by Jean Lorrah
Although she could hardly cling to her horse amid the shared pain, Astra forced herself to continue Reading the scene. That guard-he was the same one Vortius had caused to choke on his scouting mission, and then provided “medicine” for! Now he was carrying out the orders Vortius had carefully programmed into him with subsequent doses of “medication,” the last few doled out on secret trips out of the castle and paid for with detailed descriptions of floor plans and security routines.
At the news that reports had ceased from the watchers to the north, this man had first come up here to kill the Readers lest they give the alarm.
Astra realized that Vortius would never trust a Reader he couldn’t control by some means other than a bribe. After all, someone else might offer a bigger reward!
Now the guard went quickly down to the courtyard and up the watchtower, where the man on duty turned anxiously to say, “I can’t get any response from Yakov, sir!”
“I’ll take over here,” replied Vortius’ man. “Go to the arms room and help prepare the weaponry.”
“Aye, sir!”
Alone on the tower, the guard first faced northward, to where the next relay of watchers lay dead, where Vortius waited for his signal. “All is accomplished. Come ahead.”
Then he turned to the south and flashed, “Cancel alert. No trouble here. Yakov’s relief late. Tell Lilith all is well. Drav.”
And remembering Drav’s reaction the day Vortius had come to scout the castle, Astra was sure he was one of Lilith’s most conscientious retainers. She would trust his word… and not hurry home.
Astra relayed what she had Read to her companions. “We have no choice-if we don’t help defend that castle, Vortius will take it by nightfall.”
“And get more people into his power-the most resistant ones with white lotus.” Zanos shuddered, and urged his horse to a faster pace.
Now their problem was twofold: to warn the castle that Vortius was coming, and to persuade those who defended it that they were friends, not enemies.
That problem was still unresolved when they approached a roadblock set up by the army. “Where are you going?” demanded the officer in charge.
“To the Lady Lilith’s castle,” replied Trel. “We’re entertainers, come to help celebrate the great victory over the Aventines.”
“Sir,” spoke up one of the soldiers, “I saw them perform two days ago over at the Crossroads. They put on a fine show.
Astra Read the officer thinking that over. Word had just come from the watchers that the alert was a false alarm-Drav’s counterfeit message.
“Very well,” said the officer. “Pass through. Perhaps we’ll be let off duty tonight and can see your show.”
“Why are you blocking the road?” asked Trel. “Is there some danger ahead?”
“Nay-we thought there might be, but it proved merely a watcher late to his duties. We ought to be moving back toward the castle-if there were any trouble, that’d be the target.” And Astra Read thoughts of Lilith’s treasure rooms-certainly Vortius’ target.
“Or we might be,” Trel improvised quickly.
“Eh?” questioned the officer.
“We had a scare back there-all this activity has the bandit clans restless, you know.”
“Aye-we’ve been having trouble with ‘em south o’ here ever since the Aventine invasion, ‘ agreed the officer. “You see something?”
“Aye. You know, we’ve picked up a nice bit of money our last few performances-generous folks
‘round these parts, ” said Trel. “We’re thinking of staying in this kingdom-my life’s ambition has been to build my own theater, and I understand there is none in this country. But a bunch of bandits tried to ambush us this morning-there wasn’t enough of them, and they quick gave up when they saw we’d fight for what’s ours.”
“But you’re thinking, if you settle in these parts, are you going to have to defend yourselves-or will the Lady of the Land protect you? She will, sir-that I can promise as her loyal follower these twenty years.
And for the rest of your journey-why don’t you ride with us back to the castle? No bandits are going to attack a troop of Lady Lilith’s army!”
It was exactly what Astra had had no idea of how
to accomplish. The officer, whose name was Brodik, was about the same age as Trel, and in half an hour the two men were fast friends. Kimma, and even Seela, flirted gently with some of the men, and they rode at a steady pace which Astra saw would put them near the castle at about the same time Vortius’
troops arrived.
They were still far outnumbered, and she feared that there would not be time to get inside the castle and bar the gate against the invaders-but they had brought twenty armed and well-trained men to join forces with Lilith’s retainers. Of the people in the castle, she could Read none in league with Drav-but he still manned the watchtower, relaying false messages that all was well, supposedly coming from the lookout post where Vortius had killed Yakov. The two guards he had sent for a break had resumed their posts outside Amicus’ and Corns’ rooms, with no idea that their charges now lay dead inside.
Zanos rode steadily, with the tension she recognized as the fighter’s pitch, ready to move at the first threat. He had nothing to say-perhaps because some of the soldiers riding beside their little troupe might hear.
Wishing he could Read, she reached across and put her hand on his. He looked over and gave her an encouraging smile-and she knew he thought she was frightened.
And for the first time, she realized she wasn’t.
No-it wasn’t that she had no fear. Indeed, her stomach knotted when she thought that she might be killed, or Zanos might-and surely not all of their new friends could escape unscathed from the upcoming battle.
But it was a different kind of fear from the anxiety she had known all her life. She had made a choice—
and she had absolutely no fear that it was wrong! Even if Vortius won, she still knew she would have no doubt that she had chosen right. Her self-doubts were gone.
So she squeezed Zanos’ hand. “I’m all right,” she said. “No matter what happens, I’m all right-and I love you.”
“As I love you, ” he replied. “We’re going to win, Astra-we’ll get rid of Vortius, and then you and I are going to have a long and happy life together.”
And she Read that his desire for vengeance, if not gone, was outweighed by his concern and love for her.
She sent out her own thoughts, even if he could not Read them-and the look in his blue eyes told her that he understood enough without Reading—
The moment was shattered by an outcry ahead, and the sound of galloping horses. Astra Read the castle, which was now just up the steep road they were climbing, the watchtower already in view.
The road from the north converged with this one near the castle gates-and someone had seen from a castle window Vortius’ unreported army approaching!
Two men swarmed up to the watchtower, looked out-and one of them grabbed up the horn and blew a mighty blast as the other shook Drav, demanding, “What’s the matter with you? Why didn’t you sound the alarm?!” Then he flung Drav down the ladder, where he lay stunned for a moment-then drew his knife and started to throw it at his attacker. But the other guard flung a spear from the tower, and Drav was dead.
“Close the gates!” shouted one of the guards-but the other grasped his arm and pointed toward Brodik’s troop approaching from the south, bearing the banners with Lilith’s blue lion.
” Guard the gates!” came the revised order. “Let the troops in, but keep out the attackers!”
Easier said than done. By this time, Brodik was aware that something was happening at the castle-he had heard the horn, and Astra couldn’t be sure, since she had Read them, whether the guards’
instructions were audible from here.
They all spurred their horses-but so did Vortius
and his troops, arriving at almost the same time where the two roads widened into a sort of
plaza before the castle gates.
The first of Brodik’s trained soldiers spread themselves in a diagonal from the gate across the northern road, allowing everyone else to ride into the castle behind their barrier-giving their lives blocking the way of the attackers, but taking a sizeable number with them into death.
The troupe from the Settlement and Brodik’s surviving soldiers leaped down from their horses. “Bar those gates!’ Brodik shouted as people swarmed up onto the castle walls and began to rain arrows down on the attackers.
Zanos had not seen Vortius in the attacking army, but of course he would not expose himself in the front ranks. Nor had he come unprepared for barred gates.
The moment Zanos climbed up to the platform from which he could look over the wall, he saw a battering ram being moved up from the rear of Vortius’ entourage. Men in armor heavy enough to deflect arrows slowly hauled the heavy instrument forward, up against the gate, where they shoved blocks under its wheels, then wound the thing back with pulleys to the limit of the straps it hung in. The armored point hit the gates with a splintering thud, but they held. The first time.
Arrows and spears had little effect on the armored men winding the instrument back for a second blow.
Zanos tried to stop the heart of one of the men-but he was moving, the target too hard to concentrate on. Although he staggered, his misstep was not enough to stop the progress of the battering ram.
Then he remembered something Mallen had done against him. He concentrated on the man’s armor, thinking of the metal parts being hot as iron in a forge, burning through the padding beneath—
His victim screamed and dropped out of his place, tearing at his armor-and Zanos looked to the man next to him, trying the same technique.
But it was too slow-and by the time the second man leaped away from his task, the first was back at his despite his smarting burns.
The ram was a log as thick as a man was tall, solid, and freshly cut, heavy with sap. There was no hope of setting it aflame—
And as Zanos was still pondering some way to keep the gates from being battered down, the ram struck a second time-and the center of the gates splintered, knocking the heavy bar halfway across the courtyard.
With a mighty cheer, Vortius’ troops charged around the battering ram and into the yard.
Zanos turned, looking for Astra-but before he could find her he was faced with two men climbing the ladder to the platform, trying to get at him. It was a permanent ladder-he couldn’t kick it over-but it was easy enough to kick the first man in the face, knocking him down on top of his fellow.
They were both up by the time Zanos leaped to the ground, but they were semitrained, hacking and slashing at him and wasting their strength. He slid easily in under one man’s guard for a slash to the thigh that left him lying gasping in pain. The other had a potbelly. His breastplate, obviously stolen from armor designed for a thinner man, rode high-and Zanos skewered him through the middle, jumping back as his guts spewed forth when he pulled out the sword.
Still, he could not see Astra! The courtyard was filled with fighting, the castle’s defenders being driven back by the sheer numbers of attackers. More poured through the gateway every moment.
Slashing right and left, ever alert for attack from behind, Zanos started to work his way to the center of the courtyard, hoping to find his wife.
But it was not Astra he found when a woman’s cry of anguish made him turn-it was Lanna!
Ard was clumsily slashing at one of Brodik’s soldiers-and Lanna saw that he was outmatched. She leaped on his opponent, clawing at his eyes, and with that moment’s advantage Ard managed to run the man through… only to turn and face vengeance incarnate.
“Zanos!” he gasped.
Lanna looked up, and went pale as death.
“You betrayed me, ‘ said Zanos. “You sold me out, just as I was about to free you. If Vortius had drugged you, I would have understood-but you acted of your own free will!”
“Zanos, no!” Ard pleaded. “How could we refuse to do what Vortius wanted? With all his power-?”
“His power can be defeated by people who work together!” Zanos shouted.
“But he’s got a whole army!” Lanna pleaded. “Zanos-he’ll forgive you. Don’t hurt us-come work with us for Vortius-”
Their group was causing an eddy in the fighting. As Zanos lifted his sword to dispatch Ard-who was making no attempt to defend himself-he was hit from the side by several fighters toppled by another group—
And before he could recover and reach him, Ard was clubbed by another fighter, while Lanna, screaming, “Ard!’ was dragged off by three men, and disappeared into the melee.
Zanos stopped only long enough to see that Ard was dead. Then he tried to follow Lanna through the mass of struggling humanity.
He found Kimma holding off two brutes with her short sword, and stepped in to take one of them off her hands. “Thanks!” she snapped-and used the feint she had showed him to rid herself of her opponent, while Zanos easily slashed the throat of the other, who had lost the neckpiece to his helmet.
“Kimma, where did Astra-?” Zanos shouted over the clanging of swords.
But just then, Brodik saw Kimma. “Hey, girl! All women and wounded take shelter in the dungeon-now!”
“I can fight as well as any man!” Kimma protested.
“Go!” said Zanos. “If Vortius’ men break through, the other women will need your protection. Most of them can’t fight!”
Kimma began working her way toward the entry to the castle. Zanos followed, assuming Astra had taken shelter with the other women. If only he could Read for her!
He could also not be sure how the battle was going. By sheer numbers, Vortius’ men would win-but a strategic retreat into the castle might allow the defenders to hold out until help arrived. The watchers, receiving either no messages from the castle or word of the attack, would send out a call for all troops in this area to converge here. If Vortius didn’t have the castle secured and ready to defend by that time, he would be defeated.
But Vortius’ minor Adepts, who had apparently been saving their strength earlier, began to operate. Fires broke out in the castle, sending people fleeing from the smoke. Men dropped heated weapons, or fell dead of heart failure.
Zanos turned from his progress toward the door into the castle, certain that these events presaged the arrival of Vortius himself.
And indeed, through the splintered gates rode Vortius-surrounded by Zanos’ gladiators!
He knew how loyal they were-just as loyal as he had been under the influence of white lotus. They would give their lives in defense of Vortius now.
Torn between finding Astra and facing Vortius, Zanos wavered for a moment-and then decided on a strategic retreat before Vortius knew he was here. He could not defeat six dedicated men whom he had trained himself! His only chance was to bide his time and take Vortius by surprise.
So he fought his way to the door into the castle, which was guarded well-but one of Brovik’s soldiers recognized him, and he was allowed in. “I’m going down to help protect the women and wounded,” he announced.
“Good work,” replied the man. “We’ll hold this door as long as possible-but it don’t look good.”
Zanos wound his way down narrow, torch-lit stairs until he came out in Lilith’s dungeons. Here he found two pregnant women, several children, and all the wounded who had been able to get down those treacherous stairs. Kimma guarded them while the women of the castle dressed wounds, gave medication, and comforted those in pain.
Astra was bent over a man bleeding from a gut wound, the smell warning that he would die of infection without the aid of Adept healing.
Zanos stepped to his side, and put the man to sleep. Then, as Astra looked up at him wordlessly with her beautiful smile, he started healing heat to destroy the infection. At Astra’s directions, he drew together the man’s intestines, then the muscle over them, healing the wound from the inside out to a stage where his bo
dy would repair the rest while he lay sleeping.
Astra sat back on her heels with a sigh. “They keep coming. I’m afraid to Read the battle.” But she did, he could tell, as her eyes took on a faraway look. “Help is coming! But they’re far away yet-and Vortius is nearing the door into the castle.’
“He has no reason to come down here,” said Zanos. “You’ll be safe.”
“Oh, but he has good reason,” Astra replied. “Come and look.”
She led him along a narrow passageway cut deep into the bowels of the mountain. Light faded, but flickered up ahead when they turned a corner. It was cold and dank here. Puddles of stagnant water pooled on the stone floor. A single torch lit the way.
At the very end of the passage, a sturdy door stood-locked, of course. “Any Adept can open it,” said Astra, “but no one else. The mechanism is on the inside-lift the lever directly behind here,” she pointed,
“and it will be unlocked.”
Zanos unlocked the door, and Astra pushed it open to reveal—
Chests upon chests, most of them closed, but several open to reveal gold rings, gold and silver coins, precious stones-
“Lilith’s treasure!” Zanos exclaimed. “By Ma-wort-if Vortius can’t hold the castle, he can buy himself an army big enough to take the whole territory if he can carry all this away!”
“And Drav was an officer of Lilith’s guards. Vortius surely made him tell where the treasure is kept. So he will fight his way down here if he possibly can.”
Zanos took a deep breath of anticipation. “Excellent,” he said. “The perfect bait to bring the enemy into my trap!”
Astra stared at Zanos as she pulled shut the door to the treasure room. He was unReadable, automatically set to use Adept power at the thought of wreaking vengeance on Vortius. It sent a chill down her spine-and yet what could she do? He could never rest until he had met his nemesis, face to face.
So she said, “How can we lay a trap that will actually capture him? Besides you and Kimma and me, we have no one down here capable of fighting.”
“Lilith’s soldiers will fight all the way, protecting helpless people as well as the treasure,” Zanos replied.