili f
ear what Norgu may be in a few years. Now, while he is still young, we must thwart his domination.”

  “Trust her,” said Lenardo. “Tadisha is telling the truth. I will contact you again tomorrow, but I dare not remain in communication for long, lest the Seers guarding me discover it.”

  And Lenardos presence was_gone.

  Tadisha still held Wulfston’s hand. Now she gave it a tug. “Come back to the Assembly. They are arguing about what we should do now that we have three enemies.”

  “Three?”

  “The Savishnon first. We must complete our defenses,” she said with a gesture at the newly heightened walls, “for there is now no doubt of their attack. When I left, Mother was proposing riding out to meet them, trying to keep their destruction clear of our towns and villages.

  “Second, Z’Nelia… perhaps. Until recently she kept to herself. We thought that whatever powers she had were destroyed or weakened in the battle that produced the Dead Lands. Then, a few months ago, her armies took the lands to the west of hers, on the other side of Norgu’s. Now we learn that she can control a volcano, or raise a storm from across the continent. If she attacked you, why should she not attack anyone else who appears to be a threat to her?”

  “Why would she perceive the Karili as a threat?” Wulfston asked. “Sukuru forced me to come to Africa specifically to battle Z’Nelia, so I must appear a genuine menace.”

  “Especially now that she has Seen you,” Tadisha agreed.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You are Zionae,” replied the Karili princess.

  “I don’t know what tribe my ancestors came from,” Wulfston said, “but yes, I see resemblances in the few Zionae I’ve either met or Read-Seen.”

  “So if you defeated Z’Nelia, her people would be more likely to accept your right to rule them than the right of a foreigner.”

  “I am a foreigner. I have my own lands to rule, far from here,” Wulfston told her as he had told Sukuru.

  “I don’t want the lands of the Zionae.”

  “Perhaps you have come to take possession of the Warimu.”