Jean Lorrah - Flight to Savage Empire

“It’s all right, Kimma,” he replied. ” I’m all right. The woman who trained me to use my Adept powers was able to heal me. “

“Oh.” And Kimma’s blush deepened even further.

Astra broke the embarrassed silence. “Show me how to do what you were doing earlier, Kimma. You were leading Zanos a merry chase that would wear down any man but a gladiator.”

From that point on the lesson went better. Astra began to discover her own advantages-and when Kimma left them to their practice once again, Zanos found his wife’s reaction times much improved.

When he praised her, she replied, “I finally realized how to do it when Kimma was choreographing steps for me almost like a dance. It’s like music, Zanos-we don’t stop and think about what notes to play. We just play them. What you said-the body, not the brain. I know it’s going to take long practice-but at least I’ve got the feeling for it now.

But she was worn out; no use to ask more of her today. It would take time to build her endurance- but how much time did they have?

That evening when they retired to their hut, Zanos examined the welts on Astra’s arms and legs, some of them turning into nasty bruises. He placed his hand over the worst of them. “I’ll-”

“Don’t,” said Astra. “The bruises are nothing-and you must save your strength.”

“Taking care of you is what my strength is for,” he replied, and let the healing power flow through the worst of her bruises.

“Thank you,” she whispered, snuggling up against him like a sleepy child. But she wasn’t a child-she was his wife. “Kimma said your breasts were bruised,” he said, laying his hand over her left breast through the soft cloth of her gown. “We’ll see if we cant rearrange the padding tomorrow-maybe Kimma can find something more cushiony.”

His hand could not be still, but gently pressed her breast, feeling the nipple respond. So did his own body, and without thinking, he bent to kiss her mouth.

Tired, Astra remained passive for a moment, but then her own feelings woke and she put her arms around him. Instantly, he was aflame with postponed desire as Astra cuddled against him.

But when he pulled back and began to lift her gown away from her body, she suddenly pulled it out of his hands, saying, “No, Zanos! You know we can’t!”

“Then why-? What did you think we were doing?”

In the dim light he could see only surprise on her face. “I thought-it just feels so good to touch each other-”

He groaned, awareness of her total innocence making her seem more a stranger than on the day they had met. “Astra-now you must learn a lesson in anatomy. A man can’t be satisfied with just touching-at least not that way. I love you, and you arouse desires we dare not fulfill.”

“I’m sorry!” she whispered, and pulled away. “Oh, I wish we were somewhere safe-that I didn’t have to Read to the castle of the Blue Lion tomorrow- that you didn’t have to preserve your powers lest we be attacked. Zanos… how long is it going to be like this? All the way to Madura? Are we never going to dare to express our love?”

The next day, Astra asked Javik, “Have you ever been married?’

“No.” He studied her. “I never dared.”

“I thought you said you had been placed on the Path of the Dark Moon. The Masters arrange marriages for all such Readers-to ensure the next generation for the Academies.”

“I’m sure they would have,” he replied. “I was only fifteen when they failed me, though-too young for the responsibilities of marriage. I was assigned to Trel’s village as assistant to their Reader, who was over seventy years old then. He didn’t survive Drakonius’ takeover-but I did, and had to learn to Read then as best I could to keep my people safe.

“Sometimes I’ve thought about the future-about

who will Read for the Settlement after I’m gone. But every time I decide I should marry and have children, hoping that at least some of them will be Readers, some new danger crops up, and I need every bit of my meager powers to protect us.” He smiled sadly. “I suppose I’m still not too old-but I’m so accustomed to relying on my powers that even if the world were to become a safer place, I’m not sure I could bring myself to risk losing them.”

“Are you sure you would?”

“Nothing is sure,” Javik replied. “I know that most Readers’ powers return after they’ve been married for a while. Or at least return in part. Unless that’s a myth, too! So much of what we were taught in the Academies has turned out to be false-but I left so young that now I’m not sure what we were really taught, and what was just gossip circulated among the boys. I take it you are asking because you and Zanos have not yet…?”

“That’s right. And what do you know about Adepts?”

“The same, so far as I know-which only makes sense.” But then he suddenly became UnReadable for a moment, saying, “Let me show you where Seriak’s encampment is, near Lady Lilith’s castle. It will be a pleasure Reading with a Magister-it’s many years since I’ve worked directly with another Reader.”

They lay down on the mats in Zanos and Astra’s hut, Zanos standing guard over them, Trel and Kimma outside. When they left their bodies, Astra felt that uncertainty in Javik she had sometimes felt in the students at the Academy who were just learning to do this-fear that once out of body, they would not be able to return.

But Javik’s presence reached out to hers and became steady and secure. Then he led northward, following landmarks instead of using the technique Astra would have used had she ever visited Lilith’s castle before-simply imagining the place and suddenly being “there.”

However, it was still only minutes before they “saw” the castle, a huge structure sitting on a steep mountainside. Something about it implied great age and benevolent wisdom.

Javik led her to the hills beyond-where there were signs of a deserted camp, but no people. “Seriak was camped here just a few days ago.”

“But he’s gone now,” Astra told him, Reading in every direction without locating any large groups of people except in villages. “The Lady Lilith has returned home-perhaps he’s afraid to stay so near an Adept. As long as were here, let’s have a look at that castle.”

Within the castle, Astra Read-

She withdrew quickly, Javik following her without question.

“Readers! Two of them, Javik!”

“Yes-I Read them, too. This is where Lord Wulfston sent his two hostages, Amicus and Corus. How far can Master Readers travel out of body, Astra? Could they communicate with Tiberium?”

“No-that must be why they brought them here. I’m going to try to Read them more closely. Don’t communicate with me, or they’ll Read our presence.”

“Just lead-I’ll follow.”

The two Master Readers were not in the dungeon, as Astra would have expected, but languishing in lavish guest quarters on the second level. Both men appeared to be in good health, well fed, and comfortably attired. Only the locked doors with guards stationed outside gave evidence that the two Masters were prisoners and not guests.

Master Amicus was staring out one of the narrow windows, openly thinking about the homeland now lost to him forever, an invitation for Master Corus to communicate, Astra understood-but a possible danger to her if he caught her eavesdropping. But there was too much information to be gathered for her to withdraw.

The savages wanted Amicus and Corus to see the peaceful intentions of the alliance, and eventually persuade the Emperor to consider a peace treaty.

What they didn’t know was how the Aventine Readers feared the savage sorcerers’ mind-twisting powers. They would never trust the word of Readers who had been the prisoners of the Lords Adept.