Flight to Savage Empire se-4
Page 21
“Astra-you’re awake!”
“What? Zanos-you-?”
“Your Reading’s back! Wonderful! Come on, sleepyhead-everything’s happening without you!”
Master Clement left Astra to dress, although she had napped in everything but her outer dress and shoes.
Hastily she put them on, smoothed her hair, and hurried downstairs to join her husband.
“Why didn’t you tell me you could Read?” she demanded. “When did it happen?”
“I’m sure of it since I woke up after the battle. But I think… Astra, do you remember when you told me to put out the torches?”
“Yes… no-I couldn’t say it. Vortius was choking me!”
“But I heard you! I mean, at the time I thought I heard you-and then in the dark, Vortius was helpless, while I–It wasn’t as if I could see him. I could just, uh, sense where he was and what he was doing.”
“I understand,” she replied. “Readers don’t usually visualize-that’s what we call actually seeing a scene when we’re not there, or when it’s too dark. Visualizing is very difficult, unless you’re out of body.” She gave a little laugh. “So we’ve learned each other’s powers. But you’ve been practicing Reading, while I haven’t dared to try using Adept powers again.”
“I’ll teach you,” he said. “I used to use too much power at first, too-Serafon taught me how to control.”
He introduced her to Decius and the other boy, Lilith’s son, Lord Ivorn. Soon Master Clement came to take them to Lady Lilith’s study.
The Lady Adept certainly belied anyone’s notion of “savage. ” Her face was pale, cool, serene, her dark hair simply coiffed and surmounted by a small gold circlet. She wore a dress of blue satin embroidered in silver, and spoke in a straightforward, effective manner.
“Zanos and Astra, you do not even know me, and yet you have done me great service. How comes it that you should fight for my people, preserving my land and my treasures for their good?”
They did their best to explain under her scrutinizing eye, Astra wondering if this woman, too, was endowed with both powers. “And so, ” Zanos finished, “we simply could not allow Vortius, who has harmed so many, to gain a vantage point here in these lands which we have found to be ruled so peacefully and fairly.”
Lilith glanced at Master Clement. “They speak the truth,” he said.
“Zanos,” continued Lilith, “you say you seek your homeland of Madura-yet you admit that it is unlikely to be the pleasant land that you remember. Do you have property or family there?”
“Property, no. Family-all dead, except my brother. When the slavers came, they killed our parents. We ran. I was caught. My brother escaped-I hope. If he still lives in Madura-”
“Of course,” the Lady Adept replied. “You must go and see. But I must reward both of you for your service to me, and since you have powers in your own right, demonstrated by defeating an attacking force, by our traditions you deserve a portion of the lands you saved.”
Astra shared Zanos’ amazement. “You would offer us-? But you don’t even know us!”
“I know you by your actions. And Master Clement agrees with me from what he has Read of you. It is my right to offer you a part of my lands-but if you accept, you must swear loyalty not only to me, but to the savage alliance-or the Savage Empire, as we now call it-and agree to rule in peace, to protect your people, not to exploit them, and to come to the aid of any member of the alliance who calls for your help.”
Astra stared at the floor, and tried not to let her feelings reach out to Zanos. Oh, how she longed to cease from their wanderings, to make a home here, among these people who had accepted them-
“Astra.” Her husband was looking into her eyes. “Astra, this must be our decision,” he said.
“I–I promised that I would go with you to Madura,” she told him.
“And I intend to go,” he replied. “But my wife-from what we have heard, I do not think we will want to stay there. If we find my brother-if it is as much a land of evil as we have been told, we could have a home here to bring him to.
“Besides,” he added softly, “we have good friends here now-and Serafon may be persuaded to come this far north, if not to the northern isles.”
“Oh… Zanos!” she whispered. “Oh, yes, my husband!”
“Then it is agreed,” Lilith told them with a smile. “One more thing-you will have to stay in your lands long enough to allow your people to know and trust you. Will you agree to a year before you set off on your search for your brother?”
“It has been more than twenty years,” said Zanos. “If he lives… surely he will live for one year more.”
When Astra and he were finally alone together in their room-and wide awake-he told her, “We now have the time and the security to consummate our marriage!”
“And recover afterward,” she said with a laugh, “and I to learn how to use Adept powers, and you to Read.” She kissed him-and then added, feeling the tolerant humor of Master Clement as he shut himself off from Reading what Zanos was broadcasting, “Oh, my-you’ll have to learn how not to Read at the wrong time, if we’re to have any privacy when there are other Readers about!”
“That’s easy,” he murmured into her ear, nibbling it-and the ties of her dress began unloosening of their own accord as her husband became blank to Reading.
“I wonder if I can do that-without fainting?” she said, and concentrated on the bow that held his shirt closed, as if she tugged at one of the ends-it moved! Astra laughed. “Zanos-that’s the solution to my lifelong problem! I don’t have to have the whole world intruding on me if I don’t want it!”
“That’s good,” he murmured distractedly against her hair. “Why don’t you tell me all about it-tomorrow?”
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Document creation date: 08.03.2013
Created using: calibre 0.9.20, Fiction Book Designer, FictionBook Editor Release 2.6.6 software
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