by Jean Lorrah
“But you’re right-we could certainly use a few more good fighters. Can you contact Javik?”
“He’s on his way here now, with someone wounded,” Astra replied. “But I’ll tell him-” Quickly, she relayed the situation to the Dark Moon Reader, and as
he worked his way through the fighting in the castle hallway, he located Trel and told him the plan. The old man, blood-spattered and still fighting strongly, began shouting to what villagers he could spot.
Brodik heard, and directed several soldiers to retreat to the dungeon-and they helped Javik carry the casualty he had found down the treacherous stairs.
It was a woman, severely beaten-and raped. It sickened Astra to Read what had been done to her, but she set that aside as she knelt beside her. “Zanos-her spleen is ruptured-she’s bleeding to death!”
Even so, the woman came to-and the moment she was conscious Astra recognized her despite her distorted features. “Lanna!”
“No! No!” the woman moaned, her head thrashing as Astra Read flashes of memory that told her several of Vortius’ men had wanted the pretty young woman, but she had remained faithful to Ard, creating jealousy that had erupted today-Lanna’s eyes focused. She looked past Astra to Zanos, and her heart pumped violently in terror.
“No-not you-”
And she passed out as her life’s blood pumped away.
“Zanos!” shouted Astra.
“I’m trying!” he replied. “Astra-where must I stop the bleeding?”
But it was too late. Lanna was dead-and trying to pump her heart back to life would only force broken ribs to pierce her lungs. Astra stared at Zanos. “You let her die! I know she betrayed you, but-”
“No!” he exclaimed. “Astra, I wanted to kill her-not torture her! You can’t think I’d do that to any woman!’
“No,” she whispered. “I’m sorry.”
More soldiers were coming down to the dungeon, bringing more wounded. Astra worked, Zanos at her side, concentrating on what she was doing right there-until finally there was not another mangled limb to set or wound to close. But soldiers were pouring down the stairs.
Followed by Vortius’ men. They seemed to flow in like a river, three and four against every defender, cutting down villagers and Lilith’s men, trampling over the bodies.
And behind them came Vortius, surrounded by four of Zanos’ gladiators-the other two lay dead, Astra found, in the corridor above.
Three soldiers swarmed over Kimma-but at the same time four more threatened Javik! Zanos tried to take two of them off the Reader while Astra drew her sword to assist Kimma.
More men came, overwhelming them.
Kimma went down.
On her back, she still struck upward with her sword, gutting one of them, who fell screaming-but his fellow ran his sword through her throat and she fell back, dead.
Not knowing even that she did it, Astra picked up Kimma’s sword with her left hand. She now had a short sword in either hand, and, as in improvising a dance, she slashed one way and then the other at her attackers, whirling, leaping-catching one in the throat, another in the belly, pirouetting in spilled blood to slice the laces holding the breastplate of the man attacking her next, then reversing her swing to slash his belly open, spilling guts.
She was wide open to Reading, living every life in that dungeon-and dying every death.
Javik was forced backward over the bodies of fallen soldiers. He fell-Zanos could not disengage from the man he was fighting-Astra whirled and struck Javik’s opponent from behind, her sword clattering off his armor, but making him miss his blow at Javik.
“Thanks!” Javik told her-but it was for naught. The man he had fallen on was still alive. Both Astra and Javik Read him pull a knife-but Javik was still
off-balance. He twisted, but slipped in blood, could not avoid the blow—
And the man stabbed him through the heart.
At the same moment, Astra drove her sword into Javik’s killer’s throat, but it was too late-the Reader’s death agony rang in her mind, heating it to fury.
Now it was Astra and Zanos against Vortius and the four gladiators. The soldiers were all dead or critically wounded. A huge black man charged Zanos. Astra Read that although Zanos had far more skill, the other had the sheer brute strength to endure beyond her husband’s capabilities after expending so much Adept power.
And Vortius had used little or none!
“Stop his heart!” she cried to Zanos.
She meant Vortius-but it was the black man who gagged and dropped like a felled ox.
The other three gladiators charged at once. Astra felt Zanos become Readable-knew that it meant his strength was wavering. Why had she expected him to help her with healing the wounded? They would all die now anyway, because he hadn’t the strength left to combat Vortius!
Zanos and Astra backed away, stumbling over the dead and the living, driven inexorably along the corridor leading to the treasure room. The light grew dim as they left the range of the torches in the infirmary area. One of the gladiators squinted, and Zanos ran him through.
Two on two-reasonable odds except that following behind came Vortius, letting his men tire out his prey, calling, “Give it up, Zanos. You can’t win-but you can stay alive, you and your pretty little wife. It would be a shame to let my men kill her, you know. I won’t even give her to them-at least not very often. I can use the services of a good Reader-I’ve missed that since Portia died.”
The light brightened as they rounded the curve into the narrow hallway near the treasure room-and the flickering torchlight gave Astra an idea. “Take them, Zanos!” she exclaimed-and as he engaged the man attacking her as well as his own, she whirled and with her right-hand sword slashed the burning top off the torch, plunging them all into darkness as it fell to the dank floor and rolled into a puddle.
In the dark, she Read, leaped, struck-one gladiator-the second—
Now Vortius—
Light returned just as she started toward him-he had used his powers to light the stub of the torch left in the holder. It wasn’t as bright as the oil-fed flame, but it was sufficient.
Astra was standing in front of Zanos. He grasped her wrist and pulled her back. “Vortius is mine,” he told her.
“Zanos, you are a fool,” said Vortius. “You have expended your powers-you cant win against me. “
And Astra felt pain clench at Zanos’ heart.
He gasped-but fought it off. The fancy tabard Vortius wore over his armor burst into flame-but he simply stood there laughing, letting it burn away to nothing.
Zanos launched himself at Vortius with his sword-but the man was wearing perfectly fitting armor with no chinks to let a sword through where it could do any good. Only his arms and legs were vulnerable—
and when Zanos slashed at his thigh the sword was easily deflected.
Zanos, you can’t win that way! thought Astra. Her husband was playing Vortius’ game. Make him play your game! But there was no use saying it aloud-she had no idea of how to force Vortius to do so.
But Zanos was too experienced a fighter to continue ineffective tactics. He was panting-gathering air into his blood while he rested for a moment, letting Vortius talk. “Why don’t you just give it up, Zanos?
You know you can’t win. Just give me your sword, and tell your wife to give me hers. Then you can help me carry the treasure back to camp before Lilith’s army gets here.”
The gambler laughed. “Did you think you could stall for time until they got here? Oh, no-I have my watchers, too, my friends. You’ve cost me six fine bodyguards this day, Zanos-so you’re going to have to do their work for them. Don’t worry-I’ll give you white lotus again. Remember how good it feels?
You’ll have no worries, no guilt over this silly little escapade. What did you hope to gain, anyway? All Lady Lilith would have done was force you into her service-so what’s the difference?”
As the gambler stepped forward, Zanos projected, “Astra-get behind him.”
Zanos struck low, slicing through Vortius’ thigh-but the blood hardly trickled out, and Astra Read the wound close neatly up again as Vortius said angrily, “We’ll have to teach you a lesson, won’t we?” He held out his hand, and Zanos’ diaphragm constricted-he couldn’t breathe, and he couldn’t seem to shake it off!
Astra, though, grasped the chance to strike at Vortius’ outstretched arm-at that moment she would have been glad to cut it off, but that was far beyond her strength. Still, she produced a deep cut, and while Vortius was concentrating on healing himself, Zanos recovered.
“What is this?” demanded Vortius. “Do you think to pester me to death with gnat bites?’
Astra’s dress burst into flame!
She gasped-but had the presence of mind to drop and roll in the water on the floor, bouncing to her feet soggy but unhurt.
“Master-where are you?” came a voice from around the turn in the corridor.
“In here, men!” called Vortius-and Astra Read seven more of Vortius’ troops coming along the corridor.
It was over. They couldn’t possibly hold out against seven more men and Vortius!
Unless-
“Zanos-!” she began-but Vortius’ powers clutched at her throat now, preventing her from getting out
“The torches! Put out all the torches!”
The one by the treasury was still flickering-but now, as if Zanos had somehow deduced her thought, it went out. So did the ones along the corridor. The oncoming soldiers stumbled in the dark—
And Zanos leaped on Vortius as if he could see or Read him, knocking him down, tearing at his armor-and plunging his knife into the gambler’s throat! The grip on Astra was released, and she coughed as she drew air deep into her lungs.
Vortius fought with all his strength-but they had made him use his powers in healing himself, and now as he tried to close his throat wound Zanos twisted the knife, kneeling on Vortius’ chest, slashing and slashing until all the life went out of the man’s body, and he lay limp, Zanos bending forward on top of him, strength gone.
A flare of light-someone had relit one of the torches. Seven soldiers came around the corridor to see their leader dead, Zanos kneeling over him, Vortius’ blood on his hands-
“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,” w
hispered 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-There was so much to sort out. Oh, Zanos, will we ever find the place where we belong?