Jean Lorrah - Flight to Savage Empire

Come in, come in, gentlemen-”

And they led the party inside, where they could look over the plan of the castle, plot their attack.

“Hey! Orfo! Mulbur! Don’t let those people in!” another guard on one of the towers shouted down to the watchmen. “You know our orders-”

And as he reached for his horn to blow a warning, his breath caught in his throat. He choked, gasped for air-but something blocked his windpipe! Face purpling, he fell to his knees, other men in Lilith’s livery running to aid him, pounding him on the back as he coughed and choked.

And Astra realized that a man among the merchants who had looked casually up at the tower was unReadable except physically. The “leader” looked toward him, and he shook his head, obviously not wanting to be noticed as he slipped something to the other man.

“Aye, Seriak,” murmured the ostensible leader, and called, “Ho there-here’s a potion will help that poor fellow!”

It was not the drugged potion, though, that captured Astra’s attention, nor the way the guardsman’s choking fit ceased the moment it was forced between his teeth. No-she was Reading the face of the man they called Seriak, a face which, although now bearded, was burned into her memory so that she would never forget it: the face of Vortius!

“So he is also an Adept,” said Zanos when Astra told him what she and Javik had Read. “Of course-

when you told me he was Serafons son, I should have guessed. No wonder he has amassed such power-and no wonder he’s been planning to get out of the empire. He was afraid someone would discover his powers-just as I was.”

“Someone did,” said Astra.

“Who?”

“Portia,” she replied. “It all fits now, Zanos. I saw Vortius outside Portias office the day before you and I met-but it wasn’t the first time he was there. I know I Read him at least once before, but thought nothing of it. Portia thought I knew more, though- such as that Vortius was keeping her alive and healthy with his powers!”

“He’s a destroyer, Astra, not a healer.”

“You use your powers both ways-why shouldn’t he? Portia knew his secret-each had a hold on the other. And-by the gods, they plotted to kill me! Remember how sick I was, when you dared to heal me? Zanos, I’ve never been so ill from a sore throat- but Portia sought to rid herself of me and my wild Reading, because I had accidentally Read too many of her secrets. And Vortius certainly had no scruples about killing someone who might reveal him.”

“Mm-hram,” said Zanos, nodding. “Ard saw you go into Morella’s the day you got sick. He reported it to me, but he must also have reported it to Vortius-he might even have conjured up that rainstorm!”

“Blessed gods-everything fits! When Portia attacked me the day of the games, I fought for my life, and I hurt her badly. She must have sent for Vortius to heal her! I’ve never believed that out of the kindness of his heart he let you have a night to celebrate before he claimed you. He’d have been right there after the games if he hadn’t been called to heal Portia. He probably needed her help to distract some of the Readers so he could make his escape-I’m sure he simply would have let her die if he thought he no longer needed her.”

“Yes,” Zanos agreed. “And now he’s plotting even more deaths. First he will take Lilith’s castle, then he will find a way to get other people into his power- I’ve got to stop him!”

“Revenge?” Astra demanded.

“No! Well, yes, that too-but my wife, surely you can see that Vortius has to be stopped before he gains a strong base of operations such as Lilith’s lands!”

“And at least one Master Reader to aid him,” she said thoughtfully. “From what I saw of Amicus, he’ll go over to Vortius’ side the moment he finds it expedient. It’s a good thing Vortius can’t Read-for if he found that out and added a powerful Reader to his band of minor Adepts, we’d have no chance against him at all.”

“We?” asked Zanos.

“You don’t think I’d let you go without me, do you? After all the lessons in swordsmanship you’ve put me through?”

Trel, Javik, and Kimma also insisted on going along, as did every able-bodied person left alive in the Settlement. To avoid having the watchers report them as mysterious and potentially dangerous strangers, they disguised themselves as traveling entertainers. Most of the villagers could sing and do folk dances well enough to get by, for Zanos and Astra’s music was to be the star attraction.

Kimma demonstrated a wild and sultry dance guaranteed to mesmerize the country lads, while Javik came up with a spectacular juggling act with knives and swords-the rationale for traveling players to carry warriors’ weapons.

When the Dark Moon Reader demonstrated, sending three razor-sharp knives spinning in an arc-adding a fourth-and a fifth-Astra realized that while he concentrated, he became unReadable.

With a flick of his wrist, Javik sent all five knives thunking into the tree stump in a perfect pattern. Then he picked up two swords, tossed one into the air-and caught it on the other, balancing tip to tip!

As he stood balancing the swords, Astra asked, “Aren’t you afraid the audience will guess that you’re using Adept power?”

Without missing a beat, Javik grinned at her. “In these lands, it doesn’t matter. Everybody’s used to minor Adepts. I’m copying a circus act I saw as a boy, inside the empire.” He tossed the swords into the air and caught one in each hand. “When you do it as a performance, everyone assumes it’s faked.”

“Javik,” said Zanos, “why didn’t you tell us you have Adept powers? We’ve heard about people having both-”

“They’re not two different powers,” Javik replied. “It’s what we’re trained to. I was about ten, still in the Academy, when we went to the circus as a special outing. I was so impressed with the juggler that I borrowed some knives out of the kitchen and tried to copy his act… and I could. I was having a great fun till Master Solaris caught me-and he beat me as I had never been punished for any other prank, telling me how terribly dangerous it was, that I could have put out an eye, hurt the other boys-

“And all the time he was punishing me, I could Read the sick fear he felt for me. Believe me, I was impressed! At the time, I believed it was exactly what he said, that I could have hurt myself or one of the other boys.

“It was years later, when I observed people with minor Adept powers, that I realized that Master Solaris had recognized what I was really doing, even though / didn’t know. But because it stopped my experiments, that beating probably saved my life.

“I really cant do much,” he added. “Affecting the path of something in motion is my best trick. I cant start anything moving heavier than a leaf or a feather, can’t control fire, and-much as I’ve prayed for the power-can’t heal. But I’ve deflected enough knives and arrows over the years to be grateful for what powers I’ve got. “

Their packing was soon complete. Ready to move out the next day, they ran through one final rehearsal.

Javik had just done his juggling. Astra and Zanos sat on the tree stump to play for the folk dancing-when suddenly Astra clapped her hands to her head and cried out in pain.

Zanos dropped his flute and took her in his arms, looking to Javik for an explanation. The Dark Moon Reader stared at Astra, and winced. “Tiberium!” he said.

“Earthquake!” Astra gasped. Then she began to shout, “Get out of the forum! Run! The city will fall! All Readers-run for your lives!”

“Astra!” Zanos shook her, trying to break her free of the unseen influence. “Let go, Astra-stop Reading!”