Jean Lorrah - Flight to Savage Empire

“You mean without drugs they’re not?” he asked in shock.

“Yes, they are-or I think they are. But how much or how permanently, I don’t know. Zanos, they’re failing Master Readers with years of experience. That’s not the way the Academy system is supposed to operate-but it’s happening. Even supposing the effect of consummating a marriage were to reduce the powers of a Master to those of a Magister Reader- those are still highly significant powers! Such a person, resentful of what had happened, could be a serious threat to the Council of Masters.”

“I see,” Zanos said, fingering the stubble of beard on his chin. “So they make certain such strong Readers do lose most of their powers.” He shuddered. “They deliberately cripple them, as some people will lame a slave to keep him from running away.

Astra nodded. “I have another piece of information, from years ago-before the corruption in the Council of Masters, I think. My mother was not married to my father. Her powers were so diminished by my birth that Portia was able to make her think her baby had died-yet she recovered enough within a few days to escape from an Academy full of Readers. In fact, she vanished so thoroughly that she was never found. Neither was my father.”

“That’s what Portia told you,” Zanos said flatly. “I don’t want to hurt you, Astra-but isn’t it more likely that they were quietly… executed?”

“No!” she protested. “No-that’s one of the things I Read from Portia. They escaped across the border.

I suppose… that means if they were ever discovered to be Readers the savages killed them. But maybe they’re still alive out there somewhere-maybe they escaped beyond the savage lands to the north, and found some other part of the world where Readers are treated kindly. At least I’d like to think so.”

He smiled gently. “I hope you’re right. But how could you have learned so much from Portia’s mind?

Surely the Master of Masters doesn’t leave her thoughts open for a Magister Reader to eavesdrop on? “

Lowering her eyes, she described her battle with the Master of Masters, ashamed now of how viciously she had struck out at the old woman, yet still unable to think of any other way she could have saved herself. “I’m gambling that Portia won’t regain consciousness for hours,” she said. “The fact that I’m still alive and free means that I was right. But when she wakens she’ll either alert the entire Reader system to find me, or send out Vortius and his killers!”

“Or both,” muttered Zanos. But then he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to protect you. Now I see why you’re dressed like that-you figured that one of Morella’s girls going home with me wouldn’t draw any attention.” A wry smile curved his lips. “I’ll tell you the irony of that some other time. Right now, we must get you out of Tiberium-”

“No, Zanos. It’s much more complicated than that.”

“I know. You have to get out of the empire entirely. And yes, Astra, there are places beyond the lands of the savages. Thanks to my winnings from yesterday’s match, I’ll soon leave this land too. Come with me and my friends. We’ll find a way to hide you for the week or so-”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you! You don’t have a week or so. You have to get out of the empire this very day, before some other Reader scans you!”

He slowly withdrew his hand from her shoulder. “What are you saying?” he asked, a cold, deadly tone in his voice. Astra was suddenly aware that this man had made a career of killing people.

This was the moment she had dreaded. She grasped his retreating hand and held it tightly. “Zanos, please… hear me out. I Read your match with Mallen- and I discovered the secret you two shared. I thanked every god in the universe when you defeated him… and only then thought to wonder if you were an Adept spy for the savages. ” His hand closed painfully on hers, but she continued with forced calm, “I know you can’t be.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“The savages hate and fear all Readers they don’t control. If you were one of them, you wouldn’t have jeopardized your mission by using your powers to save my life when I was so ill.” His grip on her hand eased, and she could almost have laughed at the surprise on his face.

“Yes, ‘ she told him, “I recognized you. I dreamed about the Sun God, but when I discovered that you had Adept powers, I realized that the god with the flaming hair in my delirium was you. And only someone who cared about me would risk using such powers where any one of a hundred Readers could have discovered and exposed him.” Astra gently pressed his hand against her cheek. “Thank you, ” she whispered.

Zanos shook his head, smiling at her. “I always feared somebody would discover my secret, and could never imagine what would happen next. But you’re not just anybody. You’ve become the most important person in the world to me. When I heard that you were so ill, I could not stay away-not when I knew I could heal you.” lean Lorrah Winston A. Howlett

“I know,” she replied. “Now it’s my turn to help you. Something happened during your match with Mallen. By the time it was over, whatever trick you’d been using to hide your powers stopped working.

You remained unReadable. The gods were smiling on you, for the Magister in the medical room only Read your wounds. I was carefully Reading him all the time you were in there, but there was nothing I could have done if he had tried to scan your thoughts-”

“He must have been a friend of Darien and Primus.” Zanos shrugged. “He didn’t even want to look at me, much less treat my injuries. But now that I’ve had a night’s sleep to recover my strength-”

“You’re still unReadable, Zanos. There was only one moment when you woke up,” she told him, “when I could catch your feelings-and then it blanked out. What happened in the arena yesterday somehow changed you-increased your powers beyond your ability to hide them. If any Reader-even one on the Path of the Dark Moon-were to try to Read you right now, your secret would be out.”

“And I’d have to fight off a mob to get out of the city, ‘ he concluded. “But there has to be something we can do. I need time to finish the deal with the owner of the Nightwind .”

“A merchant ship?”

“A smuggler’s ship, actually. War or no war, the Emperor still needs fishing ships for his food and smuggling ships to get him soap and spices. That’s why certain vessels have not been conscripted for the invasion fleet. The Nightwind’s owner has had money problems lately, and is open to accepting a rather large bribe-”

A worried look crossed his face as he stopped.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I just realized what was strange when you and Morella put me to bed last night.” He went to the door and opened it. “Ard! Lanna!”

There was no reply. Astra Read throughout the villa, and found no one. When she told Zanos, he asked,

“Did you see either of them last night?”

“Ard let us in. I’m sure he didn’t recognize me, although he did stare-but I don’t remember seeing Lanna.”

Muttering an oath, Zanos strode to the bedroom’s west wall. It was painted with a mural of birds in flight, divided into panels. Zanos pressed two spots in one panel and it instantly sprang open, revealing a closetlike hiding place.

He let out a long breath, obviously relieved as he pulled out a small wooden chest, one of three hidden there. “For a moment I was afraid that Ard had betrayed me and run off with my winnings,” he said as he lifted the heavy box to a small table. “And I’ve always been afraid that one of Vortius’ corrupt Readers would locate that secret panel. “