Jean Lorrah - Flight to Savage Empire

“Get ‘im!”

Astra tried to meet them, wielding her two swords, but they stopped short. She could take one at a time in the narrow corridor-and she could Read that they knew if she had stayed alive this long, she had to be dangerous.

The configuration shifted-the best swordsman among them moved forward to meet Astra. “Zanos,” she called-but he remained where he was. Did she have to defend him alone?

No-the hilt of the sword in her opponent’s hand

grew too hot to handle-he dropped it, but the next man pushed past him and struck at her, only to drop, clutching his chest. Zanos slumped atop Vortius, almost unconscious.

“Give up!” Astra told the others, hoping to keep them from noticing how exhausted Zanos was. “Give up and we’ll let you live. Vortius is dead-you owe him no further loyalty!”

“Well, we’ll just take a bunch o’ that there treasure and go out on our own!” replied one of the men.

“Lessee here- you ain’t the Adept-it’s him)”

And he raised the spear he carried and flung it with all his strength straight at Zanos-

In that split-instant Astra Read that Zanos had no strength left-he could not even move! She saw the weapon rushing straight at him-Read it through his weary eyes-felt a rush of heat exploding through her chest-

The spear wavered in its course, swerved-and missed Zanos by a hair’s breadth!

And Astra fainted dead away.

Zanos came to in a room he didn’t recognize, but he knew the face peering into his: Trel.

“So you’ve decided to come back to us, lad,” said the old man.

Memory poured back-he might have been left for dead, but… “Astra!”

“She’s all right, Zanos! But she’s still sleeping.”

“What happened?” Zanos asked, taking in his surroundings. He was on a pallet in what must be the great hall of the castle. Around him were many other pallets, where those who had been wounded in the battle slept.

“You and Astra defended the treasury to the last,” Trel told him. “Brodik and I had to fight our way through Vortius’ men to get down there after he thought he’d taken the place-we got there just in time.

You barely deflected that spear, and it was too much for Astra-she just fainted dead away.”

“What? When was this?” The light was wrong for it to be evening.

“Yesterday,’ Trel told him.

“Yesterday! Why is Astra still sleeping? What haven’t you told me? She’s not the kind of woman who faints! Was she wounded? Where is she?”

“We put all the women together in another room,” Trel explained. “Zanos-I don’t know why Astra hasn’t wakened. She doesn’t seem to be hurt. If you’ve got enough strength to walk, you can see her.”

Zanos’ knees felt like jelly, but he managed to walk with Trel ino the room where Astra lay sleeping. She didn’t look injured. Her color was normal, she breathed regularly, and he could feel the pulse in her wrist.

But she did not wake at his touch.

“By the gods, I wish I could Read!” said Zanos. “Trel, isn’t there any other Reader-?”

“Javik is dead,” the old man said sadly.

“Yes-he died bravely,” replied Zanos. “But how am I to find out-?”

It was a hunch, or perhaps just a memory of the way Serafon had touched him to bring him out of healing sleep when he was wounded. Whatever the reason, Zanos gently placed a finger on Astra’s forehead, between her eyes.

Her eyes fluttered open. “Zanos?” “Zanos?” It was like an echo, first the thought, then the word-

“Blessed gods!” he whispered.

“Where are we? Why can’t-?” “Where are we, Zanos? I-Zanos, I can’t Read!”

But he could-he felt her fear thrust through him like a sword wound. “It’s all right!” he told her, gathering her into his arms. “Astra, you’re all right- you just-”

He looked at Trel over Astra’s shoulder. “You said… that I deflected a spear?”

“Yes,” Astra answered, not knowing he was asking

Trel. “It must have taken the very last of your strength. Then-did someone hit me? How? I’m a Reader, but-”

Again he felt her panic. Trel said, “No one hit you, Astra. I came just in time to see what happened.

Zanos deflected the spear, and then you passed out.”

“You were there?” She seemed confused. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t I know you were there?”

“Astra,” said Zanos, “you weren’t Reading just then because I didn’t deflect any spear. I remember now-I had no strength at all. I couldn’t even duck. You deflected that spear, Astra-and you saved my life.”

“But I can’t-” she protested.

“Javik said it was all one power. Obviously he was right.”

“And when he used his Adept power too much,” added Trel, “it would affect his Reading. I remember the day we felled that big tree-the stump that stands in the middle of the Settlement. We wanted it to fall where we hadn’t built any homes yet-in the area we were planning to expand into. We thought we had the cut just right, wedges in place, so when we knocked them out it would fall right where we wanted it-but none of us were experts at that craft, and something made it fall at the wrong angle. It would have hit three homes-but Javik deflected it in midair, so it fell where we wanted it. He couldn’t Read after that for almost two days.” He smiled encouragingly at Astra. “When he had those Reading losses, he was impossible to put up with. I suppose Zanos will have to learn to wait it out if it makes you as bad-tempered as it did Javik.”

“Javik,” whispered Astra, a tear trembling on the edge of her lashes. “Kimma. Oh, Trel-did anyone but you survive?”

“Most of the rest of us. Now, both you young people need something to eat, and then more sleep if I’m any judge.

It seemed to Astra that all she did was eat and sleep for the next several days. She and Zanos were given a room on one of the upper levels-but there was no temptation to do anything but sleep in the big soft bed.

They did go out once, for a funeral ceremony when all the bodies, friend and enemy, were burned on the common pyre. Unable to Read, Astra found it only confusing-except for one moment as, around the circle, people spoke out for those they had loved or respected. Trel spoke for Kimma and Javik, and Astra added, “I knew them only a short time, but I will miss them sorely.”

“So shall I,” said Zanos. “And… I must speak for Vortius. Today is a day to remember, not the wrongs he did, but rather that… the mother who mourns him is a dearly beloved friend.”

Astra squeezed his hand, thinking that Serafon would be glad to know that her sons death did not go unremembered, as did those of Amicus and Corus.

With each day they needed less sleep, but Astra still found herself unable to keep awake after lunch.

Zanos said it was because she refused meat, which would have given her strength back more quickly-

but Astra was determined to give the Reading powers that had once been her bane every chance to return.

One day when she woke to a touch on her forehead, it was not Zanos’ blue eyes she looked into, but bright eyes set into a wrinkled old face she had seen somewhere before-

“It’s all right, child. I’m no more a traitor than you are.”

“Master Clement!” And then she realized, “I can Read again!”

“Yes, your powers should return to normal very soon. You’re suffering a common aftereffect of a Reader’s first use of Adept power. If you’re feeling up to

it, the Lady Lilith would like to meet with you and your husband.”

She instinctively Read for Zanos, and found him in the great hall, now cleared of the injured, talking with two young men: one of them a lanky adolescent dressed in the richly embroidered garments of a young lord, the other the boy who had been with Master Clement in Tiberium that day she had met Zanos-how long ago it seemed, although it was less than a year! Decius-the boy who walked on a wooden leg, the one who had been defending Torio and Lenardo back when she had thought them all traitors-