Jean Lorrah - Flight to Savage Empire

For Readers, though, the ceremony included the joining of minds as well as hands. Portia herself joined the priestess, Marina beside her with the goblet of wine. The priestess blessed the two Master Readers, and Portia began something Astra had witnessed only once before, at Helena’s wedding.

“Stephano,” Portia directed the bridegroom, “open your mind. Read your bride. Tressa, let your thoughts meet those of your husband. Read with me.”

There was no denying Portia’s command. The bride and groom began to Read, Portia drawing them and every Reader in the temple into a most beautiful soaring emotion. She captured Tressa’s wild, prancing thoughts, too spirited to tame-and Stephanos eager quickness, sharp wit, loyal courage.

The bride and groom turned to one another, startled recognition on their faces. To her joy, Astra saw them smile-the Masters had chosen well. Maybe that was why such marriages always seemed to work-

It was impossible to retain independent thought as Portia wove the two personalities together in a dreamlike pattern more compelling than any music Astra had ever heard. No Reader could resist joining in, minds circling the intertwined thoughts Portia manipulated into a promise of shared happiness.

It was far more beautiful than what Astra remembered from Helena’s wedding. She had been much younger then, unable to control her own powers at all, totally caught up in what Portia had been able to make of the weaker powers of Helena and Tranos. Stephano must be as strong a Reader as Tressa, for what Portia found to work with today engaged every Reader’s mind in a rapture such as-

Astra realized she had withdrawn from the rapport, was observing it from without, admiring but not participating, something she could not do at age twelve. As Portia’s thoughts developed, she felt strangely distanced, as if she were watching a drama. But Tressa and Stephano were not acting; for them it was all real, shared love, shared grief, shared joy.

Recognition tingled along Astra’s spine. Something she had picked up from Portia-making that poor mother see her dead baby-making her see with a Reader’s inner eye-

Making her see what was not real!

Gooseflesh rose on Astra’s body. There had been no Reader mother… now. No mother, no dead baby-and not a fever dream! A memory Portia had let slip in a moment of guilt.

And Astra knew, knew as surely as if Portia had confessed it aloud, that the mother was her mother-

that Portia had made Cassandra see Astra, her newborn infant, dead-so Portia could take the child, daughter of two strong Readers, and raise her to her own uses!

My mother didn’t desert me! Portia betrayed her - betrayed me! My mother loved me, but Portia made her Read me as dead !

Just then, “Drink,” Portia told the bride and groom, proffering the goblet.

Astra looked up, fearing to find that Portia had Read her discovery, but the Master of Masters was too caught up in what she was doing to notice.

Astra Read within herself to gain control, waiting until her pounding heart stilled. When she dared Read outward again, she refused to join in the rapport until she made sure she would not give away her thoughts. Her anger bubbled up, threatening to focus on Portia’s hypocrisy. She had to calm down!

There was nothing she could do here-nothing she could do at all until the wedding was over and she had time to think and plan.

Seeking to fix her mind elsewhere, she Read Tressa and Stephano directly in front of her. Stephano had just drunk the spiced wine, and was handing the goblet to Tressa, who drank deeply. Astra started to Read Tressa, found her still caught in the rapport Portia had created, and shied away, her Reading uncontrolled, everything flowing in on her as she fought to keep her roiling emotions out of the rapport.

Tressa, reaching for Stephanos hands, dropped the wine goblet. It still contained some wine, and Astra stepped back by reflex as it splashed toward her white dress.

And as she focused gratefully on the wine, her wild powers Read it, not just wine and spices-but beneath, something else in the wine-

To calm herself, she let curiosity take hold, her Reading powers fixed on the wine pooling on the marble floor. The analytical technique she had learned at Gaeta took over-she recognized the alcohol, cinnamon, a tiny touch of mandragora, and-

Entranced, Astra took apart every ingredient, not realizing, until a murmur and a movement of everyone in the temple recalled her to herself, that Portia had ended the beautiful marriage rapport.

At that very moment, Astra found the last ingredient in the wine, and looked up sharply in horror, to find Portia’s eyes on her even as her rebellious mind was telling her something even more terrible than Portia’s treachery to one young woman long ago-it was treachery to all the Readers the Master of Masters ordered married off, set on the Path of the Dark Moon by diminishing their powers with-

White lotus!

Astra fled the temple, fled the Academy grounds, fled from every lie in her life.

Fled from Portia.

In her emotional state, her powers were open to the thoughts of everyone she passed. But she could tolerate that, almost ignore it, as her mind scanned for Readers watching her, following her out of body.

Nothing so far, but-

Only after she was many streets away from the temple did she allow herself to stop and catch her breath.

This is madness! If Portia’s the one in the wrong, why am I the one who’s running away ?

“Because you’re a coward, Astra,” she muttered to herself, “just as you told Tressa. Portia has the power to destroy you, and now you ve given her a reason!”

There had to be someplace to hide, even from the Master of Masters, if only long enough to make a plan…

Zanos! He’d know what to do. But he’s got so much to worry about right now, fighting that death match -

Of course! The arena! The last place a Reader would go, especially when blood sports were in progress!

As she approached her destination, the young Reader scanned the arena’s medical room. She was not surprised to find a male Magister Reader languishing there, closed to Reading to shut out the carnage going on above him. With any luck, his mind would stay closed, unable to Read any alert Portia might send out in an attempt to find Astra.

She focused her powers on the gladiators’ preparation rooms. There was Zanos, getting ready for his match. It had to be coming up soon. She would have to wait until the match was over.

If he survived-

But he has to win! He just has to. I need his help… I heed him.

The gates to the arena were closed, the seats filled to capacity. The tumultuous roar of the crowd was the loudest Astra had ever heard. She closed herself to Reading as best she could, concentrating on what to do next. Composing herself, she approached the men guarding the gate. “Medical emergency,” she said briskly. “Open the gates, please.”

Once admitted, she moved quickly to the ramp to the underground area. Above her, the excitement of the crowd was a great tent of mental energy, sheltering her-

An icy touch stabbed at her mind.

Portia!

“You cannot elude me so easily, child,” the Master of Masters told her.

“I’m not a child!” Astra countered, pressing her back against the tunnel wall and shutting her eyes in concentration.

“Nevertheless, I know what’s best for you. Come home, Astra. There is no place for you outside the Academy.”

“No! Let me alone!”

The icy touch became a pain, attacking her concentration. Portia was trying to bend her to her will, control her mind by projecting images of pain and fear.