Jean Lorrah - Empress Unborn

“I had thought the girl had outgrown taking foolish risks. What was she doing there? Did you know?”

“No! I didn’t know she was out of the house. What were my guards doing? And where was her sense, to go to such a place? She is in my care. Lenardo will never forgive me!”

“Be calm,” said Master Clement. “We’ll find out what happened. But I don’t think Julia will be ready to talk about it until tomorrow. Thank the gods for Pyrrhus and Wicket!”

” That’s why Pyrrhus left us earlier!” said Aradia. “Do you think he knew what Julia was up to?”

“I doubt it. I think he suspected Wicket was heading for trouble-and the only way he could find out where he went was to follow him.”

Aradia nodded at the grim reminder of their other problem: Pyrrhus. She had never known anyone who would not succumb to Master Clement’s gentle strength before. If he could not persuade Pyrrhus to stay and learn to use what powers he had left, she didn’t understand why the Master Reader thought she could.

Unless he had suspected…

Aradia’s servant barely managed to get into the parlor before Pyrrhus and Wicket, who did not give him time to announce them. By this time Pyrrhus was carrying Julia. Oblivious to the bloodstains, he laid her down on a couch and turned to Aradia and Master Clement. “You Read-?”

“Yes,” said Aradia. “Thank you-both of you.”

She Read anxiously along with Master Clement. Julia was pale, sweating, trembling. She was conscious, staring up at the ceiling, but Aradia doubted she knew where she was. “I must put her into healing sleep for the night,” she said. ” That much I can do,” she added grimly, remembering her earlier helplessness.

“Your powers will return,” said Pyrrhus, “after your child is born.”

She realized only after guilt had stabbed her that for the first time he had spoken without bitterness.

When Julia was safely sleeping, Aradia called servants to put her to bed. The minor Adepts on her staff would clean away the bloodstains without waking her, and in the morning Aradia would deal with this new problem.

“She seemed so reliable!” she said to Master Clement. “I worried about Galerio’s influence, but I never dreamed Julia could get into this kind of trouble. Gambling! What was she doing-helping her friends cheat?”

“Uh, Lady Aradia,” Wicket said hesitantly. “Capero had cheated Julia’s friends, and she was trying to help Galerio set it straight.”

“What?!” demanded Pyrrhus. “You didn’t just follow Julia-you knew what she was doing? Wicket, were you part of their scheme?” His sharpness was back, as if the one slip into humanity had never happened.

Wicket cringed slightly. “Well, they were green kids, and Capero was playing the old sucker game on

‘em,‘t’force ‘em to work for him. I was just tryin’ to help em out.” His bright brown eyes went to Aradia, begging for understanding, but all she understood at that moment was that he had almost gotten Julia killed-and that he was wearing a tunic she recognized as Lenardo’s. Thief as well as fool! “Had no idea it was a trap for Julia. How could I?” he pleaded.

It took all Aradia’s self-control not to strike out at the man.

Master Clement said, “I think you had better tell us the whole story-the truth, if you please. A Master Reader can Read through the nonsense you’re shielding with, but it’s late and were all tired. Let’s not make it a contest of wills.”

Wicket’s shield of Adept power went up, and Master Clement glanced at Aradia, who nodded.

Pyrrhus ordered coldly, “Do as he says, Wicket. I already know what a fool you are. Tell us your latest folly.”

Wicket slumped onto one of the couches, all defenses down. Through Master Clement, Aradia Read that he told the unvarnished truth about catching the boys stealing at the horse market, and becoming involved in the plot to trick Capero. When he told how Julia had turned the horses, his shields went up again, but when they dropped as he skipped to this evening, neither she nor Master Clement said anything.

“And only then did any of us know it wasn’t Galerio he wanted, but Julia,” Wicket finished up. He sat, head in his hands, a picture of abject misery in the blood-spattered yellow tunic. “I only meant to help those kids. And now three of ‘em are dead!”

“Aradia,” said Master Clement, “much as I disapprove of Julia’s attempts to right a wrong with another wrong, what chance would you have given this plan’s success had you heard of it this morning?”

“I would have put a stop to it!” Aradia said.

“That is not what I asked. Given Julia’s skills, and Wicket’s, would you have expected them to succeed?”

“This morning? Yes. This morning I had no idea such hatred toward or Readers and Adepts existed in Zendi. I would have expected even citizens patronizing establishments like Capero’s to defend Julia-or at least not attack her! I would never have thought Capero would try such a scheme. How can such resentment exist without our knowing about it?”

“I do not think,” Master Clement said softly, “that it does exist.”

“Then what happened? Why did all those people turn on Julia?”

“Did you notice their feelings afterward?” the Master Reader pursued. “The prevailing emotion among Capero’s patrons was… bewilderment.” _

“You mean someone used them?” Pyrrhus asked. “They were caused to feel anger and hatred? Clement, you’re talking about a breach of the Reader’s Code so vile-”

“Unthinkable,” the old man agreed. “But then, we all know that even Readers are capable of doing the unthinkable.”

“Were,” corrected Pyrrhus. “Or,” sudden feral hope, “Portia’s cohorts?”

“All dead,” said Master Clement. “And Lenardo and I have restructured the Council of Masters so that there can never be an inner circle like Portia’s again. It is no longer possible to hide from the majority of Masters what the central few are doing-and the central few change yearly.”

“Then who could have done such a thing? It would take several Master Readers to control as large a group of people as that. How could they not be Read?”

“The same way whatever Adepts are causing whirlwinds and hailstorms are not being Read,” said Aradia. “They have to be Readers, too-or have Readers working with them. And our best Readers can find no trace of their existence!”

“They are misusing their powers,” Master Clement said, frustration clear in his voice. “We know that weakens them! And even Lenardo cannot project thoughts or feelings at just one person; such thoughts would be Read by any Reader nearby.”

“There would have to be a number of Readers working together, to control so many people at once,”

added Aradia. “I cannot believe our Readers would not detect them.”

Master Clement nodded grimly. “We are dealing with something that is theoretically impossible.”

“No,” said Pyrrhus. “We are dealing with somebody crafty enough to make it look impossible-someone who wants to terrify you.”

“Well, he’s certainly doing a good job!” observed Wicket.

Pyrrhus gave an icy smile. ” I could do it” he said.

“Eh?” Wicket asked.

“‘I didn’t do it,” he added, “but I know how it was done.” This time the smile was smugly self-satisfied.

“Well,” said Wicket, “are you waiting for applause, or are you going to tell us?”

“Please tell us,” Aradia added.

“It would take at least a Magister Reader, although we’re probably dealing with a Master,” said Pyrrhus.

“A single person could do it, using one of the techniques taught at Gaeta. Implanting a command, with something to key a later action.”